CHAPTER 431: CITY OF DELICACIES *REINVENTED*

Amber inhaled deeply. The scents clashed and mingled—the smoke of grills, the sweetness of honey, the spice of pepper. Her stomach growled faintly, a sound that made her glance away, cheeks warming despite her vampiric pride.

Lilith’s lips curved ever so slightly. "Go on. Choose."

Amber drifted toward a stall where a broad-shouldered cook fanned flames over skewers of meat. Fat dripped onto the coals, hissing, sending up clouds of mouthwatering smoke.

"One wild boar skewer," the man announced, thrusting it toward her with a grin. "Caught fresh from the northern woods this very morning!"

Amber bit into it, her eyes widening. The flavor burst across her tongue—smoky, tender, the seasoning simple but perfectly balanced. "Delicious..." she whispered.

Lilith took one as well, her expression unchanging save for the faintest tilt of her brow in approval.

From there, the two drifted from stall to stall like travelers sampling the world one bite at a time.

Fried dumplings filled with spiced vegetables and minced beast meat, crisp on the outside, hot and savory within.

Bowls of steaming noodles, the broth rich with marrow and wild herbs, the steam curling upward like incense.

Roasted chestnuts, their shells cracking open with satisfying pops, releasing warmth into their hands as they peeled them.

And finally, pastries filled with cream, so soft they nearly melted on Amber’s tongue, glazed with syrup that clung to her lips.

Amber devoured them with enthusiasm, her crimson eyes lighting up with each new flavor. She licked sugar from her fingertips, sighing in bliss.

"This..." she admitted, "almost makes me forget what we are. I feel—"

"Human?" Lilith offered quietly.

Amber hesitated, then nodded. "Yes. For a moment."

Their wandering brought them to a wide plaza where a crowd had gathered. Torches lit the square, and above them acrobats swung and flipped from ropes strung high between poles. The performers twisted gracefully, their bodies silhouetted against the night sky as they leapt from rope to rope, drawing gasps and cheers from the onlookers.

Amber tilted her head, crimson eyes tracking every motion. "They move like trained fighters," she muttered.

"Discipline and control," Lilith replied. "The foundation is the same. Their stage is the sky. Ours is the battlefield."

Amber folded her arms, quietly impressed. She wondered if her master would ever see her with such eyes, not as a predator, but as someone capable of grace. The thought lingered like an ember in her chest.

Past the plaza lay rows of festival games. Lanterns painted the night with warm hues of red, orange, and gold. Couples laughed as they tossed rings, children squealed while chasing painted wooden ducks in shallow pools, and strongmen struck bells with mallets to prove their worth.

Amber’s eyes sparkled with challenge. She stepped up to the ring toss.

Her first ring clattered to the ground. The second missed again. She scowled.

Lilith, watching with arms folded, finally said, "You’re overthinking. Don’t throw—aim. As if it were your blood arts. Visualize the path."

Amber narrowed her eyes, exhaling slowly. She pictured the arc, flicked her wrist, and this time the ring landed neatly over the bottle’s neck.

The stallkeeper applauded. "Well done, young lady! You’ve earned yourself a prize." He handed her a red crystal pendant strung on a thin chain.

Amber held it up, the crystal catching the lantern light. It wasn’t valuable, yet it stirred something inside her. A token. A reminder. She slipped it around her neck.

Lilith’s gaze lingered briefly on the pendant, but she said nothing.

By the time night deepened, the city had transformed into a dream of lights. Lanterns floated down the river, their reflections painting the waters in shimmering gold and crimson. Music drifted across the breeze—soft lutes, the distant beat of drums, the harmony of voices singing under the stars.

Amber and Lilith walked the riverside in silence. The air was cool, the world alive. Couples leaned against one another, children chased fireflies, merchants lit candles outside their shops.

Amber stopped at a bridge, resting her arms on the railing. She stared at the drifting lanterns, her crimson eyes reflecting their glow.

"I wish he could see this," she murmured, voice soft. "I want to stand at his side, not only in battle, but here too... sharing moments like this."

Lilith’s eyes softened almost imperceptibly. "Then grow stronger. So that when that day comes, you’ll not just follow him—you’ll walk beside him."

Amber clenched the pendant at her chest. "I will."

The promise burned within her, fierce and unyielding.

At last, they returned to the inn. Their room was simple but welcoming, with polished wood, a soft double bed, and a faint fragrance of lavender. A basin of warm water awaited them.

Amber collapsed onto the bed with a sigh, stretching her arms. "I almost forgot what it feels like... to enjoy something normal."

Lilith slipped off her cloak, graceful even in small gestures, and settled on her side of the bed. "Remember it. These moments are rare. Hold onto them, so that when the blood and darkness weigh heavily on you, you’ll have something worth fighting for."

Amber turned her head, watching Lilith’s face soften as her eyes closed. For a long while, she lay in silence, the sounds of the city filtering faintly through the window—the laughter, the music, the life.

Slowly, her eyelids grew heavy. She curled her fingers around the pendant, pressing it against her chest.

"For you, Master," she whispered.

"Everything I become... everything I am... it’s for you."

Sleep claimed her at last. The city outside pulsed with life, but within the quiet room there was only stillness, and the quiet breathing of two vampires who had, for a single night, allowed themselves to be part of the world they so often walked apart from.

That night, Amber dreamed of her master, his eyes, his words, his touch, their first meeting, the devil like deal which would and have forever changed her life, from someone powerful to someone who could easily claim life today, she didn’t regret one bit, instead she was grateful to have been bestowed this kind of life. She was indeed really grateful and would do everything to satisfy her master, even meaning turning into a real devil, she didn’t mind and would warmly embrace this reality, it is who she had become today. The weak Amber was no more only thing left is someone who exist to solely satisfy her master while reeling in the feeling of destruction she would brought.