Chapter 11: The Vanishing Candy Shop

The sky outside was overcast; by nine o'clock, there wasn't a single ray of sunlight to be seen.

"Ah, it’s snowing!" Alastor stood up and strolled out the door with a grin. He tilted his head back, watching the fluttering snowflakes with his eyes closed in an exaggerated state of intoxication, drawing stares from passersby. "See? This is what true charm looks like..." Noticing a few girls glancing shyly at him, Alastor stood close to me as I followed him out, looking immensely proud of himself.

I rolled my eyes and turned to leave the bar. It was a rare snowy day, free from the constraints of sunlight. Constraints? Since when had sunlight become a constraint to me? Thinking of Reiga, a sudden wave of relief washed over me; today he could spend the entire day with that girl without having to vanish into the shadows before five o'clock. What a luxury that kind of happiness was.

I hadn't gone to work at the candy shop for so many days. I wondered how he was doing. That guy never knew how to take care of the shop; he probably forgot to pay the phone bill again, which was why the shop’s number was out of service.

I remembered how, more than six months ago, when I was hitting a wall everywhere while looking for a job, he had appeared before me as if falling from the sky. With indifferent eyes, he said to me: "New shop opening, free samples."

I was the candy shop’s first customer, and he was the most irresponsible boss. I remembered how he had brewed coffee for himself and sat at the counter, concentrating so hard on drinking it that he didn't even lift an eyelid. I couldn't bear to watch and offered a reminder. He then looked at me and asked, "Do you want to work here?"

Marveling at my incredible luck, I had finally found the first job of my life.

"Rory! Rory... where are you going..." Alastor caught up and took my hand, breaking my train of thought.

"To find someone."

"What?! Who are you looking for? Could it be... Rory already has a lover?!" Alastor made a scene, looking utterly heartbroken.

Too tired to waste words on him, I quickened my pace toward the candy shop.

A public restroom?

I stood dumbly in front of a public toilet. This was supposed to be the candy shop! I looked around; to the left was a boutique for women's clothing, to the right was a tailor shop, and in front was the street... everything was correct. But how had this become a public restroom?

Where was the candy shop?

Had it... vanished into thin air?

"Rory... are you in a hurry?" Alastor whispered into my ear.

I nodded. I was in a hurry. Where did he go? Why would the candy shop disappear like this?

"I understand, nature calls! You've just become one of the Blood Kind, it’s natural not to be used to it," Alastor said with a face full of righteousness as he blocked the entrance to the restroom. "Go ahead, I'll keep watch for you."

With a face full of black lines, I turned to look at Alastor.

The pedestrians on the street were gradually increasing. I licked my lips and began to feel hunger. Suddenly, I remembered the expression of terror on that woman's face before she died at the bar. I bit my lip and instinctively avoided the crowd.

"Hungry?" Alastor followed me with a grin. "Rory, haven't you already learned how to feed yourself?"

He had such a doting expression, as if I were his daughter, or perhaps his lover. But contrasting with that doting tone, I knew he was referring to that night in the abandoned park when I bit that man to death...

But that wasn't my intention; it was just... instinct. What a terrifying instinct—just to fill my stomach, I might kill someone.

I felt as though I could hear the sound of blood flowing through the veins of every person who walked past me. I nearly fled in a panic, running all the way back to the home I shared with Gareth. Alastor did not follow.

Closing the door tightly, I collapsed on the floor, like a patient in withdrawal. But drugs can be quit; what do I do about hunger?

The room was filled with Gareth's scent. Although he had been gone for five years, every piece of furniture was exactly where it had been five years ago, without a single change.

The snowflake bead curtain on the window was something I had dragged Gareth to buy at the boutique on the corner. The plush doll on the sofa was a birthday gift from him. There was even an exquisite tea set on the low coffee table, which was Gareth's favorite. Gareth loved sitting in the courtyard drinking tea on sunny afternoons, while I would lean against his knee and let him comb my hair, his large, warm hand holding a wooden comb, carefully untangling my long hair.

I lowered my head and took a strand of my black hair, looking at it closely. It had a beautiful luster; because Gareth liked my hair, I hadn't cut it once in five years.

Gareth... will you ever come back?

I looked around the room, always feeling that something was missing, only to realize despondently that there were no photos of Gareth.

Not a single one.

Thus, even imagining him while looking at a photo had become a luxury.

I didn't know how long I endured in the room. A week? A month? Why did it feel as long as a century?

Suddenly, I felt a slight softness on my lips. I opened my eyes in confusion. What came into view was a close-up of Alastor's deeply affectionate face.

"Good evening, my Sleeping Beauty," Alastor said with a grin. "Did you sleep well?"

I sat up, startled. "You, you, you..."

How was Alastor in my house?

"A prince's kiss is indeed the best medicine to wake a princess." Alastor narrowed his eyes, looking quite enchanted.

"How many princesses have you kissed?" Malachi’s magnetic, husky voice rang out lazily from behind.

Alastor jumped as if his tail had been stepped on, baring his teeth. "What would someone like you know about being a gentleman!"

Malachi gave a light chuckle and said nothing.

I finally snapped out of it and realized I was lying in Malachi’s room. Moreover, I was sleeping in his precious black crystal coffin—the very one Alastor had been trying to get his hands on without success...

After a long moment, I raised my hand and wiped my lips.

Alastor looked devastated. "Rory..." He clutched his chest. "Is my kissing technique that bad?" Saying this, he turned with a face of tragic indignation and jumped out the window.

Startled, I rushed to the windowsill. Outside was pitch black; had Alastor simply vanished into the air?

"Ignore him. Reiga was here; he has things to investigate." Malachi chuckled.

"I see." I couldn't help but laugh as well, having nearly forgotten that he wasn't human and wouldn't die that easily. Recalling the situation, I tensed up slightly. "How... did I get here?"

"You lost consciousness from hunger. Alastor carried you back."

"How long was I... hungry?"

"Five days."

I gritted my teeth. It had only been five days—not even a week—and I couldn't handle the hunger... I could taste the metallic tang of blood in my mouth and knew Alastor must have fed me.

"Some things cannot be forced," Malachi looked at me. "I’m going to the bar. Are you coming?" He raised his hand to tidy his hair.

I looked up at his bewitching face with a sense of bewilderment. With his wavy wine-red hair cascading over his shoulders, even a woman would feel inferior standing before him.

"You..."

"Mhm?" Malachi arched an eyebrow.

"No, it's nothing." I lowered my head. He probably didn't know he turned into someone else either. "I’m not going to the bar."

The smell of blood there made me restless.

After watching Malachi leave, I opened the window and let the night breeze brush against my face.

Malachi's residence was very high up. Looking down at the night scene, the street below was like a thin line.

The moon in the night sky was exceptionally cold. I climbed onto the windowsill and sat there, dangling my feet in the wind. Below, the neon lights and the crowds of people looked like tiny ants.

The night wind tossed my long black hair. Closing my eyes, I leaned forward slightly. With the vast empty space beneath my feet, I fell into the embrace of the wind, the sound of it whistling in my ears as my hair flew upward.

My feet hit the ground; falling from such a height, I was completely unharmed.