A Terrifying Realization

Having ascended six flights of stairs without pause, the key slid into the lock, prompting a soft click from the mechanism. Pushing open the slightly rusted iron door revealed a cramped rental room—Bai Xia’s home. Unlike Mo Bai’s luxuriously appointed penthouse apartment, her small rented dwelling was, quite literally, laid bare for all to see.

A narrow single bed for sleeping, a secondhand wardrobe, and in the corner, a small dining table piled high with instant noodle boxes, alongside a tiny desk typically used for homework—these comprised virtually all the furniture in the main living space. The only two other minuscule rooms were a bathroom and a small kitchen, but upon closer inspection, one would find they occupied even less space than Bai Xia’s modest bed.

It wasn’t that she didn’t aspire to a larger home, but circumstances offered no alternative…

After all, in this Imperial Capital—where every inch of land was precious—securing even such a small studio with its own kitchen and bathroom was already the absolute limit on the meager wages she earned from her daily part-time jobs. Moreover, she had pleaded with the landlord for a considerable time just to negotiate this price.

Between rent, utilities, and her usual living expenses, it was safe to say she barely saved any money each month. Saving anything at all was often a mere pipe dream.

Yet, to be truly honest, it was still far preferable to sleeping under a bridge.

As the saying went, “There’s no place like home, no matter how humble.” Even her tiny, sparsely furnished rental room served as her sole sanctuary in this cold, indifferent city.

Closing the door, Bai Xia kicked off her small leather shoes, her adorable, white-socked feet landing directly on the cool tiles. Her long, snowy hair shimmered with a soft, pearlescent glow in the morning light filtering through a gap in the curtains—a stark contrast to the peeling paint on the walls and the chipped furniture.

There was no need for concern on that front, however; despite the humble nature of the rental, Bai Xia diligently cleaned it almost every day. Consequently, the floors and furniture remained spotless, ensuring her socks wouldn’t get dirty even if she went without slippers.

“There’s truly no place as comfortable as one’s own home.”

Bai Xia stretched, arching her back languidly, her snowy hair swaying gently with the movement. She padded barefoot around the room, heaving a sigh of contentment—much like a kitten finally returned to its nest.

Pulling open the creaking wardrobe door, she revealed two sets of school uniforms and several faded T-shirts hanging distinctly on one side. Below them, nearly out of sight, lay a stack of adorable little dresses and underwear.

Indeed, the items below were Bai Xia’s female attire. The male clothing and school uniforms above served as her “disguise” for attending classes and venturing outside.

But truthfully, after all these years, Bai Xia had long since come to terms with her identity as a girl.

Since there was no turning back, she might as well enjoy it. Moreover, she had to admit—a girl’s body was incredibly convenient. Whether it was earning tips more easily at her part-time jobs, receiving help more readily when facing difficulties, or, most importantly, the simple fact that she was genuinely adorable…

Indeed, it was the kind of “Damn, I’m so freaking cute!” adorable. And who, after all, could refuse the plea of a cute, white-haired, red-eyed maiden?

Though her boyish pride had initially made her reluctant—or rather, unaccustomed—to this reality, she eventually grew to accept it over time. After all, there was nothing inherently wrong with being a girl, and life, in any case, had to go on—a sentiment that helped her embrace her new reality.

Life was tattered and worn, but the Blood Princess would mend and patch it together.

“I’ll change and then go deposit the money,”
she murmured to herself. Bai Xia then began to shed her dress, tossing it—along with her small tank top and white cotton bow-tie panties—into the basin designated for laundry.

In that moment, as her clothes fell away, Bai Xia’s delicate and graceful figure was fully revealed in the morning light. Her fair skin glowed with a pearlescent sheen in the sunlight streaming through the window, her slender waist and exquisite curves outlining a perfect maiden’s form. Even her budding curves were partially concealed by the cascade of white hair falling across her chest—tantalizingly glimpsed, a vision of peerless beauty.

Naturally, it was precisely because of her stunning beauty that Bai Xia dared not show her true face in public. After all, this was an urban village, and she hardly believed a mere iron door could deter those with ill intentions. Thus, the optimal solution remained to transform back into her former boyish appearance.

Bai Xia slowly closed her eyes, beginning to recall the appearance of her transformation. However, as she sensed the abundant energy reserves within her, her mind suddenly froze for a moment.

Wait… something’s not right. What’s going on?

If she remembered correctly, the energy within her body shouldn’t be this plentiful. No—she had seemingly depleted all her energy when she fled last night.

Perhaps due to the hurried journey home, it was only now that Bai Xia recalled: her energy had been completely drained—down to the last drop—when she sought Mo Bai’s help yesterday. So what was happening now?

She had simply slept at her deskmate’s house, and her energy had replenished itself? How was it that she didn’t know her energy possessed an auto-recovery function?

But… how could that be possible? If her energy could automatically recover just by sleeping, then why was she drinking chicken and duck blood every day?

So what exactly was going on?

Bai Xia sat dumbfounded on her bed, utterly perplexed. After all, the only way for her to replenish her energy was through consuming blood. Mo Bai didn’t know she was a Blood Princess, so he couldn’t possibly have fed her blood. It couldn’t possibly be that she…

Holy hell… no way…

Suddenly, a terrifying conjecture surfaced in Bai Xia’s mind.

She distinctly remembered that the drug she’d been given possessed aphrodisiac properties. And last night, while in Mo Bai’s arms, there had indeed been a period when her entire body had convulsed with pleasure and her consciousness had blurred…

“N-no… it couldn’t be…”

At this thought, Bai Xia clapped a hand over her mouth, her blood-red pupils contracting violently. She no longer cared about dressing or transforming. Instead, she sprinted naked to the refrigerator, yanked open its door, and frantically pulled out a bowl of chicken blood that had been intended for her energy replenishment the previous night.

Please… please don’t let it be what she was thinking.

Bai Xia’s small hands trembled slightly as she held the bowl of chicken blood. Though she didn’t know if the overnight blood had spoiled, this was clearly not the time to consider such trivialities.

Spoiled blood would, at worst, cause nausea or diarrhea. But if her terrifying conjecture proved true… the repercussions would be a thousand times more severe.

Never mind—I’ll just drink it!

Gritting her teeth, Bai Xia tilted her head back and downed the bowl of pungent chicken blood in one gulp. As the icy liquid slid down her throat, a powerful wave of nausea and bodily rejection immediately assailed her. The next moment, her legs gave out, and Bai Xia’s small frame collapsed to her knees, vomiting violently. The bowl, released from her grasp, shattered into pieces.

“Ugh—!”

Chicken blood, mixed with stomach acid, splattered across the floor. Bai Xia’s fingertips dug desperately into the tiles, her blood-red pupils severely constricted. The intense bodily rejection had nearly caused her to faint just moments before. She could only relieve the discomfort by gasping for air.

“How… how could this be…”

Bai Xia slumped to the floor, her fair skin instantly slick with cold sweat. She shakily raised a hand to wipe away the blood from her mouth, gazing at the crimson liquid staining her fingers. Her blood-red pupils were wide with disbelief.

For this feeling of rejection could only signify one thing: last night, she had truly consumed Mo Bai’s blood.

At this moment, Bai Xia had no thought for anything else. Her snowy hair lay disheveled over her bare shoulders, and she sat on the floor, utterly bewildered. Her mind was a whirl of “It’s over, it’s over, it’s over” thoughts. As a Blood Princess, she understood all too well the implications.

She had just… inexplicably acknowledged her deskmate, Mo Bai, as her master.

What was she going to do now…