However, her disappointment soon turned into shock.

  It wasn’t the usual one-time peck. Gentle kisses rained down on her cheeks in a peculiar trajectory—he was slowly moving downward.

  Why are you kissing me like that? W-wait, that is…!!!

  Alicia’s eyes widened in astonishment. She immediately pushed him away and asked in a fluster.

  “L-Lord Brother! What are you doing?”


  “I’m not doing anything. I’m swallowing your tears since you wouldn’t let me wipe them off.”


  “!”


  That answer made Alicia’s face redden like a bright apple. Even her fair skin was tinged in red from her intense emotions. Her lips started quivering out of nervousness.

  “Alicia?” asked Roel.

  “… L-Lord Brother, how… how could you… Spit them out!”


  “Why? It’s just tears. I don’t find it dirty.”


  “That’s not the problem here!”


  Alicia covered her burning face with her hands. She was feeling a little giddy from her brain going on overdrive. Feeling utterly embarrassed, she collapsed into a squatting position and meekly murmured.

  “That’s not the problem here. How could you… swallow a woman’s fluid just like that…”


  “!”


  Roel was surprised to hear that, not expecting Alicia to see things from that perspective. However, her words made some sense.

  While he didn’t think that it was anything much, it was indeed considered a biological fluid, so it was improper to ingest them. That being said, he found it weird how Alicia was getting embarrassed over this.

  It was not just once or twice that they had shared a bed, and there were also a few times that they had a lip-to-lip kiss too. She had even once mixed her saliva into wine to nourish his ailing life force. In fact, he would say that Alicia was much more daring than him.

  Yet, the current situation was telling a different story.

  She’s fine with feeding her saliva to me, but it embarrasses her when I ingest it on my own accord.

  Roel had no idea what to make of this situation. However, it did remind him of how she would be startled whenever he picked bread crumbs off her lips and ate them.

  “I’m sorry, Alicia. I didn’t know that you would mind this.”


  “…”


  Roel apologized after a prolonged silence, and Alicia slowly recovered from her explosion of embarrassment. Mustering all of the composure she could gather, she forced herself to stand up and settle down on a nearby chair. Her face was still reddened and her lips twitched. She didn’t know what to say here.

  This interjection completely messed up the heavy atmosphere in the room. Alicia’s anger was quelled before she could realize it. Roel made use of this opportunity to speak his words.

  “Alicia, I didn’t think things through and made you worry. Just as you have said, this isn’t the first time. I keep getting into situations that make you worry, and I’m really sorry about that.”


  It filled him with guilt just thinking about a young Alicia spending her nights sleeplessly in the Ascarts’ manor, constantly worried that a mishap might befall him. The fact that he was closest to Alicia as compared to the others only made things worse. It scared him just thinking about how much stress she must have felt.

  This outburst of hers was a result of her accumulated frustration and distress over the years. What Roel had to do now was to admit his fault, apologize, and mentally prepare her for what lay ahead in the future.

  “I won’t be able to promise you that I’ll steer clear of danger, but Alicia, just like I’ve told you in the past, I’ll try my best to return safely to your side. I believe that a day will come where peace will return to our lives, just like how things were in our younger years.”


  “In our younger years?”


  “Yes, the days we have spent together before I awakened to my bloodline.”


  “!”


  Alicia’s eyes narrowed upon hearing Roel’s words. Those blissful times they had spent together in the Ascarts’ manor before Roel’s bloodline awakening were the sweetest memories she had. It was impossible for her not to be moved by his promise.

  “Lord Brother… is that true?” Alicia asked carefully.

  “Of course. Will you accept my apology now?” Roel replied with an affirmative nod.

  Alicia was quiet for a long while before she finally breathed a sigh of resignation.

  “I understand, Lord Brother. I can accept your apology, but I want compensation…”


  “Compensation?”


  “That’s right. You’ll know what it is tonight. That’s all.”


  “Alicia?”


  Alicia stood up and walked out of the room before Roel could ask what the compensation was. Roel considered chasing after her to ask about it, but it didn’t seem right to do so given the atmosphere.

  I don’t mind compensating her, but night…


  Conflicted by the timing, Roel massaged his temples and breathed a sigh. He could only pray that Alicia wouldn’t go overboard here.

  …


  Nightfall, in the Azure Manor, Roel leaned on his chair and blankly stared at the scenery outside.

  It was in the middle of summer.

  The mountain forest around Azure Manor was covered in lush greenery, with chirping birds enlivening the day and clicking cicadas filling the night. The night breeze was cool and refreshing, and the quiet environment mixed with the rhythmic calls of the cicadas was relaxingly hypnotic.

  Now that he was back in a familiar room, Roel felt like he had finally returned home after months of journeying. His taut nerves slowly calmed down.

  Even though he had maintained a composed appearance during the expedition, the truth was that he was hardly as relaxed as he appeared to be. He was always in a vigilant state whether they were traveling or resting at night. It was not that he didn’t trust his comrades, but the enemy they were up against was simply too powerful.

  They could never be too wary when dealing with the Fallens who had lived through two epochs. As the leader of the Rose of Dawn, Roel felt obliged to ensure their safety.

  How could he not be exhausted when faced with such immense stress and an elusive enemy?

  Fortunately, the fight ended in their victory.

  Roel’s attention wandered away as he thought about all these, and drowsiness began to overtake him. His eyelids became heavier and heavier.

  Knock knock!

  “Come in.”


  The sudden knocks jolted Roel awake. He took a quick glance at the wall clock while signaling for the person outside to enter. At the same time, a doubt surfaced in his mind.

  She’s knocking instead of entering with her transcendental powers today?

  It was a curious deviation from Alicia’s usual manner of entrance. Before he could give much thought to the matter, his attention was stolen away by something else.

  Under the faint illumination of a candle and the moon, a gorgeous woman with silvery hair and crimson eyes walked through the opened door. Her beauty was as ethereal as ever, but there was a vast difference in her wear today.

  Instead of her usual long skirt, she was wearing a short dress with black stockings. Her fitting clothes shaped out her slender body, exuding a different charm that took Roel’s breath away.

  “…”


  Alicia has really grown up.

  Roel’s heart started to race, prompting him to subconsciously avert his eyes a little.

  It was at odds with Alicia’s usual style of wear, but it drew out a different charm from her. In particular, Roel found himself not daring to look at those slender legs peeking from her dress.

  “Lord Brother.”


  “You’re here, Alicia.”


  Roel slightly straightened his back as he responded to Alicia’s greeting. He eyed her unexpected clothes and asked.

  “What made you change your style today?”


  “It’s a special day. I wanted to go for something different so as to make it more memorable for Lord Brother. Does it not fit me?”


  “It does fit you, but… it’ll be best if you don’t dress like this frequently.”


  Roel forced himself to look at Alicia as he spoke, but his eyes ended up flickering around, not knowing where to look. Taking in his reaction, Alicia’s lips curled upward.

  “Lord Brother, are you hoping to monopolize this side of me? That’s terribly greedy of you.”


  “No, that’s not what I mean. I’m saying that…”


  “You don’t have to explain to me. I’ll reserve this look solely for Lord Brother’s eyes.”


  “…”


  Before Roel could explain himself, Alicia had already walked up to him and pressed her forefinger against his lips. There was a joyful twinkle in her eyes.

  Seeing how excited she was, Roel couldn’t bring himself to refute her words. He was opposed to her wearing such clothes in public because he was worried that it might affect her reputation, though he couldn’t deny that he had some ulterior motive too.

  It was human nature to want to monopolize the beautiful, and he was no exception to the rule.

  That being said, Roel hadn’t forgotten why Alicia was here. He took his attention off her clothes and mentally prepared himself to fulfill whatever request she had for him. He had previously thought that she was up to something considering how she refused to reveal it, and that feeling had since gotten much more intense. Thus, he decided to quickly get it over and done with.

  “Alicia, you mentioned earlier that you haven’t been able to catch any sleep over the past month. It’s already getting late and it would be good if you could rest early tonight. Tell me, what do you want for compensation?”


  Roel cleared his throat and subtly hurried her. To his surprise, Alicia revealed an embarrassed expression. She looked at Roel and softly muttered.

  “I didn’t think that Lord Brother would be in such a rush. I was still thinking of setting the atmosphere first.”


  “Setting the atmosphere? What are you intending to do?”


  Roel’s eyes widened in alarm upon hearing those misleading words. Alicia chuckled at his response.

  “Lord Brother, you don’t need to get so nervous. All I want is to do what you did to me.”


  “What I did to you?” Roel asked in confusion.

  “That’s right.”


  Alicia licked her lips as she stared intensely at Roel with narrowed crimson eyes.

  “I want to taste Lord Brother’s fluid.”