Leanne loved her one and only younger sibling, but there is an undeniable difference between sibling love and parentchild love.

“Mother, you’ve done what you had to do. Please don’t feel too disheartened. You would’ve done the same if I was in Latil’s position.”

Shait placed her knife next to the halfcut piece of meat. From within the appealing darkbrown chunk, a stream of red fluid trickled out.

While wiping her mouth with a napkin imprinted with moss patterns, Shait muttered in a dampened voice,

“We must go together. I cannot leave her alone.”

“Why did you run away?”

It was a dark night, with not even the moon visible through the black clouds. Carlein and Latil had lit a bonfire at the edge of a cave, sitting close, warming themselves by the fire.

Having traveled as far away from the palace as possible, they had left the capital and ventured into the wilderness, climbing up a mountain. Their plan was to completely erase their tracks of escape through the mountain and ponder their next course of action.

While poking the fire with a stick, Carlein broached a subject,

“Master, since you are not the Lord, you could’ve waited in the temple and perhaps things would’ve returned to how they were.”

With her knees pulled up to her chest, Latil responded,

“I know. I didn’t disregard that thought when I embraced mother.”

“I thought you didn’t consider it at all since you knocked her unconscious so quickly.”

“I acted quickly.”

With a pout, Latil nudged Carlein’s toe with her own. However, the large, sturdy foot remained unshaken.

“But think about it. What if it takes a long time to figure out who the Lord is? After that long time passes, would they return the emperor’s throne to me, who’s been living leisurely in the temple?”

“…….”

“And think about it. What if Trala gains power and takes over the country before they figure out who the Lord is? Trala would probably find out that I was locked up in the temple. Wouldn’t he gleefully announce that I am the Vampire Lord, kill me, and conclude matters? There would be clear evidence, wouldn’t there? Right? With mother, brother, and myself acknowledging that I am the Lord and having been confined in the temple, that’s the most obvious evidence.”

“I see.”

“And… of course, this has the least probability, but what do you think would happen if I really am the Lord?”

“The Divine Empress said that in such a case, you should continue to stay in the temple.”

“No. Mother would try to kill me.”

The fire crackled, and sparks flew up into the sky. Carlein ceased stoking the fire and looked at Latil.

Latil was looking at him too. Latil saw Carlein’s pale skin glowing with the fire’s ruddy light.

The image of the flame flickering in his green pupils was like a bewitching demon dancing within him. In the darkness, Carlein looked even more beautiful than usual.

“You’re really handsome.”

At Latil’s mumbled comment, Carlein halted and chuckled, his eyes crinkling at the corners.

“You’re complimenting me amidst all this?”

Clearing her throat, Latil hugged her knees and stared back into the fire.

“At first, she’ll try to suppress me by keeping me in the temple. But it probably won’t work.”

Carlein asked with a puzzled voice,

“How can you be so sure that it won’t work?”

“That’s because the priests’ talk about suppressing energies or whatever is nothing but nonsense.”

“!”

“If that were possible, why didn’t the previous lords do it? If a vampire lord was not a demonlike being from birth, but truly revived through reincarnation, those people would also have had their families, loved ones, precious people. If there was a way to press it, they would have lived by pressing it. Not everyone was massacred.”

“……”

Carlein suddenly fell silent. As I stared at him, wondering why he was like that, he quietly got up from his place after a moment of staring at the fire. Then, he took off his top and covered Latil with it.

Latil was completely covered in Carlein’s large clothes.

“What will you do if you give this to me?”

“I’m not cold.”

“You have Raynaud’s.”

“My heart is warm.”

When Carlein remembered and repeated what Latil had said before, Latil remembered the words and laughed.

Carlein came next to Latil and sat down snugly. Then he extended his arm and wrapped it around Latil’s shoulder, making her rest her head on his shoulder.

As Latil looked up at him, Carlein was faintly smiling.

“I think I will be warm like this too.”

“You are full of selfishness.”

“The Empress said she would push me to become the national book if you protect the owner safely.”

“Mom?”

When Latil laughed awkwardly, Carlein lifted his chin a little proudly.

“If the matter is successfully concluded, we may sit together in the national book room and reminisce about this.”

“You…you don’t seem like that, but you’re ambitious.”

As Carlein laughed, his body shook. Latil, who was resting her head on his shoulder, also shook with him.