"...Are you drunk?"
Scarlett resisted the urge to smash the bottle over the other person's head and impatiently repeated what he had said before.
"I helped him... Is that what Willie told you?"
"At least that's what his servants said."
Zephyr seemed to be in a good mood after hearing his words and nodded slightly.
That's not wrong.
“When I arrived at the garden yesterday, it had already started to rain, and Willy had been waiting for you there for who knows how long, and he was soaked to the bone.”
“Although vampires don’t get sick from this little bit of wind and rain, he looks too pitiful.” Zephyr lowered his eyes gently. “The Hughes family is a prestigious family... it’s not right to let him be in such a sorry state.”
"But he wouldn't listen to my advice and insisted on waiting for you in the garden. I had no choice but to use magic to bring him back to the room."
"In the end, I let him rest here for a day."
"...Lesson, you don't mind, do you?"
He suddenly turned to look at Scarlett.
"What do I have to mind?"
Scarlett was somewhat confused when she met his gaze.
"In fact, I should thank you more."
"He's the only descendant left in the Hughes family. If those old guys in the Senate find out, I don't know how much trouble they'll cause me."
"But he really knows how to cause me trouble. If I had known this would happen, I shouldn't have gotten involved with him..."
Zephyr suddenly spoke, interrupting his incessant complaining.
"If that's really the case, why not consider breaking the vampire oath between you? In human terms, it would probably be—"
"divorce."
Scarlett paused, blinked as if not quite understanding, and hesitated before saying:
"I never thought about this..."
It's strange, he's never been one to compromise himself, so why has he never considered this approach?
He clearly had never liked Vili, and even felt somewhat disgusted by him... Come to think of it, why did he have absolutely no recollection of the name?
Scarlett instinctively pressed her hand to her slowly beating heart and offered a subconscious explanation.
Our wedding is just around the corner.
“That’s precisely why,” Zephyr said calmly, “we should make a decision sooner rather than later.”
"Sometimes... for our happiness, you have to make difficult choices."
"Or is it that you've actually fallen in love with him?"
"How is that possible?"
Scarlett jumped to her feet like a cat with its fur standing on end.
“Zeferi, you’re acting really strange today,” he retorted. “Have you been watching too many dramas? That’s why you keep using that word.”
"You know perfectly well that vampires never speak of love."
Zephyr remained as calm and unchanging as the cool moonlight. He lowered his head and took a small sip of red wine, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.
"—Vampires never easily express love."
Their vow, once spoken, is eternal.
"..."
Scarlett was in such a sorry state for the first time. He left in a panic without even leaving a word.
When he came to his senses, he found himself standing outside a door, with rustling sounds coming from inside – it was Willy's bedroom.
"..."
As if guided by some unseen force, Scarlett softened her movements, opened the door a crack, and peered inside.
Inside the vampire prince's castle, candlelight never goes out, casting the shadows of those inside onto the screen, blurry, flickering, and unpredictable.
The boy was slender, even excessively thin in Scarlett's eyes.
And this feeling intensified when he unbuttoned his shirt. Without the belt to restrain her waist, it seemed so slender and delicate, like a rose branch that would break at the slightest touch.
As if to confirm his idea, the boy lowered his head, bent over with his back to him, and slowly and gracefully took off his trousers, his movements as gentle and elegant as an actor on a stage, every move of which aroused people's imagination.
Although it was just a silhouette, in Scarlett's mind, the image and flesh of the person inside the door gradually became fuller and clearer, like a painting.
The lines are smooth and slender, with a mix of fullness and delicacy, and the colors are vibrant, conveying both innocence and sensuality.
Scarlett licked her lips, her breathing unconsciously becoming heavier.
Unconsciously, he felt as if he had become a puppet, his body bound by strings, his hands impatiently following the movements of the person inside. A certain part of him stood erect, a heat not belonging to a vampire burning painfully.
The thin fabric couldn't stop the teasing; Scarlett's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the swaying figure reflected on the screen, as if she were in sync with the rhythm, dancing with the boy's movements.
He wanted to be a good actor, but he couldn't stop trembling. Sweat dripped down and wet his eyelashes. He almost bit his lip until it bled before he could barely restrain himself from ruining the silent music at the last moment.
The performance was so intense, the afterglow hot and sticky, that the dancers who joined the stage later were so flustered that they couldn't stand up. It wasn't until they came to their senses that they realized [the image was deleted]. Fortunately, they didn't smudge the painting in front of them.
The dancer in the painting continued to move as if unaware, until she changed into her final costume, then gracefully turned and closed the curtain, only to find that there was no audience below.
Looking at the door swaying in the wind, Willy frowned hesitantly. He glanced down and saw a faint, ambiguous red mark that stretched from his chest into the shadows. He couldn't help but close his eyes and fasten his shirt all the way up, out of sight, out of mind.
I don't know why, but they all like to leave countless marks on their bodies...
If he could use magic now, he would have wiped them all away long ago.
Otherwise, it would be dangerous if Scarlett saw it.
...No, why should I care about his thoughts?
Damn it, let's just end this game now and go beat Scarlett up in real life!
Willy angrily walked around the screen, but before he could even step out the door, he heard a crisp knocking sound coming from behind him.
Following the sound, he turned back and approached step by step...the window?
This is the top floor of the castle.
He pulled back the heavy curtains, and a small, silvery-white bat was fluttering its wings against the glass until it made eye contact with Willy and then stopped.
And in its paws, it was clutching a letter.
"..."
Vili opened the window and let it in. The latter first obediently nudged the boy's finger with its head, then placed the letter on the table, flew to the top, found a place to hang upside down, and closed its eyes.
His previously restless heart suddenly calmed down. Willy sat down at the table, opened the letter, only to find it completely blank.
He lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then bit his fingertip. A drop of bright red blood seeped into the letter, gradually revealing elegant and flowing red handwriting.
[Honey,
In the endless night, you are my bright starlight.
And I wish to be your only protector.
It will always belong to you.
Signed, Your Zephyr.
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