The round little bat had smooth fur and soft, elegant wings. It nimbly twirled in the air before finally landing on the man's shoulder.

Its flight was almost silent, but it was spotted by the other party the moment it landed, and two pairs of identical red eyes stared at each other silently.

His platinum blonde hair was meticulously combed, and the handsome man slightly raised his eyebrows, his thin lips pursed, exuding an innate arrogance and coldness.

But in an instant, the coldness in his eyes melted away. The man reached out his well-defined hand and slowly and gently stroked the little bat's head.

He spoke softly, his voice carrying a faint hint of amusement.

"Have you missed your brother?"

The little bat twitched its ears slightly, but then turned its head away.

Are you angry?

The man—Elian—lowered his hand, his eyes drooping as if in disappointment.

"That……"

"Villie, take a look at the gifts your brother brought back before deciding whether or not to forgive him, okay?"

The little bat turned its head, nodded demurely, and was about to fly away and transform into human form when it was pulled into the man's arms by a gentle yet irresistible force.

Bang.

The handsome young man sat on Elijah's lap, his clear eyes slightly widened, as if he hadn't quite reacted yet.

"elder brother!"

A moment later, his soft, white cheeks puffed up slightly, but he didn't look intimidating at all, and he spoke as if he were being coquettish.

"I was wrong."

Elijah readily apologized and soothed the boy, but his arms around the boy's waist did not loosen their grip at all.

He buried his head in that smooth neck with its familiar fragrance, trying to control his breathing, but he still couldn't hide his longing.

"My brother just misses Vili too much."

"Can you forgive me?"

"..."

Perhaps because they had spent so much time together over the years, Elian's aura had become intertwined with Vili's, inseparable, to the point that the latter couldn't muster the slightest sense of vigilance.

Vili paused for less than a second before unconsciously relaxing his body and letting out a hum.

"Isn't it you who doesn't want to come back?"

"sorry."

Elijah did not look up, concealing all his dark thoughts in a tone that was no different from his usual one.

The proud pureblood vampire probably used all his apologies in this life on Vili.

But that's far from enough.

How could the boy in her arms know... about her dirty and unacceptable feelings?

I don't know when it started, but pure love became mixed with ugly desires, and in the few dreams I had, there was only one person's figure.

Elijah's first reaction was to run away.

Trusting eyes, warm embraces, sweet words... none of these should belong to me.

He should...

There are things that are more worthwhile...

But in this world, who could love him more than I do?

From the very beginning of immortal life, they were different branches growing from the same root, twisted together under the sinful fate.

He has gone astray.

But after a brief moment of clarity, I realized that struggling was futile and only made me sink deeper.

Banished from the Garden of Eden, he was emaciated by suffering, and only Vili was the cure for him.

Deville's letter was the final straw.

Elijah's hand traced the shoulder blades on the boy's thin back, vainly trying to grasp this fluttering butterfly in the palm of his hand.

Finally, he placed a devout kiss on Willy's head.

Would you like to see your gift?

The arrogant vampire beheaded the boy, letting him leave his embrace. He gently closed his fingers, but only loosely, and handed him a flower that had been sleeping in the box.

Vili took it, looked at the familiar colors and forms that had been frozen in time by magic, and blinked.

"...Moon Shadow Orchid?"

"Um."

Elijah nodded slightly, making no mention of the hardships he had endured in searching for it these past few days, and simply stared intently at the boy who had his head down.

Do you like it?

Without hesitation, Vili closed the box, carefully tucked it into his bosom, then took two steps back, put his hands behind his back, and looked at Elijah, a sly smile flashing across his face.

"I forgive you."

Immediately afterward, he dodged Elijah's pleading fingers and vanished from the spot in the blink of an eye, leaving the room in complete silence.

-

In the long corridor of the castle, the sound of heels hitting the floor made a regular and crisp sound. The servants heard the noise and looked over quietly, but bowed respectfully when they saw who it was.

The hem of their clothes flickered in the light and shadow. Only after the boy turned the corner did they move their stiff bodies and exhale.

"Young Master Vili's been going to the underground alchemy shop a lot lately," a servant whispered, a hint of hope in his voice. "I wonder if there's anything I can do to help..."

"If such a good thing really happened, how could it possibly be your turn?"

“That’s right. Besides, now that Master Elijah is back, even that lowly blood servant and werewolf have been sent to do chores in the garden by Mr. Deville, so they can’t show their faces in front of Master Willy.”

“Speaking of them,” a servant scoffed, “I thought that Eastern-looking blood servant was so capable that he could be directly appointed by Master Vili.”

"After all this time, they still haven't gotten into bed, have they?"

"Shhh."

His companion was startled, hurriedly looked around, and tugged at his sleeve.

"Have you forgotten what happened to Neller?"

The servant once tried to sneak into Vili's bedroom, but was caught by young master Elijah and thrown into the scorching sun. The piercing screams of that servant still echo in the ears of those with ulterior motives to this day.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!