At this very moment, Sairi was immersed in Hilvia’s warm and embracing arms, feeling so blissful that she was about to melt away.
All her worries and fears were dispelled by the gentle words, leaving only a profound sense of peace and reliance.
In this strange world, after the past few days of interaction, Sairi sensed that Hilvia genuinely regarded her as a friend, and being by Hilvia’s side brought her an inexplicable comfort.
Hilvia gently stroked Sairi’s soft, golden-hued hair, her ice-blue eyes full of tenderness.
However, as an experienced warrior and a protective elder sister, she quickly calmed down from the joy of reunion and turned her thoughts to a more practical matter.
Suddenly, she remembered there was still one question Sairi hadn’t answered—one that seemed very important.
That was: who had turned Sairi into a vampire in the first place?
Hilvia was already prepared.
If it was some rogue, perverted vampire, she would immediately challenge them to a duel, take Sairi away, and then decide whether to bring her back to the Human Kingdom to consult the Saintess mages about the effects on Sairi’s body.
If it was a more reasonable vampire, Hilvia would try to negotiate peacefully and ask for some leniency.
“Sairi,” Hilvia’s voice remained gentle but took on a hint of seriousness, “tell me now, which vampire… was the one who turned you? Did he or she bully you? How did they treat you?”
Hilvia’s hand instinctively clenched. If Sairi mentioned any mistreatment, she would draw her sword at once and confront that vampire, even though she was still wounded and deep in enemy territory.
With her strength, she could easily sweep through most of the vampires.
Hearing this, Sairi’s body stiffened slightly. Hilvia clearly cared deeply about this matter. Earlier, she had deliberately been vague, but this time, there was no way to dodge the question.
But how to put it… when it came to Liliath, her feelings were a bit complicated.
That white-haired little princess of a vampire—sure, she had tormented Sairi quite a bit, even dared to smack her on the butt and forcibly drink her blood.
But on the other hand, Liliath had also given her delicious blood, helped comb her hair, cared for her with extra food, and in the end had even lulled her to sleep (albeit coldly).
Moreover, Liliath seemed to genuinely find her “interesting,” rather than just seeing her as a mere enemy, prey, or pet. Sairi could feel that Liliath regarded her as a real “person.”
Talking to Liliath felt more like chatting with a friend than interacting with a superior. At least, Liliath’s heartfelt apologies and explanations for her behavior seemed sincere.
“I…” Sairi hesitated, carefully choosing her words as she tried to describe Liliath’s actions objectively (and maybe even make them sound a bit better) to Hilvia.
Just then—a twist of fate.
“Creak—”
The heavy carved wooden door of the room was pushed open without warning.
A petite silver-haired figure appeared in the doorway—it was Liliath, the one who had been punished by her mother earlier that morning.
Her face wore a trace of impatience and laziness from being scolded, and even a faint blush.
Her crimson eyes casually scanned the room as she muttered, “Hey, you lazybones, time to get up! It’s already noon, go wash up and…”
Her voice abruptly stopped.
Liliath’s gaze locked precisely on the two tightly embracing figures on the bed.
When her eyes landed on the black-haired, blue-eyed woman holding Sairi protectively, her crimson pupils suddenly constricted, and the impatience vanished, replaced by utter shock.
“Hi… Hilvia?!” Liliath almost shouted, disbelief thick in her tone. “What are you doing here?!…”
Almost simultaneously, Hilvia also saw Liliath at the door.
Her reaction was equally stunned. Her ice-blue eyes sharpened like blades as she instinctively pulled Sairi closer behind her.
But when she recognized the visitor’s face and that signature silver hair and crimson gaze, her alertness mixed with overwhelming astonishment.
“Li… Liliath?” Hilvia’s voice trembled with shock. “It’s you?! The vampire who turned Sairi?”
Caught in the middle, Sairi watched the two exchange looks of disbelief and call each other’s names, her mind completely blank.
“Huh?! Huh huh huh?! They… know each other?!”
The room fell into an awkward silence. The three stared at each other, and the atmosphere became incredibly delicate.
Sairi nervously held her breath and gripped Hilvia’s clothes tightly.
She had expected a fierce showdown and heated debate, but none of that happened.
Yet this silence felt even more frightening! She feared that the next second they might start fighting.
To Sairi’s surprise, after the initial shock, Liliath’s expression quickly shifted from stunned to a mix of understanding, amusement, and a complex, hard-to-describe emotion.
Crossing her arms, tilting her head, her crimson eyes appraised Hilvia up and down, a smile curling on her lips—half mockery, half nostalgia.
“Heh… I wondered who could scare my little descendant like that. Turns out it was you. What brought you here to visit me all of a sudden?”
Liliath’s tone was dripping with her usual sweet yet slightly sarcastic flavor. “Long time no see. How come you’re doing so badly? Weren’t you traveling everywhere, still being hunted by that piece of trash Barrios?”
Hilvia’s tense posture relaxed slightly, though she still guarded Sairi closely.
Her ice-blue eyes flickered with complexity—a mixture of memories from the past and the helplessness of the present.
“I didn’t expect to meet again under these circumstances. Liliath, you’re just the same as always. So… it was you who turned Sairi.”
“Who else?” Liliath raised an eyebrow, voice tinged with pride. “Such an interesting little one—do you think I’d leave her to some boring old farts or trash like Barrios? This princess has high standards.”
As she spoke, her gaze dropped to Sairi, still tightly held by Hilvia. Her crimson eyes narrowed slightly, as if disapproving of how dependent Sairi was on Hilvia.
Sairi looked between Liliath and Hilvia, suddenly realizing something.
She was the intruder here!
Unable to hold back any longer, Sairi whispered, “Hilvia sister… Liliath… you two… know each other?”
Hilvia sighed softly and patted Sairi’s hand, her tone mellowing. “Yes, we have known each other for a long time.”
“Back then, I wasn’t even a Human Hero yet, and she… wasn’t the princess of the Blood Spirit Empire. We had some… interactions.”
Liliath snorted, implicitly confirming this. She strolled over to the bed and sat down without ceremony, watching the affectionate embrace with interest.
“Fate is really strange. Didn’t expect that the little snack I picked up casually would turn out to be someone Hilvia cares so much about.”
Her words sounded like a sigh of wonder, but the sour and mischievous undertones were barely concealed.
Hilvia ignored the teasing and spoke seriously, “That Liliath, about Sairi…”
“Don’t worry.” Liliath cut her off, waving her hand.
“My methods might be rough, but this princess is good to her descendants. Good food, good drinks, playtime, and bedtime companionship (literally). It’s better than ending up in someone else’s hands, right?”
She deliberately gave Sairi a flirtatious wink.
Sairi’s cheeks instantly flushed, and she softly protested, “Everything else is fine, but the ‘bedtime’ part can stop, haha.”
Watching their strange interaction, Hilvia felt some of her tension ease.
She knew Liliath well. As a vampire, she was willful and self-centered, but she had her own pride and limits, and wasn’t a cruel, bloodthirsty monster.
Compared to falling into the hands of some unknown vampire, Sairi’s accidental transformation by Liliath might actually be the luckiest misfortune.
At least, from what she could see now, Liliath bore no real ill will toward Sairi. In fact… she seemed quite interested.
“Sigh…” Hilvia sighed, accepting this reality. “Well, since it’s you, Liliath… it’s better than someone else.”
This was, in a way, a grudging recognition of Liliath’s character.
Liliath seemed pleased by the compliment, proudly raising her chin.
But the next moment, she caught a hint of something off.
“Hey! What do you mean ‘better than someone else’? Are you putting me in the same category as those rogue scum?”
Liliath’s sharp retort made Hilvia pause, then she awkwardly smiled.
“Ah… that was a compliment. Compared to those people, you’re definitely normal and much more reassuring!”
“I told you not to compare me to those people! Don’t forget who helped take care of you before, who ate and fought with you!”
“Yeah, yeah, I remember, I remember. I was wrong, I admit it.”
Seeing that Liliath really cared, Hilvia quickly played along to ease the mood.
As the atmosphere softened, Liliath looked at Hilvia and Sairi sitting side by side, her crimson eyes glinting with mischief again.
Suddenly, she leaned close to Hilvia, her nose twitching like a cat catching a fishy scent.
“By the way, Hilvia, your blood… still smells so good.” Her voice was teasing.
“You’re hurt and bleeding; the flavor is even richer now… How about it? For the sake of our thousand-year friendship, let your old friend have a taste? Just one sip?”
She flicked her tongue over her sharp fangs, her gaze dangerous yet alluring.
Hilvia showed no reaction to this, but to Sairi, it was a different story.
For some reason—maybe it was her personality, or the way becoming a girl influenced her thoughts—Sairi was wrestling with conflicting feelings.
One side told her that since Liliath and Hilvia were old acquaintances with a good relationship, their interactions were none of her business.
The other side warned that Liliath was claiming dominance right in front of her, trying to steal Hilvia, and she couldn’t let that happen!
Following this second thought, Sairi even imagined Hilvia pushing her aside so the two could run off together.
***
Instantly, alarms rang in Sairi’s mind. Like a territorial beast being threatened, she threw out her arms, blocking Hilvia protectively, her big pink eyes glaring warily at Liliath.
“No! You’re not allowed to suck Hilvia sister’s blood! She’s hurt and needs to rest properly! And… and…” Sairi’s face flushed as she stammered out, “Her blood is for me to drink!”
Hilvia: “Uh…”
(a bit speechless)
Liliath: “Pfft…”
(pauses, then bursts into clear, bell-like laughter)
“Hahaha! Such a little jealous one!” Liliath laughed until she nearly fell over. “Already protective, huh? Fine, fine, no stealing your ‘exclusive blood bag~’”
She deliberately emphasized the words “exclusive blood bag,” making Sairi both angry and embarrassed.
No more using injuries as an excuse—Liliath had known Hilvia long enough to see that her current condition wasn’t a concern for bloodsucking. Sairi was just being possessive!
After the laughter, Liliath became slightly more serious and asked, “So, what exactly happened? How did you get ambushed by that sneaky rat Barrios this time? And end up in such a mess?”
Hilvia and Sairi exchanged a glance.
Then, with Hilvia leading and Sairi adding her frustrated complaints about Barrios’s ambush and underhandedness, they recounted the whole series of events: being chased, Barrios’s ambush, Sairi reluctantly hiding Hilvia in her hairpin, and then being found and taken in by Liliath.
As Liliath listened, a cold gleam flashed through her crimson eyes.
“Barrios… truly the kind of venomous snake to pull such a stunt. Don’t worry, this debt is noted by this princess.”
Though casual in tone, Hilvia knew Liliath meant every word sincerely.
Just as the story was winding down and the atmosphere grew heavy—
“Gurururuu~~~”
A loud, unmistakable stomach rumble suddenly echoed from Sairi, shattering the silence in the room.
Sairi’s face immediately turned crimson as she clutched her belly, wishing she could bury herself in the covers out of sheer embarrassment.
Oh no! So embarrassing! And in front of Hilvia sister and Liliath too!
Hilvia was momentarily stunned, then couldn’t help but smile gently, her ice-blue eyes softening with warmth.
Liliath burst out laughing without restraint: “Hahaha! Your little tummy sure knows how to make noise! Louder than thunder!”
After a few laughs, Liliath suddenly slapped her forehead as if remembering something.
“Oh! Right! I almost forgot the main point while listening to the story!”
She looked at Sairi with a teasing smile but this time with a hint of seriousness.
“This princess came back specifically to wake you, lazybones, to wash up and eat lunch! But after all that chatter, I completely forgot!”
She stood, dusted off her spotless skirt, and addressed them both: “Alright, we’ll talk about the past later. You two, hurry up and wash up. The washroom is just to the right as you exit this room. If you need help, ask Vera.”
Liliath pointed to the wooden door and made a right-turn gesture to indicate the adjacent washroom.
“Once you’re ready, come out. I’ll take you to the little dining hall. Hilvia, you’re coming too. I’ll tell Vera to prepare lunch.”
Her gaze lingered briefly on Sairi before adding, “Don’t worry, this time there’ll be plenty. No more letting your stomach rumble like that.”
Sairi still clutching her protesting belly, cheeks flushed, felt both embarrassed and hopeful.
Hilvia shook her head with a smile, gently lifting the bashful Sairi and softly saying, “Alright, let’s go wash up first. I’m a bit hungry too.”
“Okay!”
Thus, a reunion full of surprises, shock, and subtle jealousy transformed into a somewhat comical yet warm beginning of their daily life.
The complex and peculiar relationship among the three seemed to quietly lay the foundation for something new and indescribable—right before the upcoming lunch.