Chapter 67: The Price of Disobedience

“Sister-sama, I… I merely disciplined Julie a little recently. By the way, she’s also from the Crimson Family. Do you know who Julie is?”

Lovelenica spoke slowly, taking the opportunity to ask if Liliana knew Julie.

“I don’t care who these servants are. Continue.”

“Alright, Julie is also a Nun. She has always coveted Lucia’s position as the Saintess, constantly pestering me to sabotage Lucia. So, I taught her a lesson.”

“I see. What a brazen servant, to dare make demands of you?”

Liliana remarked, then continued her questioning.

“Anything else?”

“…And a few days ago, I killed a Bloodkin in another town.”

“Nothing else?”

“Nothing else.”

Lovelenica shook her head, answering with feigned composure, though her heart was far from calm.

This was the make-or-break moment. Lovelenica had concealed her visit to the orphanage to steal blood bags. If Liliana failed to detect this fact, it would prove her earlier words were nothing more than a bluff.

“Something’s not right, is it?”

The moment Liliana uttered the question, Lovelenica’s heart leaped into her throat.

‘Could it be… she truly knows everything?’

“Did you truly think I wouldn’t notice?”

Liliana’s tone suddenly grew cold, and her gaze sharpened to an unnerving degree.

“Your power has clearly intensified. You devoured that Bloodkin, didn’t you?”

‘She even knows about my power recovering… Wait?’

Though Lovelenica was shocked and unnerved by Liliana’s knowledge of her recovered power, she realized something crucial. Liliana had only mentioned devouring Rachel; she seemed unaware that Lovelenica had secretly consumed even more blood.

“Heh heh, Lovelenica, you truly are disobedient.”

Observing Lovelenica’s stunned expression, Liliana let out a cold laugh, knowing her suspicions were confirmed.

“You’re as gluttonous as ever.”

“Sis— Sister-sama, I didn’t deliberately hide this! I truly just forgot!”

Lovelenica hastily began to explain to Liliana. Though outwardly she appeared flustered, inwardly she was secretly rejoicing.

If Liliana truly didn’t know about her theft of blood bags from the orphanage, then Liliana’s earlier words were nothing but a bluff.

Liliana didn’t truly know everything. She likely possessed means of surveillance, but her oversight wasn’t without blind spots.

This meant there was still hope to contend with Liliana. Gaining this vital piece of information was worth any impending punishment.

“…Sigh.”

Upon hearing Lovelenica’s flimsy excuse, Liliana fell silent for a moment. Then, with a sigh, she astonishingly accepted Lovelenica’s explanation.

“I believe you truly just forgot. After all, you’ve always been this way, seeing killing and devouring as one and the same. However… you still must face punishment.”

“Wha—”

At the first half of Liliana’s words, Lovelenica had secretly felt a flicker of joy. Yet, Liliana’s tone suddenly shifted, indicating she would still inflict punishment.

Lovelenica couldn’t grasp Liliana’s sudden change of thought. She tried to speak, but only felt her heart clench once more, as if squeezed in a hand.

She opened her mouth, yet no sound escaped.

A powerful sense of suffocation swept over her. Lovelenica felt as though the table before her was slowly rising—no, *she* was gradually shrinking. Liliana had forcibly reverted Lovelenica to her original form.

Nikola’s pupils contracted. Involuntarily, she bent at the waist, her face contorted in agony as she clutched her chest. Her vision blurred.

This pain was even more excruciating than when Rachel had previously pierced and shredded her body.

Darkness steadily enveloped Nikola’s vision. Fine beads of sweat continuously broke out on her forehead and back, soaking her nightgown.

Finally, she could no longer bear it, collapsing to her knees with a thud.

Her heartbeat grew increasingly clamorous, then was overtaken by a ringing in her ears, before gradually fading into nothingness.

At that moment, her vision was completely stripped away. In the final instant before darkness consumed her, she saw only Liliana, seated on a throne within a crystal ball, gazing down at her with disdain.

It felt as though she were plummeting into an endless abyss.