The next morning…
“Vampire Princess, breakfast is ready. It is time to wake up and eat.”
Faye knocked gently on the door.
“Come in!”
As soon as Bai Li spoke, Faye pushed the door open and began skillfully dressing her.
“Faye, as a combat maid, you’ve followed Mother for many years, right?”
“Vampire Princess, why do you ask?”
Aila had always been vigorous and resolute in her actions—otherwise, she would never have secured the position of Head Maid—so she immediately asked a question in return.
“I’m just asking out of curiosity. Since, you know, you’ll be my exclusive maid from now on…”
“We combat maids have served the Imperial Family since birth. It has been over seventy years now.”
“Seventy… seventy years? Do you not have to retire?”
“Vampire Princess, I am dull-witted. What is ‘retirement’?”
“It means quitting your job and going home to rest.”
“Our kind has served the immortal Imperial Family for generations. Our lifespans exceed those of ordinary Vampires by several hundred years. There has never been such a thing as leaving one’s post.”
“Sigh… Isn’t that just being a lifelong worker…”
“My people serve the Imperial Family so that the Queen may rest easy and focus on handling the affairs of the state, making the Vampire race stronger. This is for the greater good of our race, not the labor of a worker forced by necessity.”
‘When you put it that way…’
Bai Li thought to herself as her clothes were straightened.
“Very well, Vampire Princess. Please head downstairs to dine with the Queen.”
“…”
“Is something wrong, Vampire Princess?”
“Well… Faye, can I wait until Mother finishes her meal before I go down?”
“Vampire Princess, I have no right to influence your decisions, but Her Majesty is surely waiting to dine with you.”
“Then help me pass along a message. Tell her that after I finish eating, I will go to her office to find her myself.”
“As you command.”
Faye walked quickly out of the room and returned a moment later.
“Her Majesty has agreed. She asks that you go to her office in 1 hour. However, if I may be so bold as to ask, why are you avoiding Her Majesty?”
“…I just don’t feel very well today. I’m afraid of passing it on to Mother.”
“I understand, Vampire Princess.”
Faye knew well that Vampires were immune to all diseases, but since the Princess was unwilling to speak plainly, she did not press further.
She believed the Queen would have her own considerations.
Bai Li sat idly in her room, waiting.
The experience of soaking in the spring the night before lingered in her mind.
After thinking it over, she decided it was better to have as little contact with Bai Ning as possible for the time being.
She didn’t know if she was overthinking it, but if things were truly as she feared, that love was far too heavy and twisted—even contrary to moral standards.
She simply couldn’t accept it.
Even the simple hug from Bai Ning last night had made her feel uneasy.
The thought of a ‘rebellious daughter’ subverting her parent spun incessantly in her mind.
‘I hope I’ve just misunderstood… but regardless, it’s best to avoid physical contact with Bai Ning as much as possible.’
“Vampire Princess, after you eat, you will have some free time. Would you like me to introduce the layout of the rooms to you?”
“Oh, sure!”
***
Inside the royal palace of the Human Empire, within a hall adorned with carved beams and painted rafters, the King sat upon a gilded throne.
He listened with a calm expression to the weekly report from Sok, the Minister of Internal Affairs.
“Your Majesty, according to secret reports from the front lines, the unusual movements from the Demon Race appear to have leveled off. It seems they are not heading toward our Human Empire.”
Sok bowed low, his posture incredibly humble.
His voice was filled with reverence, fearing even the slightest mistake.
“It is good that they are not… Sok, regarding what I told you last time, have you thought it through since you returned?”
The King looked up, his gaze like a torch staring straight at Sok.
His tone was flat, yet it carried an undeniable power.
Sok’s heart tightened, and he quickly lowered his head, his voice tinged with earnestness.
“I was ignorant. I failed to realize sooner that Your Majesty possessed such an enlightened system, simply because no one dared to implement it for you. I am willing to go to any lengths to sincerely assist Your Majesty!”
“Whether you are sincere or not will be revealed in time.”
The King nodded slightly, his fingertips tapping the armrest of the throne.
“However, Sok, I am indeed pleased at this moment. At least you are willing to be honest with your thoughts to my face, unlike those old officials in the Senate who say one thing and do another.”
Sok felt a chill in his heart and quickly responded.
“Your Majesty is wise. I was merely blinded by the chaos of the court before. Now that I see Your Majesty’s grand ambitions, I naturally dare not have any second thoughts.”
“Oh? Then tell me, what ambitions of mine do you see?”
The King raised an eyebrow with interest, his tone carrying a hint of testing.
Sok took a deep breath, met the King’s gaze, and spoke word by word.
“What Your Majesty desires has never been to simply settle in a corner, but to bring reform and innovation to the Human Empire, making the country wealthy and the people strong. But those old relics in the Senate only care about guarding their own tiny plots of land, hindering Your Majesty’s new policies. I saw this and felt anxious in my heart.”
The King let out a faint smile upon hearing this.
“You see things quite clearly. Then do you know why I chose you specifically, and not the other ministers in court?”
“I… I do not know.”
Sok felt apprehensive but did not dare to hide it.
“Because you act according to the circumstances and are tactful, yet you are not entirely without a bottom line.”
The King was blunt.
“The people in the Senate promised to let you replace me, but they only want to prop up a puppet king who will do whatever he is told. You know better than anyone that instead of being a chess piece at someone else’s mercy, it is better to be a capable minister who can do real work for the Empire. In this regard, perhaps I have not misjudged you.”
Sok’s mind was in turmoil.
The King’s words had pierced through his hidden thoughts.
He was naturally someone who sought advantages and avoided harm, but he also didn’t want to leave behind a name cursed for eternity.
Now, the King’s words allowed him to completely lower his guard.
“Your Majesty has keen insight. I am ashamed.”
Sok bowed again.
“I indeed considered it before when the Senate offered me a high position, but that was nothing more than a fleeting dream. Now that Your Majesty is willing to entrust me with heavy responsibilities, I will give my all until my dying breath.”
“What I want is not for you to work until you die, but for you to withstand the pressure of the Senate and push these new policies through.”
The King’s tone turned serious.
“Those old officials have deep roots. If I take action directly, it will only alert them. But you are one of their own in their eyes. If you propose the new policies, even if they oppose them, they will deliberate more carefully.”
Sok suddenly realized.
So the King had planned this all along; he was merely a key piece in this grand game of chess.
But he was willing, for following a wise ruler was a hundred times better than being a puppet.
“Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will not fail my mission!”
Sok’s voice was firm.
The King nodded in satisfaction.
He reached out, picked up a parchment scroll from the desk, and handed it over.
“Take these proposals. These are the new policies I have considered for a long time, covering livelihoods, the military, and administration. Every single one concerns the future of the Empire. You shall be the one to propose them in court.”
Sok took the parchment with both hands and unrolled it.
He saw that the policies were grand in vision and innovative in design.
The foresight within them made his pupils shrink in shock, and his admiration for the King deepened.
He quickly stored the scroll and gripped it tightly with his right hand, as if he were holding the entire future of the Empire.
Then, with a heavy thud, he knelt on the ground.
“As you command, Your Majesty!”
The sunlight from outside the hall spilled through the window frames, falling upon the two of them.
A pact between sovereign and subject, one that concerned the rise and fall of the Human Empire, was quietly forged.
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