Volume 2, Chapter 26 – The Girl’s Heartbeat

“Ugh.”

Frozen for a moment, Estelle let out a low, inarticulate moan.

How embarrassing.

Estelle’s hands were wrapped around Fia’s arm, and her mouth was still on Fia’s arm. Both her hands and Fia’s hands were covered in blood. She had unconsciously pulled Fia closer, even her wing was pressed against Fia. She was just short of lunging at her. If they had been in a room with a bed instead of outside, Estelle couldn’t even imagine what the scene would have devolved into.

Although her vampire instincts had receded, the strong sense of possessiveness and aggression that had taken over her heart still lingered. So much so that when Estelle raised her eyes to look at Fia’s exquisite, doll-like face, her heart beat uncontrollably, and she even heard a voice in her chest saying, “Touch Fia’s cheek.”

I was like a desperate stray dog, with no noble dignity at all, Estelle cursed herself in her heart. Thinking I could wait until morning to replenish my blood was the most naive thought in the world.

With extreme embarrassment, Estelle slowly let go of Fia’s left arm, and her mouth moved away little by little. The wound on Fia’s arm had healed at some point. When Estelle pulled her head back, a curved, glistening line of thread was drawn from Estelle’s lips, eventually reaching the corner of her mouth, leaving behind a stain of unholy water.

That was saliva produced from the craving for blood.

A vampire’s saliva had the effect of numbing pain and making one lose consciousness. Just as people salivate when they think of delicious food, vampires would have a similar reaction when they replenished their blood. This was an ability that had evolved to make prey stop struggling and become food willingly.

Fia’s blood is like poison. It makes you unable to stop yourself.

Even wiping her mouth had become an embarrassing task.

Just as Estelle didn’t know what to do, Fia handed her a handkerchief. Estelle was stunned for a moment, and Fia sighed helplessly.

“You don’t want it? Your mouth…”

“Ugh, thank you.”

Awkwardly taking the handkerchief, Estelle lowered her head and wiped her mouth and chin.

Fia then began to wash the blood from her arm with [Torrent], saying lightly.

“Remember to give me back the handkerchief when you’re done with it.”

“You’re an elf princess. Are you short on handkerchiefs?”

“Because it has sentimental value.”

Fia’s words made Estelle pause. As if she had remembered something, she quietly looked up to peek at Fia’s profile.

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“Did that girl named Claire give it to you?”

Carefully cleaning the blood from her arm, Fia did not notice she was being watched by Estelle. She simply nodded.

“Mm. The spatial backpack I have on me was also a gift from her. It can only hold a few things, but there is nothing more precious—what I mean to say is, because the spatial backpack can’t hold too many things, I only brought this one handkerchief with me.”

“Tch. I’ll give it back to you.”

Averting her gaze, Estelle pouted a little. Her expression looked somewhat unhappy.

“Speaking of which, Claire has the curse of being forgotten, but you still remember her, Estelle?”

“Don’t ask me. I don’t know why either. I don’t feel any difference. The name Claire is as ordinary as anyone else’s name I’ve ever heard. As long as I put a little thought into it, I can remember it.”

Could it be that because Estelle has never met Claire, the curse didn’t take effect?

Fia, with a thoughtful look, nodded and put this discovery in her mind. Estelle, having wiped her mouth, handed the handkerchief back to Fia, and looked at the arm where blood was still dripping.

“That… are you okay? A vampire’s saliva has the effect of making one lose consciousness and numbing pain. The amount of blood I took just now… although I don’t know the exact amount, for any other person, they would have already fainted. I’m sorry. I lost control for a moment. I’ve never lost my mind like that before.”

What Estelle didn’t say was that Fia’s blood was as if it had magic. The moment the sweet blood exploded on her taste buds, her sanity was like a small boat in a storm, capsized and thrown into the sea of consciousness, with no room to struggle at all.

As a pure-blooded vampire, to have been unable to control her vampire instincts was too embarrassing. She was no different from a lower-level vampire, and she couldn’t bring herself to say it out loud.

“It’s fine.” With no change in her expression, Fia used [Cleanse] magic to clean the blood and saliva from the handkerchief, then washed it again with [Torrent] before she was satisfied. “That amount of blood is nothing to me. I’m regenerating it faster than I’m losing it. How should I explain this to Estelle? Even if I had a big hole in my body, the regenerative ability of my constitution would heal me up quickly—on the condition that someone could make a big hole in me in the first place.”

Fia spread her hands, saying playfully.

“My regenerative ability is a little bit stronger than you vampires.”

“Even if you say it’s fine, Fia…”

That’s probably just Fia’s way of comforting herself, Estelle thought. The terrifying image of Fia’s arm covered in blood just now was still in Estelle’s mind. How could an elf’s regenerative ability be stronger than a vampire’s? Fia must have used a magical potion or elf magic.

Feeling guilty, Estelle lowered her head, and her golden bangs covered her expression.

“That was so unbecoming of me…”

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Is she blaming herself?

Fia couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on. There was no need for Estelle to feel guilty. If the process of her sucking blood had caused her pain, she might have accepted Estelle’s guilt. But the vampire’s saliva had not only completely eliminated the pain but also brought about a comfortable tingling sensation, a strange pleasure that felt like electricity coursing through her spine, which Fia found very novel.

And Estelle didn’t seem to have noticed that when she was sucking blood just now, her actions and the sounds she made were extremely… problematic. The sound of her gulping and the gurgling of her saliva, if one were to only hear the sound, they would surely get the wrong idea.

In fact, even seeing the scene would make one’s imagination run wild. The wet sensation of Estelle’s small tongue licking the wound gave Fia a strange feeling of being “demanded” by Estelle. Combined with her heavy and warm breathing, and the dazed, lustful look in her eyes, the elegant noble young lady had vanished, replaced by a sensual vampire princess filled with desire and nothing but instinct.

It was a scene that would make the atmosphere pink and thick, making one’s heart itch and making it impossible to sleep at night.

Although she felt a little ashamed of herself, Fia couldn’t help but feel that she had seen something she shouldn’t have. It was just like when she had accidentally walked in on Anastasia calling her name in her room back in Aurora City. It made her heart feel hot, and it was hard to fall asleep all night—if she were to say this out loud, Estelle would surely tear her to shreds and bury her.

Fia couldn’t help but sigh inwardly, and she smiled as she changed the subject.

“Putting that aside, how did my blood taste?”

Completely unaware of Fia’s complex thoughts, Estelle answered as if she was unwilling to admit it.

“It tasted very good. It was more delicious than anyone else’s I’ve ever tasted. If you weren’t an elf princess, Fia, I would definitely have found a way to keep you and take care of you.”

“That ‘take care of you’ isn’t in the sense of keeping a pet, is it?”

Like keeping a person at home like livestock, taking care of their other needs, and then taking their blood when the owner needs it.

“Of course not a pet. It would be an equal transaction. I would provide good food and lodging and pay you in return, and you would provide me with blood regularly. For most people, this kind of transaction would be a good thing they would hope for their entire lives. Pure-blooded vampires are not like lower-level vampires. We don’t lose our minds when we see blood. We can control ourselves and take blood in an amount that won’t harm the other party. Several of my father’s wives were promoted from this kind of relationship—except for my mother.”

Knowing what Fia wanted to ask, Estelle brought it up on her own.

“My mother was also a pure-blooded vampire. The number of pure-bloods is very small among vampires, and there is a very strong natural attraction between us. It is very easy for us to lose our minds, which is why pure-bloods are forbidden from sucking each other’s blood.”

“I see.” Fia’s ruby-like eyes darted. A teasing look appeared on her exquisite, doll-like face. “So, the more a person matches a vampire’s liking, the more delicious their blood tastes. Does that mean I’m very much to your liking?”

“Hah?! How could that be!” A blush instantly spread from Estelle’s neck to the tips of her ears. She stood up abruptly, and her voice rose several octaves. “It-It must be because you’re an elf princess, Fia! The blood of a high-status person would also become more delicious. For you to say that you’re to my liking… you’re too frivolous, Fia! I… I’m not as reckless as you elves!”

“Uh.”

This time, it was Fia’s turn to feel embarrassed. She had only meant to tease Estelle a little. She didn’t expect Estelle to become so flustered.

If she were a person who was naturally not composed, that would be one thing. But with Estelle’s relatively mature personality, it gave Fia a strange feeling. A person who didn’t know would probably think she was trying to hide something and that she was giving herself away.

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Fia couldn’t help but say hesitantly.

“Estelle, your reaction actually makes me uncertain…”

“Ugh.”

Estelle’s breathing was instantly caught in her throat. Her already red face became even more flushed. An intense sense of embarrassment went from the top of her head to the bottom of her feet, making her feel uneasy and even want to escape from here.

Estelle really doesn’t have those kinds of thoughts. Although Fia is both beautiful and powerful, Fia has always been her pen pal. Estelle only sees Fia as a friend she gets along with.

However, the heart-pounding sensation that lingered in her heart from just now made it difficult for Estelle to look Fia in the eye. It was somewhat like the suspension bridge effect. The possessiveness and excitement that arose from her instincts when she was sucking blood were projected onto Fia, making Estelle mistakenly believe that Fia was the one who had made her heart flutter. So much so that every time she looked at Fia, her heart would race. The discrepancy between reason and emotion was making her feel very confused.

“It can’t be that what I’m thinking is true, can it…? Estelle, I have to be clear with you. My heart already belongs to Claire.”

“Hmph,” Brought back to reality by Fia’s words, Estelle turned her face away and snorted impolitely. Her wing also flapped in dissatisfaction. “Are you saying that a pure-blooded vampire who is also the next Count Oro is no match for a common human with no background?” ¹ yessssss,,,, claire is bestttttt waaaaaaaaah

“No, no, that’s a very easy thing to misunderstand.”

Fia’s hesitant, careful choice of words made Estelle’s lips curve into a smile, a look of satisfaction appearing on her face that was hard to notice. Fia’s direct denial that she was no match for Claire had damaged her self-esteem as a woman. But now, she was satisfied.

Estelle placed her left hand on her heaving chest, closed her eyes, and waved her right hand.

“Don’t worry. I’m not as reckless as you elves. I have a very normal sexual orientation. I don’t have any of those thoughts you’re thinking of, Fia. You’re too conceited. The taste of your blood may be good, but that doesn’t determine love. That’s something that requires long-term contact, careful consideration, and is a matter of a lifetime. Hmm… how should I put this? You’re very good in every aspect, Fia. If you were a man, I might have fallen for you. But we are both women, so I don’t have any feelings for you that go beyond friendship. Ah, I’m not saying you’re not charming. It’s just because I’m on the side of normal people.”

By the end of her sentence, Estelle, as if she was worried Fia would be sad, secretly opened one of her eyes to peek at Fia’s expression while explaining.

Fia was, of course, not sad. Her face was only one of relief. Although it felt like she was being rejected by Estelle, she had no intention of falling in love with her in the first place, so she was naturally not sad or regretful. If Estelle had suddenly said she liked her or something, she would have been at a loss for what to do.

A sense of ease came over her. Fia pushed the black hair that had drifted in front of her face behind her ear and let out a soft breath.

“That’s good. You made me worried there for a moment.”

“What? What’s with that tone? It’s as if I’m completely worthless and that everything I said just now was just me being conceited.”

“Didn’t you say that yourself, Estelle? That you have a normal sexual orientation? And now you’re complaining that my tone doesn’t show I care about you. Your personality is too much of a hassle.”

Estelle crossed her arms and pouted, letting out another impolite snort.

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“Hmph, immature women are just this much trouble.”

Would an immature woman admit she was immature?

Fia couldn’t help but find this amusing. For Estelle to talk about her views on love in front of her showed that Estelle was a very straightforward girl with whom one could be honest, which Fia found very endearing.

After a bit of back-and-forth, the air became lively, and the atmosphere also became much more relaxed.

Estelle sat back down in her original seat, and Fia also sat back down on the stone stool.

The difference from before was that there was now a puddle of blood on the ground between them, which had dripped from Estelle’s mouth because she couldn’t swallow it all. As if embarrassed, Estelle bent down and used a small knife to scoop up the mud with the blood on it, bit by bit.

Her movements were much more natural than before, and she was no longer giving off that inexplicable charm. Looking at Estelle, who was bent over, Fia asked.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Are you talking about the craving for blood? I’m fine now. With that much blood, not only did I get back the blood I was lacking from the past few days, but I also have enough for tomorrow. It’s just that I probably won’t be able to find the blood of ordinary people delicious anymore. It’s all your fault. For us vampires, sucking blood should be a pleasure.”

What Estelle meant was that after tasting something delicious, the original food would taste like chewing wax, becoming completely bland.

Fia raised her eyebrows in a chiding manner.

“How is that my fault? It’s not like I made myself to your liking.”

“I told you it’s because you’re an elf princess, Fia. Your blood is different from ordinary people, which is why it’s delicious. Hah, I should have thought of this earlier. I should have realized that after tasting the blood of an elf princess, the blood of other people would become bland. No, I should have realized it the moment I smelled your blood and felt that craving. Damn it. How are you going to compensate me?”

“I refuse to compensate you.” Fia refused righteously. “I haven’t asked you for payment for my hard work yet. The blood of an elf princess would surely sell for a very high price if it had a price tag.”

“Tch.”

Cornered by Fia, Estelle clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction.

However, Fia did not continue the teasing. Instead, she stretched her neck and let out a long sigh. The sky was already a hazy gray. The sun would soon rise from the plains. It was almost time to start getting ready to cleanse the chaos.

I hope I can get my hands on the person who assassinated Estelle—whether it’s the Despair Demon General or something else.

Thinking this, Fia stood up.