On One's Nature
“Haa... My neck is so itchy. I wonder if there’s a mosquito flying around?”
“Eep...?!”
“Hmph... Academy shirts are so pointlessly tight and uncomfortable. Don't you think?”
“Yes, it... seems that way.”
“Especially when buttoned all the way to the top, it chokes my neck... and gets quite bothersome at times. Particularly just above the collarbone, wouldn't you say?”
...Right, this was just how Cecilia was. If you judged people purely on a scale of good and bad, she was definitely on the wicked side.
Of course, what happened was overwhelmingly my fault, and even looking back on it... it was true that I had done something indefensible, but this was still too cruel. Her words kept flushing wave after wave of heat into my cheeks.
Regardless of her teasing, and regardless of what I had done... Cecilia hadn't actually handed down any kind of punishment yet. Was it because she had been the one to ask for it first? Even so, I was well aware that I had crossed a line.
“Serena, I'm bored. Why don't we head down to the commissary?”
“N-No, that won't be necessary! I'll go by myself...! Is there anything in particular Your Highness would like...?”
“Pfft...”
“Just say the word, and I'll be back in a flash...! I'll make sure not to run into anyone else and be late this time, I swear!”
...I was reacting far more intensely than usual to a completely trivial remark. In truth, walking down to the school store with Cecilia would have been fine, just as she suggested. Yet the only reason I scrambled to offer was to find any excuse to escape the suffocating tension between us.
Two whole days had already passed since I sank my fangs into her neck and guzzled her blood, but the sheer humiliation of my actions made me desperate to get away from her presence. On the other hand, Cecilia—the actual victim of my bite—seemed remarkably unfazed. To her, it was likely nothing more than an amusing little incident, but from my perspective, it couldn't possibly end there.
I had bitten the neck of the Third Imperial Princess—the very person I was supposed to guard and serve—and drank her blood. And drinking her blood wasn't the only problem... I had acted like some kind of shameless pervert...
“Uaaagh...”
Even looking back on it myself, I'd completely lost my mind. How could just drinking blood make my face burn so hot, panting and wheezing like that...? Seriously, out of my mind, totally insane!
“Aghhh...”
Thanks to Cecilia graciously permitting me to visit the store alone, I muttered grievances under my breath as I descended the hallways and stairs. Wallowing in post-indulgence clarity and crippling shame over my actions for the past few days felt a little... pathetic, to be sure. Yet the sight I had made of myself back then was truly, mortifyingly humiliating.
“Hnng... chrp... slurrrp... Haa, hah...”
“Y-Yes, please, just one more bite, just a little... just once... please, I beg you...”
“...Haah.”
I couldn't even properly recall why I had been so desperately obsessed with drinking more of Cecilia's blood. It didn't make any sense to me either. The only impression etched into my memory was that her blood had tasted indescribably delicious.
After making such a disgraceful display, I had tested things out late at night once Cecilia fell asleep, secretly sipping from the Blood Pack stashed in my bag. Yet the blood from that pack tasted no different from what I had always drunk. It wasn't bad, of course, but compared to Cecilia's blood, there was an astronomical difference—enough that I could boldly declare the stored blood tasteless in comparison.
“...Why?”
Even as I hunted for the items Cecilia had requested in the commissary, no clear answers came to mind. The only plausible thought was that the... nature of the blood was fundamentally different. The blood preserved in the Blood Packs had been stored for some time, whereas drinking from Cecilia was entirely distinct in method. I had punctured living flesh and blood vessels directly with my fangs, drinking it as it gushed fresh from the source.
“...Hmm.”
Was it like the difference in freshness between sashimi prepared instantly from a live fish versus fish that had been sitting around for hours? Could that be it? Still, since I had never drunk directly from another living person besides Cecilia, even that hypothesis remained a complete mystery.
“I give up.”
I decided to just buy the things and head straight back to the classroom. Brooding over it wouldn't bring me to any solid conclusion anyway, and I needed to return to Cecilia's side regardless. If I dawdled here too long, I was bound to get scolded just like last time. Fortunately, I hadn't run into Jessica today like last ti—
“...”
“Fufu.”
“H-Hello... Lady Jessica.”
...What in the world?
I'd never been bullied or cornered during my school days, but for a split second, an intense sense of deja vu reminiscent of schoolyard extortion flashed through my mind. All because of a gorgeous brunette woman standing right on the stairs I was trying to climb, gazing down at me with a steady, smiling gaze.
“Is there something you need, my lady?”
“I was merely standing here.”
“...Is that so?”
And yet, Jessica was camped out directly ahead of the steps I was climbing. Not to mention she was blocking the way completely while staring right at me...
“In that case, I will take my leav—”
“Fufu, this must be fate. Shall I help carry those bags to the classroom with you?”
...I couldn't fathom her motives. Renowned not just throughout the Academy but across the entire Empire for her sweet, gentle personality, why on earth was Jessica singling me out like this?
Rather than simple kindness, political calculations seemed far more likely. Perhaps aiding the Third Princess's personal maid was a calculated stepping stone to establish a political connection with Cecilia.
“No, truly, it's quite alright! The items Her Highness requested aren't heavy at all. Besides, I have plenty of strength...!”
Last time, I might have found a polite way to accept within reasonable bounds. Today, accepting was an absolute impossibility. After what had happened with Cecilia following my previous encounter, refusal was my only survival instinct. Seriously, unconditionally, by any means necessary, I had to refuse. If I failed to turn her down and ended up carrying these packages alongside Jessica again... I would surely be subjected to something far more embarrassing than before.
“The truth is, I'm not an ordinary human, so... I really am fine...!”
With that, I spoke to Jessica—who, while shorter than Cecilia, still easily towered over me—and tried to continue up the stairs.
“Oh, come now, I simply wish to help. It looks like quite the ordeal for such a tiny maid to climb these stairs, doesn't it?”
“I'm truly fine! Her Highness specifically told me to hurry back, so... if you'll excuse me, I must go on ahead...!”
Blurted out in a rush, I bolted past her up the stairs like a fugitive and fled all the way back to Cecilia's classroom. It looked like Jessica had wanted to say something more, but I had no choice; I broke off the conversation before it even finished and retreated into the room.
To be fair, for a mere maid to walk away from a ducal daughter without properly concluding their exchange was a blunder that could cause massive trouble. I knew that full well, yet I had no other option.
“Phew...”
“Back early today, I see? Last time, you dragged along useless baggage and took an eternity to return.”
“Hehe... I simply did my best not to upset Your Highness...”
“Well, I suppose the thought is commendable.”
“Here, Your Highness... the handkerchiefs.”
...Handing over the items she had requested, we chatted at a leisurely pace. Unlike last time, I had returned promptly and without Jessica trailing behind me, so Cecilia treated me with her usual nonchalance. Her attitude was hardly different from normal. In fact, she seemed in a slightly better mood than usual.
Judging by her demeanor, it seemed likely that, at least for today, she wouldn't prod me with bizarre questions or subject me to wicked pranks. There was a stark contrast between Cecilia when she was annoyed, normal, or in high spirits.
“By the way, Serena.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Do you have another task for me?”
“Do Half-Vampires... do all vampires end up like that when they drink blood?”
“...”
...Spoke too soon.
To be fair, her inquiry carried far more genuine curiosity than malice this time. Her expression looked genuinely inquisitive rather than mocking. Besides, she had already been teasing me about my behavior while drinking her blood for the past few days anyway.
“I'm... not entirely sure myself.”
“Hmph... Is that so? You don't seem to understand your own nature very well, do you? Considering you gave mostly vague answers the last time I asked, setting aside being a vampire, it seems you still don't know much about yourself.”
“Yes, that's true.”
Her question was relatively serious this time, devoid of any strange undertones, so I answered honestly. Because that really was the truth. I had merely set my 'character' race as a Half-Vampire in the game setup; I had absolutely no idea what biological traits or ecology vampires actually possessed in this world.
“Hmm...”
Though I had offered my honest answer, the look in Cecilia's eyes as she appraised me was faintly terrifying.
...Without realizing it, I clamped my knees tightly together. Though even I didn't know quite why.