Iss's words stunned Camilla for a moment.

"Put it in the cup... My Lady?"

"Do as I command."

"Yes."

With a slight nod, Camilla stood up from her seat and produced a short blade from somewhere. She gently placed it against the blood slave's neck. Fear filled the blood slave's face, and her body trembled. Her breathing became rapid. Despite this, the girl did not have the courage to resist or retreat. She simply sobbed softly, closed her eyes, and waited for the blade to take her life - or so it should have been.

Iss furrowed her brow and pointed to the girl's hand, which had turned purple due to the force.

"Here."

Not understanding Iss's words, Camilla cocked her head.

"But you said only the blood near the neck is fresh."

"That was before. I have changed my mind now."

"...I see." Camilla retracted the blade and patted the girl's back. In a cruel and heartless voice, she commanded, "Stretch out your hand."

"Ah..."

It was obvious that the girl had no idea she was being saved. She looked at Camilla blankly. However, Camilla did not give her time to react. She directly grabbed the girl's hand and spread it out, then swiftly cut across her palm with the short blade.

Blood immediately dripped into the glass beneath the girl's hand. However, the screams of fear or pain that Iss had imagined did not occur. Instead, the girl had a surprised or even relieved expression. After her hand instinctively recoiled from the pain for a while, she no longer resisted, as if she had become accustomed to bleeding.

As a vampire, she should have been accustomed to blood.

Compared to the girl's survival, Camilla's behavior surprised Iss even more. At first, she thought that Camilla had a very kind personality. This was why she entrusted the task of bleeding to her. However, she never expected that Camilla never intended to let the girl live from the beginning. Camilla's heartless actions left Iss at a loss for words.

Does she not care about the lives of others because she loves me? Or does she see slaves as objects because she is in a position of power? Or perhaps she is just naturally cruel and heartless? Iss couldn't think clearly. She could only quietly label Camilla as cruel.

In less than a minute, the transparent highball glass was filled with blood. The liquid had turned dark red due to exposure to the air.

"That's enough." Iss pointed her palm towards Camilla, signaling her to stop. She then waved to the maid who was waiting at the table. "Take her down, heal her wounds, and there will be other uses for her in the future - everyone else, leave."

"Yes, Lady Persia."

Once all the maids had left, Iss glanced at Camilla sitting next to her. Camilla did not show any surprise at what she had just done. She just ate her dinner with a knife and fork by herself, which proved that her actions did not arouse suspicion. Everything was under control.

A good start.

Iss applauded herself inwardly. The plan to gradually change the countess's eldest daughter's character seemed feasible.

Next, she needed to focus on the blood.

Lifting the almost overflowing glass filled with dark red blood, Iss's throat involuntarily twitched. This was not due to a vampire's craving for blood, but a normal reaction from her human soul.

Unlike the feeling of licking a wound or bleeding gums, the strong smell of blood when there was too much made one feel nauseous. When Iss was a child, she had been to an old-fashioned slaughterhouse. Every time she recalled the overpowering smell of blood that made her eyes burn, she felt her stomach churn.

And the smell now was not much different from back then.

The difference was that now, she found this bloody smell intoxicating.

"So this is the change brought by being a vampire..." Iss murmured in a voice that Camilla couldn't hear. "I can only continue from here, and I'm curious about the taste of blood as well."

If blood for vampires had different tastes like juice, didn't that mean that the taste of everyone's blood was different?

Thinking about such things, Iss glanced at Camilla through the glass. Once she confirmed that Camilla wasn't looking at her, she carefully extended her tongue and gently brushed it across the surface of the liquid.The expected bloodiness did not come. It was sweet. Not the sweetness of sugar, but more like a honey-like taste with a slight sourness. If Iss had to describe it with something she had eaten before, she could only think of dipping an unripe mango in honey.

However, this was just the beginning. When the blood flowed into her stomach through her throat, a feeling she had never experienced before filled her entire body. It was an exhilarating sensation, as if she had fallen into a dreamland. All worries and burdens disappeared in that moment, and her spirit soared like a bird with wings, traversing through the hazy clouds. It was akin to a devoted drinker finding the best wine in the world, the overwhelming happiness almost causing one to lose oneself.

Subconsciously, Iss tilted the glass, and the blood that was about to overflow suddenly filled her tongue. The sense of relief became even more intense, and every cell in her body cheered for this moment. Iss didn't even notice that her wings had opened to their fullest at her waist, or that her throat was unconsciously moaning. The blood in the cup even dripped down her mouth because she couldn't swallow it in time.

It wasn't until the last drop of blood had dried up that Iss gradually snapped back to reality from her daze. The fading contrast of happiness made her sigh, and she licked her lips in disappointment. Subconsciously, she glanced at Camilla's smooth and white neck sitting next to her – it seemed to be tempting her to take a bite.

No, that was something even the Countess's eldest daughter dared not do. Like being doused with a bucket of cold water, Iss immediately came to her senses. If she hadn't snapped out of her reverie in time, she would probably have done something disgraceful like licking the glass. But as a vampire, blood had indeed become something addictive to her. Iss began to understand why the Countess's eldest daughter would commit such cruel acts as sucking people dry.

With a light sigh, Iss shook her head and put the glass back on the table.

"Phew-"

"Madam, you..."

"Hmm?"

It wasn't until now that Iss realized what she had done. The meal on the table had been overturned by her flapping wings, and there were blood stains everywhere on her bright blue dress. Her white bangs were sticking together due to sweat, making her look nothing like a person who had received noble education.

However, Camilla didn't suspect anything, only curiosity shown on her exquisite face.

"Did Madam enjoy the taste of that slave? It was the first time I saw Madam lose control because of blood."

"Cough, indeed, the taste of that slave was good. That's why I decided to keep her," Iss pretended to stay calm as she stood up. There was no need for her to stay here any longer since the food had been overturned. "Have the kitchen prepare another portion and send it to my room. Additionally, I need to take a bath."

"Very well, leave it to me, Madam."

Watching Iss leave, a strange color flickered in Camilla's crimson eyes. It wasn't worry or admiration, but a mixture of confusion, curiosity, and a thirst for knowledge.