Blood Contracts were things that a Noble Vampire like Helga couldn't afford to break, and for that reason, she would be especially wary and cautious when it came to entering such contracts.
But if it meant her survival…
Helga's eyes shifted toward Eleanor's bleeding finger. She remained silent for several moments, then bit down on her lower lip as she felt her already motionless body growing even stiffer by the second.
Eventually, she looked up, meeting Eleanor's grey eyes, and asked,
"What do you want?"
At this, Eleanor began listing her terms.
"I want to work for the Laurents, so you'll protect me like you would one of your own. And I want you, in particular, to speak up on my behalf to make that happen, so your mothers don't behead me the second they see me."
The moment she said that, Helga immediately shot back,
"What the hell do you think my parents are?"
And Eleanor replied,
"I don't know. I've never actually spoken to them. All I know is what the Crafiel Family wants me to think they're like. Same with you, I suppose. Have you ever actually spoken with Razel Crafiel before?"
"No."
"Exactly. So all you know about him is what your family tells you he's like."
Helga had to admit that Eleanor had a point, and upon seeing that shift in her expression, Eleanor continued.
"Like I said, I want to follow you back to your family, and I want you, as the heir of the Laurent Family, to guarantee that my life won't end as a result of your family's actions, unless I move against their interests.
In other words, even if your parents don't end up agreeing to have me work for them, they still don't get to kill me, since doing that would violate the guarantee you made and count as you breaking the blood contract."
After Eleanor said that, Helga was about to speak up, but Eleanor continued,
"I really doubt they will, because I've been trained to be the heir of the Crafiel family for as long as I can remember, which means I know quite a lot about the family's secrets—secrets that your parents would definitely want to get their hands on.
So they wouldn't kill me. In fact, it's far more likely that they'll just try to use some other method to bind me to them, and honestly, that's still better than going back to die in the Crafiel household.
But just in case I'm underestimating your mother's hatred for the sperm donor that society calls my father, I'm still going to include that clause, just to be sure I stay alive."
"…"
Helga frowned slightly as she understood what Eleanor was implying with that particular clause.
As the heir of the Laurent family and the daughter of its matriarch, she possessed considerable authority within the family, and her word could, under the right conditions, represent the family itself.
Therefore, if Helga were to guarantee Eleanor's survival, and her family still went ahead and took action that resulted in harm to Eleanor, then Helga, the one who had issued the guarantee, would suffer the consequences, as that would constitute a violation of the blood contract.
There's no way that Helga's parents would ever want their daughter to be seen as someone who had broken a taboo, so even if they did want to harm Eleanor, they definitely would not if doing so meant Helga would be considered in violation of the blood contract.
Helga then asked, "And how long am I supposed to guarantee your survival for?"
When she asked this, Eleanor replied, "How long, huh? The number of years you'll do that will be decided based on the worth of the life that I'm saving with my blood."
It was a very ambiguous condition. Since it was based on the worth of life, the duration of the contract wasn't fixed and would instead depend entirely on how valuable Helga's life was deemed to be.
And since Helga was the heir of a Grand Duchess, her life held enormous value.
"I'll save you with my blood, and since you clearly like mine, I'll even let you feed from me whenever you want," Eleanor said, eyes on her bleeding finger. "In return, I want your guarantee that you'll protect my life. That you won't let your family kill me the moment I show my face, unless I actively do something that harms your family's interests. Simple enough, right?"
She glanced at Helga's expression but continued without waiting for a reply.
"I also want to work for the Laurent family. Preferably under you," she added, a faint smile on her lips, "since you're the only person in that family I can actually relate to. We are buddies who made it through life and death situations on the same day, after all."
Her expression became more serious again as she went on. "And I want you to be the one to suggest it when I return with you.
Lastly, the length of time you're bound to guarantee my survival will depend on the value of the life I'm saving—yours. So if you're worth a lot, and let's not pretend you aren't, then that guarantee won't just expire in a few weeks. It'll last as long as it's worth, and that's something only the blood will judge."
She paused, watching Helga with cool grey eyes.
"So, are those terms acceptable to you?"
"…"
Helga didn't respond right away. She silently pondered the clauses and their implications. When she finally looked up to meet Eleanor's gaze, she opened her mouth to protest the vague clause about the contract's duration, intending to propose a fixed term, but the words never left her lips.
Something in Eleanor's demeanour made it clear that no matter how she argued it, this was not a point Eleanor was going to budge on.
Eventually, sighed and muttered, "…fine."
Eleanor's lips curled into a small smile. "Good. Now then… how do we do this blood contract thing? I actually have no idea."
Helga raised a weary brow. "Are you serious? You spoke so confidently earlier."
"The situation demanded it," Eleanor said with a shrug. "So, how do we do it?"
Helga sighed once more. "It's a blood contract, so of course… it'll be sealed with blood."
Despite her barely mobile state, she forced one of her fingers to twitch, then used the nail of her pinkie to slice across her own thumb.
"I can't lift my hand," she murmured. "So you do it… and cut your own finger too."
Eleanor followed the instruction, using her dagger to make a shallow cut on her own thumb. Then she carefully took Helga's hand, gently lifting it.
"Do I press them together?" she asked.
Helga nodded, and as Eleanor pressed their thumbs together, Helga's magic activated.
Their mingled blood flowed and coiled around both fingers, tying itself into a knot before silently dispersing.
There was no visible trace left behind, but the contract was there. If a vampire with strong enough perception were to examine either of them closely, they would be able to sense the presence of the blood contract linking the two.
The moment the contract was sealed, Eleanor let go of Helga's hand.
"Now then, I suppose I'm obligated to give you my blood," she said with a slightly excited tone.
Without waiting for a response, she reached out and began removing the chest piece of Helga's light armour, making the vampire frown.
"Huh? Wait, what are you doing?"
Eleanor simply replied, "Getting the annoying things out of the way."
And once the armour was off, she shifted forward, easing herself onto Helga's lap and straddling her.
Then, leaning in, she wrapped her arms around the weakened vampire's neck, bringing their faces so close that they could feel the warmth of each other's breath.
"It's much more comfortable this way, isn't it?" Eleanor murmured, her voice low, nearly teasing.
Helga wanted to object, but the protest died on her lips. Given her current state, she had to admit that it was indeed far more comfortable like this.
Eleanor's smile deepened, and she leaned in even closer until her lips were just beside Helga's ear.
"I'm all yours… don't hold back," she whispered.
Helga's glowing red eyes immediately dropped to Eleanor's exposed neck. Slowly, almost reverently, she sank her upper fangs into the warm flesh.
"Aah…"
Eleanor gasped softly.
The sensation that followed was unlike anything she had ever experienced. A rush of unfamiliar, euphoric pleasure flooded through her as her blood was drawn out.
She shuddered involuntarily, her arms instinctively tightening around Helga, who was now fully immersed in the sweetness of Eleanor's blood.
Helga trembled as well, strength returning to her limbs. Her arms rose and wrapped around Eleanor's back, holding her close as the rich, potent blood filled her mouth and flowed down her throat.
The intoxicating taste sent a thrill through her that washed away the pain in her body.
Eleanor gently ran her fingers along the back of Helga's head, allowing her to take as much as she needed.
Helga's arms, which had only held Eleanor lightly, got busy as well. One hand trailed upward along Eleanor's back, finding its way to her nape, and then up the back of her head. The other one gradually tightened its grip against Eleanor's back, slowly pulling her closer, until their bodies were flush against each other.
As she drank, her fingers moved absentmindedly, brushing against Eleanor's hair and loosening the ponytail, causing the black and white strands to spill freely over her shoulders.
Helga continued feeding, unaware of how much time had passed. When she eventually pulled away, it was with heavy breaths, her eyes glowing faintly, a thin trail of blood still visible on her lips.
Eleanor was breathing just as heavily. Her eyes met Helga's, and in that moment, with her hair dishevelled, her neck marked, her skin flushed, her newly acquired Lust Brand only made her appear even more alluring to the vampire before her.
Her eyes dropped to the blood on Helga's lips, and she didn't resist the intrusive thought that followed.
Leaning in, she slowly licked the blood from Helga's mouth.
Helga blinked in surprise, her eyes widening as Eleanor's lips met hers a moment later.
Eleanor's tongue slipped between Helga's lips, gliding across her fangs. The moment it scraped against them, blood welled up, seeping into Helga's mouth.
The taste stilled her thoughts. Whatever hesitation she might have had vanished completely.
In response, she bit into Eleanor's lips, drawing more blood between their kiss.