Chapter Sixty-Six: Bitter Blood

“Lilith!” Lilir called out joyfully when she saw Ahn and me return.

“Princess Lilianna, welcome back,” Ashus greeted respectfully.

“Yes, I’m back,” I replied, a faint trace of happiness in my voice. To be able to return—wasn’t that enough? At least I hadn’t caused pain to those who cared for me.

“Lilith, your injuries…” Lilir asked worriedly, her eyes roaming over the scars still covering my body.

“It’s nothing, just some minor wounds. They’ll heal soon,” I answered quietly. Thanks to Xingyu’s blood, the gaping wound in my chest had already closed and vanished, but I no longer had the magic left to deal with the smaller cuts. They would have to heal on their own. Fortunately, time was never in short supply for the bloodline.

“Lilith, who are they?” Lilir asked, seeing Xuelan and Duke Feng following behind me.

“Second Arbiter Xuelan and Third Arbiter Duke Feng. They’re our allies—there’s no need to worry,” I introduced them.

“It’s an honor, Princess Lilir,” Xuelan and Duke Feng greeted her respectfully.

“Mm,” Lilir replied coolly, seemingly uninterested in them. Her gaze then shifted to Xingyu, who had fallen into a deep sleep in Ahn’s arms, weakened beyond measure. Her eyes widened in anger. “Why is he here?”

“I brought him back,” I replied simply.

“Lilith?” Lilir looked at me in confusion, unable to understand why I would bring Xingyu here. By now, I should have lost all feeling for him.

“He saved my life. I’m merely repaying a debt,” I explained, my tone calm.

“Hmph.” At my words, Lilir shot a resentful glance at the sleeping Xingyu and said nothing more.

“All right. We’ve all been through enough for one day. Let’s go rest. We can discuss what to do next later,” I said to everyone, then made my way to my room.

Lying on my bed in the silent darkness, I stared blankly at the ceiling. Where should I go from here? Xingyu—how should I face you? I was lost. No matter how long I pondered, I found no answer, and eventually drifted into a deep sleep.

I didn’t know how much time had passed when I finally awoke. Stretching lazily, I quietly assessed my body. All my wounds had healed, and even my depleted magic was fully restored. It seemed I’d slept for quite a while. I only hoped nothing had happened during that time.

“You’re awake, Miss,” Ahn greeted me respectfully as I stepped from my room.

“Yes.” I nodded, then asked, “How long have I slept? Did anything happen while I was out?” I realized, without knowing when, Ahn had begun calling me ‘Miss’ instead of ‘Your Highness.’ Was it acceptance at last?

“You slept for three days, Miss. Nothing of importance occurred, except for one somewhat unexpected, but not important, matter,” Ahn replied, and then asked, “Would you like dinner, Miss?”

“Dinner?” I was taken aback. Ever since I’d met Xingyu, I had stopped consuming blood. After I woke, too much had happened for me to even think of feeding—or perhaps, deep inside, I could no longer accept another’s blood. The word ‘dinner’ now felt so distant.

“Every evening, Lord Xuelan collects a cup of that young human’s blood, waiting for you to awaken,” Ahn explained, apparently seeing my confusion.

“What?” I exclaimed in shock. Xingyu was already so frail from blood loss, and now they were taking more every day? I hurried toward the sitting room, Ahn close behind.

When I arrived, I saw Lilir, Xuelan, and Duke Feng drinking blood at the dining table, while Xingyu sat to the side, his face still pale. On the table stood a cup filled with crimson liquid. Even from afar, I could smell the scent of Xingyu’s blood—delicate, evocative.

“Lilith!” “Princess Lilianna!” Lilir and Xuelan greeted me warmly as soon as they saw me.

“What is the meaning of this?” I ignored their greetings, gazing at the cup of blood and demanding an answer.

“I heard it’s been a long time since you last fed, Princess Lilianna. Is that true?” Xuelan parried my question with one of her own, unflinching.

“So what if it’s true? Even if I don’t feed, it hardly affects me,” I replied evenly, though my confidence wavered.

“Have you already forgotten your true nature, living among humans for a few days? You are of the bloodline—feeding on blood is only natural. Or do you plan to dine on human food? I don’t know what you’re thinking,” Xuelan said sharply.

I could find no retort. In truth, my refusal to feed was nothing but willfulness. Whether in the past or now, I’d had no real reason to refuse. That I’d managed before was only because of Ahn’s indulgence.

Seeing me silenced before Xuelan, Lilir couldn’t help but laugh at my expense.

“I have my own reasons. Some things are beyond my control,” I murmured, feeling, for reasons I didn’t understand, a bit afraid of Xuelan. Just as in childhood, once she was angry, I would fall silent—not apologizing, but never crossing her boundaries. An angry Xuelan was stubborn as stone.

“It’s simply because, after tasting his blood, nothing else will suffice. Now that he’s here to provide it, what reason do you have to refuse?” Xuelan pressed relentlessly.

“I…” I couldn’t say it. How could I admit that, much as I tried to deny it, I still felt something for Xingyu and couldn’t bear to see him hurt?

“If you have no reason, then please, Princess Lilianna, take your dinner. With the First Arbiter liable to attack at any moment, you must be at your best. It’s for your own safety,” Xuelan declared, unmoved.

“Lilith, it was my choice,” Xingyu, who had been silent until now, spoke softly. “It can’t atone for what I’ve done, but if even a little, please let me make amends.”

“You owe me nothing. There is nothing between us anymore. I only brought you back because you saved my life—I didn’t want anything to happen to you, nothing more. You needn’t feel guilty toward me. The Lilianna you hurt no longer exists. The person before you now is someone entirely different. That former self was assimilated by me. So you and I are nothing to each other,” I told Xingyu coldly.

At my words, Xingyu paused, then spoke in a low voice: “I know, I know. But you can’t deny that, even with a different personality, the woman before me is still Lilianna—the Lilianna who shares my memories. I only want to make amends to the one who’s gone. You have no right to stop me, do you?” He looked straight at me, a bitter smile on his lips. “This is the sin I committed—I must bear it myself, don’t you think?”

Hearing his words and seeing the sorrow on his face, I found myself unable to refute him. Instead, I snatched up the cup of blood with silent resentment and drank it in one gulp. In that moment, I tasted a bitterness I could not describe. For the first time, I realized that blood could taste so bitter.