Chapter 7: Genevieve Valois [1]
Acting on pure instinct, Cressida darted forward without a hint of fear.
She slammed the guard against the wall, one hand clamped over the woman’s lips.
The suddenness of it left the armored figure frozen in shock, clearly stronger, yet momentarily caught off guard by the sheer audacity of the girl’s move.
"P-Please... just stay quiet," Cressida whispered, her voice trembling with sincerity. "I’m not going to hurt you. I swear."
The guard said nothing until their gaze met.
The armored woman had silver eyes that was luminous, like distilled moonlight.
For a fleeting moment, Cressida forgot to breathe, caught between fear and fascination. Then realizing their position, and she stumbled back, releasing the woman and hastily straightening her nightdress.
The guard adjusted her armor in silence, expression unreadable, as if nothing at all had happened.
When Cressida looked back, she caught a glint of fangs beneath the guard’s lips. A vampire, just like Agrona.
"Why are you pretending not to know me?" the guard asked, though it sounded quite rough.
"What... do you mean?"
Shit. Was this one of the people the original Cressida had wronged or worse, someone she’d deliberately pissed off?
"Hmph. It seems your arrogance knows no bounds, you don’t even recognize the one you’ve crossed."
║[SYSTEM] +3 Negative EXP — Provocative Response.║
║[SYSTEM NOTICE] Positive and Negative EXP do not represent morality. They reflect potential outcomes, growth through harmony or chaos.║
Provocative, my ass! You’re probably the arrogant one for getting offended that easily!
Unless... the original Cressida really did do something to this guard.
"I don’t even know you," Cressida said, her brow twitching in irritation.
The guard’s silver eyes narrowed. "You’ve truly forgotten me? How convenient." She tilted her head slightly, voice sharp as steel. "Genevieve Valois. As if you would re-"
What followed was nothing short of humiliating, a dramatic stumble that ended with Cressida dropping to her knees in front of the woman.
Ah.
Genevieve.
Of course it was her.
A crucial character in the novel, one of Agrona’s closest allies, at least in the beginning.
Genevieve Valois came from a fallen noble house, her entire family wiped out in a political massacre. She had been an easy pawn for the relatives clawing after what little remained of the Valois legacy.
That was, until Agrona took her in.
She reshaped the broken girl into a dignified heiress worthy of the Valois name, molding her into both weapon and ornament. Since then, Genevieve had served Agrona with unwavering precision and loyalty.
But beneath that loyalty festered resentment. Her gratitude warred with disgust, her obedience with guilt.
And in the end, she would turn her back on Agrona entirely, defecting to the heroine’s side as one of her most devoted allies.
Cressida, ever the shameless opportunist, had used Genevieve as a stepping stone to get closer to Agrona before all the chaos.
Naturally, that hadn’t gone over well. From then on, the original Cressida had treated the guard with nothing short of disdain through mockery, arrogance, and all the petty cruelties of someone desperate for status.
"I–I’m... sorry..." Cressida forced out a strained laugh, the sound brittle. "Genevieve, right... yes... of course."
"Why are you on your knees?" Genevieve asked, her tone filled with amusement as she crossed her arms. "I can’t say I mind the sight, though."
║[SYSTEM] +5 Positive EXP — Humility acknowledged: Kneeling before Genevieve.║
"I’m sorry..." Cressida muttered.
"Are you just saying sorry so I’ll let you escape?"
"Yes."
"Not a chance."
"Aw."
Without another word, Genevieve bent down and effortlessly scooped Cressida up by the waist, slinging her over her shoulder like she weighed nothing.
The motion was smooth and practiced. Clearly, this wasn’t her first time hauling trouble back to its cage.
From this close, Cressida caught a glimpse of the woman’s snow-white hair and pale skin that shimmered like moonlight.
This isn’t the time to admire her, idiot!
"Let me go!" she yelled, wriggling furiously. Her hand slipped, and she nearly toppled backward, only for Genevieve to catch her by the hips, steadying her.
"You are one stubborn girl," the guard muttered, exasperated. "Shouldn’t you be honored to serve the madam?"
"Oh, hell no!"
Genevieve sighed, tightening her grip as Cressida continued to flail, kick, and push with all the strength of a furious kitten. "Stop moving, or I’ll actually drop you this time!"
"If you let me go, I’ll let you drink my blood!"
Genevieve arched a brow, unimpressed. "No, thank you. Your blood probably tastes rotten."
"How would you know if you haven’t tried?!" Cressida shot back, then, in a moment of desperation, shoved her wrist against Genevieve’s lips. "Go on then, drink!"