Chapter 24: The Appearance of Sol

I raised my hand, bringing the crystal glass level with my eyes and giving it a gentle shake. The suspicious dark-red liquid inside swirled in response. "Flaming Fire, it's done." Setting the glass down, I pushed it toward Malachi.

Malachi tilted his head slightly, his smile innocent yet enchanting.

I let out a sigh, knowing he didn't want to be the lab rat for the very first cocktail of my life.

"Don't regret it." I huffed, lifting the glass to drain it myself, intent on consuming my own creation.

Just as my lips brushed the rim, I paused. I looked down with a sudden, tender gaze at Snowy, who was dozing in my arms.

Snowy = Lab rat.

Hehehe...

Sleeping Snowy shivered and suspiciously lifted his furry little head. Seeing my eyes filled with a "tender" gaze, he woke up instantly in a fright, stretching out his paws to make an escape.

Calmly and composedly, I pinched his furry ears, watching him squeak and wail under my fingers.

"Snowy..." I smiled and pulled him into a hug, stroking him with extreme gentleness. "This is my debut work, you know... give me some face and do me the honor, won't you?"

Snowy stared back with eyes wide in grief and indignation, his head shaking like a rattle.

"Choosing the hard way over the easy way, I see." I ground my teeth, a devious grin spreading across my face. "You leave me no choice." With that, I decisively scooped up a spoonful, pried his mouth open, and poured it in.

The moment I let go, Snowy tumbled out of my arms, wobbling and swaying. I hurriedly caught him. Seeing him with his belly turned to the sky, I looked utterly devastated. "No way... my mixing skills shouldn't be enough to poison someone to death..."

Malachi couldn't help but burst into laughter. "He's just drunk."

"Huh?" I looked down at Snowy. His snowy-white belly was heaving up and down, and he was even letting out faint little snores...

I immediately pulled myself together, stuffed Snowy into my shirt, and decided to practice once more!

"Rory..." While I was mixing, Alastor’s voice suddenly drifted in. I turned to see him standing at the door with a mournful expression, a slender young girl following behind him.

"I’ve been looking for you for ages, why are you here?" He walked to the bar and sat down cloyingly close to me, tilting his head with a grin. "How does that Chinese poem go? One day apart feels like three autumns."

"Concentrate." A slender finger tapped my forehead; Malachi had spoken up calmly.

"Whoa there, so you’re the one seducing my Rory." Alastor swat Malachi’s hand away in dissatisfaction, putting on a fierce, protective front.

Malachi smiled faintly, his seductive phoenix eyes appearing a bit blurry, as if veiled by a layer of mist.

I rubbed my temples and focused on my mixing.

A slender, porcelain-white arm suddenly stretched out in front of me. I froze and looked up at the owner of the arm—it was the girl standing next to Alastor.

She was a beautiful, delicate young woman.

"Please partake, Master." She looked at me with a smile.

"What?" My brain short-circuited for a second, and I asked instinctively.

Seeing my dazed expression, she very considerately pressed her fair, warm wrist against my lips.

I felt the thrum of her pulse and smelled the fragrance of a young girl's blood. It was as if a drug addict had suddenly seen their fix; in an instant, I lost all reason, leaving only instinct.

A delicate, metallic sweetness swirled between my teeth. I sucked contentedly, the shaker in my hand falling to the floor, spilling the dark red liquid everywhere.

The girl bit her lip slightly, and I heard her small, suppressed moan of pain.

Startled, I suddenly remembered the blonde woman I had killed in the bar. I let go and pushed her away in a panic. In the chaos, the wine glasses on the bar were swept to the floor.

I fell clumsily among the shards, hanging my head, not daring to look at a vibrant life I might have turned into a corpse.

"Rory." Malachi frowned slightly, stepping forward to help me up.

I kept my head down. I had clearly taken Rosalie’s Blood-Augmenting Agent; how could this still happen?

"Master, I am fine." A light, airy voice said.

I looked up blankly. The girl was leaning in Alastor’s arms, smiling at me, though her face was a bit pale.

She... she’s okay?

Alastor let go of the girl and smoothly pulled me out of Malachi’s arms into his own. "As long as you pay a little attention, feeding doesn't necessarily have to involve killing."

I looked up into Alastor’s deep blue eyes, a look of confusion on my face.

"Ah, such a cute little thing..." Narrowing his blue eyes, Alastor pinched my nose. The shred of seriousness he had managed to gather vanished instantly.

I was left speechless.

"This is a gift for you; her name is Lily." Snatching a lightning-fast kiss, Alastor pointed at the girl with a grin.

The girl named Lily was pale but bowed respectfully. "I am at my Master's service at all times."

I was left completely flabbergasted. Such a perfectly fine girl, how could...

"Be good. You're tired; let Lily take you to your room." Alastor looked down at me and smiled.

I shot a glance at Malachi, then stood up to follow Lily out.

Lily led the way silently through a long corridor. The walls on either side were covered in intricate decorative reliefs, bearing the heavy marks of time.

"Master, we are here." Pushing open the door, Lily stood to the side.

Compared to the heavy, cold atmosphere of the rest of the castle, this room was overflowing with a "girlish" vibe—though it was perhaps a bit much.

Seeing a room full of lace and dolls, I immediately understood whose handiwork this was.

Sitting before the mirror, I watched Lily as she prepared my bed.

"Lily, were you kidnapped and brought here?" I couldn't help but ask.

Lily shook her head with a smile. "I begged Lord Alastor to bring me in."

I looked at her in surprise.

"Master, please ring the bell if you need anything. I am at your service at all times." Lily pointed to a small silver bell by the bed, then turned and withdrew.

Lying on the bed, I still couldn't quite wrap my head around things.

Rolling over, I hugged Snowy and stared into space.

The breeze stirred the pink lace curtains. I suddenly froze; a silhouette had appeared faintly behind the curtains. "Who’s there!"

"Aurora." A bewitching voice spoke slowly.

I sat up in terror. It was Sol!

How could he be here? This was the Queen’s castle; he had entered as if it were an empty field. Shouldn't Alastor have set up security?

Slowly backing away, I instinctively reached out to pull the bell.

With the speed of light, before I could even react, he had grabbed my hand. I looked instinctively toward the bell; the silver object had already been crushed into powder in his grip.

I looked up slightly at Sol.

He was still wearing that white mask, his slightly curly wine-red hair hanging down and brushing against my face. In that moment, I was suddenly curious—what kind of face lay beneath that mask?

"Malachi, where is he?" The white-masked face was only half an inch from mine. His narrow phoenix eyes were narrowed slightly, radiating a raw coldness.

I struggled, but I couldn't break free from his grip. "How did you get in?"

"Where is Malachi?" He ignored my question entirely, pressing his demand.

"As expected of Sol, quite the impressive skill." A voice tinged with a smile rang out abruptly.

I turned my head to see Alastor standing in the doorway, smiling.

Sol suddenly pulled me into his embrace and stood up. "Alastor, give Malachi back to me."

"Give him back?" Narrowing his blue eyes, Alastor laughed heartily. "Then give my Rory back first."

"Bring Malachi to me," Sol’s voice was icy. He placed a hand around my throat. "Or I’ll snap her neck."

Alastor sighed softly. "It’s not that I won't bring Malachi to see you, it’s just that I’ve sent people to search the entire castle and couldn't find him. Likely... he doesn't want to see you."

The moment he finished speaking, I was shocked to find many... members of the Blood Kind appearing silently in my room. Among them was Raiga, whom I had seen in the bar.

"You're stalling for time?" Sol narrowed his eyes dangerously, taking a step back while holding me.

"Let Rory go." Alastor remained smiling, looking like a man willing to negotiate anything.

"Not a chance." Sol looked at Alastor coldly. "If you want my life, Malachi will have to be the one to take it." With that, he held me tight and transformed into a cloud of mist, vanishing into the air.