The maid felt as if she had just woken from a dream. She stared at the young girl who had suddenly appeared before her, momentarily dazed.
Liye finally looked back at Klaus. His face was pale and his eyes were dark, his gaze unashamedly revealing the resentment and calculation within his heart.
“Now,” Flora said faintly, her tone calm.
A sense of immense humiliation intertwined with lingering fear inside Klaus, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.
He gave Liye a deathly glare, as if he wanted to engrave her image into his very bones, before quickly making his departure.
“Honestly, what a hassle.” Flora looked at the still messy ground and bent down to clean it up.
However, not far away, a pair of crimson eyes quietly watched Flora. That figure had witnessed the entire process.
The figure laughed.
Flora leaned over to pick up the overturned pitcher, then took a plain handkerchief from her storage ring.
She dipped it into the remaining water in the pitcher and began wiping the sticky pastry residue off the stone tiles.
After finishing, she stood up and scanned her surroundings. The garden had returned to silence, with only the faint blue fungi pulsating noiselessly in the corners.
It was time to head back.
Flora passed through an archway inlaid with blood-colored glass. The scenery shifted as she returned to the main corridor connecting to the Banquet Hall.
It was still early, and the corridor was empty.
On the high walls flanking the main corridor hung massive paintings. Some were portraits of the blood clan’s royal family and nobles, while others were landscapes.
Flora looked at the portraits. The figures on the canvases gazed down at the empty corridor with cold eyes, overlooking her small figure below.
Flora stopped in front of one particular painting.
The painting depicted a blood clan woman in a dark red gown. She sat poised in a high-backed chair, her expression cold, elegant, and noble.
Flora gazed into those eyes, feeling a strange, inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Right then, a set of footsteps—deliberately heavy yet carrying a hint of urgency—echoed from the other end of the corridor.
She turned around.
There were two people.
One was Klaus, whose face was still unsightly, though his eyes now held a bit of blustering confidence.
In front of him was a serious-looking middle-aged demon man in luxurious clothes.
His brows and eyes shared some resemblance with Klaus, but he possessed a deep gaze and the steady aura of someone long in power—traits Klaus could never hope to emulate.
He was likely the Family Head of the Rhodes family, Horn Rhodes.
His gaze swept across the empty corridor, finally fixing upon Flora.
***
A few minutes earlier.
Klaus had suddenly run back to his father’s side in a pathetic state. He complained about being humiliated by a woman who had not only stained his formal wear but also attacked him with magic.
Horn didn’t even need to think to know the truth: his son had clearly caused trouble again and had been caught this time.
‘What a hassle, causing such a scene at the Vampire Royal Court. Sigh… I need to get this under control before it escalates. If it gets too big, it will reflect poorly on the entire family.’
It seemed he had to go see the situation for himself.
Horn set down his wine glass and looked at Klaus with a calm gaze.
“Lead the way.”
Horn only said those two words, his voice betraying no emotion.
“Father? You… aren’t going to ask for details first?”
“Speak. And remember to fill in the parts you left out.”
Horn had already stood up and was adjusting his cuffs. “Tell me on the way.”
Hearing the phrase “the parts you left out,” Klaus’s face turned pale. Seeing how serious his father was, he realized the matter wasn’t small. His heart filled with fear, and he began to stammer through the details.
When Klaus mentioned the phrase “dignity of the demon race,” Horn’s footsteps paused almost imperceptibly.
‘Dignity of the demon race…’
This didn’t sound like a term a common noble would use; it was more like… the tone of the royal family.
A blurry guess surfaced in his mind, making Horn’s back feel slightly chilly.
He hoped he was wrong.
“Walk faster.” His voice remained steady, but his pace noticeably quickened.
***
Back to the present.
When Horn saw Flora turn around from the paintings, the unease in his heart intensified.
‘White-purple hair… Could it be that princess?’
If it really was her, then things were truly troublesome. Klaus, that useless boy, had actually dared to provoke the princess.
As Flora turned, Klaus finally saw her face clearly.
Golden eyes, an exquisite countenance…
It really was the princess.
Flora looked at Horn and spoke first.
“You must be the Rhodes Family Head, Horn.”
“I am. I heard there was a misunderstanding between you and Klaus, so I came to understand the situation. Please, Lady, describe what happened.”
Klaus glanced at Horn and then lowered his head.
Flora looked at Klaus and smiled inwardly, though her expression remained unchanged.
“Mr. Rhodes, simply because a maid accidentally knocked over a pitcher, he threatened her with mana and even intended to strike her. I must ask, does using mana against a defenseless blood clan maid here not damage our reputation?”
Horn’s heart sank. He quickly replied, “To think such a thing occurred. If that is truly the case, it is indeed his fault, and I will discipline him further.”
“However… forgive my poor eyesight, but I have not yet asked about your background. The Rhodes family would certainly like to visit your home to offer our thanks… and our apologies.”
Flora pursed her lips.
She didn’t want to reveal her identity and cause trouble for Ilya.
But since Horn had asked, how should she respond?
After a brief pause, Flora said, “That won’t be necessary. Rather than worrying about who I am, Mr. Rhodes should pay more attention to his own heir so that he doesn’t do anything else to lose face.”
Horn was stunned for a moment, and then his tone hardened slightly.
“You are right to lecture us. However, Lady, do you not think it is somewhat… inappropriate for a member of the demon race to preside over justice within a vampire court?”
“Is this maintaining dignity, or is it overstepping one’s bounds?”
Overstepping?
He actually dared to say she was overstepping? If she hadn’t stopped him, what would have happened?
Anger flared visibly on Flora’s face.
Horn watched her with a calm expression, seemingly carrying a faint, hidden smile.
But at that moment, a calm voice drifted over.
“It seems I’ve missed something.”
It was Xueli.
She stepped forward, giving Flora a polite nod before turning her calm gaze toward Horn.
“Family Head Rhodes, my mother is waiting for you in the drawing room to discuss the specific details of the mineral trade new matters.”
Xueli’s tone was polite yet distant.
Horn blinked, then quickly said, “Of course, I shall go immediately.”
He turned and left. Seeing this, Klaus had no choice but to follow.
Now, only the two of them remained in the long corridor.
Xueli turned her attention back to Flora.
After a few seconds of silence, she spoke.
“Princess Flora.”
“Your method is very direct.”
Her voice was calm.
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