The Delicate Female Lead Only Wants to be Loved by the Villainous Young Ladies

The first visitor to Hermione’s home was a guest whom even her entire family treated with the utmost respect:

Dorothy, Princess of the Vampire race, last descendant of the Black Emperor, and contractor to a Great Sovereign. That last title was a bit chuuni, but among Familiar-type vampires, Dorothy’s power was truly godlike, inspiring awe and reverence.

This stemmed from her familiar, an otherworldly being of unparalleled might. Any familiar-type vampire who dared to challenge her quickly learned that not only they, but even their own familiars, were as insignificant as dust motes compared to Dorothy’s “Great Sovereign.” Often, before a battle could even begin, they would find themselves surrendering, compelled by an irresistible force to bow before Dorothy and her familiar. Even vampire elders with far greater magical power than Dorothy, if they were Familiar types, would inevitably be suppressed by her familiar’s overwhelming presence. It brought to mind an ancient prophecy, attributed to a True Ancestor whose name was forbidden to speak: “Even among familiars, there is a hierarchy. A servant cannot defy a Great Sovereign.”

This True Ancestor’s name was taboo because he had, in a desperate act of sacrifice, summoned his immensely powerful familiar into their world, an act that resulted in a catastrophic disaster for the magic world, an event known as its darkest day. Because of this, Familiar-type vampires were closely monitored by all races, especially humans, who feared a repeat of that cataclysmic event. They classified these overwhelmingly powerful otherworldly familiars as “Sovereigns,” with Dorothy’s familiar being the most feared among them. In the human world, Dorothy was under constant surveillance. But within Twilight City, her home turf, she was virtually untouchable. Except, perhaps, by the one girl who held her captive: Adele.

………………

Inside the castle, Hermione met with Dorothy. Hermione’s displeasure was evident; she hadn’t wanted to be the one to receive the princess. But her family elders insisted, hoping to maintain a cordial relationship with the powerful royal.

Dorothy, uninterested in pleasantries, stated her purpose bluntly. “Hermione, I want to see Adele.”

Hermione’s brow furrowed, an icy aura emanating from her. Any weaker vampire present would have shivered, their breath frosting in the air. “You’ve come at a bad time,” she said coldly.

“What do you mean? Has Adele left!?”

Hermione calmly sipped her tea, savoring the flavor. It tasted… less sweet than usual. Had her tolerance for sweetness increased? Perhaps, after the intense sweetness of the past few days, her usual tea now seemed bland in comparison. Unbidden, images of her and Adele flashed through her mind, a blush warming her cheeks, melting the Ice Queen’s frosty demeanor.

Dorothy was confused. She asked where Adele was, and Hermione just started blushing? What the hell? She had never seen Hermione act like this before.

“She hasn’t left,” Hermione finally replied, a smug smile playing on her lips. “Adele has been with me these past few days.”

“Inseparable and… intimately close~”

“I don’t think you’d want to see Adele in her current state.” The challenge in her voice was unmistakable.

Dorothy bristled, her imagination {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} conjuring up unwelcome images of Adele flushed and panting, her eyes rolled back in pleasure, her tongue tracing the curve of Hermione’s lips… Was Adele in that state right now?

“Hermione!” Dorothy snapped, her voice sharp enough to make the tea in her cup ripple.

Just as the tension between them reached a breaking point, Adele appeared, descending the staircase in a cute, white lace nightgown, her hair tousled, her lips still swollen from sleep, rubbing her eyes like a sleepy kitten.

“…Stupid Dorothy!” she mumbled, then, ignoring both Hermione’s amused smile and Dorothy’s stunned expression, she padded towards the bathroom.

“I told you, you wouldn’t want to see Adele in her current state,” Hermione said, a smugness in her voice that further fueled Dorothy’s irritation. “She’s always grumpy when she wakes up. I wouldn’t dare disturb her.” She couldn’t resist the subtle jab, hinting at the intimacy they had shared.

Dorothy, realizing she had been played, clenched her fists. But she couldn’t afford to escalate the situation; Adele’s wrath was far more terrifying than Hermione’s. She had to restrain herself, much as it pained her to see Adele so clearly… enamored with Hermione.

Adele returned from the bathroom, refreshed and energized, her earlier sleepiness gone. Despite being the smallest of the three, she radiated a confidence that dwarfed both Hermione and Dorothy.

Seeing Adele unharmed, Dorothy relaxed, a rare tenderness softening her gaze. Perhaps it was Adele’s imagination, but Dorothy seemed more… stable, less prone to the fits of madness that had characterized her in the past.

It seemed Adele’s influence was having a positive effect, though Dorothy’s conscious efforts to change herself also played a part. She had changed for Adele, and Adele, in turn, reciprocated with the affection Dorothy craved. Though initially motivated by self-preservation, Adele’s feelings had deepened, their relationship evolving into something… more. However, due to Dorothy’s past transgressions, their intimacy still couldn’t compare to the bond Adele shared with Celeste or Hermione. But Adele hoped for further growth, even a transformation, in their relationship.

A nagging thought lingered in Adele’s mind. She vaguely remembered the original story mentioning Dorothy’s unstable emotions, her tendency towards madness, linked to her familiar. And the author’s ominous choice of name for Dorothy’s familiar—”Azathoth”—sent shivers down Adele’s spine. She couldn’t shake the feeling that, without her influence, Dorothy might eventually succumb to madness, summoning the eldritch god into their world. It was a terrifying prospect, one Adele couldn’t face. So, for now, it was best to keep Dorothy happy, to make her completely dependent on Adele.

With this in mind, Adele cleared her throat and offered her hand to Dorothy. She had intended for Dorothy to simply hold her hand, but Dorothy, taking her hand, surprised Adele by kissing it, a gesture of reverence that made Adele blush, especially in front of Hermione. She tried to pull away, but Dorothy’s grip was firm, and Adele, with a sigh, simply muttered, “Idiot,” a gentle reprimand.

“Silly… well, let’s go have breakfast,” she said, offering her other hand to Hermione, maintaining a semblance of balance between them. Hermione’s expression had turned frosty at Dorothy’s gesture, but the chill wasn’t directed at Adele, only at Dorothy. Dorothy, however, shielded by her familiar’s power, was immune to such petty displays of magic.

Hermione, taking Adele’s hand, mirrored Dorothy’s gesture, pressing a kiss to Adele’s knuckles. The tingling sensation made Adele blush again. These two… really… But she didn’t protest, silently accepting Hermione’s affection.

They walked towards the dining room, hand in hand. Several of Hermione’s family members came out to greet Dorothy, their expressions shifting from polite indifference to stunned surprise as they noticed Adele holding hands with both Hermione and the princess. It was a sight that made Adele feel a small sense of triumph. Until now, she had been largely ignored by Hermione’s family, dismissed as a youthful infatuation, a gold digger unworthy of their attention. But now, seeing Adele so clearly favored by both Hermione and Dorothy, their attitudes shifted, a grudging respect replacing their earlier disdain.

Dorothy, uninterested in socializing, exchanged a few polite words with Hermione’s elders and returned to Adele’s side, offering her a small pastry.

“This Blood Trial is unusual,” Dorothy said, getting straight to the point.

Adele, nibbling on a ladyfinger dipped in a lemon and pear flavored jam (perhaps made from some magical fruit), looked up curiously.

“What’s different?”

Although Adele assumed she was mostly there to participate, not to win, any inside information from Dorothy was valuable.

Hermione, catching Adele’s eye, continued, “It’s the format, right?”

It seemed Hermione also had some information, using Dorothy’s opening to share what she knew. She didn’t want Dorothy to be the only source of information for Adele.

Dorothy shrugged. “That’s right, the format.”

“In the past, the Blood Trial was divided by Sequence, and the Secret Realms opened by the True Ancestors were also different.”

“But things are different now, I don’t know if it’s because the Secret Realms have merged, due to circumstances, or if it’s a decision made by the True Ancestors.”

“Anyway, in this Blood Trial, regardless of Sequence, everyone will be on the same track, the same map.”

Hermione frowned and continued, “If that’s true, then I also know another piece of information, probably a new rule for this Blood Trial, which is the point system.”

“Every vampire participating in the Blood Trial will have a certain number of points. Defeating and eliminating other vampires in the trial will earn you their points. In the end, the True Ancestors will give out different rewards based on the point ranking after the trial ends.”

“There was no such rule before, but there were still many fights between vampires, after all, the Blood Essence in each Secret Realm was limited.”

Saying that, both Dorothy and Hermione looked at Adele.

Adele also seemed to realize something and gulped nervously.

“Do… do I look… like easy prey!?”

Hearing her words, both Dorothy and Hermione chuckled.

Hermione, sitting closer to Adele, reached out and gently wiped the jam from the corner of Adele’s lips.

Then, without hesitation, she took Adele’s soft, rosy lips into her own.

Dorothy also wanted to do the same, but unfortunately, there was jam on only one corner of Adele’s mouth, so she explained,

“Of course not, but Adele should indeed be careful.”

“Some people don’t have the courage to challenge the strong, they will specifically target low-ranking vampires.”

Because of the point system, all one needed to do was earn enough points to get the rewards from the True Ancestors, this temptation was incredibly strong for young vampires.

Adele was still dissatisfied and said angrily,

“Then they’ve chosen the wrong person!”

“I’m very strong, I make Sequence Ones meow every night!”

The moment Adele finished speaking, Hermione’s face instantly turned red.

Dorothy, seeing the strange atmosphere between them, also seemed to realize something and clenched her fists.

What, she could also meow… n-no!

Anyway, it was all because of Hermione, this shameless woman, seducing Adele!

Just staying at her house for a few days, and Adele had already learned such vulgar language.

But although Adele sounded confident…

Her combat power in bed was clearly not comparable to her real combat power.

With Adele’s current strength, as long as Hermione and Dorothy weren’t “going easy on her,” the one being meowed at should be Adele herself.

Adele continued eating her breakfast while grumbling.

After her mood calmed down, she asked,

“By the way, Hermione, what is the ‘Blood Essence’ you just mentioned…?”

Just as Hermione was about to speak, Dorothy snatched the opportunity to show off her knowledge.

“Blood Essence is the greatest treasure of the Blood Trial.”

“It’s a crimson crystal that naturally forms in the Blood Secret Realm, transparent and pure, possessing the power to completely transform a vampire.”

“It can be said that the Blood Secret Realm and the Blood Essence within it existed before the Blood Trial.”

“As for where the Blood Secret Realm came from and how it was formed, perhaps only the True Ancestors know.”

“But the True Ancestors are very secretive about this and have never revealed anything.”

In other words, even Dorothy, a descendant of the Black Emperor, the most noble and only princess of the current vampire race, didn’t know the secret of the Blood Secret Realm.

She only knew that the True Ancestors opened the Blood Trial to quickly enhance the strength of their descendants.

As for why they wanted to enhance their strength quickly… perhaps the vampire race would face some kind of crisis in the near future?

So they had to use this method to force their growth?

But calling it “forcing their growth” wasn’t entirely accurate.

After all, the enhancement brought by the Blood Essence was real, not an illusion.

According to the elders who had absorbed the Blood Essence, it felt like being nourished by the source of blood, making one feel incredibly pure, it integrated into their bodies and started to cleanse every meridian and every drop of blood.

It completely transformed them, the purity of their blood increasing to an unbelievable level.

“Blood Essence…”

Adele pondered and silently remembered the name.

“So, are we going mining?”

“Uh… Adele’s understanding is quite novel, but in a sense, it’s also correct.”

“But there’s more than just Blood Essence in the Blood Secret Realm, you also have to be careful of the monsters inside, and the unpredictable weather and terrain.”

“Unpredictable?”

Adele was stunned.

“I’ve never been inside either, but according to the elders, it’s indeed unpredictable, with wind and rain, frost and snow, no one knows how vast the Secret Realm is, no one has ever reached its deepest part, to obtain the treasure that even the True Ancestors don’t dare to covet.”

Okay, the flag was set.

Adele had a strong feeling.

Someone would definitely reach the deepest part of the Secret Realm in this Blood Trial.

And obtain the so-called treasure of the Secret Realm.

And that person!

Would definitely be her!