The Princess’s Special Feeding and a Maid’s Inner Turmoil

A pair of soft hands gently pressed against Seraphina’s cheeks, compelling her to open her mouth and receive the noble princess’s unique feeding.

Logically, thoroughly chewed food should be fully moistened by saliva, its color and flavor diluted, leaving no discernible taste.

However, perhaps because it came ‘freshly imported’ from the Blood Princess herself, the food became incredibly sweet, a jasmine-like fragrance filling Seraphina’s taste buds and gradually soothing her previously tense nerves.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm.”

Seraphina recalled a poem.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm.”

“I live at the head of the Yangtze; you live at its tail. Day after day I long for you, yet see you not, though we drink from the same river.”

Though it wasn’t the Yangtze River, and she wasn’t at its head, nor Iqiyah at its tail – indeed, they could meet simply by opening their eyes – the literal meaning resonated.

“Mmm, mmm, mmm, mmm.”

In other words, Seraphina and Iqiyah were now ‘drinking from the same river’ together.

Iqiyah’s cat-like chewing sounds echoed in Seraphina’s mind, momentarily moistening her eyes, blurring her senses, and utterly overwhelming her with waves of dizzying enchantment.

Yet, even disregarding those adorable sounds that warmed and swelled her entire being, the gentle moistness now covering her lips was enough to send Seraphina’s heart thudding, bringing her perilously close to collapse.

‘This sound, this softness, it’s simply too much!’

‘Hey, hey, Lady Iqiyah, I was still human not long ago! My heart can’t take this! Please, have some mercy~’

Though Seraphina pleaded thus in her heart, Iqiyah remained utterly unconcerned, continuing as she pleased.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Iqiyah’s insistent mouth finally ceased its activity.

“Mmm, my little Seraphina, my adorable Seraphina…”

Even though the chewing had stopped, Iqiyah did not release the now-pliant Seraphina, allowing only her indistinct murmurs to surge through Seraphina’s mind.

Amidst this intimate exchange, Iqiyah’s body gradually advanced, pulling Seraphina upright and seizing her hands. Their fingers intertwined as they both knelt on the ground, entangled with one another.

‘So this… this is how comfortable it truly is…’

Under Iqiyah’s two-pronged assault, Seraphina gradually surrendered to her mistress’s control, obeying her movements as she slowly leaned backward.

But just then…

“My Lady, as a noble of the Blood Clan, you should adhere to our etiquette, maintaining elegance and propriety during your meal.”

Levian’s voice suddenly rang out from behind Iqiyah, startling the Blood Princess, whose body gave a sudden tremor.

“However, with your current actions… I perceive none of the elegance and majesty befitting the eldest daughter of the Scarlett family.”

As if fleeing, she hastily pulled away from Seraphina’s embrace, tugged at her clothes that had become disheveled from their entanglement, then stood up, raising her head to face Levian, who observed her with cold detachment.

“If you do not correct your behavior immediately, I will report this to the Master…”

“Isn’t that enough?”

Iqiyah’s crimson eyes gleamed with a bloody light, a mark of the Blood Clan’s concentrated power and a clear signal of their threat.

“Miss Levian, let me be perfectly clear: while Father may have assigned you to supervise me, that does not grant you permission to overstep your bounds in such a manner.”

“If you wish to avoid embarrassment in front of your subordinates, then be sensible and leave at once.”

“No, in the Master’s name, I must oversee your change in conduct.”

Facing her mistress’s intimidation, Levian remained like an unshakeable ice sculpture, her expressionless face utterly devoid of ripples.

“Please return to your seat and continue your meal promptly.”

Yet Seraphina knew this was merely a superficial display.

Given the maid’s feelings for her mistress, her heart must have been churning with tumultuous emotions.

Suddenly, a thought sparked in her mind: ‘If I were to use my [All-Seeing Eye] to observe Levian right now, could I perceive her psychological state?’

She activated her [All-Seeing Eye], turning its gaze upon Levian.

Levian:

[Psychological State]

‘I’ve annoyed my mistress again.’

‘I really didn’t want to make my mistress angry.’

‘That wild dog called Seraphina is truly detestable.’

‘Why does she get so much affection from my mistress just by showing up?’

‘It’s all her fault. If Mistress wasn’t playing with her, I wouldn’t have stopped Mistress, and I wouldn’t be hated by Mistress…’

‘I truly wish she would die. I should just secretly kill her.’

‘Kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her, kill her…’

‘Why must I adhere to this damned, broken job?’

‘I don’t want to continue working.’

‘I don’t want to be disliked by my mistress anymore.’

‘I want my mistress to treat me like a puppy too, to lead me by a leash around my neck.’

‘I want my mistress to cherish me in that way as well.’

‘I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die, I want to die…’

‘Oh my goodness, what an utterly yandere, obsessive woman.’

Upon seeing this, Seraphina couldn’t help but break out in a cold sweat.

Her tension stemmed not only from glimpsing a corner of Levian’s inner turmoil but also from perceiving the maid’s profound murderous intent directed at her.

Currently, she was Iqiyah’s favored one, constantly by her side, basking in her affection.

Perhaps it was only out of deference to this fact that Levian had not yet moved to strike her down.

‘If I were to accidentally fall out of favor, plummeting into a state of neglect by Iqiyah…’

Suddenly, a piercing gaze shot forth, directly penetrating Seraphina’s very being.

It was Levian.

Unlike her previous dismissive glance, this time her eyes were distinctly colder, the skin between them deeply furrowed, her facial muscles tensing subtly. As she gnashed her teeth, a fierce malevolence poured forth.

“I’ll kill you!”

A voice echoed in Seraphina’s mind. This was no mere hallucination; it was unmistakably the maid’s voice.

‘Could it be… a telepathic spell?’

Seraphina was drenched in sweat.

In this world, skill qualities are categorized into six tiers: [Common], [Superior], [Excellent], [Epic], [Legendary], and [Divine].

Some spells, such as Seraphina’s [Dual Crit Boost], possess all six qualities, requiring gradual enhancement from the lowest to the highest tier.

Other spells, however, begin with a predetermined quality; for instance, [Infinite Mana] is intrinsically a Divine-tier spell.

Mastering such a spell typically signifies that the caster possesses immense magical power.

Unfortunately, telepathic spells start at the Epic tier.

This implied that Levian’s strength was not confined to her identity as a ‘maid’; she was, in all likelihood, a powerful magic user capable of immense power.

‘It’s over. As a combat-ineffective cleric, I’ll probably just be beaten to my knees by her…’

“Alright, I’ve lost my appetite. Let’s end breakfast here today.”

Seeing her maid’s unyielding attitude, Iqiyah lost patience for further confrontation. She took hold of Seraphina’s collar, preparing to depart.

The maids nearby, noticing their mistress’s intent to leave, quickly gathered around, wiping her face to ensure not a speck of grease remained.

“But Miss Levian, please remember this: while you may be a maid hired by my father, this is the Blood Manor, and this is my territory.”

“If you don’t want the job, there are plenty who do.”

With that, Iqiyah gave a tug on the chain in her hand, leading Seraphina out of the dining room.

****

“She infuriates me! She’s just a maid, yet she dares to offend me like this!”

Strolling along the streets outside the Blood Manor, in solitude with Seraphina, Iqiyah completely disregarded her image as a Blood Princess. She stomped her feet with every step like a child, her throat rumbling like an angry puppy, looking utterly puffed up with indignation.

“Seraphina! Tell me, isn’t Levian absolutely outrageous and utterly detestable!”

“Exactly! No matter what, one shouldn’t treat their mistress like that…”

“Isn’t she incredibly annoying and terribly rude!”

“Precisely! To interrupt Mistress when she’s in such high spirits…”

As she offered her soft, compliant responses, Seraphina keenly observed Iqiyah’s reactions.

Hearing the agreement, the gloom on Iqiyah’s face instantly dissipated considerably.

‘Looking at her now, just as the [All-Seeing Eye] indicated, she truly is like a child.’

‘Quite adorable, actually.’

A warmth bloomed in Seraphina’s heart, and the masculine part of her stirred restlessly, inadvertently awakening a protective instinct towards Iqiyah.

Alas, she was currently neither male nor capable of protecting Iqiyah; she was merely a pet on a leash in Iqiyah’s hand.

Furthermore, facing Levian’s death threat, it was less about her protecting Iqiyah and more about her own life relying entirely on Iqiyah’s protection.

‘How truly pathetic.’

‘Speaking of being led, though…’

‘Isn’t this a dungeon street? How is this any different from leash-play in a certain ‘alphabet game,’ hey!?’

Crawling on all fours, wriggling with each movement, rivulets of sweat streamed down Seraphina’s body, soaking her black and white dress and revealing damp patches.

Perhaps due to neglect, the exterior of the Blood Manor was perpetually enclosed and intensely muggy. However, this was likely not the primary reason for Seraphina’s profuse sweating.

Observing the familiar streets around them, and the familiar rooms she and Iqiyah passed, Seraphina’s inner sense of shame reached its absolute peak.

‘If I were to run into someone I know…’

At this thought, Seraphina’s heart pounded furiously. The intense shame made her desperately want to abandon her crawling posture and quietly hide away in some deserted corner, to simply vanish.

Yet, inexplicably, a strange surge of pleasure also swelled within her.

‘Was it excitement? Shame? Or perhaps because she was being led by Iqiyah?’

Blushing crimson, Seraphina chuckled ‘hehe’ like a pervert.

She didn’t know the answer. She only felt as if she were performing a ‘Crescent Moon Heaven-piercer’ atop a cliff: on one side lay the threat of social death, a fall that would lead to eternal regret, while on the other, a pleasure that gradually filled her body and mind, causing Seraphina to sink deeper and deeper into this game orchestrated by Iqiyah.

Indeed, her heart was exulting, craving even more…

“Hey! Seraphina, stop, stop for a moment~”

Iqiyah raised a finger to her lips, signaling Seraphina to be silent. Then, craning her neck, she closed her eyes, sniffed with her small, delicate nose, and suddenly her eyes snapped open, the last vestiges of anger vanishing from her face without a trace.

“Shhh~ I smell prey~”

Her lips curved upward into a knowing smile, and her blood-red eyes suddenly flared with intense light, gazing piercingly down the dark street ahead.

“A scout, a mage, and… oh, a warrior!”

‘Hmm?’

‘This party composition… why does it sound so familiar?’

“Hmm~ Though there aren’t many of them, even a small mosquito is still meat, right~”

Iqiyah clasped her hands in front of her, twisting her body as she feigned an embarrassed demeanor.

“Seraphina~”

“Yes, Mistress?”

“Have you ever played ‘Pocketmon’ battles?”

“…I have.”

‘Wait, how do you even know about that?’

“Good that you have~ Those people are in the room ahead…”

Iqiyah lightly licked her lips, a playful expression on her face.

“Then… I choose you! Go, Seraphina!”