Evil Dragon, Without a Princess, I Had to Transform Myself!-Chapter 36 : Promise

Elaphia wandered around. Nearly two centuries of physical and mental torment had given her strong recovery ability—after just one night, she had already recovered.
Several times she walked to the Princess's bedroom door. The carved cherry wood door at the end of the corridor was locked. After stopping for a while, she would leave.
But moments later, Elaphia would come look again, though she never saw that dandelion girl again, not knowing whether she had left completely or gone out on business.
A knock came at the door. Elaphia went to open it and saw the Duchess standing outside in pure black noble attire, with Loranhir behind her pushing a medical cart.
"Duchess, you came personally," Elaphia said.
"Her Highness went to comfort the victims, so I came to check on you in her place," the Duchess turned her head and said admiringly to the Hero, "She's recovered quite well. I never thought the Hero would also be skilled in healing divine magic. Truly worthy of being a Hero—simply an all-capable existence."
Loranhir shrugged and said nothing.
She hadn't done anything either.
It was as if this person had mysteriously gotten better on her own. She didn't know if her night-long prayers had finally worked, or if there was some other reason.
When she first heard the Princess ask her to help save Elaphia, Loranhir was completely stunned.
She didn't know how.
Although Elaphia was someone who lied constantly to her—though she herself wasn't much better and had no right to criticize—Loranhir still didn't want Elaphia to die. If she tried to treat her, she'd probably make a healthy person sick.
Loranhir had wanted to find the Princess and get her to change her mind and seek a cleric instead, but the Princess just smiled, put her index finger to her lips, then pushed a medical cart into Elaphia's room and locked the door from inside.
This was the first time Loranhir knew the Princess had some medical skills, though the commotion inside was quite loud—it even felt somewhat like torture instruments were being used.
But that was probably just an illusion. Looking now, the post-operative results seemed pretty good?
Though being up and about after just one night was somewhat exaggerated.
Loranhir felt there was something fishy about it, but the Princess didn't seem to want to tell her anything.
If she didn't want to say, then fine.
If the Princess wanted to pretend nothing happened, then let her keep pretending.
No matter what, Loranhir would still choose to trust the Princess.
She didn't know why anyway.
Light footsteps echoed in the corridor. Soon, a girl appeared wearing a blue dress, her dandelion-colored long hair tied with a blue ribbon.
"I heard from Craig that you've been wandering back and forth outside my bedroom all day today," Patunasankus said as she bounced in front of Elaphia. "Is there something you need from me?"
Elaphia glanced at the Duchess, who immediately understood.
"Duchess." Patunasankus gave the Duchess a casual glance.
The Duchess was a sensible person and immediately left, pushing the door open. The sound of her footsteps fading away came from outside. Loranhir instinctively wanted to follow and leave together, but Patunasankus grabbed her hem, not letting her go.
"..."
Elaphia lowered her head in silence, brewing the words she wanted to say. The long silence made her palms break out in fine, dense sweat.
But in her anxiety was a different kind of tremor—a hazy, scattered bit of light that settled drop by drop in Elaphia's heart.
The wall clock's second hand ticked with tiny sounds, and she suddenly realized—was this the countdown to the Princess leaving her?
"I'm a vampire thrall."
She removed her glasses and got straight to the point.
Loranhir: !!!
Loranhir's heartbeat suddenly became several times louder. She thought Elaphia was about to attack, but she never made a move, just sat half-upright at the head of the bed.
Elaphia hunched her head down. Her first reaction was that the Hero was going to kill her, but she never saw her draw that invincible holy sword—she just sat coldly in the chair.
Then the two of them stood there looking dumbfounded, as if each was waiting for the other to make the first move. The silence formed by two people alone together wasn't ordinary quiet—one could feel its enormous...
Pressure?
"Hmm, and then?"
Patunasankus on the sofa was nonchalant, resting her cheeks in her hands as she looked at Elaphia. "Continue, just keep talking about your past to kill time."
"You promised to give me an explanation, didn't you?" The girl smiled lightly with pursed lips. "I like people who keep their promises."
"..."
Elaphia had thought the Princess would show some fear after learning her thrall identity.
How terrifying it would be to share a room with such a vampiric dark creature.
In reality, that didn't happen.
The girl was still the same girl.
She looked beautiful when she smiled.
Just like that dandelion she saw when she bent down at the corner of a wall while passing by her house at seventeen years old.
"My name is Elaphia. I'm 216 years old, with no surname—I've forgotten it..."
She said.