vol. 1 chapter 20 - Shared Feast
Main hall.
Degrienne stood on tiptoe, polishing the candelabra—when something soft pressed against her back.
A pair of cold hands slid around her waist. Catherine’s breath caressed her ear. “My little pet is especially diligent today~”
Before she could react, a wet tongue suddenly slipped into her ear.
Degrienne trembled, the cloth in her hand falling to the floor.
“You—!”
She shrank her neck instinctively, but couldn't escape Catherine’s hold.
That agile tongue swirled within her ear canal, sending a wave of tingling numbness through her body—enough to make even her toes curl.
“So flushed?” Catherine’s fangs grazed her earlobe. “Are you really this sensitive?”
Degrienne gripped the edge of the table for dear life, barely managing to stay upright.
This damn loli body—its sensitivity was outrageous.
Even though her heart was screaming in resistance, her skin betrayed her, blooming pink under Catherine’s teasing touch. Her breath had already gone ragged.
“But…”
Catherine suddenly stepped back, her red eyes narrowing. “Such rapid progress…”
Her fingertip traced the taut muscle along Degrienne’s arm. “Could you be hiding a little secret?”
A chill spread across Degrienne’s back.
She noticed?!
But in the next second, Catherine only laughed softly and released her, idly playing with strands of her silver hair.
“Could it be… you’ve been secretly training in your room?”
“N-no I haven’t!” Degrienne turned her reddened face away, letting out a silent sigh of relief.
So the lunatic was just teasing…
Suddenly, the fingers tangled in her hair tightened without warning.
Catherine yanked her back, nose almost brushing hers.
The playfulness in her crimson eyes had vanished—replaced by a chilling cold.
“Such rapid progress…” Catherine’s voice was icy. “Are you that eager to escape?”
“That’s not what I—” Degrienne blurted out, then immediately bit her tongue in regret.
That denial was as good as a confession.
Catherine chuckled lightly. A long whip curled around Degrienne’s waist and dragged her to the center of the hall.
“Veronica.”
She lounged lazily on the sofa. “Play a game with my little pet. The loser gets thirty lashes.”
Veronica visibly froze. She looked at Degrienne in disbelief, then quickly lowered her head.
“Mistress… you mean, I’m to spar with the young mistress…?”
“Do I need to repeat myself?” Catherine’s tone sharpened.
Veronica inhaled slowly, then turned to Degrienne, her eyes full of reluctant apology. “Miss… I’ll go easy on you.”
Before the words had fully left her lips, Degrienne’s fists clenched.
Lightning crackled silently between her fingers.
She locked eyes with Veronica.
Body Tempering Tier Six versus Innate Realm Tier Three. This wasn’t a sparring match—it was a stage-managed humiliation.
“Coward.” She glared at Catherine. “If you want to beat me, just do it yourself. Why stage this farce?”
Veronica took a hesitant step forward, her silver ruler twirling in an elegant arc.
The surrounding maids held their breath, pausing to witness the match.
“Begin,” Catherine said with a lazy laugh, swirling her wineglass. “Let’s see… just how far you can go.”
In an instant—
Veronica’s figure blurred. The ruler split the air with a piercing whistle, aimed directly at Degrienne’s rear.
The strike looked casual, but it sealed off every escape route.
In the blink of an eye, Degrienne twisted sideways, lightning bursting from her toes.
She slipped just past the ruler’s edge, her silver hair fanning out in the gust, face flushed from labored breath.
“Oh?” A flicker of surprise passed through Veronica’s eyes.
She hadn’t used full force, but that kind of speed shouldn’t have been dodged by a mere Body Tempering realm.
Degrienne knelt on one knee, back soaked in cold sweat.
She had pushed the Lightning Induction Body Tempering Technique to its limit in that moment, forcing her meridians to spark just in time to dodge.
But her inner strength was already half-depleted—and Veronica still looked unbothered.
When the second ruler strike came, Degrienne lashed out with a whip of blood-colored lightning to parry.
Sparks exploded as it met the silver ruler.
Veronica’s wrist trembled slightly, throwing her strike off target—
This power… had clearly surpassed the Body Tempering realm!
“How interesting.” Catherine’s smile deepened.
Degrienne used the moment to widen the distance, lightning slithering around her like serpents.
Each arc fine-tuned her reflexes.
But keeping this state drained her internal energy at a terrifying rate…
Veronica’s demeanor finally shifted—she was getting serious.
The ruler split into three shadowy afterimages, striking from different angles.
Degrienne barely dodged two, but the third landed hard on her side—
“Urgh!” A muffled cry escaped her lips as the lightning scattered.
Before she could recover, a pair of strong arms encircled her from behind.
Veronica locked her tightly in place. “Forgive me… young mistress.”
Degrienne struggled briefly, but gave up.
Innate Realm suppression was like a mountain—she couldn’t shake it.
“What a wonderful performance~” Catherine’s red lips curled. But her fingers showed no mercy.
Blood-colored threads snapped taut, hoisting Degrienne into the air and forcing her into a humiliating pose in front of all the maids—
Her body was tilted forward, her rear slightly raised.
The watching maids lowered their heads… but couldn’t help stealing glances upward.
Humiliation crashed over her like a wave. Degrienne felt as though she had been stripped of the last of her dignity before them.
“Can’t even beat my maid.”
Catherine’s voice drifted from behind, full of mocking amusement. “Train ten more years and you still won’t escape this castle.”
Degrienne didn’t argue. She only clenched her fists, her nails digging into her palms.
A silent vow burned in her chest—
One day, she would make Catherine pay for this.
But even as the thought surfaced, it was drowned by cold reality.
Even if she returned to the Martial Emperor realm, could she truly overcome a vampire princess who had lived for four thousand years?
SMACK!
The first strike landed—Degrienne jolted.
The pain was searing—far worse than she’d expected.
She bit her lip to keep from crying out, but the second, third, and fourth lashes followed in quick succession, each heavier than the last.
The threads cut into her skin. She couldn’t move—only endure.
Catherine’s lazy voice counted each lash. Around her, the maids’ breaths grew tense and shallow.
Degrienne shut her eyes tight, swallowing every ounce of hatred and humiliation back down.
By the time the punishment ended, she was drenched in sweat.
Catherine released the bindings, gently kneading her scorched flesh with her fingertips. “Remember—never think of running, my little Degrienne.”
The physical pain would fade, but the sense of powerlessness etched itself deeper into her soul.
When she finally stood upright, she met Catherine’s gaze with eyes full of hatred.
Catherine arched a brow and grabbed her chin, voice icy. “So… you still haven’t understood your position.”
She flicked her fingers.
The maids stepped forward in unison.
Veronica and Isabella reached her first, each seizing one of Degrienne’s wrists.
“It will hurt. Please bear with it,” Veronica murmured softly.
She bent down, fangs sinking into Degrienne’s slender wrist. Blood slid down her pale skin.
Isabella said nothing. She simply bit into the opposite wrist with mechanical precision—executing her task with perfect detachment.
Degrienne clenched her teeth, trying to resist the numbing pleasure that began to spread.
But as her blood drained, her consciousness dulled.
Her body, paradoxically, burned with heat—every inch craving more.
“Don’t rush. This is only the beginning.”
Catherine chuckled, fingers stroking Degrienne’s neck—then bit down.
Sharp «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» pain mingled with overwhelming pleasure. Degrienne’s body trembled violently.
The remaining twelve maids moved in, fangs sinking into her arms, shoulders, even her ankles.
She was engulfed by bloodkin.
Every suck, every bite was agony laced with addiction.
Her breath came in ragged gasps. Her vision swam in crimson.
All she could hear were the maids swallowing… and Catherine’s low whisper:
“Never forget who you are.”
Catherine’s voice turned cold. “You are mine. Your life and death are mine to decide.”
She licked away the tears at the corners of Degrienne’s eyes. “Don’t ever make me unhappy again…”
When the feeding ended, Degrienne collapsed to the floor, her body covered in tiny bite marks.
Her awareness slowly returned, but the ghost of twisted pleasure lingered.
She stared blankly at the carved ceiling.
The maids giggled around her:
“Little mistress’s blood… so sweet…”
“It tingles with lightning~”
“Will we get to taste her again?”
In the midst of their chatter, a single tear slid down her pale cheek.
“Why…”
She whispered hoarsely into the empty air, her voice unrecognizable, “Why do you keep humiliating me… again and again…?”
…
That night.
Degrienne carried a basket of freshly laundered maid uniforms into the backyard to hang them.
Not far off, the quiet forest loomed.
No walls. No gargoyles. No maids. Not even a single watching bat.
Her heart pounded.
This was a chance—maybe her only chance.
If she could just make it into the forest, her body—reforged by the Lightning Induction Body Tempering Technique—might just be fast enough to outrun the pursuers…
“Now…”
She dropped the basket, confirmed one last time that no one was around—and slipped quietly toward the forest’s edge.