Cordelia POV

"W-Wol...fe...! Wa...it...!" I yelled as I tried thrashing against him, but for some reason, I could not muster any strength.

He caged me within his arms and body as he stared down at me from above as if I were his prey.

No...

I was his prey.

And he, quite literally, was planning on eating me.

"...sweet..." he murmured as he dipped his head into my nape.

His deep vibrating voice and cool breath on my neck sent shivers down my spine.

He began licking the place where he had bitten me before in circles and I grew stiff at the touch.

Cold.

His entire body was ice cold.

Wolfe's body wrapped and entangled with mine just like a snake's and his never-ending cold breath made me hitch my breath.

"Stop..." I said through gritted teeth as I tried to speak some sense into him, but his eyes were terribly unfocused and I could tell that he couldn't hear me at all.

Darn it...

How do I get this guy off of me...?

"Pl...ease..." he begged me from above with a painful expression on his face.

Why was he asking for my permission now?

It was clear by the expression on his face that even if I shook my head no, he would never let me go.

His arms gripped onto mine and his body pressed down on my stomach, completely entrapping my body in his.

Right now, with his venom coursing through my veins and his body pressing down on me, I wouldn't be able to move if I wanted to.

"I need...to get you...some help..." I tried to breathe out but my voice was tight.

Darn it.

What type of venom did he inject into me anyway...?

I could see his pearly white fangs glisten in front of my eyes with the red of my blood.

He immediately bent his head down once more and nibbled on my neck before sharply piercing my flesh once more.

But instead of looking at the stream of blood flowing down my nape, my eyes were drawn to his eyes.

His eyes were red and tears were spilling out of them uncontrollably.

Wolfe...

What happened to you these past few weeks...?

Did no one check up on you...?

Were you just left alone like this, freezing in a dark room all by yourself...?

I bit my tongue as I stared at him.

Has anyone ever asked you...if you were okay...?

"...Does it hurt?" I asked quietly, as my breath grew ragged.

"Sorry...so...rry...I'm...sorry..." Wolfe said with his lips still touching my skin.

The movement of his lips as he spoke against my neck felt as if folds of ice were being rubbed over me.

It was so cold...

So terribly cold.

His words were enough to tell me that the one in more pain right now was him, not me.

"Shhh...it's okay...it's okay..." I whispered.

From that point on, he didn't speak another word and the room was filled with silence, besides the sounds of him desperately gulping down my blood.

And I let him do it too.

Without struggling against him in the slightest.

Because who knows what would have happened if I forced him to stop?

...What if he died?

I knew nearly nothing about him after all.

"Hey...Are you...done yet...?" I asked weakly below him.

"..."

He didn't respond at all.

It was as if he couldn't hear me and was simply lost in a daydream.

"I might...actually die...if you keep this up...you know..." I mumbled underneath him, my words slightly slurred.

The moment I uttered the word 'die' from my mouth, Wolfe physically froze in front of me.

"...Did you...drink enough...yet...?" I asked when I realized he was finally listening to me.

What was Wolfe...?

He certainly wasn't human.

Perhaps he was a vampire...?

Oh my god...That would explain so much...

"Can you...hear me...Wolfe?" I asked.

His eyes were still unfocused and his fangs never left their position from my neck.

Each and every one of his movements seemed uncontrolled...almost beastly...almost...painful.

It was...pitiful.

Wolfe was still so young...he was someone who had barely just entered high school...and yet, here he was, suffering over himself like this.

Does he have anyone by his side to comfort him...?

My hands, although they felt numb, were able to move a little, so with my one movable hand, I reached out to Wolfe's fluffy strawberry hair.

My fingers sunk through his soft hair almost immediately and it felt as if though my hand were falling into a wonderful red cloud.

How was this possible...?

Surely, in Wolfe's situation, he wouldn't have been able to take a shower for the past few weeks...

And yet how was his hair still so soft and smooth...?

I was almost...jealous.

"Why..." he murmured as I glided my hand through his red locks.

"..."

"Why...are you doing this...? Don't you...see how much I want to kill you right now? Don't tempt me..." he said, his body stiffening at my movements.

"...Well...I just have a feeling that I won't die today..." I replied with a soft chuckle.

Me?

Die?

Again?

Today?

As if I would let that happen.

I was confident that I would be able to stop Wolfe at any time if it became too much.

"..." Wolfe went silent.

"What's...wrong? Are you done...drinking my blood...now? Why..." I asked him with my eyebrow raised.

The moment he removed his fangs from my flesh, a strange feeling of loss coursed through my body, making me feel a bit uncomfortable.

Was it...disappointment...?

"D-mn...it," he cursed.

"...What...?"

"...You don't understand...do you? My fangs. They're coated...with poison. It makes you numb...and happy that I'm doing this to you. It's addicting. You won't want me to stop."

"Oh...that makes a lot of...sense...haha...No wonder I don't...feel like kicking you off," I giggled a bit.

Wolfe gritted his teeth at my reaction.

I guess his poison affected me more than I thought it would.

Certainly, I was feeling strangely happy at the moment.

It was as if he were constantly injecting me with dopamine every time he bit into my neck.

This could potentially be...the most dangerous poison on the planet.

Before I could even utter another word, Wolfe dipped his head down to my neck again as if he couldn't wait any longer.

As if he were being tortured by my very existence.

...It was strange.

And the moment his fangs pierced through my flesh once more, I could physically feel my blood being sucked away and replaced by something else...

Happiness.

For someone like me, who was still suffering from trauma and nightmares every night from my times lost in the underground labyrinths, this was an addicting feeling.

But it wasn't real happiness.

And I knew that.

I continued running my hands through Wolfe's hair as I furrowed my eyebrows.

This wasn't fair.

Life wasn't fair.

Wolfe...

Why do you look like you're in so much pain...?

"Hey...Wolfe...Do you want me dead...?" I asked him with a quiet voice.

He widened his eyes at my words and froze against my body.

I could tell from the look in his eyes.

He wanted to say "no."

But whatever was possessing him right now wouldn't let him.

He was deathly afraid of himself.

Would Wolfe only be satisfied if he drank me until my blood went dry?

Until I died in his arms...?

"Since you didn't...answer...I'll just answer the question myself. I...don't want to die...do you understand...?" I asked.

"..."

"So...I'm going to have to stop you here..." I smiled at him.

I didn't plan on smiling.

The happiness injected in my veins warped how I truly felt.

When Wolfe heard those words exit my lips, almost as if it were based purely on instinct, Wolfe began to suck hard on my neck as if he was trying to get as many gulps of my blood in as possible.

It was painful and I winced a bit.

But even though it hurt, I didn't want it to stop.

Is this what he meant by...addicting...?

All good things must come to an end though.

And within those last few moments, I let my mana run amok and do everything it wanted to restrain this powerful vampire in front of me.

Simple methods wouldn't be able to stop this male lead—he wasn't weak enough for that.

I needed to knock him half-dead if I wanted him to stop.

The room began to rumble and shake before everything from the wall to the ceilings broke apart.

3...

2...

1...

Boom.

.

.

.

I had no idea how much time had passed.

My vision was blurry and my ears were ringing loudly.

There were piles of rubble and dust clouds all around me, making my nose itch and my throat dry.

And when I looked up, I could see the blue sky above me and a perfectly sculptured face.

Ace...?

What are you doing there...?

His arms tightened around my body as he held me close to his chest.

It felt warm.

So warm.

My entire body was still completely paralyzed and numb from Wolfe's venom so I couldn't move or feel anything.

It was ridiculous.

In the labyrinths, I had encountered plenty of poisonous creatures that had similar poisons in their claws.

But the poison that Wolfe produced in his fangs easily outmatched those of the monsters I had encountered, even though his wasn't lethal.

Even now, his poison was still circulating in my system, which was very much immune to many different poisons, and I was left completely helpless and immobile.

But...

I stared at Ace who was carrying me in his arms to somewhere.

...I felt safe.

I nestled my head in his chest and looked up at him.

Ace had a strange expression on his face that I couldn't really read that well.

He never moved his head once to meet with my eyes either.

"...Wo...lfe. Where is...Wolfe..." I murmured to Ace, who seemed to be avoiding making eye-contact with me.

He didn't answer for a while and, for a moment, I thought that he didn't hear me.

".........I restrained him with magic. He won't be able to escape any time soon," Ace said with a blank expression on his face as he continued to carry me away somewhere.

"You didn't...hurt him...right...?"

"...No."

"He's going...to be fine...right...?"

"..."

"Right...?"

"...Yes."

"Good..." I sighed as I let myself comfortably sink into Ace's firm, yet gentle, arms and relaxed.

I wonder why Ace was carrying me so slowly.

Did he think I was going to break in half if he moved too fast or something...?

Technically, I wasn't injured...besides my left wrist, which Wolfe snapped in half earlier.

All that was wrong with me right now was that I was currently paralyzed and numb...and a little anemic after Wolfe sucked all that blood out of me.

"I'm okay, Ace..." I said to him, my vision blurring again as a wave of drowsiness hit me.

"..."

I think Ace had said something then, but I wasn't able to hear it in time.

And then I fell asleep.

.

.

Two Days Later

.

.

I opened my eyes to a smooth ceiling and a terrible headache.

"WHY HASN'T SHE WOKEN UP YET?"

"S-She is f-fine, y-your highness. She's s-simply overly e-exhausted and a-anemic. I can assure you s-she will wake up soon...! L-Lady Cyllia seems to h-have great p-power so there is no need to w-worry-"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU SAID YESTERDAY," Florence growled as he lifted the poor royal physician up by the collar.

How long was I asleep for?

And why was Florence so irrationally upset...?

I pity that doctor.

He needs a raise for all the excess stress he goes through.

"...Cordelia," someone by my side murmured all of a sudden.

I turned my head to see Ace, who's hair was very messy and fluffy-looking, sitting by my side.

It looked like Ace had just woken up, judging by his bed-head.

Was he...sleeping by my side earlier...?

"Lia?" Florence asked as he suddenly stopped screaming at that poor doctor and turned to look at me.

"Good...morning..." I said with a mini-yawn.

I tried to lift my head from my pillow, but a sudden spike of dizziness stopped me.

My head felt like it weighed five tons.

Actually, more than that, my entire body felt fatigued and heavy.

"Don't sit up yet...Just rest for now, Cordelia," Ace murmured quietly to me as he carefully repositioned my body into a comfortable laying position on the bed.

How in the world did I end up like this...?

"Lia...! You're awake," Florence said as he quickly let go of the doctor's collar and rushed over to my bed.

"Yes," I nodded my head, which happened to make me feel nauseous.

I stopped moving entirely after that.

"You've been asleep for two days...I thought you were dead..." Florence muttered as he gave a small glare to the doctor.

"Only two days? I was tired enough to fall asleep for a full year though..." I joked with a sigh.

"T-Thank goodness t-that you d-didn't though...! Haha..." the doctor awkwardly laughed at my joke as his face paled.

If I really did sleep for a full year...I wonder what would have happened to this dude.

Florence grabbed my non-broken hand and kissed it.

"I'm glad you are well," Florence smiled.

"Me too," I laughed awkwardly a bit at his excessive actions.

Almost out of reflex, I turned to Ace to see how he would react.

But Ace's head was unnaturally turned away from us, as if he didn't want to see what was happening, and I couldn't see the expression on his face at all.

Was Ace feeling ill right now...?

His hands were shaking.

"...I promise I'll find a way to get rid of Wolfe as soon as possible too. I can't believe a vampire snuck into our nation like this...! And he even went as far as seeing you as his food...!" Florence spat as his expression darkened.

"...Huh?"

"Right now I'm keeping him locked away in the palace dungeons. We're currently contacting Macrog to take him back but negotiations seem to be...well, they don't want him back. So I'm planning on finding a way to exile him and-"

"No."

"Hmm?"

"What the heck are you thinking? You can't do that to Wolfe. He's our friend."

"Lia, he's a monster. Even worse, he's a demon that feeds on our blood," Florence replied sharply.

"Are you kidding me? Weren't you two close friends? You can't do that to Wolfe," I said in shock at Florence's words.

"That thing drank your blood, Lia. I'm already being generous enough for not killing it yet."

"First of all, Wolfe is not a 'thing.' Also, he couldn't help it! You don't even know what he was like before he drank my blood. He was ice cold. He would have died if he didn't do anything," I said with my expression darkening.

"That was probably him acting. He probably snuck into our kingdom to wreak havoc, Lia. I don't care who he is or whatever his past was like. To me, he can die for all I care."

I stared at Florence with my eyes wide.

Did their friendship mean nothing to him...?

I mean, yeah, I wasn't the closest person to Wolfe, but if Florence, who I had believed was Wolfe's closest friend between us all, thought of Wolfe that way...

Then who in the world truly cared for Wolfe...?

"Take him out of those dungeons, Florence. Move him to a room and make sure he's properly fed well. If it comes down to it, I'll personally feed him my blood," I said seriously.

"What...?" Florence said as he stared down at me.

I didn't waver at his gaze and I stared back at him with an even darker look in my eyes.

"I'm not doing that. I don't care what you say, Lia, but I'm definitely going to get rid of Wolfe. That piece of trash has no use of being here," Florence growled.

"Piece of trash...? Wolfe is the same as all of us, Florence. He's clearly hurt right now. We have to help him."

"We don't need to help that monster."

"I could have gotten Wolfe away from me at any time I wanted while he was drinking my blood, but I didn't. Don't blame him for anything. Blame me. And we don't know how it feels to be a vampire, so how can we judge him as a monster??"

"Vampires are demons, Lia. And demons are the enemy of humanity. Am I supposed to welcome him with open arms? Especially when he laid his hand on my fiancé...?!"

"Yes. Because that's the right thing to do."

"I won't do it. I'm getting rid of that demon."

"If you toss Wolfe out on the streets, then you might as well toss me out on the streets too! If you're able to cut off all ties with him so easily, how do I know you won't do the same to me in the future too?"

"Do you think I'd do something like that?!"

"Judging by the way you're acting right now, yes!" I yelled back.

"..."

Florence yanked me up from the bed forcefully by my hand, causing the world to spiral around my eyes as he did.

A sharp pain came from my head and I felt so dizzy I could die.

I tried to focus my eyes back onto Florence, but the world seemed too hazy that I couldn't.

Florence gripped my chin with his finger and dragged my face to look at him.

"Look at yourself, Lia. Look at what he did to you. You can't even look at me in the eyes properly...!"

"That's not..."

"Did you forget, Lia? You're mine. And if anyone touches what is mine, I won't hesitate to get rid of them," Florence said scarily as my eyesight focused again and I could see the expression on his face.

The doctor was stuttering and yelling about how I was "still a patient" and "needed rest" in the background, but Florence could barely hear him and he tightened his grip on me.

He was staring down at me.

And I could see it very clearly.

There was obsession in his eyes.

Pure, thick obsession that shocked and scared me.

It repulsed me.

It was repulsing.

"I don't...belong to anyone...Florence...not even...you..." I breathed out as I tried ripping his hand off of me.

But my body hardly had any of its usual strength and all I could do was glare back at Florence as my legs went weak and I was just about ready to pass out on the ground.

"What are you doing...?"

A cold voice suddenly spoke from behind me.

Within the next moment, almost faster than I could see, my body had plopped back onto the bed and Florence was being hung by his neck against the nearest wall.

Ace...?

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A/N: Hehehe~ Hahaha~ Mwahahahaha!! I'm having way too much fun with this, sorry~ That's it for this chapter! Hahaha~ Don't you just love drama?

I also need to add...Do you remember a few chapters ago, when I told everyone that I estimated that this story would end by chapter 70? Well, it's currently chapter 69 (haha...get your giggles out), and this story is not over yet...!

Since I am terrible at estimating how long this story will be, I'm not even going to try again. (I think this is my second or third time messing up an estimate...) This story will end when it ends~

Thank you to those of you who read this chapter until the end and my readers/voters/commenters who always give me more support and love than I deserve~ You are all very sweet and I wish you a happy day!

I wasn't able to reply to comments again last week (because of school) but I've read them all and I just want to say: thank you for making me smile, making me laugh, and making me surprised at how mentally insane some of you are~ Hahahah~

Stay safe!

Okie byeee!

Word Count: 3128