“If you’ve eaten everything, rest well today. It’s back to camping tomorrow.”
As soon as Eleonora set down her fork after devouring the mountain of food set before her, Aria chimed in.
However, even the scheduled hardships couldn’t tarnish the happiness that came from being full. Leading her satisfied belly, Eleonora replied cheerfully as she got up from the table.
“Yes. I’ll just tidy up and then rest.”
With her stomach full, fatigue washed over her, but cleaning up took priority. To avoid offending Aria, whose sense of smell was undoubtedly sharp, Eleonora organized the used dishes, meticulously wiped down the table, and opened the window for ventilation before finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Casting a glance towards her master, she found Aria sitting by the window, still in a stare-down with the stack of newspapers that apparently wasn’t a few sheets but volumes worth.
‘Is she gathering information?’
There seemed to be no better way to glimpse the changes in the world that had occurred while they were away from society than binge-reading newspapers.
She heard that Aria had been dodging humans for quite a while, even before Eleonora joined her, sticking only to the mountain paths. Given that, it made perfect sense.
In any case, it wasn’t for Eleonora to judge. Determining what to do next was entirely the responsibility of her master, Aria.
All Eleonora had to do was follow along and do as she was told. For now, it was enough to simply enjoy this brief peace for the night.
Eleonora quietly moved to the entrance and sat huddled in a corner. Compared to the rugged, stone-studded terrain of the mountains that had been poking at her back, the smooth ground of the city sheltered from wind and rain felt quite splendid.
Just as Eleonora was about to bask in a bit of small happiness, Aria’s gaze, previously fixed on the newspaper, finally shifted and spotted her huddled at the entrance.
“……What are you doing?”
Aria’s tone was her usual cold and unchanging one, but there was a subtle difference revealing her bewilderment.
With no way to guess that much, Eleonora, recalling the myriad of complaints and punishments she had endured while enslaved, inevitably reached a rational conclusion of ‘Did I do something wrong again?’ and shuddered her shoulders.
“Resting…?”
She seemed to lack confidence even while answering.
The thought of who would know better than her was bubbling in her throat, but for once, Aria couldn’t really criticize her. There was a fundamental question of whether one could reasonably claim “resting” while curled up in the corner of the entrance with a vast empty room available.
Finally, instead of scolding, Aria sighed and gestured toward the wide bed. Lately, it seemed like she had been sighing more often.
“If you’re going to rest, rest on the bed. Stop huddling there like a beggar.”
“…Huh? But you said I could sleep in the entrance on the first floor…”
“Oh.”
So that’s why she was doing that.
Wait, did she really think that absurd act was genuine? While Aria was relieved to make the connection, part of her was dumbfounded.
“Of course it was an act. Who do you think reserved this spacious room in the first place?”
If Aria was alone, she wouldn’t have needed such a large, nice room.
Night was the vampire’s time. It wasn’t that not sleeping at all posed no issues, but conversely, it meant that as long as one managed to fulfill at least a minimum sleep requirement, their condition wouldn’t fall apart.
So, from the beginning, Aria booked the room assuming it would be for Eleonora to use. She put on a façade to secure the bigger room, but the primary reason was to relieve Eleonora’s fatigue after their prolonged journey.
It was only logical to take precaution so as not to disrupt their future schedule by collapsing from exhaustion while traveling.
“Oh.”
This time, Eleonora made a dumbfounded sound. Even though the relationship wasn’t bound by forced contracts, she had never thought she would be allowed to use a bed.
Were slaves really to be treated like this? Could such a thing truly exist?
Thinking back, it seemed there was much more to it than just this. Had Aria ever treated her poorly?
‘No, she hadn’t…’
Reflecting, Eleonora realized that indeed, she hadn’t. Aside from the innate fear and cold voice invoking prejudices about vampires, based on results alone, it seemed Aria had astonishingly been considerate towards Eleonora.
Up until now, she had been too busy following her around to truly scrutinize. But, if Aria hadn’t tailored her pace to match Eleonora’s, she wouldn’t have been able to keep up.
The food was the same. When Aria generously provided preserved food, Eleonora thought it was merely because there were leftovers, but the dinner tonight was an unnecessary expense from Aria’s perspective.
And above all, Aria had yet to draw any blood from Eleonora.
In fact, that alone was no exaggeration to say it was Eleonora’s only value in Aria’s eyes. Yet still, Aria had never asked Eleonora for blood.
“Um… will you not have a meal, master?”
Summoning her courage, Eleonora asked.
She had suggested before that it was fine to drink her blood anytime. Unless there had been substitutes, it seemed Aria had not eaten even once in the past two weeks.
“It’s still bearable. I need to be careful near the city.”
“Bearable” implied it wasn’t a comfortable state.
Then, it became even less understandable. What reason could there be to endure when she was here, willingly presenting herself as a meal?
“Why won’t you drink my blood?”
A slave should not question their master. However, despite pondering whether she was being rude, Eleonora couldn’t refrain from asking.
If Aria abandoned her, Eleonora would die. It would be better to be devoured than ending up as someone with no value as a meal, leaving her with nothing but a meaningless death.
But Aria’s disinterested response was something Eleonora never could have anticipated.
“You’re too skinny.”
“……?”
What is this nonsense? The response was so far beyond her expectations that she was confused about how to interpret it.
“With your current state, you’re like a burden. There’s no way I’m going to drink the blood of someone who looks like she’ll collapse any moment.”
“……!”
Ah, I see now. Eleonora froze in realization like she had been struck by lightning.
Eleonora understood.
Aria, the vampire, treats her not as a tool or food, but as a person. Rather than a disposable item to be used until it can no longer function, she recognized Eleonora as a being with many limitations.
Vampire and Dragonkin? Predator and prey? Such distinctions were of no consequence. Whether it was for feeding or serving, it did not matter.
Despite being in the position of a slave, she wasn’t seen as a consumable.
It meant that she was being considered for what was needed not just for survival, but for her proper growth.
It was clear that Aria was thinking of maintaining a long-term relationship with Eleonora.
Who else but her deceased father had ever treated Eleonora as an entity?
Though she couldn’t remember much from when she was very young, her kin had banished Eleonora and her father.
Afterward, wandering the continent barely managing to survive, she found that no place welcomed her. The best treatment the exiled dragonkin duo could hope for in human society had been to be seen as outcasts, and ultimately, when their identity was discovered, one died while the other became a slave.
Life as a slave was the worst. She wasn’t treated as a person, not even as a proper tool.
Food that barely sustained life could hardly be called a meal.
A cramped and filthy cage where she couldn’t even stretch her little body.
And countless acts of violence carried out in the name of breaking her spirit and making her an easy slave.
There was no consideration in hitting, burning, or breaking her. Even to properly utilize an object requires consistent care and meticulous management as a basic principle, yet humans had only babbled about how valuable products should be treated while treating Eleonora like a disposable good.
Yet.
Despite all that.
Isn’t it funny? Regardless of the trivial reasons, the second person in the world to treat her as an entity ended up being a vampire, whom everyone else deemed a natural enemy.
Eleonora recalls the day she first met Aria. Like a storm, Aria had swept away the slave trader and all the human slaves, looking more like a grim reaper than a savior.
For some reason, she had spared Eleonora’s life, but Eleonora did not dare harbor any expectations.
She wasn’t naïve enough to expect a bright future merely from having survived.
The banished Dragonkin girl could live nowhere in this world alone. It was a harsh but undeniable reality filled with despair.
Thus, when Aria said she’d spare her life because she wasn’t human, Eleonora had staked her fate on that statement.
Eleonora pleaded to be taken in. Desiring nothing more than to be taken away, even if it meant being treated like emergency rations, and if she couldn’t be chosen, she wished for death right there.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t afraid of death, nor was it that she had no attachment to life—such sentiments were lies.
But how could she survive on her own? Even if chosen, life as a vampire’s food could have been far worse than this, but that was simply something she had to accept.
Yes, it wouldn’t matter if she died without being chosen.
She had already once given up on life. Instead of living like a weed and increasing her suffering, she would choose to throw herself at the vampires who had turned against the humans who had made her this way.
Even if she were to die, if she could do so as blood and flesh of a vampire that had slaughtered humans, she felt it might be the most useful way to spend this single life of hers. That was all she thought.
Ironically enough, the darkest night had become a warm ray of sunshine for Eleonora.
“Thank you, master.”
“……What?”
Aria’s brows furrowed slightly, clearly confused.
But even now, that frown no longer seemed frightening to Eleonora. Aria was no longer an object of fear, nor a master she had to force herself to obey for revenge and survival.
“But it’s alright. Please drink my blood.”
“Did you just say—”
“Despite how it looks, Dragonkin have very strong life forces.”
It was true that Eleonora was small and thin for her age. However, that was because she had to survive on nothing but a piece of rock-hard bread for years; she would be abundant now at this level.
“Or do you dislike my blood…?”
Aria shook her head.
Eleonora felt a genuine relief. It wasn’t the fear of being abandoned that eased her; instead, she realized she could be of help to Aria, which brought her a sense of comfort that made her chuckle lightly.
“In that case, please drink. That was the agreement.”
“……Alright then.”
What shifted in the atmosphere, she wasn’t sure, but given Eleonora’s repeated reassurances, Aria saw no reason to refuse any longer.
Seated on the bed, Eleonora loosened her clothing. As she revealed her neck and shoulders, closing her eyes, Aria positioned herself behind her.
Something soft pressed against Eleonora’s back. The warmth and gentle caress wrapping around her seemed to whisper that it was okay to relax.
Feeling Aria’s presence behind her, Eleonora eventually felt the sensation of fangs piercing between her neck and shoulder.
A feeling of something being drawn out from within. A chill mixed with primal repulsion made her body tremble slightly.
“Ah…”
But as soon as Eleonora let out a soft moan, the grip of Aria’s hand and her clenched jaw noticeably relaxed.
Soft and delicate fingers gingerly checked on her condition. Unlike the first greedy, ravenous pull, Aria’s continued feast was slow and gentle.
It wasn’t an act of killing and taking to satisfy instinct but instead a ritual to share strength with someone who wouldn’t be harmed.
Slowly sucking in her blood while feeling the steady gaze of Aria checking on her, Eleonora surrendered herself entirely to the sensation, feeling far more at ease.
The gentle touch, the warmth against her back, and the heated breath near her ear.
Eleonora’s heart raced fiercely, pumping blood rapidly. Despite her heart’s insistence, Aria’s movements remained slow and steady, leaving Eleonora with a feeling of impatient yearning.
As the heat intensified, Eleonora’s shoulders began to rise subtly. In response to her sudden movement, Aria, who had been latched onto her neck, instinctively swallowed hard, causing Eleonora to sense a different sensation as something intensely drained from her.
Eleonora found herself no longer tensing up. She surrendered her body to hands that would never harm her, closed her eyes, and focused on this indescribable stir within her.
It might sounds odd to say it, but once used to the sensation of having her blood drawn by Aria, Eleonora found it surprisingly enjoyable.
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