CA – Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Vampires don't need to sleep; they are eternally energetic and never tire. But Lucille did, even if she never truly fell asleep. Still, closing her eyes and pulling the covers over herself at night was a habit she had maintained for many years.
For someone with no desire to sleep, the night was always far too long. Lucille closed her eyes and tried to empty her mind, but the uneven breathing of the person beside her was like a pebble disturbing the surface of a calm lake, making it impossible for her to find peace.
Lucille slowly opened her eyes. A slender arm was wrapped around her neck, and the wrist still bearing bite marks appeared in her line of sight. She unconsciously licked her lips, then forced her gaze away, turning her head to look at Tang Qiu, who was sleeping fitfully, pressed tightly against her.
From initially just holding her waist, the arm had slowly moved up to affectionately encircle her neck. The thought of pushing the priest away had crossed Lucille's mind countless times, but she never acted on it.
She and Tang Qiu had shared a bed twice before, and on both occasions, they had peacefully occupied their own halves. But this time… cuddling and sleeping in each other's arms was something intimate lovers did.
Setting aside the term "lovers"... was their relationship that intimate?
Lucille thought about it seriously for a long time and realized that, to her, the priest really was such a presence. In a life that had been unchanging for decades, like a pool of stagnant water, the priest's sudden intrusion had brought a splash of color to her gray world.
At first, she had been drawn in simply because the priest's situation was similar to her own. She had wanted to see what choices she would make while trapped in the mire-whether she would fight to save herself or abandon that gentle smile and give in to despair.
Lucille had originally planned to just watch calmly from the sidelines, but she later discovered that Tang Qiu was, after all, different from her. She was born to be a dazzling person, and the light she radiated would not be dimmed by anything.
She was completely different from Lucille, who was shrouded in darkness and stuck in a quagmire, unable to escape.
The body pressed against hers was like a little furnace, the constant warmth it transmitted interrupting Lucille's thoughts. Tang Qiu's breath fanned across the side of her neck, surrounding her with a scent that was far too delicious for a hungry vampire. The thread of her reason was stretched taut, threatening to snap at any moment.
Lucille tried to shift to the side, but the little furnace followed, pressing closer.
Tang Qiu unconsciously tightened her arms, her wrist hovering right by Lucille's lips.
The bite marks had only been casually rinsed with Holy Water of Light. Although they weren't red or swollen, the wound hadn't healed. Lucille couldn't help but lean in and sniff. With a deadpan expression, she extended the tip of her tongue and licked away the faint trace of blood that remained. The familiar, sweet taste made her eyes darken slightly.
The moist sensation on her wrist startled Tang Qiu awake. She instinctively flipped over and pinned the person beneath her. Her half-open eyes focused on Lucille below, and a sliver of clarity returned to her mind, which had been muddled by desire. She relaxed her body and simply lay on top of Lucille, murmuring, "Are you hungry?"
Lucille was silent for a moment before quietly denying it. "...No."
Tang Qiu's head was hot and groggy. Her eyes were half-open, as if she were hovering between sleep and wakefulness. "How long until dawn?"
"Five hours."
Tang Qiu complained in a low voice, "Time is passing so slowly."
Lucille raised a hand to brush the priest's hair aside, her fingertips probing the temperature behind her ear. "Do you need my help?"
Tang Qiu pressed her forehead against Lucille's shoulder, inhaling her scent, and refused. "No, thank you."
The weight on her body was nothing to a vampire, but Lucille still shifted slightly, trying to hint that the person on top of her should probably get off.
However, the usually perceptive priest failed to pick up on her hint this time. Instead, she pressed down on Lucille's wrist and said in a low voice, "Don't move."
Werewolves were very strong. Lucille tried to struggle for a moment, then silently gave up. Although she had never fought a werewolf, she suspected that Tang Qiu's werewolf bloodline was not ordinary.
Logically, a werewolf who had just recently come of age should be no match for her.
"...Am I bothering you?" Tang Qiu sensed Lucille's silence, slightly loosened her grip on her wrist, and sighed.
The high and mighty Marshal of Edry, a vampire of at least the sixth generation, was now pinned beneath her, unable to move... Tang Qiu put herself in Lucille's shoes and figured she must be quite displeased right now.
But what could be done about it? As Tang Qiu thought this, she sniffed at Lucille's body again, unconsciously drawing closer.
Contrary to what Tang Qiu thought, Lucille felt no displeasure, only a slight discomfort from the body heat radiating from the priest. She pushed aside the hair that had fallen onto her face and said, "No."
Tang Qiu lifted her head slightly. From her current angle, she could only see Lucille's chin. She rested her head gently on Lucille's chest, the softness pressed against her cheek making her a little distracted. "...Would you be happier if it were a tall, handsome knight instead?"
"I would twist his head off."
Tang Qiu chuckled softly. She closed her eyes, trying to distract herself by talking to Lucille. "What if it were Anna?"
She remembered how, back in Edry, only Anna dared to approach the ice-cold Lucille. "Has she ever invited you to spend some kind of strange night together?"
Lucille looked down at the top of the priest's head and said flatly, "She wouldn't dare."
"Hm?"
"I watched her grow up."
Tang Qiu's eyes opened. After a moment of confusion, she suddenly asked, "How old are you?"
Lucille was silent for a moment before stating a number. "Eighty-nine."
Tang Qiu was speechless. She had almost forgotten that vampires were ageless and immortal.
But werewolves also had long lifespans, and the power of light would slow the aging process. Tang Qiu closed her eyes again. She had plenty of time in this world to enjoy life.
As long as she could stay alive.
After speaking, Lucille quietly waited for Tang Qiu's response. But after a while, the breathing of the person on top of her slowly evened out. She had clearly fallen asleep again.
Lucille glanced at their entangled hair out of the corner of her eye. She raised her hand slightly, her fingers smoothing through the ends of Tang Qiu's hair. Her fingertips slid over her waist, then down her arm to gently grasp her wrist. Her thumb caressed it lightly as she lowered her gaze, lost in thought.
No matter how slowly time passed, the night would eventually end. The moon slowly set, and the sky began to pale. As Tang Qiu lay sleeping soundly in bed, her snow-white hair returned to its original color, her sharp nails slowly retracted, and her overly hot body temperature began to drop.
She slowly opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a pair of long, straight legs. Her gaze moved upward, past a slender waist and the graceful curves of a chest. She stared at Lucille, who was flipping through a book of poetry, and blinked. "Good day, Marshal Lucille."
Lucille's page-turning paused. She looked up, met her gaze, and replied softly, "Good day."
"Was last night alright?" Tang Qiu sat up in bed, looking down at her torn collar with a strange expression. She raised a hand to touch her neck; there were no bite marks.
Lucille hummed in affirmation. Seeing the priest changing her clothes, she instinctively lowered her gaze.
She had just been promoted to Priest, and only two sets of priest robes, tailored to her measurements, had been rushed out. Tang Qiu sighed inwardly. Now one of them was ruined. When she got back, she would have to ask the priest in charge to prepare a few more sets for her.
After changing into a new set of priest robes, Tang Qiu cast a cleaning spell on herself, feeling instantly refreshed. She tidied her hair, glanced at Lucille, and after a moment's thought, tossed a cleaning spell at her as well. She smiled and said, "What are your plans now? Will you be staying here?"
Although Lucille hadn't returned to Edry as the maid had said, Tang Qiu was becoming wary. She couldn't stay with Lucille all the time. She was a priest of the Holy See and couldn't stay outside for too long without a valid reason.
If Lucille had to leave for some reason... she would still have to face this problem.
Lucille guessed Tang Qiu's concerns. She pointed to her wrist and said calmly, "You don't have to worry about me leaving. I also have a favor to ask of you."
It was a promise that didn't seem very convincing. Tang Qiu looked at her for a moment, then raised an eyebrow and smiled. "That's a relief."
She walked to the window and pulled open the curtains, gazing at the chairs in the garden with a silent sigh. The leisurely moments of yesterday were still fresh in her mind. She really didn't want to go back to the Holy See and deal with all those tedious affairs.
Despite her reluctance, Tang Qiu returned to the Holy See early in the morning. There were already priests praying piously in the square. Tang Qiu's steps faltered. After a moment of contemplation, she turned and joined the praying group.
She slowly suppressed the bit of laziness in her heart. Feeling her mind finally calm and her thoughts become clear, Tang Qiu left the square and entered the Holy See.
Walking through the long corridor, she was about to return to her room when she unexpectedly ran into Jennifer and Linda.
The two were talking about something, both looking relaxed. As Tang Qiu approached, she happened to hear Linda extend an invitation to Jennifer. "I've saved a spot for you. Would you be willing to be my attendant cleric?"
Jennifer was taken aback. Just as she was about to answer, she caught sight of Tang Qiu out of the corner of her eye. Her expression stiffened, and her eyes held a hint of discomfort.
Tang Qiu, however, greeted them naturally and was tactfully about to walk past them when Jennifer suddenly reached out and grabbed her. Then, with a serious expression, she said to Linda, "I'm sorry, I've already promised Grace I would be her attendant cleric."
Tang Qiu looked at Jennifer in surprise, not expecting her to say that right in front of Linda.
The smile on Linda's lips faded slightly, but it returned a second later. "Is that so? Well, I wish you both the best."
This time, it was her turn to leave tactfully. "It seems I'll have to find another cleric."
After Linda left, Jennifer let go of Tang Qiu's arm and frowned at her, demanding, "Where were you yesterday?"
"Catching up with a friend." Tang Qiu looked amusedly at the suspicious Jennifer and curled her lip. "As I recall, priests have the right to go out."
"But you just became a priest." Jennifer looked at her with an expression of exasperation. "Priest Monica was looking for you many times yesterday."
"I'll go see her in a bit."
Tang Qiu continued walking toward her room, with Jennifer following behind her. "I think you need to take your identity seriously."
"Alright."
"I know you're very talented, but your attitude is sometimes very lax."
"Mm, I'll change."
Jennifer looked at the golden-haired priest who was clearly just humoring her and shouted in annoyance, "Priest Grace, please correct your attitude!"
Tang Qiu stopped in front of her room. While nodding in agreement, she pushed the door open. Just before going in, she seemed to remember something and turned to Jennifer. "I need a few new sets of priest robes."
Jennifer asked, puzzled, "Weren't you just given two sets?" After Priest Cecia's death, she had nothing to do and was helping with these miscellaneous tasks.
She had been the one to oversee the making of Tang Qiu's priest robes.
Tang Qiu shook her head and sighed. "I ruined one of them."
Jennifer looked at her, somewhat speechless. What on earth had she done to ruin a priest's robe?
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