NAPE - 80

“The main gate is open, so just go straight without getting distracted. Don’t look back. The beasts kept in the arboretum are gentle as long as you don’t make eye contact with them.”

It was time to go. To fly freely to wherever she wanted. Bibi and Namwon bid farewell to Lord Schauer and left the greenhouse. They deliberately ignored the rustling footsteps behind them. By the time they reached the main gate, the sun was rising. She hadn’t realized how much time had passed. It felt as if she had been possessed by a ghost.

“In 10 years as a hunter, this is my first such bizarre experience. Well, the very existence of vampires is absurd, isn’t it? This arboretum... is truly unsettling, and I don’t want to come here again.” Namwon muttered with a stunned expression, shivering. Sometimes, it’s beneficial in many ways not to force an excavation. This arboretum was that kind of place.

The two didn’t look back and headed for their destination.

________________________________________

“Why did you come?” Isabel, wearing a hat, stared blankly at Bibi and Namwon as they entered the mansion. Behind her, Richard had a troubled expression. The two who had greeted them so warmly when they first met were now distant. Was it because Bibi was a descendant of the Servant family?

“You must know my duty,” Isabel sighed. She seemed to imply she didn’t want this either. She carried a high status in the vampire world and the heavy responsibilities that came with it. Leaving Namwon scratching the back of his head awkwardly, Bibi stepped forward confidently.

“I’m just me. Isabel, I haven’t committed any crime.”

“Even so, there are no exceptions. It’s not my role to consider the circumstances. My duty lies solely in execution itself.”

“Let me see Doyoon.” There was no time for bickering. Bibi demanded what she wanted. Richard, sensing the changed atmosphere, stared intently at Bibi then gently asked,

“Bibi. You know about the Tudor family’s ‘type,’ don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“You know it’s dangerous to meet him now. Unless you want to be torn to shreds and become a part of his stomach, run.”

“...”

“This is the only time Isabel can turn a blind eye. I don’t want to see you eliminated.” Richard pleaded earnestly. Isabel’s expression remained cold and stern. Bibi pulled out the pocket knife from her pocket. As everyone in the drawing-room widened their eyes in confusion, she immediately slashed her own palm. Blood instantly welled up from the cut skin.

“You, what are you...!” For the first time, Isabel was agitated. She took out a handkerchief with a slightly angered expression. Bibi, ignoring the confused people, held out her bleeding palm.

Isabel, who had been clueless, looked alternately at Bibi and her injured hand, then instinctively lowered her head and sniffed the blood. Her jet-black pupils gleamed.

“You...” She looked aghast, as if she had smelled a familiar scent. Bibi grabbed the handkerchief from Isabel’s hand and wrapped it around her wound. The recovery was miraculously fast. The pain vanished instantly.

“I personally executed the crime of Claireval, the traitor and my uncle.”

“...”

“From now on, don’t assign any name or destiny to the blood I was born with. I will only take what I inherit.”

No one could refute her confident tone. Isabel no longer saw Bibi as a mere fledgling vampire. Her expression was one of profound impression, as if she had met an old friend she had lost, someone who could stand shoulder to shoulder with her.

“I’ll guide you to Doyoon.” Isabel cleared the way.

The place she guided them to was the top floor of the mansion. Bibi flinched in surprise as she ascended the stairs. Unlike other areas, a massive iron door stood firmly at the beginning of the hallway. The handle was tightly bound with chains, as if a rampaging demon was sealed within.

Isabel took a key from her pocket and unlocked the padlock. As the door opened, the heavy scent of blood rushed out like a storm. It was as if the entrance to hell had opened. Groans of agony could be heard from all directions, and red masses rolled across the floor. On closer inspection, they seemed to be body parts.

Bibi inwardly gasped in shock at the gruesome sight of human remains.

“Clear it.” At Isabel’s command, the servants moved like shadows, clearing the area. The vampires were visibly tense. They seemed afraid that a demon might appear and attack them. They desired eternal life, but they didn’t wish to achieve it inside someone else’s stomach. Bibi looked at the fragments of corpses, imagining how terrified these people must have been as they died.

“I couldn’t help it. It would be a huge problem if he went out and rampaged like this. We had to let him eat criminals. By human standards, they were people who deserved to die. Rapists, murderers, terrorists, etc.” Isabel explained with a sigh from beside her. Bibi calmly exhaled and motioned for the servants to leave.

“Are you sure? Even now...”

“Isabel, I’m fine.”

“...”

“I’m more certain than ever.” Bibi’s resolute voice carried a will that no one could stop. Isabel nodded and left the room, wishing her luck.

The thick iron door closed completely behind her. Bibi was now alone. No, not alone. She was left alone with Doyoon. She cautiously approached the canopy bed in the distance.

Bibi drew aside the veil-like drapes and pulled back the mountain of blankets, finally seeing the person she had so longed to meet. Doyoon, whom she hadn’t seen in days, had his eyes closed. She couldn’t tell if he was sleeping or unconscious from unquenched thirst.

His messy hair, the shirt unbuttoned to his chest, the needle marks on his forearm, and his pale, sweating skin were noticeable. It was the first time she had seen him so disheveled. Relief and pity intertwined within her.

“Doyoon.”

“...”

“Doyoon?” No matter how many times she called his name, he didn’t open his eyes. Ah, sunlight. Maybe she should let him see the sunlight first. To help him come to his senses. And to get rid of the disgusting smell of others’ blood.

Bibi hurried to the window, pulled open the curtains, and opened the window to air out the room. She even flailed her arms wildly to quickly push out the stagnant air in the room.

“Close the curtains, damn it...” A low groan and a curse came from behind her. Turning, she saw Doyoon struggling to sit up. He didn’t seem to have noticed Bibi’s presence.

Doyoon, frowning at the sunlight, poured pills from the side table into his mouth and swallowed them with the red liquid in a wine glass. The white pills he had just taken seemed to be a different kind from iron supplements.

Could they be similar to the drugs vampires took during blood rituals? Doyoon exhaled sluggishly as if he could finally breathe, and leaned against the headboard.

Bibi cautiously approached Doyoon. His eyes, clouded by the drug, were unfocused, and his brow and jaw muscles were tense from the pain of thirst. Bibi gently touched his gaunt cheek. The ice-cold temperature sent shivers down her spine.

Doyoon raised his eyes. He looked up at Bibi, who was in front of him, for a long time.

“What is this?” His long fingers reached out and fumbled over Bibi’s face. Her eyes, nose, mouth—all in detail.

“Is this real, or is it a hallucination...?” Doyoon sniffed, looking confused. Bibi slightly bent down and sat in front of Doyoon. She found it amusing to see him blinking at her, looking so innocent.

“It’s a hallucination,” Bibi replied, thinking quickly. Doyoon didn’t readily believe her, scrutinizing Bibi with suspicious eyes. Even while drugged, his gaze was quite sharp.

“Call my name,” he commanded imperiously.

“Doyoon.”

“Again.”

“Doyoon.”

“Again.”

“Doyoon.”

As she obediently called his name, Doyoon’s expression gradually softened.

“Doyoon, I like you. No, I love you.” Bibi poured out her overwhelming emotions and unbuttoned her shirt. Her slender, white neck was revealed to his eyes. Desire sparked like fire in his dark eyes.

“It really is a hallucination.” Doyoon smiled faintly and pulled Bibi’s wrist. His sharp fangs neared Bibi’s nape. Bibi spread her arms and embraced his broad back. Her heart pounded. Finally, at last. She was becoming someone who shared blood with him. Her heart swelled with emotion, as if a long-cherished wish was coming true, yet she was also nervous.

Doyoon tilted his head slightly, exhaled a hot, moist breath, and rubbed the tip of his nose against the curve of Bibi’s neck. Then he raised the tip of his tongue and licked her fair skin. It was like tasting food before eating it.

His sharp fangs precisely aimed and touched the vein. Instantly, Bibi tensed and squeezed her eyes shut. Goosebumps rose, and the fine hairs on her body stood on end.

“What is this?” A raspy voice reached her ear. Doyoon’s body fell back. He shook his head as if trying to clear his mind from intoxication and lifted Bibi’s hand. A sharp light glimmered in his eyes as he saw the blood-stained handkerchief wrapped around it.

“This...”