“So, is there another meeting today?”
At the breakfast table, Elia asked while spreading jam onto her bread.
Opposite her, Kiz was taking small sips of blood. She nodded upon hearing the question and said, “The Lords of several border territories are coming to report today. I have to see them.”
“What about me?”
“You stay in the room.”
“No, I want to go too.”
Kiz set down her cup and sighed. “What would you even do there?”
“I could be a background decoration. Besides, didn’t you say you wanted to maintain the relationship of Princess and servant in front of outsiders? What kind of servant doesn’t follow their master?” Elia said with an air of utmost seriousness.
Kiz stared at Elia, who returned the gaze with an innocent smile.
“…Fine, do whatever you want, but don’t cause trouble,” Kiz compromised.
“When have I ever caused trouble?”
“You cause trouble every single day!”
“That must be your imagination.”
Kiz didn’t want to argue with her anymore; she knew she couldn’t win anyway.
She picked up her napkin, wiped the corner of her mouth, and said, “I’m going to change my clothes first.”
“You got it!”
In truth, Elia didn’t actually want to listen to a meeting… After all, nonsense like Territory Tax and Border Patrol was boring enough to kill someone.
But she simply wanted to follow Kiz. She wanted to see this little Princess put on airs in front of others and witness her lecturing people with a stern face.
Then, after returning to their room, she would peel away that layer of disguise bit by bit, revealing the teary-eyed and timid little cutie inside.
The process was simply addictive.
***
The morning meeting was indeed boring.
There were five Blood Clan Lords sitting in the Council Chamber, and all of them were middle-aged men…
Though the physical age of the Blood Clan couldn’t be taken at face value, this uniform lineup of men still gave Elia a bit of aesthetic fatigue.
Thus, she tried her best to look like a qualified piece of background scenery.
But even background pieces could lose focus.
For instance, her gaze was currently drifting toward the window.
‘Ah, the weather outside is quite nice… It would be even better if I could go for a walk. It beats listening to these old men drone on.’
“…Therefore, the composition of the patrol teams at the Eastern Border needs to be increased,” a red-haired Lord stated.
Sitting in the main seat, Kiz tapped the table lightly. “The reason?”
“Several Knight Orders from the Human Empire have been loitering near our borders recently. Although they haven’t crossed the line, they are quite the eyesore.”
“Then let them loiter. As long as they don’t cross the border, there is no problem.”
“But Your Highness…”
“I said, leave them be. Or do you think my judgment is flawed?”
The red-haired Lord was immediately silenced.
Standing behind her, Elia wanted to laugh.
The way Kiz looked right now actually did have the aura of a Princess.
It was just that her height was a bit lacking… Sitting in that large chair, her feet couldn’t even touch the floor. She had to use a small footstool beneath her… Damn, the more Elia looked, the cuter it got.
Elia held back her laughter so hard she felt like she was suffering internal injuries.
The meeting lasted for 1 hour before finally coming to an end.
Kiz waited until all the men had left before jumping down from her chair… That was right, she jumped, because the chair was simply too high for her.
At this point, Elia finally couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing.
“What are you laughing at!” Kiz glared at her and snapped.
“It’s nothing. I just think this chair is a bit too big for you.”
“None of your business! I’m still going to grow taller!”
“Oh? Really? Don’t members of the Blood Clan stop growing once they reach adulthood?”
“I-I’m not an adult yet!”
“You’re 400 years old and not an adult?”
“Members of the Blood Clan are only considered adults at 500!”
“Oh, so you still have to wait another 100 years…” Elia said, ruffling the girl’s hair. “So keep it up, shorty~”
‘Besides, don’t vampires usually reach adulthood at 180?’
‘In other words, the little Princess will never grow again.’
However, Elia didn’t expose the little Princess’s lie.
Kiz’s face turned red with anger.
She lifted her foot to kick Elia’s shin, but the move was easily dodged.
“Can’t hit me~ *Bleh*~”
“You!”
“Alright, alright. So, what are we doing next? Going back?”
Kiz smoothed out the hair that had been messed up by a certain Saint. “I need to go to the Archives to look up some information. You go back first.”
“What kind of information?”
“Some historical records regarding the border.”
Elia raised an eyebrow.
It seemed this little Princess was quite serious when it came to work.
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“What for? The Archives are very boring.”
“It’s better than staying in the room alone. Besides, I have a tiny… or maybe a huge amount of interest in Blood Clan history,” she said, making a small gesture with her fingers.
“Suit yourself.”
***
The Archives were located on the third basement level of the Vampire Castle.
The place was filled with bookshelves everywhere.
Kiz walked to a shelf with practiced ease and began searching.
Elia, on the other hand, began to wander around.
When she reached the furthest corner of the Archives, she discovered a small door.
The door was locked.
“Kiz, what’s behind this door?” Elia asked.
Kiz poked her head out from behind a bookshelf, took a look, and said, “Oh, that should be the entrance to the Abandoned Wine Cellar.”
“A wine cellar?”
“Yeah, the Blood Clan used it to store wine in the past.”
“Can we open it?” Elia suddenly felt a spark of interest.
“What are you trying to do now?” Kiz asked, walking over.
“Just take a look. What if there’s still wine inside?”
“Hmm… Now that you mention it, I really wanted to drink the wine in here before,” Kiz said softly. “The Vampire Queen Mother used to drink a little occasionally, but she wouldn’t let me have any. She told me children shouldn’t drink. I always wanted to sneak into the cellar behind her back to steal a drink… but I was caught every single time. Eventually, I stopped caring. I just remembered the cellar’s existence now…”
“So, do you want to drink some now?” Elia asked.
“I do!” Kiz nodded heavily. “Today, I’m definitely going to taste the stuff I couldn’t get even with all that effort!”
After she finished speaking, she ran her fingernail across the lock, snapping it.
Immediately, a rich aroma of wine wafted out.
Elia and Kiz exchanged a look and stepped inside.
***
The Abandoned Wine Cellar was filled with all sorts of bottles… and in the center sat a stone table. On it were several wine glasses and a candelabra.
“Wow… there really is wine!” Kiz quickly went to a wine rack, picked up a bottle of deep red liquid, and scrutinized the label.
“This bottle… looks like fruit wine from the Elves…”
Elia also picked up a bottle to look at it.
It was amber-colored, with a label depicting a bat and a line of Blood Clan script that she couldn’t understand at all.
“What is this?” Elia asked.
Kiz leaned over to look. “Oh, this is a Blood Clan specialty called ‘Kiss of the Night.’ It’s brewed using Black Roses and Blood Grapes.”
“Sounds nice.”
“Yeah, the Vampire Queen Mother used to love this… She always said the flavor of this wine was very special.”
Elia suddenly suggested, “How about… we try some?”
“Mm-hmm!” Kiz happily placed the bottle on the stone table and found two relatively clean glasses nearby.
After sitting down, she popped the cork, and the rich fragrance of wine immediately filled the air.
Elia filled both glasses.
The two of them took a sip at the same time.
Suddenly, the expression on Elia’s face froze.
This wine… was so spicy!
It was as spicy as if she had swallowed a mouthful of fire!
But the Kiz next to her was the exact opposite.
The little Princess’s eyes immediately lit up after taking a sip.
“Delicious! It’s sweet, and it has the fragrance of roses!”
Elia fell into deep thought.
‘Is something wrong with my glass?’
So, she tried another small sip. The result was just as spicy.
But this time, after savoring it carefully, she discovered that a faint sweetness and floral scent did indeed spread across her tongue once the spiciness passed.
Furthermore… her body began to feel hot.
“This wine… feels a bit powerful,” Elia said.
“Hmm? Is it? I think it’s fine.” Kiz took another large gulp.
At that moment, a sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Elia’s heart.
“You… slow down.”
“It’s fine!”
However, as soon as the words left her mouth, her face turned red.
“Kiz?” Elia reached out and waved her hand in front of the girl’s eyes. “Are you okay?”
Kiz’s eyes were a bit blurry as she muttered, “Mhm… I’m fine… It’s just… I feel… a bit dizzy…”
After saying that, she took another sip.
This time she drank too quickly, causing some of the liquid to spill from the corner of her mouth.
Elia instinctively reached out to wipe it away for her.
But her hand was caught by Kiz halfway.
“Elia… you… are so pretty…”
The little Princess’s tone had become strange—soft and clingy.
“…Huh? Are… Are you all right?”
Kiz moved closer to her, her warm breath hitting Elia’s face.
“And… your lips… they look so soft…”
A chill began to run down Elia’s spine.
‘This is wrong! This is very wrong!’
Kiz would absolutely never look at her with that kind of gaze normally.
“Kiz, you… you’re drunk, aren’t you!”
“I’m not drunk… I just… I just want to get close to you…”
As soon as she finished speaking, her entire body pressed up against Elia.
Elia was forced to take two steps back until her back hit the wine rack.
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