Chapter 61: The Reopened Candy House (Part I)

With my cheek pressed against its furry body, I murmured.

Snowy lay obediently in my arms, gently licking my face.

Heavy black curtains blocked out the warm winter sunlight. I opened my eyes, my brain stalling for a long moment before I remembered that I had brought Li back to his apartment last night, and then...

And then I fell asleep? Looking left and right, Li was no longer on the sofa.

The bathroom door clicked open, and he walked out with a graceful, swaying gait.

...I stared at him with a blank expression. He was actually wearing a pair of Morven's oversized white cotton pajamas, printed with an incredibly exaggerated cartoon of a delinquent rabbit...

A guy who could look that graceful even in delinquent rabbit pajamas... he had certainly captured Morven's mannerisms perfectly.

A wine glass was suddenly held out in front of me. I looked up to see Li in his pajamas; his sleep-deprived look was strikingly sexy.

"Care for a glass?" Lightly swirling the glass in his hand, he smiled at the crimson liquid inside. He was elegant—no, he was beyond elegant, a completely different person from the guy who had been throwing a drunken fit last night.

I took it wordlessly.

The liquid in the glass had a metallic, sweet scent, and I just happened to be hungry.

"Aurora-White calculated everything, but in the end, she only became the vessel for your possession. The Inquisition and the Demon Realm were at odds for thousands of years, yet now they have vanished overnight. Heh..." He leaned halfway against the sofa, sipping the crimson liquid and looking at me with a smile that carried a hidden agenda.

A vessel for possession?

My hand trembled slightly. When Aurora-White devoured me during my fall from grace, it was certainly to gain my power, but at that time, as Lilith, all I had been thinking about was finding a physical body for myself.

The appearance of Aurora-White was more than fitting. For the fallen Lilith, what could be more suitable for her dark constitution than the Vampire Queen, Aurora-White?

Though suppressed by Aurora-White for so long, I separated from her body the moment the opportunity arose. I am the reincarnation of Lilith.

...Though it wasn't intentional, I did indeed devour Aurora-White completely.

Just like... Michael.

The difference was that Michael was inside Cass's body, and the one suffering in agony was me.

And within my body was Aurora-White, and the sorrowful one... was Albus.

Then, I suddenly remembered the great battle with the Inquisition. Everyone had come, even the Great Demon King Samael hadn't been absent—so how could Albus have failed to show up? What did Alastor mean when he said Albus was gone? Because of the situation with Cass, I had been in a daze for a long time and hadn't even thought to ask about him. I would need to find a chance to ask soon.

Nearby, Snowy jumped onto my lap. I instinctively held the furball, lowering my head in silence.

"Want a divination?" He tilted his head back to finish the liquid in his glass and smiled at me.

I arched an eyebrow at him. This self-deluding guy really took himself for Morven.

"No, I should be heading back." Holding Snowy, I stood up and spoke plainly, preparing to leave.

He stood up to block my path, looking as if he wanted to say something more.

"My Majesty said she wants to go back." Someone suddenly pulled me into their embrace and spoke.

I turned my head in surprise to see Alastor with a beaming smile. Why was this guy here? Could it be... he had been here the whole time? Following me ever since I left the Splendid Candy House last night?

"Archon." Li's expression turned slightly cold. Strictly speaking, he and Alastor had a history of grievances.

"Oh my, Morven..." Alastor was all smiles.

He clearly knew another soul inhabited the body before him, yet he acted as if he had no idea. Playing dumb was what he did best.

"Our Splendid Candy House is newly reopened. You're welcome to visit when you have time." He formally presented a business card.

I was dumbfounded. When did this guy become a staff member at the Splendid Candy House? This was outrageous—wasn't he trying to steal my job?

Li stared coldly at Alastor, then broke into a grin. "I will."

Alastor nodded and led me out the door in a grand, easy manner.

Outside, the day was fully bright and the sun was shining brilliantly.

Two vampires walking hand-in-hand in the sunlight drew the attention of passersby. Of course, they weren't staring because we were vampires; after all, no one could tell what we were at a glance. The focus of the crowd was clearly Alastor beside me—that super-narcissistic vampire certainly had the looks to back up his vanity.

"Have you been following me the whole time?"

I looked sideways at his hand; he was holding mine tightly.

"Aurora... human hearts are treacherous. How can you just go home with a strange man? What if you ran into danger? What if someone took liberties with you... what if..."

I tilted my head, watching this chattering vampire dodge the question, a smile slowly spreading across my lips. Had this guy forgotten how terrifying I was? As Li said, I was the one who devoured Aurora-White; I was the one who destroyed the Inquisition with my own hands...

For a monster like me, anyone who sees me would normally take a detour to stay away.

"As you get older, you really do get more talkative." I nodded, reaching a mock-serious conclusion.

"Hmm..." Alastor nodded, then glared at me. "Wait, what? I am so handsome, elegant, and charming that everyone loves me—and you actually..."

I rolled my eyes at him. "Last time you said Albus was gone... what did you mean?"

"Snowy—I mean, Albus—was injured by Samael in his rage. Later, when the news came that exorcists were attacking the Demon Realm, I found he was missing but didn't have time to look for him. Given his abilities, he shouldn't be in any real danger."

I instinctively touched my chest and felt a little furball; it was hiding obediently inside my clothes. I noticed it particularly liked to stay near my heart.

Once again, Aurora-White unexpectedly did not go on a rampage. I frowned, unable to figure out why.

"Aurora, Aurora, aren't you going to ask how I escaped danger...?" Alastor pestered me relentlessly.

"Well, you're clearly fine," I said dismissively, leaving him behind to walk ahead.

Suddenly, my body was caught, and a pair of slender arms embraced me tightly from behind. I froze, wanting to turn around.

"Don't turn around," Alastor whispered in my ear. "I'm very shy; I'm only saying this once."

Shy...

I suppressed the urge to burst out laughing. This guy didn't look like he had anything to do with the word "shy"—"thick-skinned" suited him much better.

"I will stay by your side forever, and... I will always be good to you..." He leaned close to my ear and said softly, "If being good to you is a crime, I don't mind being a criminal forever, until the day I turn to ash..."

The words from last night... he really did hear them all.