During this period, the relationship between Erlande and Lance could be said to have quickly heated up. One of them had long held affection, while the other gradually opened their heart, naturally fitting together on a spiritual level.
As for the physical aspect…
Ahem, looking at the adjustments between the two every night, it should be quite pleasant…
In any case, the relationship between the two was getting better and life was becoming more harmonious. Although they had only known each other for less than half a year, they were already living like an old couple. The only thing lacking now was a wedding.
And this was what Lance was most dissatisfied about!
Clearly, they understood each other’s hearts, and they had done what needed to be done. So why was his beloved still unwilling to marry him?
“Darling~” Don’t doubt it, this wavy voice came from Lance’s mouth!
“Is something the matter?” Completely aware of the other’s tendency to push boundaries, Erlande responded coldly to any of Lance’s actions. Otherwise, he knew he would be the one at a disadvantage when the time came.
“No… nothing.” Seeing Erlande’s business-like expression, Lance found himself at a loss for words at this moment. He didn’t know how to express what he wanted to say and could only retract his words, quietly embracing the person.
“Isn’t it time for you to return to the church?” Now being pestered by Lance every day, Erlande, whose physical abilities were undeniably strong, was feeling somewhat fearful. He was contemplating how to send this person away.
“It’s fine. To the church, I’m merely a symbol. As long as I’m alive, I won’t have any impact on the church.” Lance’s voice carried a hint of laziness.
During the time he had spent with Erlande, he had grown accustomed to his company. Why would he want to return to the church where he wasn’t present?
“Hmm?” This answer surprised Erlande greatly. “Didn’t they say you’re the most likely candidate to become the Archbishop?”
Lance shook his head. He hadn’t anticipated that he would be considered a candidate for Archbishop in the eyes of the world.
“Isn’t that the case?” With Lance’s status, strength, and prestige, he was undoubtedly fit for the position of Archbishop.
“Of course not.” Lance shook his head once again. He understood what Erlande was thinking.
Indeed, based on those factors, he could become the Archbishop. However, he lacked something crucial.
“Why?”
“Because I lack loyalty to the church,” that’s the reason why the church would never allow him to become the Archbishop.
“I’ve told you, I wasn’t adopted by the church. So they haven’t successfully brainwashed me into being solely dedicated to the church, to being a devout follower of God. The church naturally wouldn’t entrust such an important position to me. You should know that the Archbishop is just a step away from the Pope.”
Erlande nodded thoughtfully, somewhat understanding the reasoning behind it.
A puppet in a high position that couldn’t be controlled, the dangers that came with it were clear to Erlande. So, now he understood Lance’s “of course not” and where it came from.
“So, my dear, don’t worry. There’s no problem with us getting married.” Seizing this opportunity, Lance voiced what he had wanted to say the most. He felt immensely satisfied, as marrying the person he loved would bring so much happiness.
Erlande: He knew that this rascal would definitely bring up the topic of marriage at a time like this, ahhh!
“Lance, don’t you find it… odd for two men to get married?” Same-sex love was a grave sin within the church, so no one had ever dared to hold a wedding between same-sex couples.
“No, because that person is you.” Lance used to be a priest, so he understood what Erlande meant. Naturally, he didn’t care. Those were the gods of the brainwashed people in the church, not his.
Why would he compromise himself for a deity he doesn’t even believe in?
“My dear, are you suggesting that vampires now believe in God too?” Holding him in his arms, Lance gently nuzzled against Erlande’s face, displaying his unique tenderness. “I just want to be with you. If you’re not willing to marry, I won’t force you.”
However, there’s some regret.
Erlande didn’t respond to Lance’s words. Some matters required careful consideration. Only after thoughtful contemplation could he make the right choice.
Their identities, Erlande’s and Lance’s, were too sensitive. Rashly marrying would give the church grounds for accusation.
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.
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…
On this day, someone who hadn’t appeared for a long time returned to Collinsburg.
“Dorun, what’s the matter?” Due to the near-universal knowledge among the vampires about the relationship between Lance and Erlande, this priest was already regarded as one of their own. Therefore, when discussing topics, they no longer avoided Lance.
“Well, Salman is missing.” Speaking about this matter irritated Dorun.
Salman might not be particularly talented or likable, but due to his time spent in Collinsburg, his identity had become sensitive. To the vampires, he was a time bomb.
There would naturally be tensions between the church and the vampires, but those tensions should never manifest openly. Even if they discovered something, it should be dealt with behind the scenes. They shouldn’t overtly seek trouble from each other.
Yet Salman’s existence disrupted this balance, especially with his thoughts regarding his Highness. Everything became more dangerous.
Thus, from the beginning, Dorun had assigned people to monitor Salman, hoping he wouldn’t do something foolish out of impulsiveness.
Initially, Salman had been well-behaved for a while, not causing trouble. He hadn’t even left the Harlan Family’s vicinity for a long time. As a result, Dorun’s subordinates had grown somewhat lax. What they hadn’t expected was that this seemingly insignificant lapse in vigilance would lead to trouble at this time.
Salman had vanished!
“Vanished? How did he vanish? Was he abducted or did he leave on his own?” While Dorun was anxious, Erlande wasn’t overly concerned. At present, the only thing Salman could use to threaten him was the relationship between Lance and him.
As long as they both weren’t concerned, what leverage did Salman have?
Did he intend to incite a war between Light and Darkness?
Of course, that wasn’t impossible, but it wasn’t practical to implement. After all, if wars were so easily ignited, they wouldn’t have persisted until now without major upheaval.
In reality, neither the church nor the vampires were eager to wage large-scale wars. Initiating a war would deplete both sides’ fighting strength.
“It’s likely that he left on his own. Your Highness, I’m afraid Salman might go to the church and inform them.” This was what Dorun truly worried about, if the church learned about Father Brode, they would have reason to strike at the vampires.
“Even if he were to go and inform, it wouldn’t change anything, Dorun. You should understand that the last war was just a century ago. Both the vampires and the church are in a phase of recuperation. Unless the Pope desires to trigger an irreversible catastrophe, he won’t take the initiative now.”
The Pope was the ruler of the entire church and its spiritual leader. If the Pope were to suddenly pass away, the entire church would be thrown into turmoil. Similarly, Erlande’s position among the vampires was pivotal. In every war, he would inevitably participate.
One could say that if the vampires lost Erlande, they might not suffer significant losses in terms of combat strength, but it would deal an irreparable blow to their morale.
Hence, for the church, removing Erlande would be more important and advantageous than engaging in a war.
“How long has Salman been missing, and can he be located?” While finding or not finding him wasn’t a huge issue for them, it would be better if they could find him to avoid complications.
“I’m not sure for the moment. I’ll do my best to send people to search. Your Highness, please be cautious. It’s better not to get too close to members of the church.” Since Dorun was unsure of the situation, he had to offer this reminder.
Initially, due to the fact that His Highness could walk under sunlight, coupled with the reputation of the Cumberland family, the church probably hadn’t realized that His Highness was this generation’s head of the Cumberland family. However, Salman had become an unstable factor.
“Alright, I’ll be careful. If the church does find out, then let’s go to war!” After a firm grip on the hand of the person who was worried about being “abandoned” and tightly held by him, Erlande directly conveyed this to Dorun.
For so many years, he hadn’t cared about life and death. Perhaps death was a form of liberation for him in the midst of endless solitude. But since meeting Lance, he wasn’t as willing to let such a life end so soon.
At the very least, he hoped to spend more time with him, for time to be a bit longer, even longer.
“Yes, Your Highness, I understand.” After giving this response, Dorun bowed to Erlande, then cast a subtle glance toward Lance.
He knew that His Highness had never cared about his own life before. But now, His Highness’ transformation was likely due to this person. For him, and for the entire vampire clan, this was truly a positive change.
Once Dorun left, the two didn’t speak but embraced each other in silence. The room was utterly quiet, only the sounds of their breathing could be heard.
“Darling, don’t leave me alone.” Finally, Lance couldn’t bear it any longer and spoke up. His voice held a touch of grievance and a hint of helplessness as if he were a pitiful puppy about to be abandoned by its owner, plaintively beseeching not to be left behind.
Erlande didn’t respond, instead, he turned around, pushed Lance onto the couch, and kissed him passionately. Since words couldn’t alleviate his unease right now, he used actions to convey that he would never leave him alone.
In the days that followed, Lance and Erlande stuck to each other every day. While he was somewhat unaccustomed to this kind of life initially, every time Erlande saw Lance’s pitiful expression, he couldn’t help but soften. Eventually, the person who was pushing boundaries ended up taking full advantage.
In truth, both of them understood in their hearts that the time they could spend together like this was limited. More than half a month had already passed, and Salman still hadn’t been found.
Though they comforted themselves by thinking that Salman was likely hiding, they understood that there was a greater possibility that the church was hiding Salman, planning to reveal him when they chose to strike.
Indeed, about a week later, John heard the rumors from outside, the Cumberland family was not some prestigious noble family, but a vampire clan. And the current head of the Cumberland family had even eloped with Father Brode.
When Erlande heard these rumors, he surprisingly felt a sense of inevitability. It was like the second shoe had finally dropped, and he couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of “Ah, just as expected.”
In fact, from the moment Salman disappeared, he had anticipated this day. However, what surprised him was how patient the church had been.
They had waited so long to start spreading these rumors. He had thought that once the church learned about Lance and him being together, they would spread the news immediately.
The church certainly wanted to do that, but before they spread the rumors, they first contacted Lance, hoping he would return to the church and join in the fight against the vampires.
Lance’s reputation gave him considerable influence among the common people. If people found out that Lance had betrayed the church for a vampire, let alone a male one, and had fallen in love with him, there would be endless ridicule awaiting the church.
As a clergyman, a priest, a future cardinal even, being abducted by a vampire and even falling in love with that vampire, especially a male one, was an immense disgrace for the church.
Of course, those within the church knew that Lance wasn’t a candidate for cardinal, but the general public didn’t know that. So, even though they were reluctant, they wanted to quell the situation.
Unfortunately, Lance had already committed to Erlande. How could he forsake his true beliefs for a deity he had never believed in? When the church’s representatives came for him, he flatly refused and didn’t meet with them again.
At this point, the church’s representatives realized that no matter what they did, Lance wouldn’t return to the church. Since their reputation was already damaged, they thought, why continue to hide it?
So, the rumors spread, becoming well-known among the people. Everyone harbored hatred for Erlande, blaming him for luring away the priest they respected and causing him to fall from grace.
The public’s anger didn’t affect Erlande at all. It even amused him, as he calculated the perfect timing for their wedding and how to infuriate those people further.
Yes, once Erlande learned that news of him and Lance had spread, he began plotting the most appropriate timing for their wedding.
If the church wanted to use this opportunity to strike against him, he would give them the perfect chance. Whether this would tarnish the church’s reputation or not was no longer his concern.
“Do we really have to hold the wedding?” Although this was what Lance had been longing for all along when his wish finally came true, he still felt an indescribable sense of unreality.
“If you’re not willing, I can…”
“No, of course I’m willing!” How could he not be willing? Everything he had ever wanted was finally coming true. How could he miss this opportunity?
As for Erlande’s wedding plans, there was no secrecy whatsoever. Actually, it was quite the opposite. They were practically making it public, almost sending invitations to the church to attend his and Lance’s wedding.
Now, Erlande was entirely set on provoking everyone’s anger.
As for Lance… well, he just needed to wholeheartedly support whatever decisions his lover made!
Under the orchestration of these two, the initial slander against Erlande had greatly diminished. Especially on the eve of the wedding, Lance’s “profound confession of love” made everyone understand that these two were truly in love.
And what incensed them the most was that the person they initially considered most suitable to become a cardinal had never even been considered by the church from the beginning.
For a while, the public became furious and began to question the church.
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!” Knowing about Lance’s words, the Pope was so enraged that he wanted to storm into Collinsburg and take lives.
If it weren’t for the slight trace of reason he still held onto, he would have burst out already.
“Pope, please calm down. You still have a chance to turn things around. During this wedding, if you can capture the second-generation vampire, your position will never be shaken.”
A young man standing beside him advised in a hushed tone. Although he had much disdain for this Pope, he couldn’t let him step down from his position just yet.
“Shut up, Salman! If it weren’t for your ideas, the church wouldn’t have ended up in this situation!” Looking at the handsome young man next to him, the Pope had no appreciation left for him, only disgust.
Initially, he hadn’t intended to escalate the situation so much. He had dealt with dark forces before, and the fact that they had taken Lance Brod away had been favorable to him.
Because that man’s reputation was too high. In fact, among the people, Lance had already been considered his successor, and he wasn’t ready to give up his position just yet.
So, the actions of that second-generation vampire were perfect for his plans. He pretended to be ignorant of the incident to maintain a balance with the dark world.
From the beginning, he found common ground with the dark world. And because of this, he felt more confident. Especially when Salman appeared by his side, he found himself with a witness, someone who could use public opinion to force Lance to step down.
If he could also eliminate that second-generation vampire, the forces of light would undoubtedly gain a significant advantage in the upcoming war!
He proceeded cautiously, meticulously laying out every step. He waited for over a month before making a move, aiming for a killing blow. He intended to smear Lance Brod with unerasable filth, then deal with the vampire…
By then, he would become the greatest Pope ever!
However, he hadn’t expected that Lance Brod would utter those words at that moment, even revealing all of the church’s secrets.
Indeed, a stranger you don’t raise will bite you! Regret! If he had known that Lance would act like this, he shouldn’t have let him join the church in the first place.
“Pope, what you’re saying isn’t accurate. As the Pope, shouldn’t you have control over a priest?” In Salman’s mind, the Pope was the person in the church whose words were absolute. Could a priest like Lance Brod really go against the Pope’s wishes?
Indeed, if Lance were still a priest, he wouldn’t dare defy the Pope’s authority. However, the current Lance had forsaken his position as a priest. He only wanted to stay by Erlande’s side, and he didn’t care about anything else.
“Pope, the Cumberland family has sent an invitation. Will you…” Seeing the red invitation handed over by an attendant, the Pope was tempted to tear it up immediately. However, he couldn’t afford to lose face right now.
“Very well. Since they’ve invited us, how can we not go!” The Pope’s decision to attend the wedding a week later was made with a single sentence. He wanted to see if the presence of the Pope would ensure the wedding’s smooth execution.
On the day of the wedding, Collinsburg was bustling. The castle, nestled in the forest and rarely disturbed, opened its gates for the first time to welcome guests.
And the Pope, accompanied by clergy members, grandly entered Collinsburg. They were there to congratulate the newlyweds.
Walking through the entrance and seeing the two individuals in tuxedos, the Pope was momentarily dazed. He even felt that these two people were incredibly well-suited as if they were meant to be together.
However, in the next moment, he dismissed this thought. After all, same-sex love was absolutely forbidden by God. These two individuals were sinners!
“It’s been a while, Your Holiness.” As the Pope arrived, Erlande came out to greet him. His politeness was evident, but there was a subtle arrogance in it that prevented anyone from looking down on him.
At this first encounter, the Pope’s entourage was at a slight disadvantage.
“It’s been a while, my lord.” Because of his return to the Haran Empire, Salman had once again become the proud, aloof, and lofty prince.
“It’s been a while.” Erlande casually nodded in Salman’s direction, showing that he had no respect for this person compared to when he faced the Pope.
However, those present who understood the weight of their identities could not find fault in this interaction. One was the ruler of light, and the other was the monarch of darkness. Aside from each other, who could make the other bow down?
Salman was quite dissatisfied with Erlande’s attitude, but he chose not to say anything. Instead, he respectfully bowed and then turned his gaze to Lance standing at the side. “It’s been a while, Father Brod.”
As these words were spoken, a murmur of private conversations began among the attendees. Although many had heard rumors about the wedding between the two individuals today, very few had taken it seriously. A priest and a vampire getting married? Could there be anything more absurd in this world?
However, Salman’s words made everyone confront this reality. This man really was a priest!
Translator’s Note –
I don’t understand why they(the vampires) didn’t just kill Salman? Like the butler and Dorun already knew he was a time bomb, not to mention that they are VAMPIRES, they kill random people for blood!! Yet they didn’t kill Salman when they knew he could cause trouble?!
Translator-sama is right I also wondered why they didn’t just kill him but I guess the show must go on
Dears, because if killed, he couldn’t promote the plot of wedding, ah~
What a qualified supporting character~
White Lotus protags have too much plot armor