[Mission Complete: Play Hide-and-Seek with Nini! Reward Obtained: Queen's Aura.]
[Queen's Aura: Where the Queen reigns, her dominion thrives! This aura passively dispels curses within a one-meter radius.]
[Ding! You've won the wager and will soon acquire a blood thrall: Nini. Unlocking Nini's Affection Meter. Current Affection: 0 Points. Special Notice: Once a blood thrall's affection reaches 100 points, you may directly channel their power for your own use.]
[Please proceed with binding your blood thrall: Nini.]
"No! It doesn't count! Let's go again! One more round!"
Nini's head popped out of the teapot, her jagged grin stretched wide as she screeched in frustration, her sharp teeth clacking together noisily.
"A deal's a deal," Lilith said, her tone soft yet unyielding. She crossed her legs elegantly as she sat by the table, her crimson eyes glinting with cold authority. "Do you think being little means you get to break promises? That I'll indulge you because of it?"
"Y-you're mean, Sister! Bullying Nini!" she wailed, tears brimming in her blood-red eyes.
Lilith's gaze sharpened. Her voice turned icy. "Or are you saying you dare deceive me, your princess?"
"Because if you do, my father will turn you into nothing more than shattered flesh and scattered blood."
Nini's cries halted abruptly. Her small frame trembled as she sank back into the teapot with a muffled whimper.
[Nini's Affection -10]
"Enough whining. Let's seal the blood contract," Lilith said with a faint, amused smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"F-fine…" Nini stammered, tears brimming in her crimson eyes. She floated out of the teapot, biting her finger hard enough to draw blood. Then, with her small hand trembling, she began tracing a sigil in her palm.
Before she could finish, Lilith reached out and grabbed Nini's wrist firmly, pulling her close.
Her face leaned in, dangerously close, her crimson eyes locking onto Nini's.
"I want a master-servant blood contract," Lilith said softly, "Not an equal one."
[Nini's Affection -10]
Nini froze, her eyes wide and trembling, but Lilith pressed further.
"Or…" Lilith's voice dropped an octave, her words as sharp as a blade. "Shall I inform my father that you tried to deceive his daughter"
[Nini's Affection -20]
Tears rolled down Nini's cheeks as she sniffled and nodded reluctantly. She bit her finger again and, through trembling sobs, traced a new sigil—this time, the unmistakable design of a master-servant bond.
"Good, good. Honesty and integrity—that's the hallmark of a good little girl," Lilith cooed, her tone as sweet as honey.
Without hesitation, Lilith clasped Nini's small, blood-marked hand in her own.
An invisible force rippled through the air, binding the two of them in a strange, arcane connection.
Lilith felt a wave of dark energy pass over her, settling like an iron shackle on her soul.
The pact was sealed.
"Hehehe…"
Lilith couldn't help but chuckle softly. Relief washed over her. The immediate danger had passed.
With Nini bound to her, she finally had a foothold in this twisted, nightmarish world.
Even if the Rules of the Dark World dictated that any being under level 100 was essentially a "normal lifeform"—which, by implication, meant they were weak and easily crushed—Nini wasn't just any blood doll.
Her toy bear's level was marked as ???
Lilith had no doubt that the bear, whatever its true strength, would be a formidable ally.
As for Nini's affection level?
Lilith smirked inwardly. Who cares? With this master-servant bond, you'll be working for me forever, little blood doll.
She turned to Nini, her expression softening into a sweet smile, though her words carried an unmistakable edge.
"From now on, you're my maid," Lilith said warmly, her tone dripping with mock affection. "And if you don't behave… well, I'll be forced to turn you to ash."
Nini sniffled, wiping her eyes with her tiny hands. "Y-yes, Sister… Nini will be good…"
[Congratulations! You've unlocked the achievement: Shadow of the Mind.]
[Some villains always plant an indelible shadow in the hearts of innocent children. Your twisted, grotesque smile has left an irreparable scar on their tender souls. Achievement Reward: +1 Terror Level to your Smile.]
"This damn broken system! My smile is radiant and charming, yet you dare slander me..."
"Tell me, what exactly did my wicked stepmother say to you when she sent you to my room?"
As a modern-day girl who's read over a hundred palace drama novels before transmigrating—modern young lady, to be exact—Lilith's sharp instincts immediately picked up on something fishy.
"She said... Lady Princess is a fun and amazing playmate! So, Nini came to find you."
Came here to "play"? Sure, but...
Forget it. This innocent little Nini clearly knows nothing. But as for Lilith, she'd already pieced together her stepmother's scheme to about 90% accuracy.
Her stepmother, who had barely acknowledged her existence during the six years she'd lived in this vampire castle, suddenly began to show "concern" for her mental health the day before her coming-of-age ceremony. And how? By sending her a creepy, grinning doll.
And as fate would have it, the previous owner of Lilith's body had indeed been scared to death by this very doll.
Sure, the Dark World's first survival rule stated that you were physically safe within a vampire castle. But Lilith knew better—mental safety was not part of the deal.
A death caused by fright? Even her father wouldn't have any grounds to challenge her stepmother over that. After all, the doll was supposed to be a "companion" given with love and care. Who could've predicted that a dignified vampire princess would believe the doll's ominous claim that it would eat her?
Now, the key question was: why was her stepmother so eager to act before Lilith's coming-of-age ceremony?
What about her ceremony could possibly threaten her stepmother's interests?
One thing was certain—if her stepmother found out she was still alive, she wouldn't stop until she rectified that "mistake."
Unfortunately, Lilith realized the previous owner of her body had been so withdrawn, she knew nothing about her own coming-of-age ceremony.
And ignorance, in this dark and treacherous world, was equivalent to danger.
Lilith had only one goal: survival.
If someone had to die, it sure wasn't going to be her.
Determined, Lilith sat once again before her vanity mirror. Her crimson eyes locked onto the reflection.
The bloody writing that had marred the mirror earlier was gone. Now, the smooth surface reflected only her flawless face—snow-white hair, blood-red eyes, and beauty unmatched in the world. Who could possibly rival her? Except, of course, the goddess holding this book on her phone.
For the first time in years, Lilith dared to examine her reflection, realizing with a start that she had grown to resemble her late mother.
The same silky, straight white hair. The same exquisitely sculpted features. The only difference was the color of their eyes.
Her father had loved her mother deeply. Anything that had belonged to her was now a forbidden treasure within the castle.
Even this ornate vanity mirror once belonged to her mother.
And since her mother's belongings were taboo, there was no way her father would tolerate something malicious occupying the mirror—unless that "something" had her mother's approval.
The only explanation for the eerie presence in the mirror was that it had been sanctioned by her mother.
And during her game of hide-and-seek with the doll earlier, Lilith had confirmed that the entity in the mirror was on her side.
Dark World Survival Rule #2: Never look into a mirror.
This rule was likely devised by the original Lilith, afraid that the sight of her own eerie reflection would drain her sanity completely.
Now, as the reflection smiled at her with a blood-stained grin, its jaw opening unnaturally wide, Lilith felt a chill down her spine.
[Nini's Sanity -1]
[Your Sanity -5]
Only five points? It seemed her nerves had grown somewhat resistant to the bizarre.
"Who are you?" Lilith asked, taking a deep breath to steady herself.
In response, four bloody words slowly emerged on the mirror's surface: Bloody Mary.
[Bloody Mary]
[Species]: Undead
[Age]: Ancient
[Level]: ???
[Alignment]: Neutral Evil
[Abilities]: All mirrors in the world are under her dominion.
[Weakness]: Hates shattered mirrors. If the mirror she inhabits breaks, she enters a chaotic state. Witnesses of this state are said to vanish without a trace.
[Description]: At midnight, light a single candle in a dark room and chant her name three times in front of a mirror. You might glimpse your future—or meet her instead. While she can answer your questions, she's more likely to make you disappear. Legends say an evil sorceress once summoned her and would ask every day, "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who's the fairest of them all..."
Lilith studied the panel carefully.
"Ancient age... Aunt Mary, is that you?" she asked with a sweet, innocent smile.
[Bloody Mary's Sanity -0.1]
The "Lilith" in the mirror could not understand why she felt a sense of horror in the little girl's kind smile.