Yongseo has always loved children. When her children grew up and entered high school, she took it upon herself to raise the other children of the Bam family. So when Gun-in told her that she could replace Jeonsa in attending to Ambrosia, she was nothing but elated at the opportunity. Although it was a relatively awkward first encounter, she gave her all in adapting to the ancient environment and immersing herself in her role of being their princess' caretaker.

It's been a few months since Yongseo started taking care of Ambrosia, and she couldn't be happier. Although their princess rarely says anything, Yongseo could understand what Ambrosia is thinking through her expressions.

Whenever Ambrosia was hungry, she would faintly lick her lips and look at her stomach. Whenever she's curious about something, she would slightly tilt her head to the side as her finger traces her book or tap her other hand. Her eyes would twinkle like the stars on the night sky whenever she's interested, and she would make the brightest smile whenever she's happy.

Ever since Yongseo started taking care of Ambrosia, she rarely left the inner house. She's adapted to her role as their princess' head servant and enjoys doing things for her. But it wasn't until Ambrosia encountered a stray cat that Yongseo decided to live in the inner house and fully dedicate herself to their ignorant princess.

It was afternoon when Yongseo invited their princess for a walk in the garden as she had just finished drinking her afternoon meal. The two walked around the backyard while Yongseo held a paper umbrella to protect their princess from the sun, while Ambrosia was admiring the garden's flowers that reminded her of her mother's gentleness.

While Ambrosia had a faint smile painted across her lips, Yongseo looked at the entire picture with loving eyes. This girl in front of her wasn't a princess, wasn't a savior, and isn't the blood tyrant's daughter. She was just a child admiring the flowers in the afternoon. The unsuspecting cat that suddenly jumped out of the flower bushes would have made the entire scene a level more wholesome if it weren't for the blood mist that erupted a second later.

Taken aback from seeing the sudden red that covered her sight, Yongseo dropped the umbrella and fell to the ground, looking at the red fog in front of her in a daze. A few seconds later, the mist eventually dissipated and revealed the figure of her princess with smoke rising from her skin. The white camellias planted on the bushes had turned red, and the once-innocent cat laid motionlessly on the ground with its body so dried up that she could see its bones.

Yongseo couldn't understand what had happened. She planned to fill the afternoon with hearts and rainbows, so why did it end up with her princess turning a cat into a meal?

Ambrosia, on the other hand, wasn't aware of Yongseo's questions or her burning skin. Her gaze fixated on the damaged flower on the floor. She picked it up, gently brushed its delicate petals clean before placing it back on the bush. Once satisfied with her work, Ambrosia finally felt the burning sensation on her face and hands and turned towards Yongseo, who was still on the floor and looking dazedly at her. She slightly tilted her head and joined her hands, wondering why her caretaker was on the floor.

It wasn't until Yongseo got a clear look at her princess' burning face after she bent down to match her height that she snapped out of her daze.

"Gongju-nim!"

She hurriedly picked up the umbrella and hastily covered her princess. Although the clouds covered the sun and the weather was relatively pleasant, daylight was still lethal for her blood-sucking princess.

"Are you alright, Gongju-nim?! Let's head inside, quick! I'll have Gun-in clean up the mess. Come."

". . . Mm."

Missing the opportunity to ask her question, Ambrosia obediently followed Yongseo back to her home and continued her day as per usual.

That incident opened Yongseo's eyes to the reality that Ambrosia is indeed the daughter of the Blood Tyrant. He raised her as her daughter and not a child. The Blood Tyrant valued her abilities as a blood manipulator and not as his kin. He wanted someone to carry on his legacy and not his family. Ambrosia may be the true savior of South Korea, but Yongseo doubts she had the chance to save herself from the Blood Tyrant's influence.

Yongseo stopped coming home and started living by Ambrosia's side. While Gun-in taught her how the world worked, Yongseo taught her social norms and ethics. She believed that their princess just lacked the common sense to know what's right from wrong, and she was determined to be the one their princess' family could no longer achieve - being Ambrosia's parent.

Yongseo continued this lifestyle for a couple more months that Ambrosia eventually became an irreplaceable existence in her heart. As days passed by, Yongseo continued to learn as much as she could about her princess. She understood her likes and dislikes, the things she's interested in, and how she looks at the world, all while teaching Ambrosia how to treat others and act like a child her age.

One day, Ambrosia got curious about how ordinary food tasted and wondered if it would be as good as her books described them to be. When Yongseo gave her princess her homemade kimchi, she was baffled by the repugnant expression her princess made by just being in the same room as it. Although Ambrosia never said anything and only furrowed her brows, Yongseo knew that her princess' expression was the most displeased one she's seen - aside from the incident in the garden with the cat.

Yongseo tried to take the kimchi away or stop her princess from coming into contact with it but was a step too late. She could do nothing but watch her princess pick a little up and place it in her mouth. What happened next was something, not even the veteran actress could imagine.

Just before Ambrosia could start chewing and ponder the taste of the smelly object in front of her that her caretaker calls food, her tongue shriveled in fear upon contact, and her body immediately rejected the foreign object. It was as if poison bathed her tongue as it burned and ached. Her body did everything it could to expel the lingering foreign taste as bile mixed with blood slowly traveled its way up to her throat and exited through her mouth, washing her sensitive tongue with the familiar and comforting metallic taste.

Blood and vomit covered the table as Ambrosia heaved in an attempt to stabilize herself. She would never have imagined such a reaction from her body in her effort to taste something other than blood. She could barely register Yongseo's screaming and concern as she wiped her mouth with her sleeve while looking at the mess in front of her with a tilted head.

Yongseo frantically checked her princess for any external wounds while wiping Ambrosia's sweaty forehead, dirty chin, and bloody nose. Tears ran down her cheeks as Yongseo's mind thought of the thousand possible reasons why the girl in front of her had such a violent reaction to her kimchi. Was the taste too strong? Did she mix something that didn't sit well with Ambrosia? Was she allergic to kimchi?

Before she could continue on her downward spiral of blaming herself for what happened to her princess, Ambrosia held Yongseo's hand and looked at her with her clear mismatched eyes.

"I'm fine. . ."

It took Yongseo a second to register what her princess said and heaved a sigh of relief before new tears formed at the edge of her eyes.

". . . I'm sorry."

"Mm."

". . . I'm sorry, Gongju-nim."

"Mm."

". . . I'm--"

"It's okay."

". . . Yes. Then Gongju-nim can head to the bath first while I clean up."

"Mm."

Like the obedient princess she is, Ambrosia stood from her seat and headed for the bath in the side room while Yongseo began to clean up the blood and bile on the floor with her clothes before taking the small dirty table outside. She planned to change her clothes and bring her princess her meal before Ambrosia would finish her bath, only to find that the blood packs usually kept cool in the kitchen freezer were gone.

She wanted to call her son to ask where the other packs had been kept but remembered that her phone was left somewhere in her office. She could only sigh at her negligence and went back to the main mansion after changing her clothes.

When she passed by the first-floor hallway that led to her office, the same metallic smell of her princess' food tickled her nose. Yongseo followed the rustic scent and headed to one of the drawing rooms, only to find her children breathing heavily on the couch. They were all beat up, especially her daughter. Gone was her aggressive nature as she limply laid on the couch with her eyes closed while Gun-in weakly manipulated a tablet.

"Gun-in! Jeonsa! What happened?!"

". . . Omma."

Yongseo rushed inside and examined her children's injuries in a panic, taking Gun-in's tablet away as she frantically dialed for her sister-in-law's number. She was using her clothes to wipe Gun-in's sweat and Jeonsa's dried blood with trembling hands while ignoring Gun-in's coaxing when her sister-in-law finally answered.

[Gun--]

"Seon!!"

[Noona? Noona, what's wrong?!]

"Seon. . . hicc. . . Seon, Gun-in, and Jeonsa. They, hicc--"

[Hey, wait, okay. Noona, calm down. Where are you? I'm on my way.]

"Hicc. . . F-first floor, third drawing-room, from, from the left."

[Okay, I'm almost at your house, give me around 10 minutes. Can you wait for me until then, Noona?]

"M-hicc-mm, I. . . I can."

[That's good to hear. Now, can you tell me what happened again?]

In less than ten minutes, Bam Seonchim - Dae-Jung's mother and Gibyeong's younger sister - arrived and joined Gun-in in calming Yongseo down while Jeonsa continued sleeping. It wasn't until the food that Yongseo ordered earlier finally arrived and its delicious aroma filled the room did Jeonsa wake up. Upon seeing her beloved daughter waking up, Yongseo went through another bout of tears, resulting in the aunt and nephew pair glaring at Jeonsa.

"Hey, Noona, stop crying. I told you Jeonsa is fine, and see; she's already chugging down the food like its water."

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Aunt Seonchim is right. You know how often Ja-mae would get into fights when she was younger. Remember how she would gobble up the food with no regard to manners whatsoever? That's what she's doing now, so no need to cry so much."

"But. . . But my children got hurt. Aigoo, my little soldier and little warrior."

"Omma, I'm fine. I just tripped a little. No need to worry."

"What trip?! Do you think I'm that stupid to believe that you got all those wounds from tripping?! Bam Jeonsa, I am your mother. Don't you dare make a fool out of me and tell me what happened."

"Omma, don't get so angry. We're not kids anymore, and if you continue to get mad like that, your wrinkles will show, you know."

"Don't get coy with me, Bam Gun-in. I know you've always cleaned up after your sister, so you'll do anything to cover up whatever she did, but this is too much! You come home all battered up like this, and you think I'll believe that you just tripped?! If it were the usual scuffle, I would have let it slide, but look at yourselves! Your wounds are everywhere, for crying out loud!"

"Noona--"

Seonchim was about to defend her nephew and niece when Yongseo glared at her, daring her to challenge her authority with tear-stained cheeks. Seonchim's words stuck on her throat upon receiving her sister-in-law's challenge and let out a resigned sigh.

"So this is it, huh?"

Seonchim cursed under her breath before taking one last look at her brother's wife, who's glare hasn't wavered.

"Haa, damn it. Just tell her already, Gun-in, Jeonsa. Nothing good will come if we continue keeping things from her."

"But--"

"Bam Jeonsa!"

Jeonsa flinched upon hearing her full name the second time around from her mother's mouth. She couldn't dare look her mother in the eye, terrified to know the look her mother was making, and could only continue eating her supposed-to-be meal, which she could barely taste.

Seeing her frightened twin sister, Gun-in took a deep breath and looked at the syringe gun with an empty vial in his hand as he formulated a believable explanation that wouldn't worry his mother.

"Omma, the church has been very aggressive recently in trying to eliminate Gongju-nim that me, Ja-mae, and Abuh-ji had to retaliate. When Jeonsa went out to try and gather on-site information since they had a network I couldn't bypass, she got ambushed by the church's Templar Saint."

"The church's Templar Saint?"

"Mhm, and Hyung-jae had to do everything he could to save me before I got done in by that zealot."

"They want to eliminate Gongju-nim? Why? Because she's a Braeden?"

". . . Mm."

"That doesn't make any sense! She's just a child!"

"Noona, calm down. Even if Gongju-nim is just a child, it doesn't change the fact that she's a Braeden and the Blood Tyrant's daughter, no less."

"Are you saying that Ambrosia will follow Alarick's footsteps and become the next Blood Tyrant?! How dare you, Seon! She's your princess!"

"N-noona! That's not what I mean! What I meant was--"

"I don't care what you mean! I don't believe that Ambrosia will become the next Blood Tyrant because she won't! I won't let her! She's just a child who's had a rough childhood! It's not her fault to be born in that wretched family, and it isn't her fault that her father is a monster! Our parents don't define who we are!"

Yongseo screamed at the top of her lungs and breathed heavy breaths with clenched fists. It was the first time that she raised her voice against anyone in her life. Yongseo didn't know whether what she said was defending Ambrosia or justifying herself. Regardless of whether it was for herself or her princess, she took a deep breath and looked at her stunned audience. She wanted to redeem herself, explain why she raised her voice and why she said those things. But she couldn't find the right words. She understood that she had shown them something shameful of someone her age and decided to avoid the matter entirely.

"Seonchim, I'm leaving my stubborn children to you. I left Gongju-nim all alone, and I have to tell her what happened."

Yongseo didn't even wait for a reply as she swiftly left the room and headed straight to the inner house. The moment she closed the door of the inner house, she leaned her back against them and slid down and hugged her knees. She spent a few minutes sulking by herself before she finally got the strength to collect herself and return to her princess' side.

She made sure to change her clothes and look presentable as she sat on her knees outside her princess' room and announced her presence. After receiving a faint acknowledgment, she calmly entered the room and saw Ambrosia sitting on her knees with a small table filled with writing materials in front of her.

Seeing her like this strengthened Yongseo's resolve in raising Ambrosia to be a proper girl. Someone who would be nothing like her monstrous father and selfish mother. Yongseo vowed to give her princess the childhood she deserves and raise her into a kind-hearted woman worthy of being called Korea's savior.

Yongseo warmly smiled as she rose from her seat and headed towards her princess, but before she could go any further or call out to Ambrosia, something suddenly slammed against her princess that threw her to the wall. Yongseo couldn't react fast enough. She didn't even see what attacked her princess. When her head stiffly turned to her princess, she saw Ambrosia pinned against the wall, struggling against something as she clawed her neck, attempting to remove something.

She couldn't understand what was going on, why all of this was happening, where things started to go wrong. She could spend her time trying to comprehend the following events, but there was one thing Yongseo knew; she needed to save Ambrosia.

As if electricity ran through her body, Yongseo grabbed the paintbrush on the floor. She substituted it for a knife from the kitchen and dashed towards her princess.

"AMBROSIA!!"

She hacked, slashed, and stabbed whatever was keeping her princess pinned on the wall. Yongseo held Ambrosia by her arm as she continued to work her knife, trying to take her princess away from whatever was harming her. She was barely progressing as she screamed and cursed her invisible enemy with tears running down her cheeks. Running out of options and her princess slowly losing consciousness, Yongseo placed herself in front of her princess, hugging her as she prayed to whatever god she could remember to save her struggling princess.

"Please, please, please. . . I'm begging you. Ambrosia's just a child, and she did nothing wrong. I'm begging you, please, don't take her away from me, please."

As if answering her prayers, the panel doors suddenly broke down, and a beam pulsed behind Yongseo. Feeling Ambrosia's body slump over her, Yongseo breathed a sigh of relief as she held the unconscious princess in her arms.

"Omma, take Gongju-nim to the bunker, quick! I'll cover you!"

Yongseo saw her battered son shooting his weapon in the air. Although she couldn't see anything, she guessed his son could see those things that attacked Ambrosia. Yongseo immediately princess carried her princess and left the room, leaving those invisible enemies to her son and trusting him in keeping her and Ambrosia safe.

When she left the inner house with the unconscious princess in her arms, what greeted her was her family fighting against numerous assailants with a cross engraved in their clothing. It was an unfair fight as the invaders outnumbered the Bam family three to one. She witnessed how her only daughter struggled to defend herself against three people who had her cornered. She saw how Seonchim imploded the three that went against her and ran to help Jeonsa, only to be cornered by another three assailants.

Yongseo wanted nothing more than to run towards her family and help them, but she knew that she'd only get in their way rather than help them. She shut her eyes tight, ignored her family's voices, and headed straight to the bunker, but before she could go any further, an injured woman slid across against the ground in front of her.

"Choon-Hee!"

"Gajang-nim, what are you still doing here?! Please head straight to the bunker with Gongju-nim, now!"

"Y-yes, please take care, Choon-Hee!"

"Don't worry about me and just go!"

Yongseo continued forward, ignoring the dying screams and curses behind her while trying to avoid any battle. She could hear someone shout about her and her family pledging to protect her. All Yongseo could do was continue running, hoping, wishing for the best that her family would survive this ordeal and that they could go back to their peaceful days.

But all good things would inevitably come to an end.

The bunker was close, just past the garden beneath the blackthorn bushes, but before she could even cross the stone walkway, something grabbed her foot that caused her to trip, fall, and drop her princess on the ground.

"Haa. . . It's not like I believed that all Bams are involved with the Blood Tyrant, but who would've thought that the iconic Bam Yongseo would be her primary caretaker? I'm a fan, you know? Especially when you played Yo Mi-Sun in Eternals."

The Templar Saint commented as he approached the fallen Yongseo while carrying a short sword with blood dripping from its blade. His earlier clean white tunic is now colored red as each step leaves a trail of bloody footprints.

"Noona! Get the fuck away from her, you bigot!"

Seonchim screamed as she dodged her opponent's weapon and slammed her palm against his head, causing it to implode a second later. A step forward later, she ducked forward to dodge an incoming leg swipe before she sent her arm upward and performed an uppercut, causing her new opponent to implode.

Yongseo could hear Seonchim's scream that caught the Templar Saint's attention. Yongseo crawled towards her princess, who was about to wake up, despite her bleeding palms and knees.

"Gongju-nim. . ."

She whispered while desperately reaching out to her, but before she could go any further, something dragged her back towards the Templar Saint.

"No! Gongju-nim!"

"Please don't get in the way, Ms. Yongseo. I would hate it if South Korea's Screen Queen were to die tonight."

It was at this time that Ambrosia woke up. She winced upon feeling her bruised cheek but couldn't find any time to comprehend what was happening as she suddenly got up from the ground against her will. Her hands were bound behind her by something she couldn't see and raised her above the ground. Something clasped around her neck that forced her to look at the man approaching her.

"Now, let's see. . . So this is the next Blood Tyrant, huh?"

"She's not the Blood Tyrant! She's just a child!"

Yongseo screamed as she desperately fought against the invisible enemies that were trying to hold her.

"Ms. Yongseo, this 'child' you speak of is at least a century old. Don't you think it's a little unreasonable to call this monster a child? Not to-"

"Get away from her!"

Jeonsa screamed as she lunged towards the Templar Saint with a downward diagonal slash using her blade-transformed arm, which he easily dodged with ease.

"It's rude to interrupt conversing adults, Chameleon. Why don't you go back to the kids' corner?"

The Templar Saint lazily quipped as he leaned slightly to the left to dodge Jeonsa's blade before sending a clenched fist to her solar plexus, causing her to cough up blood and get thrown back to the bushes on the side.

""Jeonsa!/Ja-mae!""

Gun-in tried to rush to his sister's aid as he pushed his way through the swarming spirits blocking his path with his trusty proton gun. Unfortunately for him, his unwavering will and fighting spirit could barely support his battered and exhausted body.

Yongseo tried to hurry to Jeonsa's side, only to be held up by an invisible force that forced her to stand in place with her hands behind her.

"Ms. Yongseo, as I was saying-- Ah, please stop struggling. I don't want to hurt you. Many of my colleagues are diehard fans of yours, so I'm willing to overlook this incident as a favor to them. Besides, I'm only here to finish what the first saint started - eliminate the scourge that has been plaguing South Korea for centuries. Only with the Braeden clan's annihilation would Korea be whole again and regain its peace. Don't you think killing the last Braeden is a small price to pay for our country's prosperity?"

The Templar Saint's spirits held the weakened Jeonsa and battered Gun-in in place as he approached the struggling Ambrosia.

Yongseo could only continue her futile efforts of breaking free from her invisible restraints as tears flowed from her eyes. She could only produce muffled screams and watch the Templar Saint nearing her beloved princess.

It wasn't the glint of the Templar Saint's blade that aimed at Ambrosia's heart that terrified her, nor was the non-existent fear in Ambrosia's eyes frightened her. It was the acceptance and calmness that filled her princess' eyes in the incoming sword that horrified Yongseo.

'What could that child have experienced for her to accept such a cruel fate? Was it so wrong for her to have lived her life? She saved Korea, didn't she? So why would she have to experience such hatred from people who don't even know who she is?

It's not her fault that she was born a Braeden, it wasn't her fault to be born with blood manipulation as her quirk, and Ambrosia didn't have a choice in becoming the Blood Tyrant's daughter! Like it wasn't my choice to have come from such a horrible mother. . .

God, Lord, Saint, Divine, anyone. . . If you're listening, please. Please don't punish this child for the sins of her family. She's more than her name, please.

I beg you.

Let me save her. . .'

The Templar Saint's sword rushed forward and impaled the girl in front of him.

Or so he thought.

It was as if the world paused as everyone in the vicinity's eyes grew wide. The Blood Tyrant's daughter, who they all thought would have a sword stabbed through her heart, was replaced by the loving matriarch of the Bam family.

Yongseo coughed a mouthful of blood as the pain from her chest seared throughout her body.

"M-Ms. Yongseo?"

The dumbfounded Templar Saint asked rhetorically in a daze as Yongseo's blood trickled down his cheek.

"Sh-She's, she's just a. . . child."

Yongseo weakly replied with a smile, ignoring the dripping blood from her mouth. She then slowly turned to look at her beloved princess, who was still in a daze upon not understanding what had just happened.

"Gongju- no. . . Ambrosia, my, my child. . . Please. Please. . . live."

Yongseo uttered in her dying breath as she painted the brightest and warmest smile she could muster before the light completely vanished from her eyes. Her body then slumped against her invisible restraints like a puppet with severed strings.

Ambrosia's surroundings became noisy as Seonchim, Jeonsa, Gun-in, and the rest of the Bam family turned berserk. She could barely register anything as she watched Yongseo's lifeless body on the Templar Saint's arms.

It was then that the scene in front of her overlapped with a vague memory of witnessing something similar yet far more painful than anything she experienced.

She snapped.

The events that transpired finally sunk as Ambrosia shrieked an ear-shattering scream while tears of blood ran down her cheeks. And before anyone could do anything, they were all enveloped in red.