After Ilya left, the room returned to silence.
That silence wasn’t abrupt; instead, it felt like the natural rhythm of the castle.
The door was gently closed, and the sound of footsteps gradually faded away, leaving only the faint sound of the wind outside the window and the occasional whisper from the distant courtyard.
Flora sat for a long time, her fingers unconsciously stroking the rim of her cup until the fruit tea’s warmth had completely vanished. Only then did she slowly come back to her senses.
Nothing special happened throughout the rest of the morning.
No one came to see her again, and there were no new arrangements or sudden situations. It was as if the castle had deliberately slowed its pace, leaving her with a quiet, empty stretch of time.
Flora did not see Xueli again, either.
Whether it was in the corridors, the courtyard, or the direction she occasionally looked out toward from the window, she did not catch another glimpse of that silver-white figure.
It was as if the somewhat strained walk they had shared that morning was merely a brief intersection, their paths naturally diverging once their respective duties and etiquette were fulfilled.
This allowed Flora to breathe a sigh of relief.
It wasn’t that she disliked the other girl, but the continuous effort of dealing with outsiders while maintaining proper etiquette and expressions was quite draining for her current self.
Around noon, she spent most of her time in her room.
Sometimes she stood before the mirror, looking down to adjust her skirt and check her posture; sometimes she paced back and forth in the room, deliberately slowing her steps to memorize the rhythm Ilya had taught her.
Occasionally, she would practice the motions of sitting down and standing up several times until her body no longer felt so stiff.
These exercises weren’t exactly systematic; it was more like she was trying her best not to let herself ‘slip back to the starting point.’
When she grew tired of practicing, she would sit back on the bed and daze off for a while, leaning against her pillow.
Her fingers would subconsciously touch the ring on her left hand, only to stop once she realized what she was doing. She didn’t observe the ring again; she simply confirmed it was still there, like a quiet presence.
The afternoon passed slowly and steadily.
Just like that, the sky turned dark.
At dusk, a maid arrived to announce dinner.
This time, it was a formal four-person meal.
After changing her clothes and tidying her appearance, Flora was led to the dining room. Lias and Xueli had already arrived, and Ilya was there as well.
Among the food on the table, dishes from the blood clan clearly occupied a portion of the space.
There were several dishes with darker colors and slightly unusual scents; those were clearly foods made from blood products.
However, aside from those, there were also many ordinary dishes prepared in the style of the blood clan.
Indeed, the blood clan could consume ordinary food, though it wouldn’t replenish their energy. They ate such things merely to taste and enjoy the flavor.
Flora tried a bit of the ordinary blood clan style cuisine.
The taste was certainly different from the food of the demon race, but it wasn’t difficult to eat. In fact, it was quite well-prepared.
She ate quietly, without saying much and without making any mistakes.
After dinner, she returned to her room.
When the night had completely settled, the lamps in the castle were lit one by one.
Flora was sitting in her room, having just run through the movements she had practiced all afternoon in her mind, when a light and restrained knock suddenly came from the door.
“Your Highness.”
She looked up. “Please enter.”
The door was pushed open, and a maid walked in, her expression looking a bit more solemn than it had during the day.
“Her Majesty the Vampire Queen wishes to speak with you privately,” she said in a low voice. “Now.”
Flora was taken aback.
She subconsciously looked out the window at the sky, which had turned completely dark, and then at her own dress. It wasn’t the set for formal occasions, but it wasn’t disrespectful either.
“…Right now?” she asked.
The maid nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. Her Majesty Lias is waiting for you.”
Flora’s heart tightened for some reason.
She didn’t know what this private summons meant, but her intuition told her it wasn’t just a casual greeting.
“I understand.” She stood up and smoothed her clothes. “Lead the way.”
She was led to a room further inside the castle.
Unlike the reception hall, there wasn’t much decoration here. The lighting was soft and restrained, and a very faint fragrance lingered in the air. It felt more like a place used for private conversations.
The door closed gently behind her.
That soft wooden click felt as if it were isolating the outside world behind another layer of air.
The lights in the room were dimmer than in the reception hall, but it wasn’t oppressive; it felt like space deliberately reserved for conversation.
Flora stood where she was, momentarily unsure if she should speak first.
Lias, the Vampire Queen, was standing by the window.
The night spilled in from outside, and her silver-white hair draped over her shoulders, its color appearing deep and steady in the lamplight.
She didn’t turn around immediately, but stared quietly out the window as if waiting for Flora to steady her own breathing.
“Come here, child.”
Lias’s voice was gentle but lacked any sense of intimacy.
Flora took a few steps closer and stopped a few paces away from her.
Only then did Lias turn around.
Her gaze fell on Flora’s face, lingering for only a moment before slowly moving down, finally fixing on her left hand.
The ring reflected a quiet, steady light under the lamps.
In that moment, Lias’s expression clearly faltered.
It wasn’t surprise, but rather a realization that had been confirmed.
“…As I thought,” she whispered.
Flora subconsciously curled her fingers.
“This ring — ” Lias looked at it, her tone sounding as if she were confirming something she had long known. “She still gave it to you.”
Flora’s heart skipped a beat.
“You… do you recognize this?” she couldn’t help but ask.
Lias didn’t answer immediately. Instead, she turned and walked to a nearby chair, sitting down with composed movements.
She raised her hand, gesturing for Flora to sit as well.
“I recognize the meaning of its existence,” she said. “But that is not a part you should know about just yet.”
The words weren’t cold, but they clearly drew a boundary.
Flora could only temporarily suppress the questions in her heart and sit down opposite her.
A brief silence spread between the two.
Lias’s gaze wasn’t aggressive, yet it remained sharp and calm, as if she were judging how much Flora could handle.
“I called you here,” she finally spoke, “because there are some things Ilya won’t tell you.”
Flora looked up slightly.
“It is not that she cannot say them.”
“It is that she is unwilling to say them.”
When these words were spoken, Flora’s fingertips tightened instinctively.
“Is there something… she doesn’t want me to know?” she asked quietly.
“She doesn’t want you to be crushed by the answers before you have even found your footing,” Lias said calmly. “But I don’t believe that complete emptiness is a better choice for you.”
Flora’s breath hitched slightly.
She vaguely realized that this conversation was no longer an ‘explanation,’ but rather ‘guidance.’
“Are you constantly thinking right now,” Lias looked at her, her tone suddenly softening a bit, “that you have become ‘another person’?”
Flora’s throat tightened.
“…Yes.” She didn’t deny it. “Ever since I woke up, everyone has been calling me Flora, treating me as another identity. I don’t even know…” She paused, her voice tight. “If I am even the same person I was before.”
Lias listened quietly without interrupting.
“Then I can tell you one thing first.” She looked up, meeting Flora’s eyes. “You have never been ‘someone else.'”