Volume 1, Chapter 46 – Prelude to the Storm

A long-awaited rainy day.

The drizzling rain heralding the approach of winter cast a shadow over the entire city. The unpaved ground turned muddy, and the damp chill clinging to the skin was particularly unpleasant. Coupled with the approaching dusk, the city of Niru seemed to have fallen into a slumber, enveloped in desolation.

Pulling back the curtains, Camilla gazed at the water droplets dripping from the leaves onto the ground at night, but her thoughts were far from the rainy scene.

She had become acutely aware that Camilla was no longer Camilla—or rather, she was no longer just a mere puppet. She had forgotten the distinction of status and had even acted beyond the scope of commands.

The first realization came a few days ago when Yisi shielded Camilla from the explosion of the Christmas Gift. From that night onward, Camilla sensed something within her had changed. At the time, she only knew the change was because of Yisi but didn’t understand what exactly had shifted.

This internal transformation directly led to Camilla’s recent anomalies. It wasn’t until Owen, the maids, Refina, and even Yisi herself pointed it out that Camilla finally understood what had changed.

The puppet had developed her own thoughts and no longer simply followed orders.

This change filled her with unease, anxiety, panic, and fear. The beliefs ingrained in her since birth had collapsed in just half a month, with no one to guide her—though Yisi had pointed her toward a path, to live freely. But as Refina had said, a master had no need for a servant who disobeyed orders. If she no longer obeyed, would she still have the right to remain by Yisi’s side?

The greatest value of Camilla Pescia’s existence beside Loiswell Edith Pescia was her obedience to Loiswell’s commands, handling affairs on her behalf when Loiswell became the new Countess of Pescia. Once that value vanished, so too would her right to stay by her side. Like the pet dogs displayed in front of a sundry shop, if they failed to please customers, they would only face abandonment and starvation.

Thus, all she needed to do was revert to her former self—discarding unnecessary self-will and simply following orders again. But after trying for days, Camilla found she could no longer return to who she once was. The moment Yisi stood before her, she couldn’t help but focus her attention on Yisi, forgetting even the commands she was meant to obey.

Picking winterbloom, following Yisi to the brothel—none of these were things Yisi had ordered. In the past, when Yisi said she was going to the brothel, Camilla wouldn’t have uttered a word. But the other day, when Yisi spoke—about needing to draw blood from her pets—Camilla suddenly felt a surge of worry, displeasure, and anger. Almost instinctively, she asked to accompany her.

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Undoubtedly, this was behavior unbefitting of a puppet, contradicting the very reason for Camilla’s existence. Of course, Camilla realized this, but since Yisi hadn’t shown any displeasure, she breathed a sigh of relief—until Yisi explicitly said, “I have no need for those who disobey my commands.” Even though Camilla knew those words were directed at the pets, she couldn’t help but apply them to herself.

Just because Onee-sama doesn’t dislike me now doesn’t mean she never will. If I defy her orders one day, will I be cast out? Or worse… will she come to despise me?

The mere thought of Yisi shutting her out with a cold expression made Camilla tremble in fear. She never wanted to experience a life without commands again, let alone be separated from Yisi. And in her heart, the idea of leaving Yisi—or being despised by her—was far more unbearable than losing orders.

Like all living things that struggle yet inevitably march toward death, Camilla knew full well that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop this change. She also understood that as long as she remained by Yisi’s side, this transformation would continue until she completely deviated from Yisi’s commands, becoming a puppet with no value.

And a master had no need for a puppet that didn’t obey.

Thus, she had to do something.

She needed a stronger bond to reinforce their relationship—one that would ensure Yisi wouldn’t abandon her, even if she occasionally disobeyed.

That was when she thought of becoming a familiar. For vampires, the number of familiars they could have was limited, making each one exceptionally precious. Though becoming a familiar meant forsaking her humanity and never seeing the sun again, compared to being separated from Yisi—whether she had commands or not no longer mattered; she just didn’t want to be despised—none of it was an issue.

But the answer she received was… inconclusive.

The ambiguous response offered no solace. The conflict within her nearly drove Camilla mad, and she could only vent her frustration on books—now, the room was littered with torn and crumpled scraps of paper.

She knew full well that continuing down this path would lead to ruin, yet she couldn’t stop herself from acting beyond orders, like a fishing boat caught in a storm. No matter how hard she rowed, the waves would batter her relentlessly. Her mind screamed at her to stop, yet her heart only yearned to draw closer to Yisi, even if it meant defying commands.

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That was why she had locked herself in her room. If she saw Yisi less often, she could minimize her mistakes and prolong this beautiful dream.

Even though locking herself away was, in itself, a violation of a puppet’s purpose.

“Haaah—”

Exhaling the emotions clogging her chest, Camilla closed the curtains, plunging the room back into darkness.

Knock, knock, knock.

Footsteps approached, followed by a knock at the door.

“Who is it?”

She didn’t open the door immediately. The room was strewn with shredded paper—she couldn’t let the servants see this.

“It’s me. Owen has left. We’re heading to Refina’s now.”

“Ah, Onee-sama! Please, give me a moment—I’m getting dressed.”

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Hearing Yisi’s voice, Camilla’s spirits lifted. She hurriedly drew the curtains again and rushed to the mirror to tidy her appearance. Her frenzied destruction of books had left her golden hair tangled and her white dress in disarray.

Then, she opened the bottom drawer of her bookshelf, took out her magic staff, and used wind magic to sweep all the paper scraps inside.

Once everything was in order, Camilla checked herself in the mirror one last time. Confirming that nothing was amiss, she adopted the dignified bearing of a noble and walked to the door, turning the knob.

Standing outside was Yisi, clad in a bright blue gown, her long white hair cascading down her back. As always, her expressionless face carried a hint of severity.

Camilla curtsied slightly.

“My apologies, Onee-sama, for making you wait.”

“No, no, it’s my fault for coming so late. If I’d known you were sleeping, I wouldn’t have disturbed you.”

A warmth spread through Camilla’s heart, easing the tension on her face. In the past, she wouldn’t have felt anything at all. But now, she recognized this emotion—concern.

“I was the one who asked you to remind me. How could it be your fault? Today is the last day, after all.”

“Ah, yes. Tomorrow morning is the hostage exchange.”

Camilla caught a flicker of impatience in Yisi’s expression. She had noticed long ago that her sister was troubled by something, but since Yisi had never spoken of it, Camilla didn’t know what it was.

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Almost instinctively, Camilla asked as she closed the door behind her:

“Onee-sama, is something bothering you?”

“Just thinking about the future. Well, since it’s come to this, there’s no harm in saying it. After the hostage exchange, I want to stay in the human world.”

“Stay in the human world? Why?”

“Er… I’ll keep that a secret for now. I’ll tell you later. And remember, this is just between us—don’t tell anyone else.”

“Understood.”

A secret shared only between the two of us.

A flicker of joy dispelled the storm in Camilla’s heart. If her mind had been shrouded in dark clouds before, it was now clear skies.

“Ready to go?”

“Yes.”

“[Advanced Teleportation].”