It was a thick stack of papers, haphazardly stapled together. Vili had only just glanced at the first page when his previously nonchalant expression froze.
—Anyone can see that the boy depicted by this brushstroke is exactly the same as him.
Willie didn't say anything, but turned to the next page.
One painting after another, the people in these paintings are standing or sitting, laughing or crying, still or moving. But without exception, they are all the same person.
The first few strokes were a bit clumsy, but as they progressed, the brushwork became smoother and more fluid.
The painter seems to be almost obsessively in love with the people he paints. Although the colors are all black, white and gray and the lines are extremely simple, the intense emotions are powerful and vibrant.
Willie blinked gently, feeling as if he were looking at a mirror rather than a lifeless piece of paper.
He was looking at me too.
His hand brushed across the corner of the person's eye in the painting, and touched it twice.
But that's not all that's strange.
In each painting of the boy, there is a blurry, empty human figure next to him, as if it had been erased by an eraser. Some pages are even torn, but the boy himself is clean, even down to the corner of his clothes.
Seeing that he had already searched through everything, Lansa said worriedly, "I wonder who did this... Should we call the police?"
She paused for a few seconds after she finished speaking, then smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
"Sorry... I forgot you're a vampire too."
Despite having the same blood-red eyes, Vili gave her a feeling different from the others in the castle; rather than fear, she felt more longing.
He seemed to possess a unique charm that made people unable to resist wanting to look at him, to get closer, to...possess him.
The faces of Si Yuan and Dario suddenly flashed through her mind, and Lansa trembled, desperately suppressing these dark thoughts deep in her heart.
“I wonder who would do such a thing. Vili, do you have anyone in mind to suspect?” she asked.
The painting in his hand was slightly creased from being pressed by his thumb. Vili flipped through the images of people he recognized in his mind and shook his head.
“Why don’t we go find Mr. Deville?” Lansa suggested. “Although it’s just a drawing now, I’m worried that he might do something to hurt you later…”
"There are many servants in the castle. It would take forever to check them all. If they did it, it would be too dangerous."
She was actually more anxious than Willy.
"By the way, Mr. Deville mentioned before that His Highness the Prince is about to wake up. He should be your father, Vili, right? Could we wake him up in advance and have him handle this matter?"
Startled from his thoughts, Vili looked up at Lansha, smiled reassuringly at her, and waved the sketch in his hand.
"Don't worry, it's not that serious."
His voice was calm, yet like a gentle stream, instantly calming Lansha's heart.
He actually had some guesses in his mind... It couldn't have been a servant in the castle who did such a thing.
After thinking for a moment, he said earnestly to Lansha:
"Thank you for letting me know in time. But could you give me some time to handle this myself?"
"but……"
Looking into those beautiful eyes, Lansa's voice softened instinctively.
"……All right."
"If you need help, be sure to come to me."
Even as she left Willy's bedroom, she couldn't help but offer her advice, which earned her repeated nods from the boy.
After seeing her off, Willy leaned against the door, his soft hair falling across his face, and looked down as he flipped through the paintings in his hands again.
"I've never realized before... that I'm actually quite good-looking."
He exclaimed to the system.
"Host, what nonsense are you spouting—uh, no! That's not the point!"
"The main problem is that this place is full of perverts!"
The system's sound was deafening.
"Are you that surprised? Which world hasn't encountered a few freaks?"
"..."
"However, this person is really rude. He drew so many portraits of me without my consent."
Willy unfolded the drawings and laid them out on the desk, folding them neatly one by one.
Seeing his actions, the system asked, "Host, what do you plan to do next?"
"Is that even a question?"
A sly smile flashed across his eyes.
"Of course—grab him."
-
With its abdomen pressed against the ground, its muscles contracting and relaxing in tension, it crawled slowly and almost silently in the deep darkness.
Its form blended seamlessly with its surroundings; only its cold eyes revealed the presence of this venomous snake. Venom seeped from its fangs as it slightly raised its head, locking onto its prey.
It sped up faster and faster, its body tensed, and it shot out like a spring, only to be firmly caught by a slender, long hand at its vital spot in the next second.
The chair was knocked over with a loud bang, but it did not attract the attention of the two people inside the room at all.
Willy straddled the man's waist, stretched out his arms, and pressed his thumbs tightly against the man's neck, while his other hand held the stack of drawings.
The paper brushed aside the stray red hair on the thief's face, then deftly lifted his chin downwards.
His Adam's apple bobbed, and the man turned his neck to reveal only a side profile. His perfectly sculpted features were like those of a bewitching doll, and even the small mole under his lip was incredibly exquisite.
As he moved, Willy's grip on the painting loosened for a moment, and the papers scattered like white doves taking flight, blown haphazardly by the wind outside the window, scattered everywhere.
The man pinned beneath him opened his eyes slightly and instinctively reached out to grab him, but felt the increased force on his neck. His bent fingers made a sound as they scraped against the ground, and a faint blush rose to his face, which was then covered by a painting that fluttered down.
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