"I like him!"
The man's furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and his gaze fell below freezing point.
The heat surrounding Ivina gradually dissipated. The man who had been pressing against her a moment ago now stood in the cold moonlight, his features blurred in the dim light, revealing only his sharply defined profile.
"Who is your master?"
The emotionless question echoed in Ivina's ears. She hadn't recovered from her surprise yet, lying there dumbfounded by the bedside, mechanically uttering the words.
"Niditara…"
"Bring her back."
Without hesitation, the man issued the order. The luxurious doors swung open, and two burly vampires burst in, roughly pulling her to her feet.
The two vampires holding Ivina bowed their heads respectfully, paying homage to him, who was shrouded in darkness.
"Let me go, let me go…" She struggled desperately, furious at the order to leave.
Why must humans kill each other? Or had she spoken out of turn earlier, angering him?
Taking her back to Niditera was a dead end.
He glanced at her sideways, completely devoid of the warmth from before.
"Let me go…" Ivina was roughly silenced as she was dragged out the door. But in the instant the door closed, she seemed to catch a glimpse of a pair of blood-red eyes.
Was it her imagination?
"Come out."
The man lazily leaned on the bedside, savoring the golden liquid in his mouth. That was where Ivina had been lying earlier, and the scent lingered.
Soon, a figure appeared in the darkness.
"Your Excellency, Duke Dandel," the man knelt on one knee, "my hiding place could not escape your keen insight."
"S, you should know that barging into my bedroom is a risky move…"
"Master, S does have important news to report. I intended to interrupt your conversation with that woman, but…" He paused, cautiously observing the man before him, who held the power of life and death. "It is indeed rare to see the master in such high spirits, treating an unknown woman in this manner."
"Is that your excuse?"
"No, S is here to report on the identity of that young woman."
"Speak." Suppressing his displeasure, he was now more interested in her identity.
S stood straight and bowed respectfully. "She is Perde. She is a relative of the witch Niditera and appeared at the gathering a few days ago. It is rumored that she possesses even stronger divination abilities than Niditera herself."
"Oh? How did the counts react?" He smiled coldly and slowly stood up.
"Are you referring to Count Puxiao?" Si bowed slightly, unable to meet Dandel's blood-red eyes.
After a moment of silence, seeing that Luo was merely idly swirling the liquid in his wine glass, Si dared to continue.
"Count Puxiao acknowledged her identity, which surprised everyone present, including myself, who was invisible at the time. After all, this came out of nowhere. And the name of that young woman…"
Luo raised an eyebrow, gesturing for Si to continue.
"Gla. Visata. Her surname is... Visata." Si emphasized the latter part, knowing how important that name was to his master.
"Withdraw."
"But, master..."
"Ignorant insolence!" Dandel's face darkened. He raised his hand slightly, sending the servant back to his bat form. "Do not forget, you are merely a spirit creature. You have no right to defy me."
S felt a bitter helplessness welling up inside him. The young girl had defied him repeatedly, yet his master had not grown angry at all. Instead, he had unleashed his wrath upon this servant who had followed him for thousands of years.
Of course, no one could defy him. Lord Dandel, the eternal ruler of the vampire realm, the only king he truly revered.
He left quietly, knowing that his master could resolve any disturbance and make the correct decision. Why should he, a lowly servant, offer more advice?
Feeling Si's departure, Lo lay exhausted on the luxurious armchair. He picked up the napkin Ivina had left behind, and the bloodstains were clearly visible on it, like beautiful blood-red patterns.
His words earlier had undoubtedly been intentionally harsh. Of course, he knew what S would say next. For any vampire could easily sense that the room was filled with the scent of temptation—human blood.
"Gla Visata. Her surname is… Visata."
S's words lingered in his mind.
Why? Why did she share the same surname as him? After thousands of years, he had almost forgotten… Or was it just a coincidence?
Lod lowered his eyelids, letting a thread of sorrow escape. Under the pale blue moonlight, his blood-red eyes gradually lightened, eventually fading into silent black-gray.
He took out the necklace stored in his pocket, his gaze unfocused as he stared at the broken string of pearls.
"Angel's tears…" he murmured.
In the trap, the moment he picked up this necklace, he knew—her identity was not simple, and she could not possibly be a vampire. And according to his usual style, killing her would undoubtedly be the best way to resolve the doubt. Yet he chose to engage with her, and this unusual behavior naturally caught Sui's attention as well.
"Ivina... who are you..."