Chapter 82: Pretending?
Morning sunlight filtered gently through the towering pines as Lilian and Saline made their way toward the familiar marketplace, their footsteps slower than usual. Although they had followed the same route several times before, neither of them seemed as relaxed as they once had been. The cheerful curiosity that had accompanied their earlier visits had gradually been replaced by something quieter.
Expectation.
Saline’s emerald eyes wandered through the busy streets almost instinctively, searching every familiar corner. Vendors called out to passing customers, children chased one another around the stone fountain, and travelers bartered noisily with merchants, yet the one person she was looking for was nowhere to be seen.
Lilian noticed.
"You’ve checked that corner three times already," she murmured, folding her arms.
Saline looked away almost immediately.
"I wasn’t looking."
"No?"
"I was only making sure we came to the right place."
A smile tugged at Lilian’s lips.
"If you say so."
Before Saline could answer, a familiar voice interrupted them.
"You came."
Both girls turned at once.
Adrian approached from across the square, dressed as neatly as ever, his silver-white hair catching the afternoon sunlight. His expression remained calm, though there was unmistakable amusement hidden beneath it.
"I told him you would."
Saline stepped forward.
"How is he?"
Adrian regarded her quietly for a moment before answering.
"Still alive."
Lilian frowned.
"That’s hardly reassuring."
"It wasn’t meant to be." Adrian replied to the girl.
No hard feelings involved but he didn’t like their presence in his life or Xandros’s own....he always felt like with them things would soon spin out of control.
But then who was he to judge anyone or refute what Xandros wanted ....to him Xandros was like a wolf....or Lion he had to give him what he wanted to avoid any disturbance.
A small smile finally appeared on his face.
"He insisted I bring you."
The two girls exchanged glances.
"Bring us?" Lilian repeated.
"He isn’t in the village."
Saline blinked.
"...Then where is he?"
Adrian gestured toward the northern road.
"Follow me."
Neither girl questioned him.
They left the marketplace behind, following the quiet road leading away from the village. Before long, the familiar cottages disappeared behind them, replaced by open fields that stretched endlessly beneath the afternoon sky.
After another fifteen minutes, even the fields began giving way to dense woodland.
Lilian slowed.
"...We’re still walking?"
Adrian nodded.
"We are."
"We’ve already left the village."
"I know."
Her brows knitted together.
"Exactly how far does your friend live from civilization?"
Adrian merely continued walking.
"You’ll see."
The path narrowed considerably as they entered thicker woodland. Birds called from the trees overhead while sunlight struggled to penetrate the dense canopy.
Lilian’s patience finally snapped.
She stopped walking.
"No."
Adrian paused.
"No?"
"We’re far beyond the village now."
She looked around carefully.
"If this is some elaborate attempt to lure us somewhere..."
"It isn’t."
"You expect me to believe that?"
Saline gently touched her arm.
"Lilian..."
"No."
She kept her eyes fixed on Adrian.
"We’ve trusted strangers enough already."
Adrian remained surprisingly calm.
"If I intended either of you harm..."
His grey eyes briefly met hers.
"...we wouldn’t have reached this point in the conversation."
Silence settled.
Then...
Saline sighed softly.
"I think we should continue."
Lilian turned toward her.
"You’re serious?"
"We came all this way."
"And besides..."
She hesitated.
"...if he truly is injured..."
Her voice became quieter.
"I’d rather see for myself."
Lilian studied her for several long seconds before exhaling.
"...Fine."
"But if anything feels strange..."
"We leave."
Adrian smiled faintly.
"A reasonable condition."
The journey resumed.
Eventually, the trees opened into a quiet clearing.
Standing alone at its center was a modest stone house, surrounded by climbing ivy and overlooking endless rolling hills.
Unlike the extravagant architecture of the vampire capital...
Its simplicity somehow made it feel even more mysterious.
Adrian climbed the wooden steps leading toward the broad balcony.
Then...
He stopped.
His calm expression changed.
For the briefest moment...
Genuine surprise crossed his face.
The girls followed his gaze.
Xandros sat exactly where Adrian had left him the previous day.
Only...
He looked nothing like he had yesterday.
His skin had become noticeably paler.
Dark shadows rested beneath his grey eyes.
One arm remained wrapped in fresh bandages beneath a loose black shirt, while another strip of linen disappeared beneath the collar around his shoulder.
Even breathing appeared to require more effort than before.
Saline’s eyes widened.
"What happened?"
Xandros slowly looked toward them.
A tired smile appeared.
"...You’re here."
He attempted to stand.
Immediately—
He winced.
A hand instinctively gripped the side of the chair before Adrian crossed the balcony in three quick strides.
"What in the world happened to you?" Adrian demanded.
"You looked considerably better when i left here yesterday."
Xandros gave a weak chuckle.
"I underestimated someone."
Saline stepped closer without realizing it.
"What do you mean?"
His gaze shifted toward her.
"You remember the woman I told you about?"
She nodded.
"The one you were following."
"I promised I’d find out who she was."
He looked away toward the distant forest.
"So after we separated..."
"...I followed her."
Silence.
"For a while everything seemed normal."
"Then..."
His jaw tightened.
"...she entered a part of the forest I had never seen before."
"It didn’t feel right."
"But I’d already promised you....So I kept going."
His expression hardened slightly.
"I never reached her."
Lilian frowned.
"Why?"
"Because I wasn’t the only one watching."
He let out a slow breath.
"Several men surrounded me."
"They were waiting."
Adrian folded his arms.
"How many?"
"Enough."
"They weren’t ordinary."
"They fought like monsters."
"As strong as I was."
His smile became bitter.
"I’ve spent centuries believing very few could match me."
"I was wrong."
Saline’s expression gradually filled with concern.
"You fought them alone?"
"I didn’t have much choice."
His fingers absentmindedly brushed the bandages wrapped around his shoulder.
"They wanted me dead."
"I barely escaped."
The balcony fell silent.
Only the wind moved.
Saline stared at the fresh bandages.
Then at the unnatural paleness of his face.
The image refused to fit with the man she had met only yesterday.
"You shouldn’t have done that," she whispered.
He looked back at her.
"I know."
"I should never have promised."
"No."
Her voice came out firmer this time.
"You shouldn’t have gone alone."
A faint smile touched his lips.
"I’ve always gone alone."
"Well..."
She folded her arms.
"...that clearly isn’t working."
Even Adrian had to hide a frown at how his friend was acting.
Xandros simply watched her.
There was something strangely sincere about the frustration written across her face.
Not annoyance.
Concern.
Real concern.
Enough to make guilt quietly settle inside her.
"If we hadn’t asked..." she said softly.
"You wouldn’t have been there."
He shook his head immediately.
"Don’t."
"But—"
"Don’t blame yourself."
"I made the decision."
She lowered her eyes anyway.
The silence between them lingered for several moments.
Finally...
She looked back up.
"When did you last eat?"
Xandros blinked.
"...I’m sorry?"
"When."
"I don’t remember."
Lilian stared.
"You don’t remember?"
"I’ve been sleeping."
Saline sighed deeply.
"You really are impossible."
Without waiting for permission, she walked into the house.
Adrian looked after her in confusion.
"What is she doing?"
Lilian smiled knowingly.
"I think..."
"...you’ve just lost."
"Lost?"
She nodded toward Xandros.
"She has that expression."
"What expression?"
"The one she gets whenever someone refuses to take proper care of themselves."
Inside the house, cupboards opened and closed while dishes clinked together.
A few moments later Saline returned carrying a glass of water.
She held it toward him.
"Drink."
Xandros stared at it.
Then at her.
"...You’re ordering me?"
"Yes."
"...Interesting."
"Drink."
His smile widened.
Without another word...
He obeyed.
Adrian watched the exchange in complete silence.
After several moments he quietly rubbed his forehead.
"...I almost feel sorry for you."
Xandros accepted the glass with surprising obedience.
"I don’t."
Saline waited until he had finished before taking it back.
Then she looked directly into his eyes.
"You are not leaving this house."
He raised an eyebrow.
"I wasn’t planning to."
"Good."
"Because..."
She hesitated only briefly.
"...I’m going to make sure you recover properly."
Silence answered her.
Even Lilian looked surprised.
"You are?"
Saline nodded without taking her eyes off Xandros.
"Someone clearly has to."
"You’ve already proven that if left alone, you’ll chase danger while half-dead."
"So until you’re completely recovered..."
She folded her arms with quiet determination.
"...I’ll look after you."
For the first time since meeting her...
Xandros found himself genuinely speechless.
The playful remarks waiting on his tongue never came.
Instead...
He simply watched her.
And somewhere beneath the carefully constructed lies...
A feeling he hadn’t anticipated stirred quietly within him.
One that made even him uncertain.
Standing near the doorway, Adrian noticed the brief flicker of conflict in his oldest friend’s eyes.
It vanished almost instantly.
But Adrian had seen it.
He said nothing.
Only one thought crossed his mind.
This game...
...might no longer belong entirely to Xandros.
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