After Vera left, Sairi was alone in Liliath’s room.
Sairi sat on the soft edge of the bed, nibbling little by little on the Honey Pancake that Vera had brought her. Her slightly bleached golden hair flicked with each chew.
The sweet and tart berry flavor combined with the crisp, fragrant pancake temporarily soothed her tongue, which had just been scorched by hot milk, along with a small bit of guilt (born from making things difficult).
The Blood Clan’s treats were surprisingly good. This Honey Pancake was even better than the ones she had tried before at the street food stalls in Milu Town — sweeter and softer.
“Mm… it’s pretty good, but I really want to eat Strawberry Daifuku and Chocolate Lava Cake, plus all those delicious things from the kitchen today…”
Sairi muttered softly, licking the honey off her fingertips with a sweet smile, completely unaware that her newly grown sharp little fangs flashed faintly under the light.
“Blood Clan snacks… actually pretty nice? Can I have more of them from now on?”
She had completely forgotten that these were the “Gentle Tea Snacks” Vera had specially prepared for her, a “Newborn” who needed mild energy as a blood descendant.
Just as she stared at the empty plate, reluctant to stop, debating whether to ask Vera to bring more (this time if she was in a better mood),
“Bang!”
The door was pushed open with a not-so-gentle force, then quickly shut again.
Liliath appeared in the doorway, looking somewhat… impatient?
Her silver-white hair was a little messier than when she left, and her crimson eyes still held a trace of frustration after dealing with trivial matters.
Her Queen Mother’s inquiry about the “hall commotion” had obviously ended sooner than she expected, but it was far from pleasant.
Sairi’s eyes flickered with disappointment, having hoped it would be Vera holding up the sign again, but instead, it was this Blood Princess.
“Hmph, that old Biden, nagging non-stop…”
Liliath complained as she habitually leaned her enormous Blood Shadow Scythe against the wall.
It seemed Liliath was truly casual about it. Sairi recalled Hilvia mentioning that such a weapon could be summoned at will, but in Liliath’s hands, it felt almost invisible.
But why were the Blood Clan’s movements so secretive? Suddenly gone, suddenly back — it was really scary!
Liliath scanned the room and immediately fixed her gaze on Sairi by the bed — the girl holding the empty plate, her mouth still stained with honey and berry juice, staring blankly with wide eyes, dazed and silly.
The sight was so adorable that a strange feeling suddenly welled up inside Liliath.
Sairi still had the last bit of pancake in her mouth, her cheeks puffed out like a frightened little hamster.
Seeing Liliath return so suddenly, she instinctively swallowed the food but choked a bit, her little face turning red. “Cough… y-you’re back? So soon? Weren’t you supposed to be gone a long time?”
Liliath came closer and said, “I was supposed to be delayed for a while, but I told them I had my first embrace of you, that I had a blood descendant of my own, and that the hall commotion was caused by my mischievous blood heir. They just let me come back.”
“That’s it? Just because of that, they didn’t punish you?”
Sairi was a bit disappointed — she had actually wanted to see Liliath get scolded and punished severely by her strict Queen Mother.
“Of course not. Having a first embrace of a blood heir is a big deal. Besides, I’m a Blood Clan princess. They let me come back to settle things first. As for the punishment, that will come later.”
“Oh, so you still can’t avoid punishment? Well, that makes me feel better.”
Sairi accidentally let her true feelings slip out.
“What? You want to see me get punished?”
“No way! You misheard! Your Highness is magnanimous, surely you wouldn’t bother with a small fry like me! Hehehe.”
At the same time, Sairi gave a silly smile.
“Changing your tune so quickly? Before you were stubborn, now you call me ‘Your Highness’ all the time. It’s hard not to think you’re faking it.”
And besides, this was already a done deal. No matter how stubborn she was, she was now a member of the Blood Clan. They were even treating her well despite all the trouble she caused.
Liliath looked at her silly expression, feeling in a great mood.
Suddenly remembering something, she curled her lips into a mischievous smile, sat on the bed’s edge, leaned in close to Sairi, and in a syrupy sweet voice said, “Since you are the first one I have embraced as my heir, technically… you should call me ‘Mother Highness’ or ‘Creator Highness.’ Come on, little Sairi, call me ‘Mama,’ will you?”
“Hah—”
Sairi, who had just been smiling dumbly, suddenly froze, looking at Liliath with a confused expression. The strange request startled her so much she nearly choked on her own saliva.
She whipped her head around, eyes wide, face blazing red, fur fluffing out like a kitten with its tail stepped on.
“You’re crazy, right? Me call you Mama? Dream on! And besides, you don’t even look much older than me.”
“Hmph, disrespectful!” Liliath pretended to be angry, puffing up her cheeks with a sharp intake of breath, but her teasing smile was impossible to hide.
“I’m the one who gave you Newborn life. What’s wrong with calling me that? And I’m thousands of years old as a Blood Clan member. You don’t even know if you’re an adult yet — how can you refuse to call me your elder?”
“Still not calling you that, you bad Liliath, nyah nyah nyah~”
Sairi puffed out her cheeks and stuck out her tongue at Liliath, her platinum-streaked hair bouncing, looking even cuter.
“And you don’t look like it, either. The proud and invincible Liliath actually afraid of her Mama. So Liliath cries, acts cute, and runs away from punishment sometimes, right?”
“You!”
Liliath made a move to pounce on Sairi to tickle her.
Sairi screamed and laughed, hugging a pillow as she rolled to the other side of the bed, nimbly dodging.
They chased and dodged each other on the large bed, making a racket. Liliath didn’t try too hard; it felt more like she had found a new toy.
Though Sairi had become a Blood Clan member (not fully transformed), her innocent gluttony and strong reaction to embarrassment hadn’t changed at all.
But she was surprisingly agile and had managed to avoid being caught by Liliath so far.
“Ahem ahem… alright, alright, no more!”
Seeing the commotion had gone on long enough, Liliath barked a command, and Sairi stopped dodging.
Taking the chance, Liliath grabbed Sairi’s ankle and dragged her back.
“Eek!”
Sairi was startled by Liliath’s “unyielding grip,” suddenly recalling how sensitive her body still was.
Liliath looked at Sairi’s flushed face, turned rosy from the playful tussle (though her skin was still cool and pale, her emotions brought a slight blush), and the sparkling eyes.
A softness flickered in Liliath’s crimson gaze that even she didn’t notice.
“Hmph… not calling me? Fine.” Liliath snorted and released her, “Anyway, you’re my heir now. No running away. From now on, just call me by my name. But…”
Her tone shifted, and that same wicked, mischievous smile returned.
“If you cause trouble again and don’t behave… the punishment won’t just be a spanking. I’m considering making you call me ‘Mama’ a hundred times in front of the entire palace as a penalty!”
Sairi froze, her face turning bright red as she imagined that scene, shame maxing out!
“You bad! Demon! I’m never calling you that! You’re dreaming! Nyah nyah nyah—”
She stuck out her tongue again at Liliath, but to Liliath’s eyes, it was more adorable than mocking.
“Pfft… hahaha—”
Liliath laughed heartily, thoroughly enjoying Sairi’s deliberately mischievous antics.
Yes, it seemed taking this kid as her heir was going to be a very interesting decision.
The days ahead promised to be far from boring.
As for the mysterious force within Sairi that resisted True Transformation… Liliath’s crimson eyes flicked to the seemingly ordinary hairpin in Sairi’s hair, a trace of curiosity sparkling deep within them.
Liliath looked at Sairi’s silly, adorable face, her heart blooming with joy, already imagining how she would discipline this clueless little creature in the future.
Her crimson eyes swept over Sairi again, focusing on her still-golden hair—now paler with pink-white bleaching—her noticeably longer little sharp fangs, and her even cooler, more delicate skin.
“Hm? The transformation’s not complete…”
Liliath reached out with her cold fingers, gently pinching Sairi’s chin to force her to look up, then carefully examined her eyes.
“Hm… your pupils are still golden yellow… tsk, haven’t turned that beautiful red. How does your body feel? Is there anywhere you feel especially… hungry?”
She deliberately emphasized the word “hungry,” hinting at the Blood Clan’s craving for blood.
Sairi squirmed a little, uncomfortable, twisting her neck. “Let go… I feel okay, I guess? I just ate the pancake earlier, but now I do feel… a little hungry again?”
She touched her little belly. Her “one-way metabolism” seemed to have some need for blood too, but nowhere near the unbearable thirst typical of the Blood Clan. Her hunger was more for normal food.
It seemed the goddess had given her quite a unique body.
“Hungry?”
Liliath released her hand, eyes gleaming with a hint of triumph.
“Looks like that cup of milk and those snacks from Vera weren’t enough for you.”
Liliath suddenly seemed to have an excellent idea, her face lighting up with mischievous anticipation. “Come, little Sairi, it’s time you taste what the Blood Clan truly calls ‘delicious.’”
She produced a small, exquisite Crystal Goblet from somewhere. Inside was a small amount of thick, liquid ruby-like blood, exuding a strange and seductive aura—it was blood from her private collection, carefully treated, mild and full of energy, suitable for Newborns, and of course only for the Blood Clan.
“Here, drink up, savor this delicacy~”
Liliath lightly offered the cup to Sairi, her tone an irresistible command mixed with coaxing.
“This is what you need most now. Every Blood Clan member must have it.”
Sairi looked curiously at the cup of blood. The smell was strange, neither pleasant nor foul, but deep within her body she felt a subtle pull.
Moreover, this blood seemed different from before. Sairi actually felt an impulse to drink it. The old fear and worry she’d felt around blood had vanished.
She remembered she had been embraced already, so drinking blood now felt… natural? Though awkward, it was much easier to accept than biting someone’s neck.
But whose blood was this?
“Where did this blood come from? Whose blood is it?”
She became cautious. She’d heard of people eating pig’s blood or duck’s blood before, but this was a different world. And with Liliath’s high status, it shouldn’t be ordinary blood.
“You’re quite suspicious. This blood was given to me by a friend. I’ve kept it ever since. I’ve tasted some myself, but there’s still plenty left.”
“Your friend? Male or female? How old? Clean? Human or Blood Clan?”
Liliath’s smile twitched. She didn’t expect Sairi to be so sharp, firing off so many questions at once. Liliath even felt a trace of her Queen Mother in those words.
“A female, about my age. Much cleaner than you. She’s a Dragon, a proud and flawless Dragon.”
“You have Dragon friends? You’re a Blood Clan princess with quite the social skills. Introduce her to me next time.”
“Alright, alright, I promise. Now, as a Blood Clan member, you have to drink this. Since your first embrace, you haven’t had blood yet. It’s time.”
With that, Liliath held the cup closer to Sairi, signaling her to take it.
Sairi hesitated, glancing at Liliath’s expectant (and somewhat entertained) eyes, then felt her seemingly bottomless hunger again, and finally accepted the cup.
Should she really drink it? She thought she’d never heard of drinking blood before. How did blood metabolize? Would different kinds have different effects? And most importantly, should she really do it?
Her mind was in turmoil.
One side kept reminding her not to drink. She was human and must remain strong as a human.
The other side said she should drink—being under someone else’s roof meant she needed to adapt. Besides, whether she was human or not didn’t matter; living happily and freely was what counted.
After a moment, Sairi chose the latter.
After all, Hilvia and Liliath had said that in this world, besides humans and the Blood Clan, there were Dragons, Elves, demi-humans, and various demons, all living together without hierarchy.
Liliath even had Dragon friends.
And she was definitely under someone else’s protection now. A person must bow under the roof they live in. If she refused to drink, Liliath would probably get angry or sad.
Thinking of Liliath’s angry or hurt expression, Sairi decided it was better not to cause trouble.
Thinking it over, Sairi imitated the adults she’d seen tasting wine, tilting the Crystal Goblet and gently taking a sip of the blood.