"Ma...master, wh...what are you doing? In a place like this..."

Mirena felt only the ache in her shoulder and the sensation of her blood slowly being drawn by Hestia.

In truth, Hestia hadn’t taken much.

She’d merely sipped a trace of Mirena’s blood, tasting it.

Yet—

It remained unchanged, exactly as before.

Hestia withdrew her fangs from Mirena’s shoulder.

The bite wound healed instantly.

Such was the nature of a Vampire’s Blood Slave: wounds sealed swiftly after their Blood Master fed.

A Blood Slave must always be ready to offer blood.

Hence this trait existed.

Hestia’s voice turned icy.

"You didn’t run away?"

"Huh? Why would I run?"

Mirena’s reply carried the disbelief of hearing a bad joke.

"Weren’t you deceived by that woman’s honeyed words? Didn’t you flee already?"

"I... I haven’t moved from this spot!"

Mirena’s expression crumpled with wounded innocence.

Tears welled in her sky-clear blue eyes.

Hestia met her gaze and probed her mind.

No cracks. No lies. How?

—She truly hadn’t fled. She’d stayed here all along?

Hestia struggled to believe it.

She sensed Mirena hid something.

Yet mind-reading revealed no deception.

Which meant... she wasn’t lying.

"Then why didn’t I see you when I exited the chamber just now?"

"I... I was hiding in that corner! You walked straight out the door—you couldn’t have seen me. And after hearing the commotion inside, I stood up to check..."

"I see. As long as you didn’t run..."

Hestia still felt unease—

Such a perfect chance.

Mirena, who’d always schemed to escape...

No guards. An open exit.

—Why hadn’t she run?

Seeing Hestia’s suspicion, Mirena sighed wearily.

"I did consider fleeing. But you know my home. Running is pointless. This city swarms with Vampires. One warrant from you, guards at all four gates—I’d never escape."

Her voice dripped with resignation.

Hestia’s mind-reading confirmed no falsehood.

—So she’d truly stay obediently by her side?

Relief softened Hestia’s features into a smile.

"Wise choice, Princess Mirena..."

"Skip the flattery. M...master, is the meeting over? Can we go home?"

"Ah. Yes, we can go home..."

Bringing Mirena here felt like a waste.

She should never have brought her.

Every Prince coveted Mirena.

As her master, Hestia would have to "protect" her carefully.

From now on, Mirena would never leave her sight.

—This little pet wouldn’t slip away or be stolen to some unknown place.

Hestia clutched the chain leash around Mirena’s neck, striding toward the pet shop exit—

When a Vampire noble who’d chaired the meeting rushed over.

He bowed deeply, voice trembling.

"Wait... Lady Hestia. The meeting isn’t over yet..."