“J-JUST… Just… a sip…”

Seulgi felt instantly dried up at the sight of Irene. She knows that those red eyes spell danger. But what must she do? She was thinking of a lot of things while doing the dishes that she even accidentally cut herself. She came back into senses when she heard rushing footsteps towards her and that is when she realized what she has done to herself.

“Seulgi-ya, do you know that you have a very nice blood smell? And I can see that you’re a type A as well. I bet that’s the reason why Irene wasn’t able to hold herself towards you. HAHAHA! You better be taking a lot of sleep and iron supplements!”

Seulgi felt her skin crawl after remembering what the Vampire King had told her. She did ask him about how vampires react whenever they drink blood and the king confirmed that it is true that they yearn for skinship in the process of blood.

The King has lived for a long time even before laws were set for vampires. He has lived during the time where vampires hunt for food and he knows the reason why humans feared vampires the most. There were those vampires who got really addicted to the blood of a certain prey. That same addiction leads to the death of that prey and now that the most delicious blood is gone, the vampire wanders to find someone of the same or, all the more, more delicious blood. That is one of the reasons why a vampire loses his mind and berserks leading to a lot of humans being hurt.

The King remembers well how many vampires were rehabbed that time. The past king even had to educate vampires about responsible blood . They might end up clearing the globe of pure humans if they don’t learn to handle their hunger or it might be the other way around. Humans learned to fight back and hunt them. The King could remember clearly how bloody that certain part of the history was where vampire heads were considered trophies.

“Young vampires don’t know the euphoric pleasure there is in blood directly from a human. Joohyun must be really surprised about it. I believe she won’t calm down until she gets another taste of you. You better set early rules.”

“Seulgi-ya…” Irene called once again. Her blood-shot eyes are glittering.

Seulgi gulped. She could clearly see Irene’s protruding fangs.

“Setting rules would really help you. A vampire who is in need of her favorite blood is just like a tamed puppy.”

“Seulgi-ya…” Again, Irene called out to her, taking one step towards her. Seulgi even lost her grip on the knife that she was holding; it fell, clashing to the other utensils in the sink. That made her jerk to her place but Irene didn’t even blink. Her eyes are fixed to her.

“Won’t you like it when she is so into you?”

‘I…’ Again, Seulgi gulped. ‘She’s not into me… She’s into my blood…’

Seulgi took a deep breath to somehow calm herself. She has proven that what the Vampire King said about Irene is true so now she has to do what the King advised her to do.

“S-Sure…”

Seulgi watched how delight brightened up Irene’s face but seeing her fangs as she smiled still brought fear to her. Even she herself doesn’t know why she is this afraid whenever she sees those fangs.

“R-Really?” Irene stammered as she skipped her way towards Seulgi.

The excitement on Irene’s face made Seulgi feel a lot of things. But she has to set rules. She has to do something to protect herself… and a brilliant idea entered her mind.

A smirk curved up on Seulgi’s lips.

“Yeah… Come here…” Seulgi then held Irene by the hand and led her towards the dining table. The Vampire Princess, just like what her father said, went and followed Seulgi like a tamed little puppy.

“Seulgi-ya…” Irene called, looking intently at Seulgi’s wound. “T-The blood is dripping… Let me—”

“Sit here.” Seulgi said, more of a command, telling the other girl to sit by the table.

“Huh? But—”

Irene closed her eyes when she felt Seulgi pushed her by the table. The next thing she knew is Seulgi is looking down at her with those alluring eyes with her body pressed on hers. She’s been caged by Seulgi’s arms by the dining table and the smell of the girl’s blood is making her dizzy.

“S-Seulgi—”

She was surprised when the other girl lifted her chin up to make her meet her stare. “I’ll give you my blood… What would you give me in return?”

That statement of Seulgi somehow knocked sense to Irene’s thirst-controlled state. Of course, nothing is free in this world (except fanfictions* ㅠㅠ). It’s also not the same situation while they were on their honeymoon. That time, there was no other choice but to have Seulgi feed her but now is completely different. She is craving for her blood to the point that other bloods couldn’t satisfy her. It is reasonable for Seulgi to ask something in exchange this time… but she never thought that she would actually ask for that.

*JK, fanfictions cost the author’s time, blood, sweat and tears. XD

Irene gasped for air when she felt Seulgi’s palm by her waist. Her other hand is playing with her red burgundy hair and she is clearly enjoying her scent. When Seulgi let down Irene’s hair, she closed the distance between their faces and once again asked, “What are you willing to give back in return, Rusty?”

“What are you talking about—”

“Come on, Rusty…” Seulgi shook her head. “Don’t you think it is unfair that you are the only one getting something? What about me?”

“B-B-But Seulgi—” Irene covered her lips when she noticed how Seulgi was staring intently on her lips. The latter then sneered. She proceeded in laying out the double-edged sword.

Irene’s eyes widened when she felt Seulgi’s lips at the back of her hand. She couldn’t believe that she’s really aiming to kiss her. Seulgi slowly lifted her lips away from Irene before tilting her head to the side. “Aren’t you going to move your hand away?”

Irene wasn’t able to answer when Seulgi kissed her hand again. This time Seulgi even moved her lips. The Vampire Princess couldn’t do anything but to whimper. She tried to move and free herself but Seulgi only pulled her closer. She couldn’t believe that she’s strong physically despite being a zero or was she that hungry that she didn’t have the strength to push her away?

One wrong move and Irene would get her first kiss. She couldn’t even move her hands from .

Seulgi stopped peppering her hand with kisses and gave her a disappointed look. “Come on, Joohyun… What are you being boring for? You admitted it, right? You wanted to kiss me…”

“B-But—”

“It’s not bad if we do it anyway. We are married. What’s there to be afraid of?” Seulgi pulled her closer but Irene won’t just remove her hand away. Seulgi then went with her last card and started slowly ing Irene’s shirt with her wounded hand.

The vampire started to panic but Seulgi just gave her a sly smile. “This isn’t a bad payment for my blood, right? You satisfy your thirst for blood at the same time getting plea—”

Seulgi’s neck almost broke with that one strong slap from the Vampire Princess. She was expecting this to happen but she didn’t think that a vampire’s slap would be that powerful. It felt like she was punched straight to the face hence her wounded lip.

She then slowly turned to Irene. The girl is still covering her lips while shivering in fear. It’s just too weird that she’s afraid of getting kissed but she’s okay with blood.

‘Now you know what I felt…’ Seulgi commented at the back of her head. She straightened her back before stretching her neck. She wiped the blood from her lips then looked back at the vampire.

“I will never ask for your blood again!” Irene shouted; her eyes teary.

The Shaman Princess rolled her eyes. “I already heard that line during the honeymoon.”

Irene clenched the part of her shirt that was ed. “I will never, ever ask blood from you again! Who gave you the permission to do this to me, huh!? Who told you that I would do such a thing with you!?”

Seulgi remained silent. She has succeeded in making her stay away from her blood and now she has to face and swallow whatever the other girl is going to say.

“How can you just do that to me!? Do you know that I can report you for harassment!?”

Seulgi shrugged her shoulders. “Go on. As if someone is going to believe you.”

“Don’t ever do that again to me! I am fine with the usual blood! I don’t need yours! Don’t you dare to harass me again like that! You are nothing but a—”

Irene stepped on the breaks when she realized what her stupid mouth is going to say again. Seulgi’s eyes were covered with her bangs. The wound on her lips is still bleeding and her fists clenched. That was the time she realized how much damage she has inflicted on the other girl yet again. She didn’t give her just another wound, she just touched a never-healing scar.

“Go ahead.” Seulgi said in a low voice. “I am listening. It always has to go back to that fact, right? Beings with power are all the same anyway.”

The Shaman Princess raised her head up and wiped the blood from her face. Irene’s heart ache at the scene. “All you guys know is play with the weak. You get everything that you can get for free but when you are put in reverse, you instantly feel sick for being under someone who is a mere zero like me. The likes of you don’t know anything about the word ‘give’.”

Seulgi scoffed. Looking at the current situation, she could say that there is really no answer for this kind of relationship. She’s tired of being stepped around by people. If her wife would do the same on her then there’s just no point of trying to work things out. They are better off as a dummy couple who is a symbol of peace.

“Sorry for startling you. I just want to tease you a little but I didn’t know you loathe being controlled by someone that much.” Seulgi then turned her back on her as she headed back to her room. “My friends are going to visit me later. If you don’t want to be seen by ordinary people, you better stay in your room or just leave this house.”

And with that, another heavy banter has ended.

“HAHAHA! That’s so silly of you, Kang Seulgi!”

Sooyoung’s laughter echoed throughout the whole balcony which somehow made Seulgi worry that Irene might come and nag at them but then she remembered, Irene would never present herself to her friends. She’d rather hide being married to a no-spec like her than getting a peaceful rest day. She doesn’t know that Seulgi has already told her close and trust-worthy friends about the current situation. They were bound to know about it since Sooyoung and Yerim are both from families of shamans with zero powers but even if they didn’t have the access to that information, Seulgi would still tell them since the two were basically her sisters.

“I can’t believe you have to frighten your wife like that just to avoid her fangs!” Sooyoung laughed even harder before munching a fried chicken leg. She was laughing so loud that Yerim couldn’t help but to be annoyed.

“Why are you laughing like a mad man?” Yerim asked as she rolled her eyes. “There isn’t anything funny about the situation.”

“What’s not funny?” Sooyoung scoffed. “There are many hilarious things involved in this situation. First, a vampire chose to abandon her food just to avoid being kissed. Second, a wife getting frightened from her partner’s kiss. Third, Seulgi actually thinks that it is a good idea to frighten the Vampire Princess and ended up hurting herself in the process. Fourth, Seulgi’s lips being forever .”

“Shut up and just eat.” Seulgi sighed.

“The whole scenario is like a huge comedy film. Their marriage is already a joke since the beginning!”

“Sooyoung-unnie!” Yerim hit her by the shoulder but Sooyoung just snickered at her.

“Remind me again of why I invited you here because I am regretting it now.” Seulgi also took a piece of chicken and just started eating her stress away. Sooyoung doesn’t really have any breaks with her words but Seulgi knows that she is just showing her how other people will look at the current scenario.

It turns out that Irene didn’t leave even after that harassment. The vampire chose to stay at home and it seems like she also locked herself to her room. When Sooyoung and Yerim arrived, Seulgi even told her about it by her door but Irene didn’t respond at all. It’s either she’s angry about what happened or she’s just getting sleep and charging iron after not getting what she wanted.

“So, did you explain to her that the smell of alcohol last time was because a drunk ahjussi spilled his soju on you?” Yerim asked. They were actually hanging out at an arcade center that time when an old man just came and started spilling alcohol here and there.

“Hm? Why should I tell her that?” Seulgi asked back.

“Well, you said she looked disappointed when you came home smelling like alcohol.”

Seulgi just sneered. “She won’t need that information. If I tell her that she would probably say, ‘Did I even ask?’ and then walk away from me.”

“I can’t believe your life suddenly turned upside-down like this.” Sooyoung started with her commentaries again. “You were once a zero who is close to begging on the streets but now you are reinstated as a princess and is treating your precious friends delicious foods almost everyday~”

“I am still a zero.” Seulgi cleared things out with a smile. “And my only precious friend is Yerim. You are just an excess baggage.”

“No one is going to believe that I am an excess baggage.” Sooyoung proudly answered. “And don’t talk like that. Yerim is going to blush!”

Hearing that statement, Yerim just shook her head in disappointment and continued with eating.

The three continued eating while talking about how things are going. For a gathering among friends (-slash- zeros) their talk is really serious as they discuss about politics, on how her marriage with Irene affected the zero community and about the murder case of Seulgi’s brother.

“We’re living in a quite stressful world.” Yerim sighed. Hearing all the news makes her worry about her family’s future. If a war suddenly breaks out, she’s sure that no one will come to their aid as they are powerless and not needed in the society.

“Don’t worry about that, Yerim.” Seulgi said. “I will surely protect everyone from the shelter. Do your best with your studies and don’t worry about the expenses. I will pay for it.”

“Seulgi—”

“Wow~!” Sooyoung started hitting Seulgi at her back. “Stop flexing your wealth, Princess! Yerim will fall harder on you!”

Seulgi and Yerim just looked at each other before shaking their heads in sync.

“I am just being grateful for her and her family. They served as my second family and treated me like their own child while I was in exile.” Seulgi explained. “Yerim is a very important—”

The three of them jerked in their places when they heard a loud banging sound upstairs, coming from Irene’s room.

“Hey, Seulgi. Is she okay?” Sooyoung asked.

“Do you think we should check her out?” Yerim suggested.

Seulgi just sigh