In the hallway, Kiz walked ahead with stiff steps, the rhythm of her high heels clicking against the floor clearly a bit erratic.
The Saint followed half a step behind her, hands folded in front of her body and her head slightly bowed.
In short, it was the standard posture of a maid… if one ignored the faint, trace-like smile at the corner of her mouth.
“Hey, Kiz, your hands are shaking,” Elia whispered, her voice low enough that only the two of them could hear.
“I — I am not shaking!” Kiz retorted.
“But, Princess, you’re clutching your fingers so tightly.”
Elia spoke in a tone of concern.
Then, she stepped forward with light feet to walk side-by-side with Kiz. “Relax! I’m not going to suddenly take a bite out of you in the hallway.”
“Be quiet!”
Kiz stopped abruptly and turned her exquisite face to glare at Elia. Her eyes were even a little red.
However, at that moment, the sound of footsteps came from the corner of the hallway.
Kiz’s expression shifted instantly. Her chin tilted up slightly, and her lips curled into a perfectly poised arc. She even calmly smoothed out the hem of her skirt.
It seemed she had returned completely to her noble persona.
Two Blood Clan maids appeared from around the corner. Upon seeing Kiz, they immediately stopped and bowed respectfully.
“Princess.”
“Mhm,” Kiz responded indifferently. “Have the Elders arrived?”
“They are already waiting in the Council Chamber.”
“Good. You may leave.”
The maids bowed again and quickly departed.
Throughout the entire process, they didn’t even dare to look up at Elia… even though the Saint’s presence was too strong to ignore.
Once the footsteps faded into the distance, Kiz’s shoulders slumped slightly.
“My, Princess, that was a fine performance.” Elia leaned toward her ear, her warm breath brushing against Kiz’s sensitive earlobe.
Kiz’s whole body trembled, and she nearly jumped on the spot.
“Do — do not stand so close!”
“Why? I am your ‘servant’ right now.” Elia smiled innocently. “Isn’t it normal for a servant to be close to her master?”
“It is anything but normal!”
Kiz quickened her pace.
Elia followed at a leisurely pace, quietly admiring the panicked look of the petite figure ahead of her. To be honest, it was quite cute. Especially those feet in black stockings and small high heels… the lines of her ankles were so slender they looked as if they would break with a single snap.
Elia looked down at her own white leather shoes. The pair Kiz had prepared for her was the perfect size, and the style matched her White Lolita Dress well.
The memories of the original owner told her that these shoes were a common style worn by noble girls in this world.
‘After becoming a girl, even my knowledge of shoes has been automatically filled in…’ Elia complained in her heart. ‘Wait, no, why am I thinking about this? I’m not a foot person!’
“Um, later in front of the Elders… can you cooperate with me?” Kiz asked softly.
“Of course,” Elia replied with a smile. “But Princess, have you forgotten something?”
“Huh? What?”
“You should be using a commanding tone with me right now — ” Elia blinked her large blue eyes.
Kiz took a deep breath, turned around, and tried her best to pull a stiff face, making her voice sound as cold as possible.
“Elia, you are not allowed to speak without permission in the Council Chamber later. I will answer all the questions. Do you understand?”
“Understood — ” Elia drawled, intentionally performing a completely non-standard curtsy.
“…Be serious!”
“I am being serious. But, Kiz, are you sure those Elders won’t see the problem with the contract? They should be very familiar with the Blood Clan’s contract magic.”
This question gave Kiz pause. She bit her lower lip, her fangs peeking out unconsciously.
“They — they shouldn’t be able to tell… the Contract Reversal is a forbidden art, and there are only sporadic records of it in ancient texts. Besides, the current contract connection…” Kiz’s face flushed slightly as she continued, “On the surface, it still looks like a normal one-way Master-Servant Contract. It’s just… just that the dominant party has changed.”
“So that means they can feel the existence of the contract, but they don’t know who is the master and who is the servant?”
“Mhm. As long as you don’t actively expose it, they will likely just think I successfully subdued you.”
“That’s good, then.” Elia breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, she revealed the kind of smile that made a chill run down Kiz’s spine. “But even if it’s exposed, it doesn’t matter. Since I’m your master now, I can just command you to protect me, right?”
“You — you wouldn’t actually…” Kiz’s eyes widened.
“I’m joking.” Elia reached out and ruffled Kiz’s hair. This action surprised even her, but the girl’s hair really did feel nice to the touch. “Let’s go. Don’t keep the Elders waiting too long.”
Kiz swatted her hand away and turned around, walking away in a huff.
—
In the Council Chamber, there was only a single, massive Black Stone Long Table surrounded by seven or eight figures.
The head seat was empty, clearly reserved for Kiz.
When Kiz pushed the door open and entered, all eyes fell on her… and the person behind her.
Following behind Kiz, Elia kept her head slightly bowed. Her long hair slid from her shoulders, covering most of her face.
“Princess.”
A young girl sitting closest to the head seat stood up.
“Elder Selina,” Kiz nodded. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“It is no matter. Your success in bringing back the Saint is worth any amount of waiting,” Selina said, her gaze shifting to Elia. Her eyes narrowed slightly as if she were evaluating something.
Elia did not look up, but through the original owner’s perception, she could clearly sense the fluctuations of magic emanating from the woman. She was strong, roughly equivalent to a Human Empire Tenth-tier Magic Caster, but she still wasn’t enough to be a threat in Elia’s eyes.
“This is the Saint, Elia?” another steady male voice asked.
Elia glanced toward the source with her peripheral vision. This time, the speaker was a male member of the Blood Clan with grayish-white short hair. He sat opposite Selina, hands crossed on the table, his fingers tapping the surface rhythmically.
“Yes, Elder Gregory.”
Kiz sat in the head seat and turned to Elia, using a commanding tone. “Elia, lift your head.”
Elia obediently raised her head, allowing everyone in the Council Chamber to see her face clearly.
For a moment, the room fell into a brief silence.
Elia could understand the reaction of these Blood Clan Elders. After all, the original owner’s face was indeed too deceptive. With her long golden hair, sapphire-like eyes, skin as pale as a vampire’s, and that white dress, she looked like an exquisite and fragile doll. She didn’t look like someone who could be associated with the title of “the world’s strongest combat force.”
“One can indeed feel powerful light-element magic. She is truly the Saint,” Selina was the first to break the silence.
“However, light magic is poison to us,” Gregory said coldly. “Princess, are you certain you can control her? If she were to suddenly erupt within the Vampire Castle…”
“The contract has been established. She is now my servant and cannot disobey my orders. You should all be able to sense it, shouldn’t you?” Kiz said with dignity.
The Elders exchanged glances.
Then, Elia felt several threads of investigative magic sweep over her, finally settling on the contract connection between her and Kiz. It was a subtle feeling, like invisible threads tying the two of them together, except that the controlling end of the threads was in her hand.
“There is indeed a contract connection,” a male Elder said, pushing the glasses on the bridge of his nose. “And it seems very stable. Princess, did you use the highest specification of the Vampire Dependent Contract?”
“Yes. From now on, Elia will be under the protection of the Blood Clan, and she will also fight for us,” Kiz nodded slightly.
“Then, can you prove it? Have her demonstrate her power. After all, what we need is not a vase to be put on display,” Gregory said solemnly.
Hearing this, Kiz’s breathing hitched for a moment.
This detail was only noticed by Elia, who saw Kiz’s hand on her lap quietly clutching her skirt.
“Elder Gregory, are you questioning my judgment?”
“I wouldn’t dare. It is just that the Saint’s reputation is far too great. I wish to confirm that we have truly received the ‘reward’ we deserve.”
The atmosphere suddenly became stiff.
Elia sighed inwardly. These old men were so troublesome. They could clearly sense the intensity of her magic, yet they still insisted on a performance? What, did they want to be burned to death by holy light?
Still, this was fine. It was a good chance to test the strength of this body.
She tilted her head slightly toward Kiz, asking with her eyes: ‘Is it okay?’
Kiz froze for a moment but quickly understood her meaning. Seeing Kiz nod, Elia took a step forward. Without a chant or any gestures, she simply raised her right hand with her palm facing upward.
Immediately, golden light began to converge in her palm.
The light was warm and gentle, like the morning sun… but as the glow grew brighter, the Blood Clan Elders in the room began to show expressions of discomfort. Of course, this excluded the crybaby Princess. Elia had deliberately controlled her magic to avoid Kiz’s direction.
The sphere of light condensed in Elia’s palm into a model of a tiny sun, slowly rotating.
“This is…” Elder Selina’s eyes widened.
“Holy Light Condensation, a precursor to the tenth tier,” Elia spoke softly. “If you wish to see me cast a complete Tenth-tier Magic Caster spell, I can certainly do so… but this castle might be blown to the sky.”
As she spoke, the sun in her palm suddenly doubled in size, and the resulting surge of magic made the table shake violently.
Elder Gregory’s expression changed. He raised a hand to stop her. “Enough… we understand.”
Kiz spoke up at the right time. “Do not be insolent, Elia. Remember your current status.”
This was perfect. It maintained Kiz’s dignity as a Princess while proving Elia’s own power!
Elia obediently withdrew her magic, then stepped back half a step behind Kiz and lowered her head again, returning to her role as a quiet and well-behaved servant.
A long silence fell over the room.
Finally, Elder Selina chuckled. “It seems our Princess has gained quite a lot this time.”
“Then, regarding the Saint’s arrangements…” another female Elder asked.
“Elia will live in the side room of my chambers, under my personal supervision. Maids will handle her daily needs, but without my permission, no one is allowed to approach her,” Kiz arranged calmly.
“Isn’t that… too risky? Letting her live by your side…” Gregory said with a frown.
“It is precisely because she is dangerous that she must stay by my side.” Kiz looked at him, a trace of cold light flashing in her blood-red pupils. “Or does Elder Gregory feel that he is more suited to watch over her than I am?”
Gregory fell silent.
The meeting continued for another half an hour, discussing border defenses and the movements of the Human Empire. Elia remained silent behind Kiz the entire time, playing the role of a perfect human background piece.