"To be honest, I’m quite curious. You defied the Eldest Young Master, yet you dared to stay in this old castle instead of running away."
The silver-haired youth licked his lips. He picked up a glass of red wine, took a light sip, and smiled. "However, even if you had run, we would still have found you."
Kane sneered, dragging his Greatsword. "Then what are you waiting for? Make your move," he said coldly.
With these words, he planted his Greatsword into the ground, adopting a resigned, death-awaiting stance.
The silver-haired youth landed and began strolling leisurely, in no hurry to act. Instead, a faint smile touched his lips. "As for why the Eldest Young Master ordered you dealt with—well, there’s no need for us to play dumb, is there?"
"Tell me, what exactly did you take from those ruins?"
Upon hearing this, Kane was taken aback. "I don’t understand what you’re talking about," he said in an odd tone.
The silver-haired Marquis rubbed his fair, slender hands and continued, "As long as you hand over that Holy Relic, our benevolent Eldest Young Master will wipe your slate clean."
"He might even grant you a fiefdom befitting a Marquis as compensation. How does that sound?"
He was calm and composed, his blood-red eyes fixed on Kane, noting any slight change in his expression.
"My collection is all in the basement. You can take what you like," Kane conceded. "As for the Holy Relic, if I really possessed it, would I still be a mere Count after all these years?"
The silver-haired youth shook his head, a hint of mockery in his blood-red eyes. "But how is it that I heard the Holy Relic is alive?"
Her long eyelashes, like butterfly wings resting on a flower, trembled and then fluttered as if taking flight.
A pair of beautiful cerulean eyes opened slightly, gazing at a handsome profile, her vision distant and unfocused.
"Awake?" Chu Yi noticed the golden-haired girl in his arms stirring. He looked down and gave a gentle smile.
Lias, still dazed, stared at the young man’s handsome face. Memories surfaced, and when she recalled that gift, a blush crept up her delicate cheeks; she was too embarrassed to speak.
As she turned her head, she saw a maid still seated in the carriage. Her beautiful eyes widened. Had she... Had she been discovered?
"Milady, did you sleep well? The Young Master took care of you the entire journey."
"Yes, indeed! To ensure Milady could rest, the Young Master held you the entire time. It was so touching."
"The Young Master truly went to great lengths."
The maids spoke respectfully. Within this entourage, they clearly regarded Chu Yi as their leader and naturally spoke in his favor.
Lias’s delicate cheeks burned. She simply buried her face in Chu Yi’s chest, playing ostrich and saying nothing.
But the next moment, she suddenly saw a head resting in a maid’s lap, wearing a fawning smile.
"Respected Countess, it’s an honor to meet you. I am the Master’s lackey. Just call me Little John."
John was adaptable, readily humbling himself.
He had observed that the Master was inseparable from this Countess, clearly indicating an unusual relationship between them, so he naturally needed to curry favor.
Only by ingratiating himself with both of them would he consider himself safe.
He wasn’t like Xinluo, who was so full of haughty arrogance. To John, his own insignificant life was what mattered most.
After hearing the maid’s explanation, Lias glanced at the head with its comical smile, then at the smiling Chu Yi, tilting her head, thoroughly puzzled.
How could so much have happened while I took a short nap? And Chu Yi resolved all these dangers by himself?
Thinking of this, a wave of sweetness washed over Lias’s heart. Her boyfriend was so warm, reliable, and trustworthy... even if he did have some rather peculiar hobbies.
Then, isn’t Father in danger? As the thought struck her, Lias began to worry about her father.
"Don’t worry, Milady." Chu Yi took her hand, its warmth reassuring. "I will save your father."
Lias, usually so proud and contrary, didn’t retort this time. Her expression was grave. "Chu Yi, you don’t understand about the Blood Race..."
"Milady, the Young Master already knows everything," a maid whispered, then added, "He even knows things he shouldn’t."
Upon hearing this, Lias froze. He knows I’m of the Blood Race? That I have to drink blood every night? Chu Yi knows that too?
Suddenly, the carriage stopped. They had arrived at Janet Castle.
Everyone disembarked immediately. Lias, anxious about her father, found her gaze met by a scene of utter ruins, clearly the aftermath of a fierce battle.
"These ruins... they concern a fallen Prince. His name was erased by the ancient power of time."
The silver-haired youth looked down from his vantage point at Kane, who had crashed into the rubble below. He smiled faintly. "The death trap you laid here was merely a child’s plaything, yet you delusionally thought you could challenge a Marquis with it."
He spread his bat-like wings. Endless shadows writhed, coalescing into three pairs of wings, dyed a pure, inky black.
Kane, his lower body torn and mangled, a bloody mess, pushed aside the rubble and slowly struggled up.
Then, he was impaled by a spear, pinning him to the ground. A viscous trail of blood oozed from the wound.
"I understand now." The silver-haired youth clapped his hands, a look of sudden realization on his face. "You intended to die so that no one would learn that secret."
"However, I think I’ve figured something else out too."
"That Holy Relic... it could even be an infant!"
He grinned ferociously. His six bat-like wings expanded relentlessly, resembling dragon wings as they blotted out half the sky, casting an immense shadow.
"In that case, you’re of no more use."
As his voice fell, Kane kept his head lowered. His eyes, hidden beneath disheveled golden hair, underwent a subtle change.
He coughed repeatedly, spitting blood. It was as if he were afflicted by a debilitating illness; under this strange power, the Undying Attribute granted by his noble rank was being suppressed.
From around his neck, he took out a well-preserved pendant. Opening it revealed a photograph of a gentle and virtuous woman.
He, once a righteous and kind Knight, had fallen into vampirism—a transformation initiated by the First Embrace from his wife.
That’s right. His wife was of the Blood Race.
Helena, everything you entrusted to me... I’ve done it all... Kane recited silently in his heart, a tender smile gracing his lips. Every time I see Lias, it’s as if... as if I see you smiling at me amidst those roses. But don’t worry. After I’m gone, that young man Chu Yi will definitely take good care of Lias.
They will escape this broken, dark world and live happily in the Beast Taming World.
His memories fractured, flashing past like scenes in a revolving lantern.
Kane, in a daze, saw a graceful figure in a garden of blooming roses, picking flowers and offering him a sweet smile.
"Given up struggling? It doesn’t matter anymore," the silver-haired youth spoke with cold indifference. He had been trying to bait the other party into revealing the secret, but to no avail, and his anger was now palpable.
With a clench of his hand, the swirling shadows solidified into a long spear.
His gaze locked onto the Church Knight, who was ensnared by countless shadows. Then, he hurled the spear with brutal force.