Chapter 87: Return to Everyday Life

(Main storyline is paused for now. Back to daily life, folks!)

It was already the third day since returning to the City of Shadows.

Elia leaned by the window of the study, flipping through an ancient text she had randomly grabbed from Lisa’s bookshelf.

However, her gaze was not on the pages.

Sunlight streamed through the glass, coating her blonde hair in a warm glow.

She was waiting, waiting for Lillian to come to her on her own.

Lisa had been right back then… given Lillian’s current personality and power, actively seeking her out would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

The only thing she could do was wait for her to come.

And during this wait of unknown duration, they settled into the castle.

“Daydreaming again?” Kiz’s dissatisfied voice came from behind.

Before Elia could turn around, a pair of hands wrapped around her waist from behind, followed by a small body pressing against her back.

Kiz buried her face in the hollow of her shoulder, her long hair tickling Elia’s neck.

“I was just thinking about things,” Elia said softly.

“What about?” Kiz asked curiously.

“Thinking about… nothing, never mind.”

Kiz was clearly extremely dissatisfied with this answer.

She tightened her arms and gently bit the back of Elia’s neck.

“Hiss—are you a dog or what?!”

“You wouldn’t answer me seriously!” Kiz said triumphantly.

Elia looked down at the little princess in her arms.

Kiz raised her head, her blood-red eyes staring straight at her.

Although her expression seemed to say, “What are you gonna do about it, neener neener,” there was clearly something more dangerous lurking in the depths of those eyes.

Elia knew that look too well.

It was the look Kiz only showed when she wanted to bite her—a sick, obsessive, possessive gaze.

So she reached out, pinched Kiz’s cheeks, and gently pulled them apart.

“What? Want to bite me again?”

With her cheeks pulled, Kiz mumbled indistinctly, “Can’t I?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Because once you bite me, I lose all my strength.” Elia let go and tapped her on the nose. “That’s not fair.”

Kiz rubbed her reddened cheeks and said matter-of-factly, “And you pinch me, tickle me, and bite me every day! What’s wrong with me fighting back?”

Elia couldn’t help but smile at her puffed-up look.

She reached out and scooped Kiz into her arms. “Fine, fight back all you want. But biting me is still out.”

“Why not?!”

“Because I said so.”

Kiz squirmed angrily in her arms.

After a while, she asked slyly, “Hey, Elia, are you really afraid of being bitten by me?”

“Afraid? What would I be afraid of?”

“When I bite you, you go all limp, can’t even make a sound. That’s why you won’t let me bite you, right?”

Elia felt her ears grow a little hot at that.

Then she pressed Kiz’s face back into her chest.

“Stop talking nonsense!”

“I’m not talking nonsense! You are scared~ you are~ hee hee hee~”

Elia took a deep breath.

This girl was getting better and better at hitting where it hurt.

But what she said was the truth… whenever Kiz bit her neck and sucked a little blood, that overwhelming pleasure instantly drained all her strength, turning her into a limp puddle as if soaked in warm water.

That feeling was too dangerous, too dangerous to control at all.

So she had to avoid being bitten by Kiz… at least normally.

“So what if I’m afraid…”

Elia lowered her lips to Kiz’s ear.

“But you? Aren’t you afraid of being bitten by me?”

At these words, Kiz’s body stiffened slightly.

A smile curled at the corner of Elia’s mouth.

She knew Kiz was most afraid of pain. Her bites, with no anesthetic effect, always made Kiz’s eyes red from the sting—a pain completely opposite to the pleasure Kiz gave when she sucked blood.

So their daily life had become a silent game.

Whoever struck first gained the upper hand.

“Oh? Nothing to say?” Elia moved her lips from the tip of Kiz’s ear to her earlobe and gently bit it. “Then you’re scared.”

“Who… who said I’m scared… I’m just humoring you!”

“Humoring me? Hahahahaha, sure, have it your way~”

They held each other like that, neither willing to let go first.

“Saint, Your Highness, afternoon tea is ready.”

After who knows how long, a maid’s voice broke the silence.

Kiz poked her head out from Elia’s arms and called out, “Bring it in!”

Then a maid pushed the door open and entered.

Her gaze lingered on the two of them for a moment—mainly because Her Highness was nestled in the Saint’s arms, her hair a bit messy, and her cheeks flushed.

The maid quickly lowered her head, placed the tray on the table as fast as possible, and fled the room.

As the door closed, Elia clearly heard light laughter from outside… so she asked, “What do you think your maid is imagining?”

Kiz glared at her. “It’s all because of you!”

“What does it have to do with me?”

“If you weren’t holding me, would they think weird things?”

“Since you put it that way… then I’ll let go.” Elia made as if to release her, and Kiz immediately grabbed her sleeve.

“You wouldn’t dare!”

Elia laughed even more happily.

She hugged Kiz tight again and kissed her on the forehead.

Kiz, blushing, buried her face in her chest and mumbled something. Elia didn’t catch it, but she knew it couldn’t be anything good.

Afternoon tea turned into a tug-of-war.

Kiz sat across from Elia, teacup in hand, her gaze drifting to her from time to time.

Her look was like appraising prey, evaluating the best angle to strike.

Elia pretended not to notice, focusing on spreading jam on her bread.

“Elia, the neckline of that dress you’re wearing today is a bit low,” Kiz suddenly remarked.

Hearing this, Elia looked down… the neckline was indeed a bit lower than usual, showing her collarbone and a small patch of fair skin.

“Really? I think it looks nice~”

Kiz set down her teacup, came over, bent down close to her neck, and said softly, “It does look nice… but I don’t like others seeing it.”

Then she reached out and pulled Elia’s neckline up a bit, her fingertips lingering on her collarbone for a moment, carrying a hint of danger.

Elia caught her hand. “So?”

“So—” Kiz gently bit her collarbone.

“Now everyone will know you’re taken.”

Elia looked at the shallow bite mark on her collarbone, then at Kiz’s smug expression. “Are you branding me?”

“Yes, you, Elia, the whole package. Branded, you’re mine.”

Hearing this, Elia laughed and bit Kiz’s neck a little harder than Kiz had bitten her, successfully making her wince.

“Then I’ll brand you too. You’re mine.”

Kiz gently touched the bite mark on her neck.

Even though it hurt enough to bring tears to her eyes again, this time she wasn’t angry. Instead, she smiled. “Mm, I’m yours~”

At the end of the corridor, Lisa leaned against the wall, looking at the closed door, a slight smirk on her lips.

Vian peeked out from behind her, following her gaze. “Are those little lovebirds making out in there again?”

“Yeah, want to go cause some trouble?” Lisa asked with a smile.

Hearing that, Vian’s eyes lit up. “I’m in!”

And so, these two Vampire Princes, who were held in high regard by outsiders, crept softly to the door of the Vampire Princess’s chamber.

But just as Lisa was about to push the door, it suddenly opened from inside.

Elia stood at the entrance, looking at them with an amused smile.

“Oh? If it isn’t the esteemed Princes, eavesdropping?”

“No! No! We were just passing by! Purely passing by!” Vian said firmly, her expression as hard as a nut.

Kiz peeked out from behind Elia, saw their faces, and immediately understood what was going on. She asked helplessly, “Lisa, when did you become so bored?”

Lisa replied without changing expression, “I’ve always been bored.”

Vian nodded frantically beside her. “Yeah, yeah! She’s super boring! All she does is read books and drink tea all day, won’t even play with me!”

“Last night, who was begging for mercy, saying ‘I can’t take it anymore’?” Lisa asked softly.

Vian’s face turned bright red in an instant. “What are you talking about?!”

Lisa just smiled slightly and turned away.

“Aaaahhhh!” Vian stomped her feet on the spot.

“Hey, Vian, the floor is innocent,” Kiz said flatly.

“You-you’re all bullying me! Screw it! Lisa! Stop right there! Come back here and explain yourself!” Vian quickly chased after Lisa.

Their figures gradually disappeared into the end of the corridor.

Then Elia scooped Kiz up, making the little princess instinctively wrap her arms around her neck. “What are you up to now?!”

“Going back to the room. Continue branding,” Elia said seriously.

“Branding what?! We’ve already branded several!” Kiz protested.

“Not enough. The whole body… every part, including those places.”

“You… you’re a pervert, aren’t you?!”

“Hehehe, I’m a pervert today, tomorrow, and the day after. Besides, aren’t you an even bigger pervert than me?”

With that, a door closed, sealing off the sounds inside.

Somewhere far away, a figure stood on a cliff, looking up at the moon in the night sky… her golden eyes shimmering faintly in the moonlight.

She reached out as if grasping for something.

“Soon. Soon we’ll meet again,” she whispered.