Chapter 42: A Crimson Nightmare and Unexpected Guests

Scarlet.

Everywhere her gaze fell, only a crimson deluge remained. The bloodstains had thoroughly dyed the white carpets of the hall a deep red, and dried gore plastered the walls. Yet, fresh, hot blood continued to splatter onto the already defiled surfaces.

Lovelenica knelt on one knee beneath the throne. One hand braced against the floor, her other arm lay limp before her. She gasped for breath, ragged and desperate. Her once pristine, snowy skin was now marred beyond recognition; from countless, dense incisions, fresh blood relentlessly welled.

The crimson tide engulfing the hall had originated entirely from Lovelenica’s own body.

‘Where… is this? It hurts so much!’

For a moment, Lovelenica struggled to comprehend her surroundings. Her body felt as though countless blades had rent through it. Though she was rapidly healing, the agony was undeniably real. A searing pain tore at Lovelenica’s nerves. She tried to cry out, but her mouth refused to open.

Her body convulsed violently from the torment. She felt herself teetering on the brink of collapse, her vision largely obscured by blood, making discerning anything difficult. With immense effort, she lifted her gaze towards the throne. There, she vaguely perceived a diminutive figure, both familiar and unsettlingly alien.

It was her sister, Liliana.

“Hmph.”

Observing Lovelenica’s struggle to look up, Liliana let out a cold, derisive laugh. She crossed her legs, an air of serene nonchalance about her. Even with the hall largely stained crimson by Lovelenica’s blood, Liliana’s exquisite pale pink gown remained utterly pristine, untouched by a single speck of defilement.

“My foolish little sister, have you finally regained your senses? How many times must I kill you before you’re satisfied?”

“No matter, though… This era of mutual slaughter ends today.”

With those words, Liliana, still seated on the throne, tilted her head ever so slightly. A wild, maniacal grin stretched across her face. Lovelenica instantly felt a suffocating pressure. She could almost perceive Liliana’s crimson eyes suddenly intensifying, glowing with an unnerving light. Within each iris, an impossibly intricate, unfathomable magic circle materialized.

Liliana’s right hand closed into a loose fist. Lovelenica’s oppressive burden abruptly intensified. It felt as if a colossal boulder had been dropped directly onto her chest. In that instant, Lovelenica felt her connection to the world utterly severed. Her five senses, along with all else, dissolved into impenetrable darkness.

“No! Stop!”

Lovelenica’s eyes snapped open in terror. Only then did she realize it had merely been a dream. Still reeling from the nightmare, she lay on the bed, gasping for air.

‘Was that… a dream? Or perhaps…’

Lovelenica couldn’t discern if it had been a dream or something more. For some reason, the original body’s memories were incomplete. Recalling the recent dream, Lovelenica couldn’t shake the feeling that it might have been a real event. If the original body’s memories were indeed fragmented, then Liliana must have been behind it.

The sensation of plummeting into oblivion, just moments ago, left Lovelenica profoundly shaken. It was akin to being engulfed by boundless darkness, as though she had truly ceased to exist.

‘My head… it aches.’

Lovelenica massaged her temples. Her head throbbed with an unbearable intensity. It felt as though her skull was ablaze, and every inch of her body felt utterly devoid of strength.

Ever since her escape from the orphanage’s basement last night, Lovelenica had felt profoundly unwell. The insatiable urge to kill proved difficult for her to shake. Even after reverting from her vampiric form, Lovelenica found herself unable to fully suppress it.

She tossed and turned in bed. Anxiety would occasionally overwhelm Lovelenica, causing brief moments of despair. She hadn’t slept a wink all night. Compounding her sleeplessness, her headache grew progressively worse. By morning, Lovelenica realized she had developed a fever.

While Lovelenica was a vampire and thus rarely fell ill, her current human guise was an entirely different matter. This form had been conjured by Liliana through her unique powers. It was, in essence, a version of Lovelenica from a parallel world, one who had been human since birth. Consequently, in this guise, Lovelenica was truly human, impervious to holy silver and any other sacred artifacts.

Naturally, Lovelenica possessed neither regenerative abilities nor any other vampiric powers. Her cultivation to this extent was solely a testament to her innate human talent.

In Nikola’s form, no matter how severely her body was ravaged, she could swiftly recover. However, should she be killed while in Lovelenica’s form, she would be unable to reappear in her human guise. Thus, this human form was the one that truly required careful protection.

Even so, Lovelenica couldn’t fathom why she had suddenly developed such a high fever.

Perhaps her aversion and dread of bloodsucking and slaughter were causing her body to self-destruct? Or perhaps it was Liliana’s curse, designed to induce discomfort if her blood intake surpassed a certain threshold?

Regardless, Lovelenica had no energy to move today.

Feeling utterly powerless, Lovelenica could only summon the maids to attend to her needs. As for herself, due to a sleepless night and the debilitating fever, she drifted into slumber the moment she allowed herself to relax.

It wasn’t until the nightmare startled her awake just now that Lovelenica stirred again.

Upon waking, Lovelenica remained in bed. After her brief sleep, she felt marginally better, though still lacking strength, she continued to rest.

Yet, extreme boredom soon began to set in.

Before her transmigration, if she had been sick and confined to bed at home, she could have binge-watched TV shows, anime, or read manga. If she felt a bit better, she could even play games to pass the time. But here, such luxuries were unavailable. Lying in bed meant only rest, or at best, reading a book.

‘If only someone could come chat with me, or perhaps we could play some of the games available in this world,’ she mused.

As Lovelenica entertained these thoughts, she struggled to sit up. Her intention was to search the table for any interesting books.

Just then, a remarkably rude knocking suddenly resounded from outside her door.

“Knock, knock, knock—”

“Parasite! Your student has brought her friend to see you. Open up, now!”

‘My student? My student’s friend?’

Lovelenica paused, momentarily bewildered. Then, a sudden realization struck her: it must be Lucia and Imeline. Surprise quickly gave way to confusion. Why would they come to the Crimson Family’s manor looking for her?

Moreover, the voice outside clearly belonged to Julie. Given that Lucia and Imeline didn’t have a good relationship with Julie, why on earth would Julie bring them to the house? Wasn’t Julie afraid of the Crimson Family’s secrets being exposed?

Despite her confusion, Lovelenica decided to let them in. After all, resting alone in bed was proving unbearably dull. Perhaps having someone to talk to would make her feel a little better.

She cleared her throat and called out towards the door.

“Ahem… Come in. The door isn’t locked.”