Before Luca could leave, Ari handed him a bottle of medicine privately.
“I calculated the time, and you’re almost out of the last batch I made.”
“Am I?”
“Of course you’re unaware. That’s why I have to keep track of it for you.”
“Yes, yes, you’re very capable. Mind making the medicine less bitter?”
“*sigh* You’re the most fussy patient I had. I already told you, sweeteners will lessen its potency.”
Luca sighed. “Worth a try.”
“If I ever make a better tasting version, I’ll give it to you, without you even having to ask.”
“I’ll look forward to it.”
Ari gave him an exasperated smile.
After bidding a short farewell to Ari, Luca carried Ren to his car. Luca may be half-blind, but with the help of his night vision, and keen senses, he could tell where everything was accurately, so the drive to his home was long and smooth. Luca pulled up to his place, a large manor with a garden, and a small fountain. It was located in a private neighborhood, and the other houses were at least a mile away from each other.
This time, Ren stubbornly refused to be carried by Luca, so Luca could only let Ren lean on him. They walked through the front door. The darkness and cold faded as the orange light from inside lit and warmed up their path.
The floor was carpeted with dark red, and the walls were made of polished wood. It felt like what a coffin would like if it were the size of a mansion, and lit up from the inside. Luca was sure that was the purpose of its design. He hated it, but he couldn’t bear to leave either.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Ren followed him down the long hallway, trying hard to not look curious about his surroundings, but every once in a while, his gaze lingered on something in interest. The interior had large paintings of a forest (no portraits), ancient vases, and large windows with all their curtains opened. Outside, Ren had a closer look at the garden, filled with trimmed bushes and different flowers. Distracted, Ren didn’t notice Luca had stopped, and almost bumped into him.
“Qts vlv sbe revvfcis rab-”
Dfobgf Efc mbeiv olclrt, tf rjk ktja Oemj kjr rajglcu ja. Pc ogbca bo tlw, atfgf kjr j rlinfg agjs tbnfglcu lc atlc jlg. Rb bcf kjr mjggslcu la, la kjr oibjalcu ys larfio.
Oemj aegcfv jgbecv ab ojmf Efc. “Efogfrtwfcar?”
Ktf agjs tbnfgfv mibrfg ab atf rtbmxfv ybs, tbivlcu j qlamtfg bo kjgw wlix jcv mtbmbijaf ylrmelar. Efc mbeiv offi tlr wbeat kjafg ja atf rluta, yea obgmfv tlwrfio ab rtjxf tlr tfjv. Oemj rtgeuufv, jcv vlgfmafv atf agjs (bg atf “atlcu” mjggslcu atf agjs) ab ub jkjs. Efc jiwbra gfugfaafv cba ajxlcu eq atf boofg, yea gfwlcvfv tlwrfio atja tf mbeivc’a fja obbv ogbw rerqlmlber ragjcufgr. Qtb xcfk ktja la mbeiv mbcajlc? Ccv wbgf lwqbgajcais . . .
“What was that?”
“Chocolate almond cookies with milk.” Luca replied. They started walking up the stairs. Luca offered Ren his arm, and he reluctantly took it, obviously not wanting to get too close to him.
“I mean . . . how was the tray floating?”
“Oh, those are my invisible servants. They’ll be taking care of you during your stay.”
“Invisible servants? You mean ghosts?”
Luca gave Ren an evil smile.
“They’re the ghosts of all of my victims.”
Ren’s tensed, as he backed away from Luca.
‘How gullible.’ Luca thought.
Luca chuckled. “I’m joking. Vampires don’t need to kill their victims anymore, and most don’t do it these days.”
Ren didn’t calm down though.
“Most?”
Luca considered teasing the little one a bit more, but seeing how tense the boy was, it wouldn’t be entertaining to see him always be fearful of him.
So Luca answered truthfully, “Some are stuck in old tradition, and hunt their victims, sucking them dry. They’re the particularly sadistic kind. Word of advice, it’s best to stay away from them, but I guess your survival instincts will take care of that.”
“And you’re not like them?” Ren asked, trying to confirm.
Luca clicked his tongue in distaste.
“I don’t really enjoy scaring my prey. Ruins my appetite, you know.”
Ren still had a wary expression, but his body relaxed.
“Come on, now. I’ll show you to your room. Be free to wander around wherever, but I suggest you remember your way back.”
Ren nodded, and followed him closely.
‘This child is really cute when he’s being obedient.’ Luca mused.
The hallway upstairs was less spacious than downstairs, but it was still large.They walked down the long winding hallways that all looked the same, except for a few subtle differences that only long time residents of the manor would know. Or someone who knew its secrets and spilled them to another.
“Here we are.” Luca said, stopping in front of an ornate wooden door. The door was a bit heavy, but it easily budged as Luca pushed it open. Clouds of dust floated across the room. Ren looked at the room with indifference, but Luca felt a bit embarrassed as a host.
“I’ll have a servant clean the room up for you. I wasn’t expecting any visitors, or long-term residents today.”
Luca signalled the invisible servants to dust and clean the room.
“It will take them a while, so you can come to my room for tonight.”
“I can take another room instead.”
“The other rooms are in even worse states.”
“I’m not sleeping in a coffin.”
“Perfect! Neither am I.”
Ren furrowed his eyebrows in frustration. “I don’t want to share a room with anyone, especially with a vampire.”
“Why? Am I really that scary?”
Ren scoffed. “Not at all.”
“Then I see no problem.” Luca said, pulling Ren along, before he could protest further.
Ren couldn’t help but wonder what strange vampire he had run into. Forget it, it was just sleeping in the same room. They were already in the same house, so if Luca wanted to do anything, he could have already done it. Even as he thought this, Ren was nervous about this. It wasn’t that Luca was a vampire that bothered him, but the fact that he would be sleeping with someone, sharing the same space. He had never slept in the same room as someone else for a long time, and he was unused to it.
awww Ren! It is good to be weary of strangers, especially vampires.
Luca, jiayou!
thanks for the chapter <3
Thanks for the chapter! ❤
Ohh god i love how Luca is so self-confident and funny! I really love these kinds of caracters! I’m really looking forvard to this novell! Btw how much chapters are you planning to write?😍
Yep, he’s one of my favorite characters to write! And as of now, I have absolutely no idea how long this story is gonna be. Maybe around 80 chapters, maybe more?