Clack, clack, clack…
Two sets of footsteps came from outside the door.
One was the sound of high heels striking stone, a noise Coleia had grown accustomed to over the past year—it was Elizabeth.
The other was lighter, with a different stride—a stranger.
Coleia had just adjusted her expression when the door swung open.
Duke Elizabeth entered.
She seemed to blend seamlessly with the Gothic atmosphere of the castle, wearing a dark purple high-collared gown that flowed like liquid night.
Her deep brown hair was styled in an intricate, lavish updo, her lips painted a vivid red, and her features were sharp and radiant.
Her violet eyes landed on Coleia.
The gaze weighed her briefly before the corners of her lips curled into a lazy, satisfied smile.
Coleia’s attention lingered on Elizabeth only for a moment before shifting curiously to the woman behind her.
The woman wore dark, practical hunting gear, a bulge at her waist suggesting a weapon.
Her tall frame stood a full two heads above Coleia.
She had short, neat black hair that brushed her shoulders, the tips tinged with a faint gray.
Now her gray eyes lifted, meeting Coleia’s gaze.
Their eyes briefly locked in the air.
A faint flicker of confusion passed through the woman’s eyes, then she calmly looked away as if nothing had happened.
Vanessa.
The destined protagonist of this world.
In the storyline, she was the nightmare of all vampires.
‘Huh, the protagonist…’
‘Hmm?’
‘Protagonist?’
‘Wait, isn’t Vanessa a Vampire Hunter? Shouldn’t she be outwitting the Vampire Council or killing other vampires for fun at this point? Why is she here with a Vampire Duke?’
Coleia prodded the system in her mind, her face betraying no emotion, though her uncontrollable fox ears stiffened upright.
“What’s going on? Why is the protagonist showing up here?”
[……]
[I don’t know either, but I haven’t found any anomalies yet!]
Coleia lifted her eyes, then lowered her head again.
‘No anomalies?’
‘?’
Elizabeth interpreted Coleia’s slight hesitation as timidity in front of a stranger, and she was pleased.
Her brows curved as she took two steps forward, her heels clicking clearly on the stone.
“Coleia, my dear little treasure,” she said, her voice low with a strange, enchanting quality.
“How are you feeling today?”
Her gaze swept over the collar around Coleia’s neck and the fox ears atop her head, the satisfaction in her violet eyes deepening.
“Good. It seems you’re ready to greet me.”
Then she turned slightly, gesturing toward the black-haired woman behind her with a demeanor akin to displaying a precious gem.
“Miss Vanessa, this is my most precious little treasure that I mentioned to you—Coleia Scarlet.”
Her fingers lifted gently, as if to touch Coleia’s cheek, but stopped midway, merely tracing her with her eyes.
“Isn’t she even more adorable than the rumors suggest?”
Vanessa, the black-haired woman, looked at Coleia.
“Yes, Duke Elizabeth,” Vanessa nodded, her voice cold.
“You’ve trained… raised her well.”
Her words paused for a subtle moment, as if she had veered from a term closer to Elizabeth’s true intent toward the more restrained “raised.”
But… what was going on?
Vanessa was puzzled.
In countless cycles past, at this time, Coleia Scarlet should have been exhausted from the previous night’s intense lesson, lying unconscious in that ornate coffin, completely unaware of the impending visit.
Elizabeth would bring her to admire the sleeping treasure, flaunting her absolute control, and she, Vanessa, would perform appropriate flattery—that was the script played out countless times.
But why… why was she awake this time?
Not just awake, but appearing in this state?
Submissive, waiting to be used.
Vanessa’s gaze quickly swept over the collar around Coleia’s neck and the fluffy fox ears on her head.
The ears twitched slightly as her eyes passed.
‘Ahem, a bit cute.’
Elizabeth was quite pleased with Vanessa’s restrained praise.
She chuckled, her violet eyes shifting as she refocused on Coleia.
“It seems my little Coleia is particularly well-behaved today…”
Her cold fingers gently lifted Coleia’s chin, forcing her to tilt her face upward, allowing Elizabeth to better savor the obedience that should now fill those crimson eyes.
“Is it because we have a guest, and you want to save me face?”
She leaned in close, her breath brushing against Coleia’s trembling lashes, her thumb stroking the soft skin beneath Coleia’s jaw in a feigned gesture of affection.
“Or did last night’s deep instruction finally let you taste a bit of pleasure, and now you’re… anticipating?”
Coleia obediently tilted her face upward, her long lashes lowered, casting fragile shadows on her pale skin.
She didn’t reply, but her shoulders and neck shrank involuntarily.
Coleia’s reaction clearly pleased Elizabeth.
She released her grip, but her fingertips slid down, brushing faintly over the pulse at Coleia’s neck, and finally hooked the front of the Dark Ruby Collar, tugging it toward herself with a moderate force.
Coleia stumbled forward from the pull, her breath catching instantly.
The sensation of the collar tightening around her neck made her instinctively lift her chin, her slender neck arching into a curve.
“Ugh…”
A broken whimper escaped her throat, immediately swallowed as she bit her lower lip.
Elizabeth savored the vulnerable line forced into view, feeling the tremor under the collar through her fingertips.
“It seems it’s time to teach you how to please your master in these matters.”
“Heh… Miss Vanessa is an important partner of mine.”
Elizabeth spoke as if explaining to Coleia, but also as if showing off her control over Coleia to Vanessa.
“My little darling, Vanessa helped me with a small favor, so I brought her to see you.”
Her gaze flickered between Coleia and Vanessa, a hint of playfulness in her smile.
“Perhaps our next lesson could include some new content?”
Coleia maintained her cowering posture, but the words whispered warm and close to her ear made her spine tighten slightly.
“Yes.”
Elizabeth’s fingertips froze.
The smile on her lips solidified for half a second, her violet eyes turning to the black-haired woman beside her, a trace of shock flickering through them.
She had only mentioned it offhandedly, teasing her little Coleia, and using this to demonstrate her special hospitality and control to this capable but unpredictable collaborator.
But she hadn’t expected the other to respond, let alone so directly.
Vanessa’s gaze fell on Coleia.
At that moment, Coleia’s lace-gloved fingers were unconsciously intertwined tightly, the tips turning white beneath the fine fabric.
Then, before Elizabeth could react, Coleia heard her speak.
“I don’t think we need to wait for next time.”
Vanessa paused slightly, a hidden current in her gray eyes.
“I believe now will do.”