Hmm… The Dwarf Clan representative who came to meet with Kiz was a middle-aged man with a full beard.
His voice was so loud that it was practically indistinguishable from the roaring of thunder.
The meeting lasted for one entire morning, covering nothing more than trivial matters like ore trade, weapons orders, and border crossing rights.
Standing behind Kiz, Elia perfectly played the role of a silent servant.
The little Princess sat upright, her expression cold as she haggled with the Dwarf representative.
Her black skirt was neatly spread over the edge of the chair, and her white hair was meticulously tied back, making her appear noble yet distant.
“…Then it is settled. Fifty carts of Black Iron Ore per month in exchange for twenty boxes of Blood Moon Grass,” the Dwarf representative finally said with satisfaction.
Kiz nodded and said, “I will have someone draw up a formal document. It should arrive at your Trading Post on the border in about three days.”
“Excellent! Doing business with the Princess is always straightforward!”
The meeting concluded.
The Dwarf representative stood up, bowed to Kiz, and then departed.
Once the door was closed, Kiz picked up the cup of black tea that had already gone cold and took a sip. She turned to look at Elia and asked, “Are your legs tired from standing?”
“I’m fine. It was more interesting than I expected.”
“Oh? Interesting? You mean the ore prices and tax clauses?”
“I mean seeing you haggle like that was quite amusing. You looked like an auntie buying vegetables at a market,” Elia said with a smile.
“Who are you calling an auntie! This was a serious trade negotiation!” Kiz said with a stern face.
“Yes, yes, serious negotiations.” Elia reached out and ruffled her hair. “Our little Princess is truly impressive… You had that Dwarf representative dancing in the palm of your hand.”
“I didn’t play him!” Kiz swatted her hand away. “I was just fighting for reasonable interests.”
“I know, I know.” Elia sat down in the chair next to her. “So, what’s next? Any other plans?”
Kiz thought for a moment and said, “I have to go to the Training Ground this afternoon to inspect the recruits’ training. As for tonight… I have nothing planned for now.”
“And the rest of the morning?”
“Back to the study to handle paperwork.”
“Documents again? Your life is way too boring.”
“None of your business! Do you think everyone is as idle as you?”
“I’m not idle,” Elia said with a smirk. “I’m busy playing with you.”
Kiz: “…”
Afterward, the two returned to the study.
True to her word, Kiz began processing the mountain of documents. Meanwhile, Elia pulled a book from the shelf at random and flipped through it.
‘Good grief… I actually picked out a *Vampire Poetry Collection*.’ It was filled with nothing but flowery, romantic nonsense that made Elia yawn.
She put the book down, her gaze drifting back toward Kiz.
The little Princess was currently frowning at a report, a quill in hand as she occasionally added annotations.
Suddenly, Elia had a random thought and asked, “Kiz, are all Blood Clan nails black and sharp like yours?”
Kiz looked up at her, not expecting Elia to ask such a thing.
“No.” Kiz looked at her own hands. “Only the Camarilla Family is born with these black nails. Other members of the Blood Clan don’t have them.”
“Oh.” Elia nodded. “Then what about my nails?”
Kiz looked at her hands and examined them closely.
“Your nails… they are typical of high-born women in the Human Empire. They symbolize that you don’t have to do any manual labor.”
“True, but I think black looks quite nice too.”
Kiz remained silent.
After a moment, Elia stood up, walked over to Kiz, and said, “So, help me paint mine black.”
Kiz froze and asked, “What did you say?”
“I said, help me paint my nails black.” Elia sat in the chair opposite her and held out her hand. “Use your nail polish.”
“Why… why do you want them black? You’re a Saint of the Human Empire. Painting them black isn’t exactly appropriate…” Kiz whispered.
“What’s inappropriate about it? I’m not the Saint anymore. Besides…” She leaned in closer and lowered her voice. “Don’t you think we would look more like a pair this way?”
Kiz’s face instantly turned bright red. “What do you mean by that!” she stammered.
“I mean as master and servant, of course. What were you thinking?”
Elia blinked innocently.
Kiz opened her mouth, realizing she had been teased by this jerk again. She could only glare at Elia, her cheeks puffing out in frustration. However, the latter simply smiled and kept her hand extended.
They remained in a stalemate for a few seconds.
Eventually, Kiz surrendered. “I’ll go get the nail polish…”
She stood up and went into the bedroom. In less than one minute, Kiz returned with a small box containing several small bottles and a delicate little brush.
Kiz sat back down across from Elia, opened one of the black bottles, and said, “Give me your hand.”
Elia obediently held out her hand.
“Don’t move.” Kiz grabbed her hand firmly, dipped the brush into the polish, and applied the first stroke to Elia’s thumb.
The black liquid spread over the pale pink nail, slowly covering its original color. Kiz’s movements were gentle and slow, as if she were terrified of painting outside the lines and offending this Demon again… She did not want to be pinned to the floor and tickled again.
However, the Demon—Elia—was just quietly watching her. From this angle, she could see Kiz’s downcast eyelashes and her slightly pursed lips.
“Hey, have you ever done this for anyone else before?” Elia suddenly asked.
“No,” Kiz said, shaking her head as she continued her work.
“So that means I’m your ‘first time’… Hehehe…”
Kiz chose not to take the bait this time.
The study fell into a quiet atmosphere. Elia watched her nails turn black bit by bit, and a strange feeling began to well up inside her… ‘It’s almost like I’m being marked. Marked by Kiz.’
The thought made her heart skip a few beats.
Finally, Kiz finished the last finger and checked it carefully. Once she confirmed there were no mistakes, she said, “Done.”
Elia lifted her hand to look at the ten jet-black nails. They stood out strikingly against her fair skin, possessing a weird sense of harmony.
“Kiz, do you think they look good?” she asked.
Kiz looked away. “…They’re fine.”
“I think they look quite nice. So, thanks.”
“Don’t mention it…”
Kiz began packing away the tools. Elia keenly noticed that the tips of the Princess’s ears were red, and her movements were slightly trembling as she tidied up.
‘She really is cute…’
Suddenly, Elia had a new idea.
“Kiz.”
“…Now what?”
“I want to bite you again.”
And this time, she intended to bite a different spot… Although the place she had in mind might make the little Princess think she was a pervert. But Elia was already a pervert anyway, so what was one more time? Besides, she was considering adding some other types of play while biting her.
Kiz was just about to put the brush back into the box when her hand froze in midair. Her expression shifted from blank confusion to sheer terror.
“R-Right now?”