Chapter 4: A Sister’s Cruelty

“My dearest sister, how fares your mission? To what extent has Lucia’s power grown?”

The curtains remained tightly drawn. Although Lovelenica had by then been stripped of most of her vampiric powers and traits, a deep aversion to sunlight had evidently become an ingrained habit.

The dim room boasted no lavish decor. A simple yet plush bed occupied the center, flanked by modestly sized nightstands. A dressing table nestled in one corner, while a wardrobe stood flush against the wall. Adjacent to it, a table held a luminous, pale blue crystal ball, from which the voice emanated.

Within the crystal ball, a diminutive figure shimmered into view. She shared Lovelenica’s cascade of soft, silver-white hair, though hers was styled into high, buoyant twin ponytails, each secured by a small, black bat-shaped hair clip. Her skin, so fair and delicate, possessed an almost ethereal pallor, hinting at something beyond human. A subtle baby fat softened her small face, yet her features were chiseled with an almost inhuman precision.

Liliana, at this very moment, reclined upon a throne, one leg elegantly crossed over the other. Despite being Lovelenica’s elder sister, her stature was markedly more diminutive.

The reason for this disparity lay in Liliana’s act of seizing and banishing Lovelenica’s powers. As a result, Lovelenica’s body had begun to emerge from its eternal stasis, resuming its growth. Originally, Lovelenica’s appearance and physique had been nearly indistinguishable from Liliana’s.

Presently, due to Liliana’s potent interference, most of Lovelenica’s vampiric traits had been eradicated. Beyond a marginally enhanced physical prowess, she was virtually indistinguishable from a human.

However, the primal vampiric craving for blood remained an immutable aspect, even beyond Liliana’s power to alter. Lovelenica still found herself needing to partake of blood periodically, a supply discreetly arranged by the Crimson Family.

It was hardly surprising, therefore, that Julie would refer to Lovelenica as a mere ‘parasite’.

Only after satiating herself with blood could Lovelenica briefly revert to her former self, reclaiming her full vampiric might and attributes.

“Uh… Sister, Lucia’s strength currently hovers around the third tier.”

A tremor of nervousness ran through Lovelenica. In the original narrative, her true identity had initially remained concealed, and her clandestine exchanges with Liliana were merely alluded to in passing. Consequently, she was forced to navigate this conversation by piecing together the fragmented memories of her original self.

“Remarkable, indeed. Faster than even I had anticipated. You have performed admirably, Lovelenica.”

Upon hearing Liliana’s commendation echo from the crystal ball, Lovelenica felt a profound wave of relief wash over her. It appeared Liliana remained blissfully unaware that a different consciousness now inhabited Lovelenica’s form.

However, Liliana’s subsequent words sent a jolt of terror through Lovelenica, making her heart pound against her ribs.

“Tell me, after such a prolonged silence, have you not yearned for your dear sister’s company?”

“O-of course I’ve missed you dearly, Sister!”

“Very well, then let us begin.”

Liliana, within the shimmering orb, offered a beguiling smile, uttering words that held an unsettling ambiguity. Lovelenica, utterly perplexed, could not fathom the true meaning behind Liliana’s ominous ‘beginning’.

The very next second, however, brought a horrifying clarity to Lovelenica.

As Liliana, still seated on her throne, made a subtle, grasping motion with her right hand, a chilling premonition seized Lovelenica. An instinctive terror surged through her, compelling her to plead for mercy.

“No, please, don’t! Sister! Ah—!!!”

Unmoved by the desperate cries, Liliana continued her actions without the slightest hesitation. Lovelenica was overwhelmed by a terrifying confluence of heart palpitations and suffocating dread. It was as if her very heart had been seized within Liliana’s grasp, each subtle squeeze inflicting a visceral, tearing agony that ripped through her.

Lovelenica, who had been standing before the table, found her face contorting in a mask of anguish. Her legs giving out beneath her, she collapsed to her knees, one hand clawing at the tabletop while the other pressed desperately against her chest. Every vein, every nerve within her body seemed to pulsate with violent intensity, threatening to rupture, and she could not suppress a guttural scream.

After what felt like an eternity, Liliana finally ceased her torment. Lovelenica lay utterly sprawled on the floor, her nun’s habit, still clinging to her, drenched with sweat. Her body, wracked by the excruciating pain, continued to convulse involuntarily.

“···Pfft, my dearest sister, the way you writhe upon the floor is truly… amusing, wouldn’t you say? How do you feel?”

“···It… it hurts… so much… Why… Sister? I was… I was already… diligently executing the mission…”

Lovelenica’s voice was a mere wisp of sound as she weakly posed her question. She simply could not comprehend why, despite having surpassed Liliana’s expectations and cultivated Lucia to a strength far beyond what had been envisioned, her sister still subjected her to such cruel torment.

“Why, you ask…?”

Liliana playfully tapped a delicate, jade-like finger against her cherry-red lips.

“Why, it’s simply because it’s so utterly delightful! Witnessing you contort in agony upon the floor, your dear sister finds immense satisfaction in the sight, tee hee hee.”

As Liliana’s voice, light and playful, reached her ears, Lovelenica’s heart plunged into the depths of despair.

The grim truth recounted in the book resonated deeply; Liliana truly was a madwoman. She had relentlessly tormented Lovelenica, and in the climactic confrontation with Lucia, after Lovelenica’s demise, Liliana had unleashed an extreme, terrifying madness. It became chillingly apparent that her ambition was not to conquer the continent, but to utterly obliterate it. Had Lucia not triumphed over her, the entire world would have been reduced to ruin by Liliana’s destructive whims.

It was clear now: regardless of her mission’s success, she was destined to endure Liliana’s intermittent cruelty.

It was little wonder, then, that the original Lovelenica had treated Lucia with such disdain. Her inherent dislike for Lucia was merely one factor; being subjected to Liliana’s sadistic cruelty was another. With no other outlet for her burgeoning rage, she had, in turn, inflicted similar torments upon Lucia.

“I am quite satisfied now, Lovelenica, my dearest sister. Rest well, and farewell.”

Having delivered her parting words, Liliana severed the ethereal connection with the crystal ball.

“That… that utterly depraved monster…”

Lovelenica remained collapsed on the floor for an extended period, only slowly managing to push herself upright. Having been so cruelly toyed with by Liliana, she felt as though every ounce of strength had been utterly leached from her.

“What does she mean, ‘because it’s amusing’?!”

“And ‘finding satisfaction in witnessing my suffering’?! What in the world?!”

“What does that creature truly perceive me as? Am I merely her plaything?!”

Recalling Liliana’s chilling pronouncements from moments before, Lovelenica felt a consuming inferno of rage ignite within her.

Yet, her fury quickly dissipated into a profound sense of helplessness. She possessed no means to contend with Liliana, who had not only banished her powers but also inflicted such a debilitating curse. How could she, with her current strength merely equivalent to a human’s fifth tier, ever hope to face Liliana, the Vampire Queen, whose power had ascended to a catastrophic, disaster-level?

No, the only path forward was to… diligently cultivate Lucia. If Lucia could only mature swiftly and eliminate Liliana prematurely, then true freedom might finally be within her grasp.

Mulling over these desperate thoughts, Lovelenica began to shed her sweat-drenched nun’s habit.

A bath, she decided, was her immediate priority.

****

Beyond the window, perched on a gnarled branch, an owl with eyes like burning embers fixed its gaze upon Lovelenica’s drawn curtains. This sentinel was none other than Imeline’s familiar.

“Just you wait… I will uncover your secrets, no matter what.”