Chapter 27: The Blood Empress
Dong!
Dong!
Dong!
Three resounding tolls of the academy bell echoed through the halls, signaling the end of break and the start of the next class. It was a call to order, a reminder for all students to return to their classrooms and prepare for another round of learning.
On the rooftop, lost in their embrace, Adele and Dorothy finally stirred, their moment of intimacy shattered by the harsh clang of the bell.
Adele’s cheeks flushed, her eyes wide with a mixture of embarrassment and panic. Dorothy, on the other hand, seemed unfazed, though her cheeks were rosy, and her rose-colored eyes seemed to glow a little brighter.
I can’t believe… I got lost in a simple hug.
Or maybe…
It’s because Adele has never hugged me back before.
She said she hated being forced. So even when I held her, it wasn’t the same. It felt… empty.
But this… this is different.
I love it…
I want to hold her forever.
It’s just a hug… Why does it feel so… right?
“Are you feeling better?” she asked, her voice surprisingly gentle.
It was a question that would have shocked anyone who knew her, a display of concern that was completely out of character for the fearsome Princess Dorothy.
But Adele, her mind already racing with thoughts of her impending tardiness, barely registered the significance of Dorothy’s words.
“Y-Yes, I’m much better now,” she said, her voice laced with anxiety. “But I need to get to class.”
“If I’m late… I’ll be severely punished! Especially as a Sequence Five!”
“Who would dare punish you?” Dorothy’s voice turned icy.
No! That’s not what I meant! I’m not asking you to unleash your inner tyrant! I just want to go to class! Adele screamed internally.
She didn’t dare spend too much time with Dorothy. It was too risky, too easy to slip up. Besides, she needed to play her cards right, to maintain a certain level of mystique, to ensure that Dorothy wouldn’t lose interest.
“It’s… it’s the academy rules,” she said, forcing a smile. “Skipping class is… frowned upon.”
“Besides, I need to learn about those containment objects. Otherwise, I’ll just be a burden to my teammates during missions. I might even put them in danger.”
“You have to go on missions too?” Dorothy asked, her brow furrowing.
Adele hadn’t exactly demonstrated any exceptional abilities so far. She had no powerful familiar, no enhanced physical abilities, no affinity for the elements, and no apparent esper powers (unless you counted “having delicious blood”).
In other words, she didn’t fit into any of the four vampire categories. And she was a half-blood, no less.
Maybe… maybe she was more human than vampire after all.
“Don’t underestimate me…” Adele muttered, her pride stinging.
But her protest was weak, unconvincing. She knew, better than anyone, how weak she truly was.
Still… she wasn’t about to admit defeat in front of Dorothy. She had her pride.
“Anyway, Dorothy, I need to go,” she said, gently pulling away from Dorothy’s embrace. “I’m… glad we cleared up that misunderstanding. But… I’ll play with you again when I have time, okay?”
“Play with me?” Dorothy’s eyes lit up, her excitement bubbling over.
As a Sequence One, she could skip any class she wanted. No one would dare to question her. But Adele… she was different.
It was moments like this that reminded Dorothy that Adele was a lowly Sequence Five, the lowest of the low.
And yet… Dorothy couldn’t shake the feeling that Adele was… different. Special. Otherwise, why would she be so drawn to her, so captivated by her presence?
But Adele had made her wishes clear. And Dorothy, though reluctant, knew she couldn’t force her.
Adele had said she hated being forced.
And the Adele standing before her now was different from the Adele she had met at the academy. This Adele was more open, more expressive, no longer hiding behind a mask of indifference.
It was a change that pleased Dorothy.
“Alright, go to class then,” she said, her voice softening. “But if anyone gives you trouble… Hermione and I will take care of it.”
“And consider that hug… your reward.” She leaned in close, her warm breath tickling Adele’s ear, sending shivers down her spine.
It was a surprisingly thoughtful gesture, a display of concern that was completely out of character for the fearsome Princess Dorothy.
Maybe… maybe Dorothy isn’t so bad after all?
She was just terrible at communicating, her thought process a little… unconventional. And combined with the original Adele’s stubbornness, their relationship had been doomed from the start.
“…Thank you,” Adele whispered, her heart still racing.
She turned and fled, practically running towards the stairs.
“The rooftop is always open to you,” Dorothy called after her. “Come whenever you want to relax.”
It was an invitation, an acceptance. Adele had been granted entry into Dorothy’s exclusive “Sequence One Club.” It wasn’t an official organization, but in terms of power and influence, it was easily one of the top three factions within the academy.
The other two factions were… well, the most powerful was undoubtedly the Cromwell Academy Student Council. But it was primarily a human organization, led by the elite human students, those with abilities that rivaled even the highest-ranking vampires.
There were a few vampires who had joined the Student Council, but they were considered traitors by their own kind. Because vampires had their own organization, the Black Feather Society.
To choose the Student Council over the Black Feather Society… it was an act of open rebellion.
But those who chose this path, those who defied their own kind, had their reasons. Perhaps they, like Adele, had been victims of abuse at the hands of the higher-ranking vampires, seeking refuge among the humans. Or perhaps they were simply rebels, those who rejected the rigid hierarchy of vampire society.
The leader of the Black Feather Society, as mentioned before, was the descendant of the True Ancestor who had been nearly killed all those years ago. She might not have been as powerful as Dorothy, but unlike Dorothy, her organization wasn’t limited to Sequence Ones. She had welcomed vampires of all ranks into her fold, creating a formidable force that rivaled even the Student Council in terms of influence.
According to the original plot, Adele would eventually join the Black Feather Society, seeking their protection, their power, as she plotted her revenge against Dorothy.
But that decision would only serve to widen the gulf between her and Dorothy, making their conflict even more intractable.
And the Black Feather Society wasn’t the haven she had imagined it to be. In fact, her time with them would prove to be just as traumatic, just as dehumanizing, as her experiences with Dorothy and her friends.
A pawn was a pawn, regardless of who controlled the board.
It was a turning point in her story, the moment she realized that her hatred wasn’t just directed at Dorothy, or even at the Sequence Ones… but at the entire vampire race.
Without those experiences, without that pain, that betrayal… she wouldn’t have become the Blood Empress, the one who would eventually bring about the downfall of her own kind.
………………
And at this moment, our future Blood Empress was sprinting through the hallways, her skirt billowing behind her, her face contorted in a mixture of panic and despair.
Why… Why do I still have to go to class, even after transmigrating into this world?
And I didn’t even have time to use the restroom…
If I have to sit through this class… in this state…
My academic career is over! (T_T)
