Sigh.
A tired girl trudged down the hallway. Roka. Sol de Roka walked slowly through the corridor, heading toward the bathroom that a passing maid had pointed out to her.
Though she really liked Kyle, the girl was a natural loner. She preferred being alone and disliked noisy crowds. So, naturally, she wasn’t thrilled about someone else being in the bath.
“Uh…”
Before she even opened the bathroom door, the strong smell of blood made the girl stop in her tracks.
If only there hadn’t been a voice shouting, “If you’re here, come in!” from inside, she might have turned back. Am I the only one feeling uncomfortable? Roka hesitated for a moment but eventually opened the bathroom door.
There, a girl around her age, completely naked, was singing a tune while bathing. But no man could look at that scene and feel desire.
“Ugh…”
The bath was filled with bright red blood, contrasting sharply with the woman’s pale skin splashing around in it. Roka, seeing the girl with her childishly smooth skin, slowly closed the door.
In her common sense, blood wasn’t something you used to wash your body. She didn’t know where all that blood came from, but it certainly wasn’t a pleasant sight.
“You’re going to peek at my naked body and just leave?”
The bathing “princess” laughed brightly. She slowly stood up, revealing her radiant nakedness. If Roka had been a boy, she might not have been able to look away, but as a girl, she was just curious why this woman was exposing herself like that. Roka instinctively took a step back.
“I’m Kamira. Vlad Kamira. The princess of the vampire clan. Nice to meet you, child of the sun.”
Her elegant and poised demeanor would have been charmingly vintage if it weren’t for the fact that she was stark naked, which completely ruined any sense of dignity.
Kamira showed no shame in exposing herself so boldly because, in her eyes, Roka wasn’t an equal.
Would you feel embarrassed showing your naked body to a dog you’re raising?
Roka wasn’t her dog, but she was about to become one, so there was no need to feel awkward.
In fact, to the little princess, even the empress was beneath her. She was the princess of a vampire clan with thousands of years of history, while Ardein was the empress of a fledgling empire not even 500 years old. Historically and traditionally, it was clear who held the higher status, and Kamira believed the empress wasn’t even worthy of comparison.
So, what was Roka to her?
There was no reason to feel ashamed, whether she was naked or not. Kamira gestured toward the blood-filled bath.
“Come here.”
Come here? Why? What are you planning to do?
Roka slowly backed away. They say you don’t avoid a madman out of fear.
It’s common sense not to associate with crazy people, and Roka knew that. Whether she was the lord of this castle or not, she had no desire to get involved with someone like that.
“Take off those clothes and come here. I’ll clean you up. This bath is really good for your skin.”
Kamira chattered on, completely ignoring Roka’s reaction.
“It’s the owner’s duty to keep their pet clean.”
“…Pet?”
Roka, who had been looking for a way to escape, bristled at that. She glared at Kamira, demanding an explanation, but what came next was even more outrageous.
“You see, I’ve never failed to get what I wanted.”
Splash!
Kamira stepped out of the bath and stretched as she walked toward Roka. Roka, intimidated by the woman’s elegant curves, took a step back.
How could someone be so confident? It was as if she were a lump of confidence molded into human form. She seemed to believe everything should go her way.
“But there’s one thing. Just one thing I couldn’t have. The sun. I’ve always wanted it, but the sun didn’t want to be mine. It always stays above me, and if I even touch its light, it curses me. I’ve always wanted to bring that arrogant thing to its knees.”
Ah, she’s crazy. Roka instinctively nodded. There was no point in getting angry. She was just a bit off her rocker.
Getting serious with a crazy person would only make you look foolish. The best strategy was to nod along and get away as quickly as possible.
“So, if I can’t have the sun, I’ll take you instead.”
If only that crazy woman hadn’t pointed at her.
Kamira, though she couldn’t match her mother in skill or character, far surpassed her in arrogance.
The only daughter of Duke Vlad Shimira, Vlad Kamira, licked her lips. She had never failed to get what she wanted since she was a child.
The one thing she couldn’t obtain was the sun. That’s why, as soon as she heard about a wolf shapeshifter with the power of the sun, she begged her father to make it hers.
She wanted to bring the sun under her control.
For Roka, it was an incomprehensible reason, but that was truly the whole of it. This lady, who needed to stand above everything, couldn’t bear the sun being above her.
“Now, puppy. I’ll make you an offer. Promise to wear this collar and become my pet. Take off your clothes and kiss my foot in oath, and I’ll promise to play with only you.”
She pulled out a slave collar and dangled it. In the center of the collar was a Scarlet Stone, a specialty of the Demon World given to her by the demon merchant Olok.
When demonic energy is condensed to an extreme, it naturally forms this rare gem, which has the property of suppressing any magical power other than demonic energy.
With Roka’s level of magical power, wearing this collar would mean she could never use her magic again. Of course, everything is relative, and demonic energy is just one type of magical power. It’s merely magical power with a demonic attribute, one of the many forces in the universe.
For example, if the empress wore this collar, the demonic energy of the Scarlet Stone wouldn’t suppress her power. Instead, her dragon-attribute magic would overwhelm the stone and shatter it entirely. Such tricks wouldn’t work against truly strong individuals, but was Roka that strong? Not even close.
“You want me to become your slave?”
“Not ‘want.’ Youwill.”
Kamira covered her mouth and laughed.
“Our pureblood lineage reigns above all others, the most noble bloodline. Submitting to me would be an honor for you.”
I already have a master, and I have no intention of serving two.
Especially not a crazy woman like you.
And who are you to take away the freedom my master gave me? I don’t want to do that at all.
Well, there were many things she wanted to say, but her thoughts got tangled. Roka gave up on trying to argue logically!
When had the girl ever had to speak so much?
She was used to speaking in short sentences, so all that came out was this:
“Crazy woman.”
But that’s okay. The intent got across.
Roka nodded inwardly. It was a bit excessive, but she had expressed her refusal!
“Hmm. Our puppy needs a bit more training, huh?”
Hearing that, Kamira smirked.
The blood in the bath turned to steam and scattered, filling the room with a thick blood mist. For vampires, rank equals power and status. The pureblood clan is inherently powerful.
Talent, effort, and time. She had nothing surpassing her mother, so while she wasn’t as strong as Duke Shimira, capturing a wolf with no significant combat experience was child’s play.
Even with the variable of the sun’s power, she had herself.
“Now, little one. Watch closely.”
Kamira gestured. A vampire stumbled in and suddenly vomited blood! It wasn’t just vomit mixed with blood—it seemed like all the blood in his body was gushing out of his mouth. The blood instantly vaporized and joined the blood mist.
“Every time you resist me, innocent kin will die. If you want to reduce the sacrifices, wouldn’t it be better to be caught quickly?”
To the purebloods, even a vampire lord is just a tool, nothing more.
Ordinary vampires are mere expendables to them. If necessary, they can drain their power and discard them, regardless of their will.
Roka, watching the vampire collapse and die with a pale face, retorted.
“So what? What does that have to do with me?”
When people see their homes destroyed, their clans fallen, and their loved ones sold into slavery, they sometimes use their own pain to understand others’ suffering. They develop a noble heart, wishing others wouldn’t suffer the same. But such people are extremely rare.
Most think, “I’ve been through so much, and you’re whining about this?”
They see others’ pain as trivial compared to their own and become stingy with sympathy. That’s how Roka thought.
I didn’t kill them, and you’re blaming me for your own subordinates’ deaths? What else do you want me to do? Do whatever you want! You’re the one killing your own people.
Kamira chuckled, and the blood pool covered the entire bathroom floor. She raised her right hand and spread four fingers. She was confident she could subdue the insolent wolf in four moves.
“I wonder how long you’ll last. But you’d better hold out at least twice. Got it? That’s when the fun starts.”
Now, swallow the ground, swallow the earth, and swallow the heavens!
The blood energy writhed, dyeing the earth crimson. The first of the four techniques, Blood Heaven’s Earth, began to reveal itself.
