Free Web NovelChapter 165: Mom, don’t stare at me so much, I might blush.
The swarm of bats rushed through the corridors at an unnatural speed, weaving between pillars, and after several moments, their speed gradually slowed.
All the countless bats suddenly converged into a single point, twisting and distorting before Lucian’s figure completely reformed.
“The bat form is cooler than the mist form.”
He quietly muttered to himself while briefly staring at his hands, clenching and unclenching them.
But then—
His expression suddenly shifted, and a faint trace of crimson crept onto the tips of his ears.
His thoughts wandered as he remembered what he had done to Lia only a minute ago.
Despite stopping her, despite telling her to understand her own feelings first…
He had still kissed her before leaving.
His fingers unconsciously rose toward his lips, remembering the softness and warmth of her lips.
Even though the contact was very brief, almost a second, he clearly remembered the sensation.
“…”
Lucian slowly lowered his hand again, deliberately pushing those thoughts aside.
He let out a faint breath before shifting his gaze toward the enormous dark wooden doors—the entrance to the Grand Library of Scarlett Castle.
Without another thought, he stepped forward and, in complete silence, pushed the door open before closing it again without making the slightest sound.
The moment his eyes swept across the room, his eyebrows rose faintly.
The library was massive, with towering shelves stretching into the distance, an uncountable number of books lining every wall.
There were even upper floors filled with rows upon rows of carefully organised shelves, connected by elegant staircases.
The rich scent of old books lingered in the air.
Just looking around… it felt almost impossible to read every book housed within the library, and even if someone devoted their entire lifetime solely to reading, it might still take centuries.
For a brief moment, Lucian simply admired the sight.
Then…
He quietly walked deeper into the library, his footsteps silent and deliberate.
The atmosphere inside felt peaceful, though… despite containing countless books, he couldn’t see a single reader in sight.
If not for the spotless condition of every shelf and table—probably the work of the maids—one might have mistaken the entire place for an abandoned ruin.
Though thinking about it, there were barely any residents inside Scarlett Castle in the first place.
So the lack of people wasn’t particularly surprising.
His thoughts drifted until—
He sensed someone.
A faint smile slowly curved across his lips, and without making a sound, he continued walking.
Towards the only person currently occupying this enormous library.
The jet-black haired woman—Seraphina—leaned back slightly in her chair while quietly reading the thick book resting before her.
Her icy blue eyes calmly moved from one line to the next.
Amidst the complete silence of the library, only the soft rustling of pages could occasionally be heard.
A few more books had already been stacked upon the wooden table, along with a silver tray.
Holding a kettle and a cup of coffee that had already been half emptied.
Completely absorbed in her reading, she failed to notice the figure approaching her from behind.
Just as she reached out to turn another page—
A pair of broad arms suddenly wrapped gently around her from behind.
Seraphina’s pupils instantly constricted.
Her entire body stiffened, but almost immediately, her expression sharpened.
The temperature around her dropped noticeably.
Almost instinctively, she grabbed the thick book resting in her hands.
And without even turning around—
She swung it backwards with all her strength, the heavy book slicing cleanly through the air.
“Mom~”
A familiar voice softly reached her ears.
And…
Everything stopped.
Seraphina froze. The book in her hand, meant to strike him, was easily stopped by Lucian, who didn’t even seem fazed by the sudden attack.
The sharpness immediately disappeared from Seraphina’s face, and relief washed over her.
Only…
A second later, her fingers tightened around the book.
Her expression deliberately hardened once again.
“So…” Her cold voice echoed quietly throughout the empty library.
“You finally remembered your mother?”
Lucian, despite sensing the strange chill in her voice, instead smiled and gently rested his head against her shoulder, finally making her glance at him.
“I always remember you.”
His reply came naturally, honestly.
Seraphina’s lips instinctively curled into a gentle smile.
Seeing that, Lucian, still smiling faintly…
He finally withdrew his arms from around her before pulling a chair over beside her and sitting down.
Only now did Seraphina finally have the chance to properly look at him.
Her gaze lingered on his face.
Two months.
It had only been two months…
Yet somehow, the young man before her felt older than when he had left.
More mature, more refined.
She couldn’t describe it in words, but…
The atmosphere around him had completely transformed… though she couldn’t quite explain what exactly had changed.
Especially his eyes.
There was a different light within them now. A different sharpness that hadn’t been there before.
For a brief moment…
Even Seraphina found herself unconsciously staring into those blood-red eyes, completely forgetting to look away.
Lucian rested his cheek against his knuckles, casually propping his elbow on the table, and as he saw her reaction, a teasing smile slowly spread across his face.
“Mom, don’t stare at me so much, I might blush.”
Her lips twitched almost immediately as she noticed the unexpected teasing, along with that cheeky smile.frёeωebɳovel.com
A faint sigh escaped her.
“Couldn’t you have come sooner?”
Her voice grew quieter towards the end, and her gaze lowered towards the table.
Lucian’s smile faded slightly, but didn’t vanish completely—it simply lost most of its playfulness.
“I couldn’t,” he replied.
Without another word, he placed his hand over hers, gently wrapping his fingers around her hand.
Her fingers felt cold, unnaturally so.
“Even I didn’t know how long the training would last, and… Valentina simply wouldn’t let me leave.”
The moment Seraphina heard the Duchess’s name…
Her eyes narrowed ever so slightly.
It was that same woman who had kidnapped him and taken him away from her… from them.
She knew Lucian had grown stronger because of her, and she was grateful for that… though it didn’t stop the small resentment she felt whenever she remembered those two months.
Seeing the subtle change in her expression, Lucian smiled helplessly.
“Don’t worry, I’m here now.
And next time… I won’t leave again without telling you first.”
Seraphina quietly looked at him.
Then…fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
She spoke in a low voice.
“That’s what you always say.”
Lucian felt like he had heard those words somewhere before… only to remember that Lia had said the exact same thing to him earlier.
Silence settled between them for a brief moment.
Then…
Looking at her pale face, he noticed something.
“You look a little bit different.”
Seraphina raised a surprised brow.
“I should be saying that.”
He was the one who had changed so drastically, not her.
At least… that was what she believed.
“No, you really do look different.
Your eyes… they’re sharper now. It seems you’ve been training too.”
Hearing him notice the change that even she herself hadn’t realised, Seraphina was a little surprised.
“I did,” she answered softly.
As soon as the apocalypse had started…
She had seen what happened when she was powerless.
She had heard from Lia how Lucian had nearly died beneath some gigantic worm-like monster…
She had witnessed ordinary civilians dying at the hands of nothing more than the weakest goblins.
And she had almost died at the hands of those Awakeners.
And if things had gone even slightly worse…
If Kanna hadn’t arrived exactly on time…
The consequences would have been something she never wished to even think about.
Every one of those memories had been carved deep into her heart, making her resolve stronger… colder.
Though…
Her efforts looked almost laughable compared to the terrifying monsters residing within this castle.
Even Lia…
The same girl who had once looked at her with unconcealed jealousy just because she possessed an A rank talent…
Had completely surpassed her now, gaining an S rank talent along with all the boosts that came with becoming a vampire.
Seeing the quiet determination burning within those icy-blue eyes…
Lucian’s own expression softened.
“Aside from that…”
He leaned both arms onto the table before gently resting his head over them.
Tilting it toward her with a relaxed expression, he smiled.
“Tell me what happened while I was gone?”
Seraphina looked at him for several seconds.
Then…
A gentle smile slowly appeared on her face.
Slowly, her delicate fingers slipped into his black hair, gently ruffling it.
The familiar sensation made his entire body slowly relax, and for the first time in what felt like forever, he almost felt sleepy.
“Not much happened… but looking at you, it seems like many things did.”
Seeing the curiosity on her face, Lucian’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second, almost unnoticeably.
It was clear… she wanted to know what had happened during these past two months.
“Nothing much, Valentina trained me a little,” he said with a small chuckle.
There was no way he could tell her the truth.
No way he could tell her how he had been tortured.
How his limbs had been torn apart over and over again.
How his organs had been ripped out while he still stood and fought—not even allowing him to fall for even the briefest moment.
How Valentina had repeatedly pushed him to the brink of death…
Only to let him regenerate and repeat the same process again.
Seraphina frowned worriedly, immediately noticing how casually he had brushed aside her question.
He was hiding something from her… again.
But inwardly shaking her head, she decided not to ask any further.
Instead…
She simply continued stroking his hair.
The atmosphere gradually became warm once again.
And slowly, both of them began talking, their voices and quiet chuckles filling the still, silent library.
After about ten minutes had passed, a soft, comfortable silence slowly settled over the room once more.
