My Horny Stepmom Turns Me into Her Vampire Slave

Chapter 144: B - The same hot-tempered princess as always

"I humbly stand before you, Princess Eliss, to ask for your hand in marri—" a satyr begins.

He’s a vaguely humanoid creature with the lower body of a goat—gray fur, thick black hooves, and long, curved horns.

But he doesn’t even get to finish.

"Get out of my sight, abomination," Eliss cuts him off coldly, lazily slumped on her throne as she dismisses him with a careless wave of her hand.

The throne stands inside a vast stone hall, its ceiling draped with banners bearing the Narkhalis family crest. The chamber stretches far into the distance, with a massive set of main doors at one end and two smaller side doors closer to where Eliss sits.

"P-Princess Eliss, at least give me a chance to introduce myself," the satyr stammers, caught off guard by the succubus’s icy attitude. "M-My name is Caldyos Slategorn, prince of the Kingdom of Panshyl. My house is wealthy and powerful, and an alliance between our families could—"

"I told you to leave. Now. Your very presence makes me sick," Eliss cuts him off again, her voice sharp and merciless.

"P-Princess Eliss, please, just let me—"

"Didn’t you hear what the Princess said?!" one of the guards standing to the right of the throne snaps. "Your presence is not welcome, so we kindly ask you to leave the palace immediately."

"I... I..." Caldyos growls, climbing back onto his hooves before trotting toward the massive doors of the grand hall where Eliss has received her suitors for the past five years. "...I’ve never been so humiliated in my life. I’ll never forget this insult. Mark my words!"

The moment those angry words leave his mouth, Eliss’s eyes flare with fury.

"You filthy, worthless creature... how dare you threaten me?!"

She raises her arm, pointing a finger straight at Caldyos. The tip of her nail begins to glow with a vivid purple light.

"It’s already an insult that a disgusting creature like you, from an insignificant kingdom like Panshyl, was even allowed to stand before me. And now you have the nerve to threaten the princess of one of the most powerful kingdoms in all of Elyndra?! You’ll pay for that insult with your life!"

The purple energy gathering at the tip of Eliss’s finger grows brighter and brighter, ready to fire, while Caldyos breaks into a panicked sprint toward the exit.

At the last second, though, she relents, dispersing the spell the instant the satyr crosses the doorway.

Eliss isn’t foolish enough to start a diplomatic incident by killing the prince of a kingdom that borders Ravessia.

She only wanted to scare him.

"Princess Eliss has always been pretty harsh on her suitors, but ever since she came back from Earth, she’s been even worse..." one guard whispers to the other.

"Yeah. I wonder what happened to her on that planet to make her so tense and irritable," the other replies just as quietly.

As low as their voices are, Eliss still hears every word.

She shoots both guards a murderous glare.

"If I hear either of you talking shit about me one more time, I’ll have you both rot in the palace dungeons for the rest of your miserable lives. Am I clear?!"

"Y-Yes... please forgive us, Princess Eliss..." the two guards mumble in unison.

"Why are you so angry, little sister?" a mocking voice calls from beyond one of the side doors. "Those guards are right. You’ve become even more unbearable than I remember."

Standing in the doorway is a breathtakingly beautiful woman with short silver hair and a single pink strand falling over one eye.

"Vanya, shut the fuck up. I’m really not in the mood to fight with you today," Eliss snaps. "You’ve got three seconds to get out of my sight. You know, that satyr from earlier probably hasn’t gone very far yet. You can still catch up to him and let him fuck you like the whore you are. Then again, that’s what you always do, isn’t it? Makes me wonder if you actually enjoy playing with my leftovers."

"H-How dare you, you arrogant little bitch?!" Vanya shouts, storming toward Eliss. "You think you’re so much better than everyone else just because you were lucky enough to be born with a pretty face?! We’ll see how many suitors you still have after I smash it in!"

Eliss doesn’t answer with words.

She steps down from her throne and walks toward her older sister, matching her hostility with her own unwavering resolve.

An intense purple aura flares around both sisters.

"P-Princess Eliss, you only recovered a few hours ago after spending an entire day bedridden. I don’t think it’s wise to pick a fight with your sister," one of the guards says quietly, trying to stop the confrontation before it begins.

Eliss shoots him an irritated look, but all she can do is grit her teeth in frustration.

She knows Vanya’s strength and mastery of magic are far beyond her own.

But at that very moment...

"Princess Eliss, weren’t you the one who said it’s foolish to challenge someone far stronger than yourself?"

Raelor’s deep, calm voice echoes through the entire hall.

The instant Vanya hears it, she stops in her tracks, and the purple aura surrounding her body disappears at once.

Officially, Raelor holds the same rank as a royal guard. But when he speaks, even the princesses lower their heads, thanks to his reputation as the strongest Nightmare in all of Ravessia.

And yet, it isn’t fear of Raelor that makes Eliss back down.

It’s the memory his words awaken.

The memory of that day on the path along the Chikuma River, when she had said those exact same words to Aoshi.

Her eyes instantly grow misty.

A bittersweet wave of nostalgia washes over her as she slowly drags herself back to the throne and drops onto it.

"Princess Eliss, that posture is unfit for a princess receiving her suitors. Compose yourself before the next one comes in," Raelor scolds.

Eliss lets out an open sigh.

"Like I give a damn about making a good impression on them..." she mutters, sitting up properly. "Wait... that abomination from before was supposed to be the last one today. So why the hell are you telling me there’s another one coming?"

"Yes, technically today’s suitors were finished..." Raelor replies.

A faint smile curls across his lips.

"...but one arrived at the very last minute, and he’s dying to meet you."