Vampire's Slice Of Life Chapter 1197: Negotiations

"What an honor it is to encounter the Princess of the Asuras."

The Princess of the Asuras recognized the man standing before her. He was renowned and had deep ties to one of the Three Greats from the Evure God Clan.

The Asura Princess pressed her hands together and offered Roy a brief bow. "Greetings, Mr. Roy."

Roy bowed back in response and said nothing more.

The Asura Princess surrendered her blade, allowing Roy to seal away her cultivation.

Eventually, the pair vanished from sight, leaving those below stunned by the abrupt turn of events.

.....

Lith sat calmly at the round table, sipping his tea.

As he gazed at his reflection in the tea, thoughts filled his mind.

Tea had always been a fixture in Lith’s existence, steadfast through good times and bad. He only partook in the varieties stocked at the castle.

His maids maintained a ready supply and served him a cup whenever he wished.

With the warm beverage soothing his nerves, Lith at last beheld the famed beauty of the Asuras.

She appeared respectable yet fell short of matching the allure of his own women. Lith figured her enemy status colored his view.

Without that opposition, she could seem far more attractive. Who could say?

The Asura Princess joined her hands and bowed in greeting. "Please accept my humble greetings."

Lith spoke in a flat tone without looking her way, "Skip the formalities. Take a seat."

A strange churn hit the Asura Princess’s stomach from his frigid voice.

She sensed the man opposite her wasn’t even Supreme Rank, but his mere words pressed down on her heavily.

The Asura Princess pondered this and approached the table to sit.

Roy, Fei, and Sylvia encircled the round table, poised to act instantly if the Asura Princess tried anything.

They scanned their surroundings too, wary of a possible ambush.

Lith had faith in his subordinates’ skills to manage any trouble.

Thus, he turned his attention fully to negotiating with the Asura Princess.

"How may I address you?" inquired the Asura Princess.

"Your Highness will do," Lith replied casually. Yet his statement brimmed with arrogance and dominance.

Expecting royalty to use such an equal title? It overstepped bounds.

The Asura Princess lost her conversational rhythm. She furrowed her brow but held back from arguing. Just a title, after all—she’d go along for the moment.

"Very well, Your Highness. Surely you’re curious why I sought this talk, correct?"

Lith stayed silent, merely sipping more tea.

Fei, off to the side, rubbed her arms while thinking,

Sylvia, meanwhile, reflected, ’

Few matters ever ignited Lith’s fury. This emotion rarely surfaced, keeping his path unobstructed.

But this moment stood apart.

He confronted the slayer of his grandparents directly.

Only Lith knew the restraint he exerted to avoid lunging at the Asura Princess.

Not a trace of killing intent escaped him—that’s how tightly he controlled himself.

The prolonged quiet deepened the Asura Princess’s frown. She felt adrift. This wasn’t dialogue; the other side simply ignored her questions.

If talk wasn’t desired, why arrange the meeting?

Her pride suffered underfoot, and she despised it.

After a full minute of tense silence, Lith finally uttered, "Cut to the chase. This isn’t chit-chat for deals."

The Asura Princess drew a steadying breath. Her pride stung yet again. But what recourse did she have?

None.

"Your Highness, to be direct: your actions stem from vengeance, correct? Atoning for your forebears, isn’t it?" The Asura Princess prodded Lith’s deepest wound.

He’d witnessed his grandfather’s sacrifice for his grandmother’s flight, then her abandonment of his young mother.

The trials they endured, the losses not only theirs but also his granduncle and that granduncle’s ally...

All those memories surged back.

Rage made Lith’s hands shake violently. Without the tea’s calming influence, he’d have vaulted the table to throttle the Asura Princess.

Lith sipped again, set down the cup, and eyed the Asura Princess.

His vivid purple eyes locking with hers widened her gaze in astonishment.

The Asura Princess steeled her intent to win Lith’s favor even more.

"Choose your words with care next time," Lith cautioned, his mood soured.

Pressure mounted on the Asura Princess. Her brows twitched as she mused,

The Princess bowed once more. "I apologize if my words offended Your Highness. I merely sought to verify your drive for ruining my clan. Now confirmed, allow me to add... you’re justified in this.’

Lith stared at her like she was an idiot. Admitting to an foe that wiping out one’s clan was righteous? Peak absurdity.

The Asura Princess pressed on, "The tale behind this view is lengthy, but rest assured, we crave no further bloodshed."

Lith drummed his index finger on the table, leaned in with a scowl, and demanded, "Get to the point."

The Asura Princess inhaled deeply. "The ancestor you avenge is my uncle, Kalyndor. We Asuras can’t breed with outsiders, least of all Evures, because..."

To Lith, the Asura Princess revealed her clan’s tangled history with the Evure God Clan.

Lith’s scowl intensified over time, while Roy reeled in shock at learning his clan sprang from bitter wives and their offspring.

Roy balled his fists, glaring at the Asura Princess with hatred. Half from the revelation, half from his clan hiding it despite his status.

A lineage forged in betrayal and grudge... what nonsense was this?

Lith slumped back in his seat, head pounding fiercely.

Sylvia tenderly rubbed his temples, channeling spiritual power through her fingers for relief.

Finishing her account, the Asura Princess wore a sorrowful smile.

"Our clan teeters on extinction’s edge, and every being battles to endure, even one extra day. We’ll pay any cost if Your Highness lifts our curse and sires an heir..."