Chapter 129: Don’t Mind Me, Carry On

Peretti’s gaze drifted blankly upward, fixed on the crystal chandelier embedded in the ceiling. The gilded frame scattered fragments of light, yet none of it stirred even the slightest ripple in her eyes. It was as if most of her soul had already been drained away—her face filled with unmistakable despair.

A suppressed chuckle suddenly came from above her, carrying a hint of playful warmth.

Before Peretti could react, the sofa beside her dipped slightly. A warm presence pressed in close.

Josuna covered her mouth lightly, her eyes brimming with barely concealed amusement as she naturally sat down beside her.

“What are you doing?!” Peretti jerked to the side like a startled cat, every hair on her body standing on end. The lifeless aura from before vanished instantly, replaced by flustered embarrassment at being invaded.

This was exactly the reaction Josuna loved to see.

“Oh my, look at you—scared like that. Didn’t you perk right up again?”

“Seriously… where did you even learn such awful habits?” Peretti frowned, feeling the soft warmth pressing against her shoulder. There wasn’t a trace of happiness from Josuna getting close—instead, her disgust only deepened.

After injecting herself with the inert factor, Josuna had indeed lowered her guard significantly, just as Peretti predicted.

But what Peretti didn’t expect was that, along with that lowered guard, Josuna had become… strange.

She stuck to Peretti constantly, repeatedly tempting her, teasing her over and over again—only becoming more excessive. She even dragged her into a restaurant full of nobles, walking her through the streets with a chain in hand, thoroughly enjoying Peretti’s humiliation.

At this point, Josuna was practically a devil who delighted in watching her suffer.

“No need to learn. This all comes from my love for you, dear sister~”

“Stop—just stop saying things that can be misunderstood, alright?!”

Peretti let out a breath, only for her heart to tighten again the next moment.

“Then, please enjoy the dinner I’ve prepared for you, dear sister.”

“…Huh? Dinner? What dinner—haha, that’s not funny… isn’t our food supposed to come later…?”

As a reincarnator, Josuna clearly knew what a witch like Peretti needed to eat.

Which meant—the “dinner” she was referring to… was herself.

Before Peretti could argue further, Josuna gave her no chance. One hand pressed over Peretti’s mouth, while the other glowed faintly with golden light. She gently cut a small wound across her own neck.

Blood began to flow.

The moment Peretti saw it, her pupils locked onto the crimson droplets. Her throat moved instinctively.

She hadn’t eaten in a long time. Since yesterday, hunger had already begun gnawing at her. The inert factor had only suppressed her body’s consumption—it hadn’t erased the hunger itself.

Now, faced with “food,” she couldn’t hold back any longer.

She lunged forward and began feeding, taking large, desperate gulps.

“Mhm~ that’s more like it. Just like a little kitten.” Josuna smiled, gently stroking Peretti’s silky hair.

Around them, quite a few people had already been watching.

After all, two girls coming into a couples’ restaurant dressed like this was already eye-catching enough.

And now—one girl leaning into the other’s arms, eyes half-lidded, clearly feeding—

The nobles present weren’t fools. Most of them quickly pieced things together.

At worst, they assumed it was some kind of role-playing between two noble ladies with unusual tastes.

Strange—but not unheard of.

In this era of free love, a relationship between two women wasn’t impossible.

Most people simply glanced once, then looked away.

…Except for one.

Not far away, seated at another table—

Anasha held a wine glass, her gaze fixed on them, her expression filled with shock and confusion.

…Peretti?

She studied the scene carefully.

So this was the nature of their relationship with Josuna?

That hadn’t been mentioned in any report. The only thing recorded was that the two had frequent contact back in Falisa.

…So that’s what it meant.

The girl now nestled in Josuna’s arms—fragile, soft, almost pitiful—

Was completely different from the Peretti in Anasha’s memory: the one who had once sat upright in the classroom, questioning her with disappointment and pain.

She never imagined that Peretti—usually so lazy—could look this… adorable.

How exactly did Josuna manage that?

Meanwhile—

Peretti, barely suppressing her instincts, pushed Josuna away.

Josuna looked at her teasingly.

“Well? My blood tastes better than that witch’s, doesn’t it?”

“…It’s… different. Hard to compare.”

Feiye was a Witch of Night, a being with pure bloodline as a servant of eternal darkness. Her blood nourished both hunger and magic.

But Josuna—

She was just an ordinary human, not even at the Moon-tier. There was nothing special in her blood.

The two weren’t comparable at all.

“So… is it really ‘hard to compare’—or are you just afraid to say?”

Josuna smiled gently, yet leaned closer and closer, their breaths beginning to mingle.

Peretti immediately felt the pressure. She forced a flattering smile, softening her tone.

“What are you saying? Of course my dear little sister is the best.”

Only then did Josuna nod in satisfaction, the teasing in her eyes easing slightly.

She knew perfectly well that Peretti’s judgment of blood depended on its purity.

Her own blood couldn’t compare to Feiye’s at all.

She just wanted to hear something nice.

Just wanted Peretti to look at her a little more.

Whether it was true or not… didn’t matter.

As long as Peretti stayed by her side, that was enough.

Looking at Josuna’s slightly pale face from blood loss, a complicated feeling rose in Peretti’s heart.

Regret—and relief.

Regret that she had lost control and actually drank Josuna’s blood.

Relief that she stopped in time.

Josuna was just a normal human. She couldn’t withstand that kind of feeding.

Peretti let out a quiet breath.

Thankfully… no one here knew her.

Otherwise, today’s humiliation would’ve completely destroyed her socially.

But before she could fully relax—

She instinctively lifted her head.

Her eyes swept across the nearby seating area—

—and met a familiar gaze.

That person held a wine glass, looking at her with a complex expression, a faint, meaningful smile on her lips.

It was Anasha.

“Don’t mind me,” Anasha said lightly.
“Please, continue.”