Volume 1, Chapter 34 – Interlude

After accepting the tearful gratitude of the paladin family, a somewhat weary Yisi returned to the mansion. It wasn’t that the healing process had drained her—rather, dealing with human expressions of thanks was what left her mentally and physically exhausted.

The afternoon stretched on interminably, and Yisi could only pass the time by half-reclining on the sofa in her bedroom.

As she picked up the teapot to pour herself a cup of water, Camilla, sitting primly beside her, suddenly spoke up.

“Onee-sama, why did you waste precious magic medicine on that paladin?”

“Uh, well…”

It was just a habitual act of helping someone without any ulterior motive. Yisi froze for a moment before regaining her composure.

“Ahem, it’s a tactic to win people over. By making the lower ranks of the Church realize that not all vampires are evil, we can undermine their longstanding negative propaganda and lay the groundwork for our future takeover of the Niru Diocese.”

“But such a starkly contrasting attitude might arouse suspicion among others.”

Was it Yisi’ imagination, or did Camilla’s usually monotone voice carry a hint of urgency?

Yisi waved her hand dismissively.

“There’s no problem at all. I’ve already considered your concerns, Camilla.”

This wasn’t a lie. For the paladins, who had never met the Count’s eldest daughter before, her personality was an enigma—something they could only vaguely grasp through rumors. Even if her behavior contradicted those rumors, they would likely conclude, “This must be the true Count’s daughter.” From the vampires’ perspective, she could simply explain it as “part of the plan.” As long as she maintained the Count’s daughter’s usual cruelty in front of other vampires, no suspicions would be raised.

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“Speaking of which, how many days are left until the hostage exchange?”

“Fourteen days remain.”

“Fourteen days, huh…”

This world’s definition of time was almost identical to Earth’s—twenty-four hours in a day, seven days in a week. The only difference was the months: apart from December, which had 35 days, every other month had 30, with no distinction between long and short months.

The biggest problem Yisi faced now was the upcoming hostage exchange. Avoiding a return to the vampire faction was her top priority. To live as a vampire in human society, she needed the Church’s support—a necessary condition. But the crux of the matter was that to gain the Church’s backing, she first had to return the bishop to the Niru Diocese. And for the bishop to return, she had to go back to the vampire faction. It was a vicious cycle.

She had considered simply teleporting the bishop to the Niru Diocese, but she worried that Count Pescia, in his overprotectiveness, might launch a full-scale war. In that case, she would become the one who instigated the conflict. In fact, if she hadn’t coincidentally encountered the Count’s daughter’s “pets” a few days earlier, the dispute between the vampires and the human Church might have already begun.

On another note, thanks to the pets’ unconditional trust in the Count’s daughter, Yisi had managed to recall the two covert units lurking in Niru City back to vampire territory, leaving only Refina and her four companions in the city. This served two purposes: to reassure Count Pescia and to secure a blood supply. The brothel’s manager was a vampire spy, and after Yisi’ arrival, she had taken full control of its finances, solving both her blood and monetary needs.

However, it was precisely because of her encounter with the Count’s daughter’s pets that Yisi realized another chilling problem:

Was she still herself?

Until now, Yisi had believed she was merely a parasite in this body, with the Count’s daughter being its true owner. But when she saw the pets stripping off their clothes one by one without so much as batting an eye—as if it were the most natural thing in the world—she realized that her thoughts had been subtly influenced by the Count’s daughter.

If it had been her original self, faced with five beautiful girls undressing and calling her “Master,” she would have undoubtedly struggled to control her desires. Yet the reality was that she had only felt slightly embarrassed, avoiding direct eye contact with their bodies. Even after drinking their blood, she had remained rational, calmly issuing orders to the pets. This change sent shivers down her spine.

If this continues, will I become a sadist like the Count’s daughter?

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Perhaps her kindness toward the paladins was a subconscious rebellion against the Count’s daughter’s nature. Yisi frowned. Ever since realizing that the Count’s daughter’s memories were influencing her, she had tried her best to avoid recalling them.

“No… I can think about this later. No matter what, I am still me. The immediate priority is resolving the hostage exchange. If only there were a way—or an opportunity—to convince Count Pescia that I’m truly acting with purpose in human territory…”

Count Pescia wasn’t as easy to fool as the pets. Without tangible results, the doting Count would never leave his daughter in a human nation.

Muttering words only she could understand, Yisi furrowed her brow—until a cool touch brushed against her cheek.

“Hm?”

“Onee-sama, please stay still.”

Perhaps something had clung to her face during her outing earlier. Camilla gently patted Yisi’ white hair, as if dusting off invisible particles.

“Ah, right.”

Overwhelmed by Camilla’s unexpected attentiveness, Yisi stiffened, waiting for her to finish. At the same time, an indescribable emotion welled up inside her. Yisi’s parents had passed away before she reached adulthood, and she had almost no memories of anyone performing such intimate gestures for her. The unfamiliar warmth left her both eager and flustered.

After a moment, Camilla withdrew her hand, and the comforting sensation enveloping Yisi’s forehead vanished.

“Done. Onee-sama’s hair easily collects dust. Please take better care of it—it is the symbol of the Pescia family’s direct lineage.”

Well, it’s not that white hair attracts more dust—it’s just that dust is more visible against it. Yisi kept the thought to herself. Though Camilla’s gentle behavior might simply be her following past orders, Yisi preferred to believe it was genuine kindness.

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Is this also part of her commands? Yisi didn’t voice the question. Instead, she stared blankly at Camilla’s exquisite face. Her deep crimson eyes clearly reflected Yisi’s image, and her earnest yet lifeless expression didn’t detract from her beauty—rather, it made it impossible to look away. God must have poured extraordinary effort into creating Camilla. Yisi was certain anyone who saw her would think the same.

“Does Onee-sama have something on her mind?”

“Eh? Ah, it’s nothing.” Shaking her head, Yisi averted her gaze from the golden-haired, red-eyed Camilla and casually changed the subject. “I was just wondering what Camilla would be like if she were a normal girl.”

If that were the case, she would probably try her hardest to pursue Camilla.

Camilla merely tilted her head.

“Normal? What does Onee-sama mean by that?”

“Living freely, with your own dreams and hobbies.”

“I don’t understand…”

“Hmm—let me rephrase. Doing things because you want to do them.”

“But why would I act without orders?”

Getting the same answer as before, Yisi sighed in resignation.

“Then what about just now, when you dusted me off? Was that also an order?”

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“That… No. I simply saw something unclean on you and wished to remove it.”

“That’s acting on your own will! I never ordered you to dust me off.”

“Understood. I will be more mindful in the future.”

“What do you mean more mindful?! I’m saying you should try doing more things I haven’t ordered you to do!”

Conversing with Camilla was always exhausting, but today, Yisi didn’t mind. In fact, she rather enjoyed this idle chatter. If Camilla’s dusting wasn’t the result of an order, then it meant she was gradually developing human emotions. Though it was a small gesture, it hinted at greater changes to come.

The only thing Yisi wondered about was the trigger.

What caused Camilla to change? She hadn’t done anything special for Camilla—at most, buying her some clothes and accessories. If that was enough to be the catalyst, Camilla’s transformation seemed almost too easily achieved.

Camilla didn’t show any signs of realization at Yisi’s words. She simply blinked, staring at her.

“As I thought, Onee-sama has become very strange.”

“You’ve said that already—no need to repeat it. Enough, I’m taking a nap. Camilla, you can do whatever you like.”

“Understood, Onee-sama.”

Completely ignoring Yisi’s last remark, Camilla remained motionless on the sofa, watching as Yisi curled up and gradually drifted off to sleep.