Unable to sleep, Bai Li lay in bed, held in Baining’s arms.
Since she was forced to promise to be obedient, Baining had urged her to tuck into bed early under the pretext of needing rest.
Regardless of whether the rebellious daughter next door was faking sleep or not, the tears in Bai Li’s eyes wouldn’t stop flowing.
With his eyes wide open, the teardrops rolled down his cheeks one by one, dripping onto the pillow.
‘My future… what exactly will it become…’
Full of resentment, grievance, and the heartbreak of his daughter—whom he had painstakingly raised—being so unfilial, the apprehension for the road ahead, and the extra emotional instability of his current body left him with no desire to sleep.
He could only lie stiffly in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.
In the thirty years since he had transmuted, he had almost never shed a tear.
Now, he had been made to cry bitterly twice in a row by the daughters he had personally raised and loved with all his heart… it was truly a sin.
As he was dazed, a soft fingertip gently touched his cheek, wiping away the wet tear tracks.
“Daughter, go to sleep. Sooner or later, you will understand Mother’s heart in doing this,” Baining’s voice was warm.
Hearing this, Bai Li only turned over with a muffled groan, his back facing Baining.
‘Understand my ass, you rebellious daughter!’
Baining wasn’t angry at the sight.
She simply leaned down and held him a bit tighter.
After faffing about like this for a while, the two finally fell into a deep sleep.
—
The next morning.
*Knock, knock, knock — *
The sound of knocking suddenly rang out, startling the sleeping Bai Li awake.
Having stayed up late worrying the previous night, his head felt heavy now, and he had no energy at all.
*Knock, knock, knock — *
After the second round of knocking, Fei Yi’s respectful voice came from outside the door.
“Princess, it is time to rise for your meal. This servant is coming in to help you dress.”
“Oh… I know. Come in.”
Bai Li rubbed his eyes, which were swollen from crying.
Relying on the heaven-defying regenerative abilities of the Vampires, the swelling disappeared without a trace in a few moments, returning to normal.
“Princess, this is the Princess Dress prepared for you.”
Fei Yi stepped forward carrying a short silk Princess Dress and meticulously helped Bai Li get dressed.
‘Being a Vampire Princess is such a hassle… wearing accessories and dresses…’
‘That girl Longjiu is much more casual. She never cared about these formalities. Even so, I don’t want to go back to how things were before at all…’
Bai Li complained silently in his heart.
After finishing his morning routine, he followed Fei Yi downstairs.
At the dining table, Baining had already been waiting for a long time.
Seeing him approach, she immediately waved with a smile.
“Morning, daughter~ Come, a morning kiss~”
‘No way!’
Bai Li grumbled in his heart.
He hadn’t forgiven this rebellious daughter yet, and she actually wanted to lean in for a kiss?
Not a chance!
“Oh? Daughter, that’s not what you said last night. You promised to be obedient.”
Baining slowly raised her right hand — the very hand that made Bai Li recoil from the bottom of his heart — and gestured as if to snap her fingers.
“…Dammit, you unfilial, rebellious daughter,” Bai Li grumbled under his breath.
However, his body was honestly afraid of being punished.
He shuffled forward, stood on his tiptoes, and planted a light kiss on the corner of Baining’s lips.
“?”
Baining was slightly surprised.
The morning and evening kisses she had envisioned should have been on the cheek or the forehead.
Why was it the corner of the mouth?
“M-Mother, are you dissatisfied?”
Seeing her surprised look, Bai Li’s heart pounded.
He was terrified that she would punish him again if she was unhappy, so he tested the waters cautiously.
“No, on the contrary, I am very satisfied, Bai Li.”
Having her lips kissed by her beloved, Baining’s cheeks were quietly tinged with a faint blush.
“I just didn’t expect you to kiss the corner of my mouth.”
‘Crap! I got into the habit of that routine Longjiu used to trick me… What am I doing?’
Bai Li suddenly snapped out of it, realizing he had unintentionally formed this habit.
“L-Longjiu taught me that! Anyway… let’s just stick to kissing the forehead from now on!”
He regretted it now.
Back then, to get his daughters to sleep and wake up early, he had instilled the habit of morning and evening kisses since they were little.
He never expected to shoot himself in the foot like this.
“That won’t do, Bai Li.”
Baining was beaming with smiles.
“Since you’re already used to it with Longjiu, then from now on, the morning and evening kisses between us will be like this~”
“!” Bai Li’s eyes widened, looking at Baining in disbelief.
That girl Longjiu only tricked him like that while he had amnesia, but Baining was even worse — she didn’t even bother to pretend!
“Be obedient, Bai Li.”
A single, light sentence instantly extinguished the fire of anger gathering in Bai Li’s heart.
‘Endure! She’s my daughter. If she wants to be a little willful, then let her…’
Bai Li could only use this self-deceiving method to barely comfort himself.
“Alright, daughter, hurry up and eat.”
Baining pointed to the wine glass on the table.
“There’s something delicious in the glass. Give it a taste.”
“Yes, Empress Mother.”
‘Tch… it’s just blood.’
Despite the utter resistance in his heart, Bai Li’s body still sat down obediently.
He picked up the goblet, swirled it gently just as Baining did, and then tilted his head back to drink it down like red wine.
However, to be fair… after becoming one of the Vampires, blood had actually become the most delicious thing he had ever tasted in his life.
After finishing, he even licked the rim of the glass with lingering desire.
That covetous appearance was the spitting image of a little Monster.
“Is it good~”
Baining watched his appearance, her eyes curving into crescents with her smile.
“In the future, if you’re hungry, just tell Fei Yi. She will prepare it for you.”
Baining looked at her daughter’s greedy expression for blood and chuckled inwardly.
‘With the influence of these three Royal Bloodlines from the Demon Race, the complete corruption of Bai Li’s body and mind is only a matter of time.’
‘Heh heh~’