Alice’s expression softened as she looked at the fortress rising from the snow-covered cliffs.
The northern wind caught her silver hair, sending it dancing behind her like a banner.
"It’s home," she said quietly.
Not proudly.
Not boastfully.
Just... simply.
I followed her gaze.
The Draken stronghold stood unshaken against the winter sky—thick walls, watchtowers, banners marked with the sigil of a blade piercing frost. It wasn’t elegant like the estates in the capital.
It was solid.
Unyielding.
Very much like her.
Alice turned to me then, a faint spark returning to her eyes.
"Once we return to the castle," she said, "perhaps we could spar."
There it was.
The invitation that was never just an invitation.
"I might have some pressing matters to attend to," I said carefully.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"A joke, surely. Even in the central regions, you were not attending to me but were with your fiancée." Her tone dipped, ever so slightly. "You may fulfill your duties as my servant this time."
That faint note of disappointment hit harder than any sword strike.
My chest tightened.
Between clearing dungeons, navigating noble politics, and dealing with the thieves’ guild, I really hadn’t spent much time with her during the banquet season.
And she had noticed.
Of course she had.
’If it’s Alice’s request... I could probably rearrange things.’
I was still weighing that thought when my shadow rippled unnaturally.
It stretched.
Thickened.
Then peeled itself off the ground.
"Sorry," Velra’s voice purred as she stepped forward from the darkness, arms folded neatly. "Julies has a prior engagement with me."
Alice didn’t even blink.
"Behave as a maid should," she said coolly. "Know your place and do not rudely interrupt."
Velra smiled faintly.
"That won’t do. You intend to monopolize the precious time my kin and I will have."
"...Your kin?" Alice repeated.
The temperature seemed to drop another degree.
The northern wind pressed cold against my back.
’This is bad.’
They were always tense around each other.
But this?
This felt like dry tinder meeting a spark.
Ignoring Alice’s glare, Velra continued smoothly, "Vampirism requires considerable stamina. I doubt Julies would have any left for your spar afterward."
Alice’s head snapped toward me.
"Vampirism?"
Her hand drifted toward the hilt of her sword.
"So the demoness finally reveals her true nature. I cannot leave Julies to be harmed."
The hostility was immediate.
Sharp.
Focused.
I stepped forward before steel met sunlight.
"Lady Alice, please calm down. It was my suggestion."
"...What?"
"She cannot harm anyone in the North because of the contract," I said quickly. "Unless they volunteer. Like me."
Alice’s brows trembled—not with anger this time, but something closer to disbelief.
"Why would you volunteer?" she demanded. "Giving your blood to a demon is harmful. It weakens the body. It clouds judgment."
Velra’s eyes flickered at that last comment.
"It does not cloud—"
"Velra," I warned.
She clicked her tongue but fell silent.
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"She saved my life," I said simply. "This is how I repay her."
Alice stared at me.
"That’s..."
Her gaze shifted to Velra—cold, cutting.
From her perspective, it must have looked terrible.
A weakened servant.
A demon noble.
A blood exchange.
Exploitation.
Velra exhaled slowly, then uncrossed her arms.
Alice’s jaw tightened.
Velra met her stare evenly.
"I am a vampire. Sustenance is required. But I have not taken more than agreed. And I will not."
"And I am supposed to trust that?" Alice asked.
"No," Velra replied calmly. "You are supposed to trust your own contract magic. The Duke’s seal is absolute. If I violate it, I die."
That made Alice hesitate.
Because she knew her father’s magic.
If he had sealed Velra, the conditions would be ironclad.
Still, she stepped closer to me, lowering her voice.
"You don’t owe her that much," Alice said quietly.
Her voice had lost its earlier edge. It wasn’t anger now.
It was worry.
"A life debt doesn’t require you to harm yourself."
I understood what she meant.
From the outside, that was exactly what it looked like—a reckless servant clinging to a demon out of misplaced gratitude.
But the truth was more complicated than that.
In reality... my life truly had been saved.
And afterward—when we were in the capital, when things became messy, political, ugly—I had agreed to give Velra my blood as compensation.
Not because she forced me.
Because it was practical.
’Velra aligned well with me in the central regions.’
That was the simplest way to put it.
I’d used her noble pride more than once.
Used her strength.
Her escort services.
Her reputation.
Even dungeon expeditions had gone smoother because of her presence.
And yes—there had been threats involved.
Mutual ones.
To treat her like a tool and then pretend none of that mattered?
That would be hypocrisy.
—I treated you as valued kin, helped you, and yet you dismiss me?
For some reason, an image of Velra with puffed cheeks and wounded aristocratic dignity flashed through my mind.
I almost sighed.
’Besides, Velra wouldn’t drain my life.’
There was a mechanism in place.
If a vampire’s bonded kin died, the vampire suffered crippling backlash—severe enough to incapacitate them.
It wasn’t kindness.
It was insurance.
If a few drops of my blood kept her cooperative and productive, then objectively speaking—
It was a good deal.
"There’s no need for you to take risks unnecessarily," Alice continued. "She’s a demon. You can just ignore her."
"Gratitude doubled, vengeance tenfold."
The words left my mouth calmly.
Alice froze.
Her brows, which had been drawn tight with worry, smoothed instantly.
She knew that phrase.
Of course she did.
It was the creed of House Draken.
In the game—before the final duel—she had declared it with blazing conviction.
Gratitude doubled. Vengeance tenfold.
Saint, engrave my vengeance deep in your heart and live in regret.
To her, those weren’t empty words.
They were law.
I lowered my eyes.
"I’m only fulfilling my duty as a servant."
Silence settled between us.
Alice opened her mouth—
Closed it.
Her family’s honor meant everything to her. If she argued now, she would be arguing against her own house’s philosophy.
"...The sparring is canceled," she said at last.
Her tone was steady again, composed.
"I have no intention of forcing my loyal subordinate into hardship."
Velra, who had been watching with mild amusement, tilted her head slightly.
Alice’s gaze snapped to her immediately.
And the frost returned.
After a moment, Velra muttered.
"If you understand that, then leave. I don’t have time to waste on someone who doesn’t belong here. The time I have belongs to Julies."
Alice’s eyebrow twitched.
Belongs.
But she didn’t rise to the bait.
Instead, she folded her hands neatly in front of her apron.
"I, too, am concerned," Alice said smoothly. "In fact, I believe oversight is necessary."
Velra’s eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me?"