Chapter 68: Feeling (23)

Eliza didn't understand.

She didn't know why she was willing to answer Herbert's offensive question.

Nor could she fathom why she had genuinely begun to recall the scene from back then.

Perhaps.

It was because she saw her own shadow of that time in him…

"At first, I didn't go straight for the kill."

"I only grievously wounded him, then let him scramble about the castle in a sorry state."

Her expression was indifferent as she calmly narrated the scene from back then.

"After that, I first killed every servant, every guest, every male pet… in his castle."

"I drained every last drop of blood from each of them, letting that filthy fresh blood flood every corner of the castle."

"Once all that was done, I finally found the fellow who was on the verge of a mental breakdown… in the cellar he thought was so well hidden, heh."

"Curled up, trying to hide among a pile of sprouted potatoes."

Eliza let out a snort of derisive laughter and mocked:

"Don't you think it's laughable?"

"Clearly he was a monster too, clearly he had ruthlessly taken our family from us before that, ruling the territory with terror and blood for hundreds of years…"

"But a brutal monster like that, upon encountering a stronger, more savage, more terrifying monster, became so cowardly and harmless."

"It's simply too ridiculous!"

"You know? The moment I discovered him, what I felt in my heart wasn't pleasure, but a heartfelt… boredom."

Eliza's expression cooled, and she said with a touch of listlessness:

"After that I lost interest in continuing to play hide-and-seek with him, let him scramble about for a while, then ended his life."

After finishing this rather uninteresting story, Eliza raised her head, looked at the thoughtful youth before her, and said calmly:

"So, if you want to ask what I felt when I killed him, I can only tell you — boredom."

At this point, Eliza's answer was over.

Herbert asked no more questions, and she didn't try to persuade him either.

She didn't know why Herbert would ask such a question, nor what kind of treatment he had actually endured.

She wouldn't ask, and there was no need to ask.

Their relationship hadn't reached that point yet.

The reason Eliza was willing to answer was merely out of a sense of fellow suffering, a momentary softness of heart.

As for what choice Herbert would ultimately make — become a kin-slayer like her? Or choose to let go?

It had nothing to do with her.

A moment later, Herbert nodded and said softly: "Young Lady Eliza, thank you for being willing to answer my question."

"I think I have an answer in my heart now."

Eliza fell silent, then let out a light snort and said in a brash, unceremonious manner: "Hah, cut the crap, hand over your blood to me!"

The slightly heavy atmosphere was swept away in an instant; Eliza held her head high and, raising her voice, demanded her payment from Herbert:

"Blood! Give me ten drops… no, fifty drops, a hundred drops!!!"

A blatant, unashamed price hike on the spot.

The wheel of fortune turns, kid!

Now it's my turn to make you suffer!!!

The more she thought about it, the more elated she felt, and she couldn't help laughing.

Hahaha, hehehe, heiheihei, jiejiejie…

She let out a strange jiejiejie laugh and, somewhat carried away, said: "I don't just want ordinary blood, I also want your… the holy blood you made that time!"

"You want holy blood?"

Herbert blinked, tilted his head in confusion, and asked, puzzled: "Have you got it in for yourself, living too comfortably?"

Herbert wasn't the least surprised by Eliza's on-the-spot price hike; he had long been prepared for it in his heart.

In fact, by proposing this transaction himself, he had intended all along to let her make a small profit.

Losing, losing, losing all the way can't make a person get hooked.

Wins and losses mixed, big losses and small wins, letting her firmly believe "the advantage is mine!" — that's how you lure the leeks into going all in.

But now she's actually floating high enough to ask for holy blood!

She's gotten way too cocky.

This was something Herbert hadn't expected at all…

Heh!

The leek wants to eat paraquat — how fresh is that!

Oh, maybe it's not all that fresh either… this matter is recorded extensively in the news from my previous life.

"You don't understand!"

Completely swept up in the moment, Eliza tossed her head, sending her silver-gray hair flying, and said proudly: "The taste of the two is completely different!"

"Your fresh blood is very delicious, but the holy blood has an extra strange flavor on top of that!"

"After drinking it, my throat feels gritty, like I've downed a whole bottle of high-proof liquor — so stimulating! There's even a prickling pain like needles!"

As she recalled the sensation from back then, an unusual flush rose on her face, and she shifted her body somewhat unnaturally.

That feeling… ha!

Sooo~~~ good!

"I was too weak back then to be harmed by your holy blood, but now that I've recovered considerably, I'm no longer afraid of it!"

She snapped out of her fond memories, glaring with beautiful eyes and shouting like a mischievous girl: "Give it to me! Quick, give me your blood!"

Herbert blinked, hesitated not at all—after all, preparing holy blood wasn't difficult; since she asked for it, he might as well oblige.

He drew his sword, sliced his palm, and the holy mark glowed as droplets of luminous blood fell.

"Ah—"

Watching Elizabeth open her mouth wide to catch them, her face alight with eager greed, Herbert narrowed his eyes.

Not good.

The way she's acting… makes me want to shove something weird into her mouth… pity I don't have any pepper on me.

"Maybe next time… hmm?"

Just as Herbert was thinking about preparing various spices afterward, he suddenly noticed Elizabeth looked terribly off.

"Sss! Haa—sss! Haa—"

Her face flushed crimson, her blood-red eyes trembled uncontrollably, her tongue hissed and panted, beads of cold sweat broke out on her forehead.

The way she looked… yes!

Like my Cantonese buddy who'd eaten his first slightly spicy red-oil hot pot and then rinsed his mouth with water.

"Ha! That's the feeling!"

"Ahhhh~~~"

Wait, buddy?

What the hell are you doing?

Are you using me as chili powder?!

Herbert felt oddly offended, and immediately retracted his hand.

Even after he pulled his hand away, Elizabeth kept hissing and panting for a long while.

After a moment, Herbert looked at Elizabeth, whose expression was now radiant, and asked his final question:

"Have you ever regretted it?"

"Regret?"

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow, smirked wickedly: "I never regret anything!"

Herbert nodded, murmuring: "That's right—you won't regret it, and no one can judge or punish you. I understand."

"Mm. Not even the gods."

Elizabeth:???

Her proud little expression collapsed in an instant. Upon hearing this, she went pale and frantically asked:

"Where the hell did you learn this?!"

"Who told you?!"

Just as Elizabeth was losing her composure and frantically pressing Herbert for how he knew these things, a figure appeared between them.

(End of Chapter)