“…Forget it, I’d better just confess.”
Bai Li’s mind went completely blank.
All that remained in her head was resistance to Bai Ning’s boundary-crossing actions…
At this moment everything was tangled into a mess.
How could she possibly remember anything about the border patrol’s approval?
She sat stiffly on the small stool, her fingers nervously picking at the hem of her skirt.
In her eyes was a trace of embarrassment and seriousness that belonged to a human magic mentor.
In the depths of those eyes lived a mature soul that had lived two lives, the awkwardness of being trapped in a girl’s body, and the bottom line of being a father.
“Mo-moth…”
Bai Li stammered, her gaze drifting everywhere, not daring to look at Bai Ning’s red eyes that seemed to smile yet not smile.
“I just… spaced out a little…”
“Oh? Spaced out?”
Bai Ning drew out the words, leaning forward slightly.
Though she looked like a little girl, she carried the oppressive aura of a vampire queen, her fingertips lightly tapping the table.
“Seems like last night’s punishment wasn’t enough, if you can still lose focus while watching me handle official matters~”
“I didn’t!”
Bai Li suddenly raised her head and retorted stubbornly.
She looked like a spoiled little vampire princess, yet her voice unconsciously carried a father’s seriousness toward his daughter.
“I was just thinking about important matters. As for how to deal with these political affairs, that’s not spacing out!”
She instinctively straightened her back, trying to regain the authority she once had as a human magic mentor and as a father…
But her petite body and reddened ears made that authority look especially ridiculous, even cuter instead.
That only made the smile in Bai Ning’s eyes deepen.
“Oh? What official matters were you thinking about?”
Bai Ning set down the feather pen, resting her chin on her interlocked fingers as she asked with interest.
“Were you thinking about the reinforcement plan for the border patrol, or about… the contents of that little yellow book under your pillow~?”
“!”
Bai Li froze as if struck by lightning, her eyes wide open.
“H-how did she know?!”
She had clearly hidden that book under her pillow.
“How did Bai Ning find it?”
The feeling of someone snooping through her privacy made her both angry and embarrassed.
But in this girl’s body, she could only show such helpless and shy reactions.
“Y-you were spying on me?!”
Bai Li pointed at Bai Ning, her finger trembling as she spoke in agitation.
“I’m your father. Even if I’ve become like this now, you still can’t be so disrespectful!”
“Spying?”
Bai Ning let out a light laugh, her tone innocent yet slightly smug.
“I was just concerned about my precious daughter. You just arrived at the vampire palace. I have to make sure you’re safe in your room, don’t I?”
“Safe…? What a ridiculous excuse!”
Bai Li stood up in anger, but in her agitation her foot slipped and she almost fell.
Bai Ning reacted swiftly, reaching out and catching her steadily in her arms.
The familiar embrace, carrying a faint scent of blood and roses, instantly wrapped around Bai Li.
She was held on Bai Ning’s lap, unable to move.
Her cheek pressed against Bai Ning’s soft chest, listening to the steady heartbeat, a strange mix of resistance and heat surged within her.
As the father who had raised Bai Ning for ten years, she had never been this close to her daughter.
But now their identities were reversed, and this kind of contact carried an unspeakable ambiguity.
It felt absurd… yet because the other party was the daughter she had cherished, she could not bring herself to push her away.
“Le-let go of me!”
Li struggled, but Bai Ning held her even tighter.
She wanted to scold her in a father’s tone, yet the voice that came out was soft and girlish, carrying a young girl’s sweetness.
“Bai Ning, you’ve gone too far! I’ve thought it through. I am your father. That will never change!”
“Father?”
Bai Ning lowered her head, the tip of her nose brushing against her soft white hair, her tone stubborn and unquestionable.
“But you are my daughter now, the princess of the vampires, the one I care about most, and… Bai Li, is there really only father-daughter affection in your heart?These ten years, you worried for me, were happy for me, cared about me. Maybe this feeling has long gone beyond father and daughter~”
Bai Li’s body suddenly went still.
She clenched her hands tightly.
She suddenly lifted her head, firmness of a mature soul in her eyes, mixed with a girl’s stubbornness, and refuted word by word.
“I have only ever had father-daughter feelings toward you. Never any other thoughts.”
She had lived for decades, seen human joys and sorrows, seen the intrigues of power struggles, yet she had always guarded the bottom line of being a father.
Ten years ago, she picked up Bai Ning and raised her as her own daughter, teaching her how to be a person, filled only with a father’s expectations and responsibility.
For ten years, she watched Bai Ning grow up, feeling only relief and concern, never harboring any improper thoughts.
“Bai Ning, you are the child I raised. You are my daughter.”
Bai Li’s voice carried mature steadiness, and a hint of barely noticeable fatigue.
“My worry, happiness, and concern for you are a father’s love for his daughter. It is family affection, not the kind of feeling you think. You cannot twist our relationship because of your own feelings, nor can you force me to accept something that goes against common sense.”
She raised her hand and gently pushed Bai Ning’s hand away.
Though her body was small, the determination in her eyes made Bai Ning’s heart tremble.
That was Bai Li’s persistence, the unshakable bottom line of her being a father.
“I know you have feelings for me, but I cannot respond to them.”
Bai Li took a deep breath, trying to steady her tone.
In her eyes was the clarity of someone who had seen through the world.
“I’ve lived for decades and have long been used to being a father. Becoming a vampire girl now is only a temporary accident.”
“I want to return to my original form and continue being your father. Even if you are the former vampire queen in disguise, as long as I can see you govern the vampires well and find your own happiness, that will be enough.”
Looking at the seriousness and persistence in her eyes, Bai Ning’s possessiveness was slowly replaced by a trace of bitterness.
She understood Bai Li too well.
“This man… no, this girl now.”
Deep in her bones was the purest gentleness and persistence.
The familial bond she acknowledged would never change just because their identities had reversed.
“I know you can’t get past that barrier in your heart.”
Bai Ning’s voice softened, carrying a faint plea, but also more understanding.
“But Bai Li, my feelings for you won’t change in a day or two. In these ten years, I have already engraved you into my heart. You are the father I acknowledge in my heart, and also the only person I want to protect in this lifetime.”
“I won’t force you to accept it immediately.”
Bai Ning gently rubbed her hair, her tone gentle yet firm.
“But I won’t let go either. You can continue to treat me with a father’s mindset. I will wait, wait for you to slowly adapt to your new identity, wait for you to slowly understand that my feelings have never been false.”
Bai Li said nothing and did not struggle again.
Leaning beside Bai Ning, her heart was filled with mixed emotions.
She knew Bai Ning’s love was not a momentary impulse, but something accumulated bit by bit over ten years.
This love might be twisted, might defy common sense, yet it was real and fervent.
But her bottom line would not waver either.
Father-daughter affection was father-daughter affection.
It would never become something else.
“By the way, Mother.”
Bai Li took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, the steadiness of a father returning to her eyes, mixed with a girl’s softness.
“I still couldn’t answer your previous question. How are you going to punish me?”
Hearing that, Bai Ning pinched Bai Li’s soft cheek.
“Punishment… then I’ll punish you by having you sleep with me tonight. I’ll also teach you how to handle vampire affairs. After all, my little princess might grow wings and fly away someday, so I want to spend more time with you while I can.”
Bai Li was stunned for a moment, then nodded, a hint of relief appearing in her eyes.
Perhaps it was better.
Instead of constantly struggling over feelings, she should first learn to adapt to her new identity.
She was Bai Li, both the former human magic mentor and the current vampire princess.
No matter how her identity changed, she would guard her original heart—both the cuteness of a girl and the steadiness of a mature father—never easily swayed by anyone.
Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling window of the office, falling on the two of them and outlining them in warm light.
Bai Ning lowered her head to continue handling the remaining affairs, while Bai Li sat beside her, carefully reading the words on the parchment.
Occasionally she offered opinions based on her experience, occasionally frowning adorably because she could not understand the vampire script.
In the quiet air was Bai Ning’s persistent affection and Bai Li’s firm familial love.
A bond that crossed identity and common sense continued quietly in the vampire palace.
Each guarded their own boundaries, and within that tug-of-war lay the most complex yet pure gentleness.
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