Elaphia had been dead underground for a long ti.
Every dream she had since becoming Grand Duke Dreka's vampire thrall was a painful nightmare.
In forests overgrown with stubborn stones and thorns, she was lost, never again able to find the way ho.
This world was a prison to her.
Through nearly two centuries of tornt, she was as lonely as a child standing alone in mist, with no one able to hear her speak. She scread and called for help at the top of her lungs, yet no one cared.
Always running, always watching the shadows, yet never feeling safe.
Her breathing flickered in and out of the mist, slowly becoming delirious. Elaphia ran through tunnels, not knowing whether they were ford by mountain forests or built from flesh and blood, but equally deep and dark.
At the end of every dream, she would see the figure of Vlad Dreka.
The arrogant vampire Grand Duke forever stood before the checkpoint leading to freedom.
And in the dead ends filled with thorns, Elaphia could always glimpse the gates of heaven from another dinsion.
There she could freely grow old, she could escape Vlad's gaze, and gain freedom from the erosion of ti.
She should have been free.
Elaphia wanted to feel the taste of being alive again, to bask in sunlight once more, to feel everything that life bestowed.
But she also knew that so-called freedom was nothing more than a complete fantasy, a beautiful dream she wove to support herself in staying alive.
Vlad would forever be an existence she could never defeat. Even with all her strength, she could never overco him. Of all the thralls who had struggled alongside her, only she remained.
Her companions had either been tortured to death by the Grand Duke, or had completely lost their free will and beco utter slaves, dying miserably one day like consumables—this was the fate of most thralls.
But Elaphia would never accept it.
Even if revenge succeeded, the only fate awaiting her was death.
When the master dies, the thrall dies. This was an iron law.
Therefore, Elaphia always saw a wall blocking her path.
This wall extended infinitely high upward, infinitely deep downward, and infinitely far left and right.
Once, she thought this was a cage.
Later, Elaphia realized this was death.
The ending was already determined; all she could do was struggle.
This was her last dignity.
"Little kitten, you've co again. You really can't bear to give up, but I just love this about you. It's fine, I'll crush your fantasies and then once again appreciate your pained expression."
Vlad's face was full of delight. Even in nightmares, he still had that insufferable appearance.
"No matter how many tis it takes, I'll smash you, you bastard!" Elaphia roared at him. "I'm not afraid of you at all!"
Every dream ended with her defeat, but Elaphia would co again. This ti was naturally no exception.
But...
This ti, beneath the gates of heaven she fantasized about, Elaphia saw a dandelion drifting in the clear wind, dancing lightly on the path to freedom she had carefully paved.
"Elaphia." A voice called.
Elaphia startled awake from her dream and lifted her head.
Sunlight stread through the window, carrying dust motes that danced and swirled like stars in the beam of light. Elaphia instinctively moved to hide.
Actually, there was no need—Patunasankus had already closed the blinds.
"You were having a nightmare, talking in your sleep the whole ti."
Patunasankus sat sideways at the head of the bed, her dandelion-colored long hair still glowing faintly in the darkness.
She clumsily unwrapped the linen bandages wound around Elaphia's body. Elaphia kept sucking in air from the pain.
"...Just had a nightmare, that's all." Elaphia said. "Nothing serious."
"Who's the guy that did this to you?" Patunasankus got straight to the point while carelessly examining Elaphia's wounds.
After just one day, new flesh buds had already replaced the hideous claw marks. Even the evil dragon was sowhat amazed—even for a vampire thrall, this healing speed was too fast, as if she had long adapted to more severe injuries.
Elaphia didn't answer, only smiled weakly.
If it were the Hero, perhaps she might say sothing—just perhaps.
But standing before her was the Princess, and Elaphia especially didn't want to drag the Princess into this. Since she was already on Vlad's assassination list, she should just quietly hide far away.
"It's Vlad Dreka, the one you kept muttering about in your dreams, isn't it?"
The evil dragon 'accidentally' pressed on Elaphia's old wound.
Elaphia sucked in a sharp breath from the sudden pain, but didn't bla the Princess at all. She just remained silent.
Patunasankus applied a green ointnt with a strong eucalyptus sll to the wound, saying seemingly casually:
"Because you defied him? Or because your mission failed, so you received punishnt? Or perhaps both."
"..."
Elaphia was stunned. The Princess's silly appearance while eating had left too strong an impression on her—she had never seen this shrewd side before.
But clearly, she still wasn't planning to say anything.
Seeing Elaphia's stubborn attitude, Patunasankus puffed her cheeks round and simply decided to speak plainly.
"Actually, I know."
Patunasankus looked directly into Elaphia's eyes, her azure pupils gleaming with a cold light.
"You've thought about killing , haven't you?" Patunasankus asked.
"!!?"
Elaphia's expression suddenly changed.
Her face went pale, sweat beaded on her forehead, and she fell completely silent as the ancient clock on the wall ticked away.
After a long mont, Elaphia lifted her head and said:
"Yes."
Then she closed her eyes, preparing to face the Princess's accusations and curses.
But Elaphia waited for a long ti.
Nothing ca.
She turned her head, only to see azure eyes filled with childlike curiosity.
Elaphia didn't dare look directly into such eyes.
"But why?" Patunasankus suddenly asked.
"Why what?"
Patunasankus grabbed Elaphia's hand and placed it directly on her chest, where her heart was.
"Why didn't you do it? You could easily tear out my heart, couldn't you? Why not tear out my heart right now and kill to report back to Vlad?"
Wouldn't it be good to kill right now? The evil dragon stared straight at her.
...Yes, why?
She indeed could easily kill the Princess in this room with just the two of them.
But she just hadn't done it.
Elaphia didn't understand either. Various thoughts rushed toward her, and these thoughts were all about the girl with dandelion-colored hair before her.
Her smile, her dance under the moon, her determination in freeing Evelyn, her carefree nature in the breeze...
"...I don't know."
Elaphia paused for a long while before answering.
"I don't know... I really don't know." Her voice grew louder as she covered her head. "Ahhh... I don't know, don't know! Just why, why?!"
Seeing her emotions getting out of control, Patunasankus slowly stood up.
"Hearing this is enough."
She nimbly ran toward the door, her bare feet padding across the floor—ssy and clumsy, like a mischievous child who had caused trouble, yet so cheerful and light.
"Oh right, right, I forgot to say this."
The girl looked back with a charming smile, as if all the sunshine in the world was shining on her lips.
"This won't happen again."
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