A Daughter’s Shield

Godia turned to look at his daughter behind him, his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“Iqiyah… my daughter,” his voice rumbled low. “It seems the Progenitor’s blessing hasn’t enlightened you much.”

“And you?” Iqiyah’s brow furrowed at Godia’s mockery. “Has becoming the Prince presiding over the Royal Court meetings made you any wiser?”

“Or perhaps, what you’ve learned is how to subtly bully your daughter’s retainers at her own Blood Feast, causing her to lose all face?”

“…”

Iqiyah’s sharp retort left Godia utterly speechless.

Seeing that her father still held some semblance of a moral bottom line, Iqiyah’s expression softened slightly. She quickly pressed her advantage.

“Father… there’s an ancient Blood Clan saying: ‘The retainers of my retainers are not my retainers.’ You haven’t forgotten that, have you?”

“I’m not even your retainer; I’m your daughter. That makes even less sense, doesn’t it?”

“Besides, Seraphina has already become my retainer, bearing the Scarlett surname and with Scarlett blood flowing through her veins. Are you truly suggesting you’d strike her down within our own family?”

“…You make a point.”

Seemingly unable to save face, Godia let out a sigh, a puff of aged air escaping his nostrils and brushing against Seraphina. He slowly rose to his feet.

At the same time, Iqiyah stepped back, clearing a path for him.

“Please.”

“…Very well.”

Having completely lost face before his daughter, Godia had no reason to prolong the standoff.

With his usual slow, deliberate steps, Godia moved like an aging elephant, gradually making his way past Iqiyah.

Just as he reached the doorway, he paused.

“Iqiyah, this retainer of yours is definitely ill-intentioned.”

“Whether they are well-intentioned or not is for me to discern; you needn’t trouble yourself,” Iqiyah said, not even glancing at her aged father. “Do you require assistance leaving?”

“…No.”

Godia departed the room, but Iqiyah remained standing at the doorway. Only when Godia’s footsteps faded into the distance did she cast a quick glance down the corridor before swiftly re-entering the library.

“Seraphina,” she said, locking the door with a flick of her wrist before hurrying over. “How are you? Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. He didn’t directly touch me.”

“Whew—” Iqiyah exhaled a long breath. “That’s a relief.”

“But… didn’t I tell you not to get involved with him, and not to open the door so casually? How did you let him in?”

“Mmh…” Seraphina knew this was another messy, inexplicable situation. “You might not believe it, but the voice I heard then truly was Levian’s.”

“Tsk, that old man is truly shameless,” Iqiyah muttered. She helped Seraphina up, then conjured a crimson tendril to pull forth a sofa, guiding Seraphina to sit upon it. “Did he say anything to you?”

“Say anything… Mmh…”

Remembering Godia’s hostile demeanor from moments ago, Seraphina hesitated, unsure whether to confide in Iqiyah.

‘Even if I don’t say it now, Godia will reveal it to Iqiyah eventually, won’t he?’

‘It might be better to say it myself; that way, I can reduce any suspicion of hiding secrets.’

“He said I carried the scent of other deities, and asked who my master was.”

“Other deities…?” Iqiyah’s brow furrowed slightly. “Don’t humans all worship the Goddess of Life? Are there other ways?”

Seeing Iqiyah’s utterly bewildered expression, Seraphina immediately sensed trouble.

‘Damn it, I’ve been in this world for eighteen years, and I don’t even know this basic common sense? I should have gone to a church to check it out earlier…’

“Actually, I don’t know of any deities, let alone one I worship…”

“That’s impossible,” Iqiyah said, her eyes narrowing slightly. “If you have no faith, how could you possibly use magic?”

“Use magic?” Now it was Seraphina’s turn to be confused. “Does using magic require faith?”

“Of course. That’s basic common knowledge…”

It seemed to be too basic, so much so that Seraphina had never encountered this particular piece of information during her two years of adventuring.

“However… for some reason, if you truly have no faith, I find myself inexplicably feeling it’s reasonable.”

Perhaps realizing her expression was too stern, Iqiyah quickly relaxed her facial muscles, aiming to appear as gentle as possible.

“After all… there are already so many unreasonable things about you. So… a little more unreasonableness won’t make much difference.”

“So, Seraphina…”

Taking Seraphina’s wrist, then her palm, Iqiyah intertwined their fingers.

Iqiyah leaned close to Seraphina, her shimmering crimson eyes gazing at her with tender affection.

“I am your mistress, and you are my retainer, right?”

“A mistress should bear responsibility for their retainers, protect them, and nurture them into qualified Blood Clan members.”

“So, please rest assured, no matter what my father says, I will never doubt you.”

“I will always believe in you.”

“So… will you… trust me?”

Releasing one hand, Iqiyah pulled out a familiar, sparkling object from her pocket.

“[Essence Blood Necklace]?”

Upon seeing the glittering ruby again, Seraphina felt none of her previous fear. Instead, a different kind of unease stirred within her.

“Iqiyah, you haven’t fully recovered… How can you use this?”

“Silly girl…”

Gently pressing Seraphina down onto the sofa, Iqiyah straddled her, offering a wry smile.

“Though it’s a bit embarrassing to say… Seraphina.”

“For you, I would do anything.”

Raising her hand, Iqiyah fastened the [Essence Blood Necklace] around Seraphina’s neck, then tucked the ruby beneath Seraphina’s clothing.

“Seraphina, hide the necklace well against your chest. Don’t let anyone see it.”

Besides controlling a retainer’s body, the essence blood had a second purpose.

“It can revive you at a critical moment, saving you from death.”

As if to help Seraphina thoroughly conceal the necklace, Iqiyah took hold of Seraphina’s collar and tugged at it repeatedly.

“Just for my sake, promise to protect yourself, alright?”

“Alright…”

After fastening the necklace, Iqiyah didn’t stand up. Instead, she leaned closer to Seraphina, nestling against her chest.

“Iqiyah?”

Though this wasn’t the first time Iqiyah had done this, Seraphina couldn’t help but be surprised.

It wasn’t due to the intimate gesture, but rather Iqiyah’s demeanor.

“Seraphina… I’m so tired. Can I just lie on your chest for a little while, please?”

Her drooping eyelids, the dark circles beneath her eyes, the glistening tears at their corners—all spoke of the Blood Clan princess’s profound exhaustion.

“So tired… socializing is so exhausting. I don’t want to go back…”

She murmured, her voice faint, leaving Seraphina unsure if she had drifted into sleep.

Regardless, Seraphina had no desire to disturb her.

Gently resting her hand on Iqiyah’s head, Seraphina stroked her soft, white hair.

“Good girl, good girl…”

Seraphina raised her head, and as she had done previously when caring for the child-like Iqiyah, she whispered into her ear.

‘Hosting the Blood Feast must have been incredibly tiring for her, mustn’t it?’

‘So, it’s perfectly fine to rest like this for a little while.’

Unfortunately, as the organizer of the Blood Feast, Iqiyah couldn’t remain absent for too long.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Lady Iqiyah, Lady Seraphina, are you inside?”

Before long, Levian’s voice echoed from outside the door.

“The main feast is about to begin. Please make your way to the dining hall quickly.”