Chapter 73: Feeling (23)

Elizabeth didn’t understand.

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

She couldn’t fathom why she had genuinely begun recalling the scene at the time.

Perhaps.

It was because she saw her own reflection in him…

“At first, I didn’t kill him outright.”

“I merely wounded him severely, then let him scramble in panic through the castle.”

Her expression was indifferent as she calmly recounted the scene.

“After that, I killed every servant, guest, male favorite… in his castle.”

“I drained every one of them dry, letting their filthy blood flood every corner of the castle.”

“Only after all that did I find the man on the verge of mental collapse… in his self-declared hidden cellar. Ha.”

“Crouched, trying to hide among a pile of sprouting potatoes.”

Elizabeth sneered, mocking:

“Isn’t that ridiculous?”

“He was a monster too. He had coldly taken our family, ruled the land for centuries with terror and bloodshed…”

“Yet this brutal monster became timid and harmless the moment he faced a stronger, fiercer, more terrifying monster.”

“It’s utterly absurd!”

“Do you know? When I found him, I didn’t feel pleasure—I felt profound… boredom.”

Elizabeth’s expression grew cold, her tone listless:

“After that, I lost interest in playing hide-and-seek with him. I let him flee for a while, then ended his life.”

After finishing this unremarkable story, Elizabeth lifted her head and looked at the thoughtful boy before her, calmly saying:

“So, if you ask how I felt when I killed him, I can only tell you—boredom.”

Elizabeth’s answer was now complete.

Herbert stopped asking. She didn’t urge him further.

She didn’t know why he had asked such a question, nor what he had endured.

She wouldn’t ask. Nor did she need to.

Their relationship hadn’t reached that point.

She answered only because she felt a flicker of sympathy—seeing in him a kindred soul.

As for how Herbert would choose—to become a patricide like her, or to spare him—

It had nothing to do with her.

After a moment, Herbert nodded and murmured, “Miss Elizabeth, thank you for answering my question.”

“I think I have my answer.”

Elizabeth fell silent, then let out a scoff and waved dismissively: “Bah, don’t flatter yourself. Hand over your blood!”

The heavy atmosphere vanished instantly. Elizabeth tilted her head high, shouting at Herbert for her payment:

“Blood! Ten drops… no, fifty! A hundred!!!”

She hiked up the price on the spot, brazenly inflating the cost.

The tide has turned, kid!

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

The more she thought of it, the more delighted she became, unable to suppress her laughter.

Hahaha, xixixi, hehehe, jiejiejie…

She let out a cackling laugh, giddy with triumph: “I don’t just want ordinary blood—I want your… that sacred blood you made!”

“You want sacred blood?”

Herbert blinked, tilting his head in confusion. “Do you think you’re too comfortable?”

Herbert wasn’t surprised by her price hike—he’d already anticipated it.

In fact, he initiated this deal precisely to let her make a small profit.

Losing all the time won’t keep anyone hooked.

A mix of wins and losses, small gains and big losses, so she believes “the advantage is mine!”—that’s how you lure in the retail investors.

But now she’s gone so far as to demand sacred blood!

She’s lost all sense.

This was something Herbert never expected…

Hey!

The retail investors want to eat glyphosate. How original!

Then again, maybe not so original… there are countless records of this in past news.

“You don’t understand!”

Completely intoxicated, Elizabeth tossed her silver-gray hair, grinning smugly: “The taste is completely different!”

“Your blood is delicious, but sacred blood carries an extra, peculiar flavor!”

“When you drink it, your throat feels gritty, like swallowing a whole bottle of high-proof liquor—intensely stimulating, even with a pricking pain!”

Recalling the sensation, a strange flush rose on her face as she shifted uncomfortably.

That feeling… Ha!

So~~~ good!

“I was too weak back then to withstand your sacred blood. Now I’ve recovered—I’m no longer afraid of it!”

She snapped out of her reverie, glaring with beautiful eyes like a mischievous girl: “Give it to me! Hand over your blood now!”

Herbert blinked, hesitated not at all. Sacred blood wasn’t hard to produce. If she wanted it, he’d give it.

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

“Ah—”

Watching Elizabeth open her mouth wide, greedy and excited, Herbert narrowed his eyes.

Trouble.

The way she’s acting… it makes me want to shove something strange into her mouth… too bad I don’t have pepper on me.

“Maybe next time… hmm?”

As Herbert was thinking of preparing various spices later, he suddenly noticed Elizabeth looked terribly off.

“Hss! Ha—hss! Ha—”

Her face flushed crimson, her blood-red eyes trembled, her tongue hissed uncontrollably, beads of cold sweat formed on her brow.

She looked… yes!

Like his Cantonese friend who’d first eaten a barely spicy red oil hotpot and then rinsed it with water.

“Ha! This is the feeling!”

“So~~~ good!”

Wait, bro?

What the hell are you doing?

Are you using me as chili powder?!

Herbert felt oddly offended, and immediately pulled his hand back.

Even after he withdrew, Elizabeth kept hissing and gasping for a long while.

After a moment, Herbert looked at Elizabeth, who now looked perfectly fine, and asked his final question:

“Have you ever regretted it?”

“Regret?”

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow, smirking wickedly: “I never regret.”

Herbert nodded, sighing: “Yes, you won’t regret it—and no one can judge or punish you. I understand.”

“Mm. Not even the gods.”

Elizabeth: ???

Her proud expression collapsed instantly. She panicked:

“How do you know this?! Where did you hear this?!”

“Who told you?!”

As Elizabeth, completely thrown, frantically demanded answers, a figure appeared between them.

(End of Chapter)