Free Web NovelChapter 92: Lucas and Seraphina
"Lady Seraphina, how could you forget consuming the blood when you have to do it only once in a week?" Sophia demanded in a sharp tone as soon as Seraphina emerged from the bathroom after a shower. Steam still curled from her damp crimson hair, clinging to the nape of her neck. The warm glow of the enchanted lanterns cast soft shadows across the room, illuminating the worry etched deeply into Sophia’s features. "You scared me to death."
"Postponing the consumption for a day or two is fine if I do not use my vampire powers," Seraphina revealed, releasing a sigh. She ran a hand through her wet tresses, droplets scattering across the polished floor like scattered pearls. "I thought I will drink it after returning. But see, I am completely fine. I even taught a lesson to those kidnappers."
Sophia pulled her into a hug, her head resting on her upper stomach as she whimpered, "I will not let you skip your blood meal again."
’Those blood pouches are not of any use to me anymore,’ Seraphina sighed inwardly, shaking her head.
They were about to move to the bed when someone knocked at the door.
"Take rest, I will check," Sophia said, moving towards the door.
Seraphina had only placed a knee on the bed when Sophia’s flustered voice came from behind, "G-g-g-greetings, Lord Cendral."
She turned, finding Lucas standing at the door with an unreadable expression. His tall frame filled the doorway, his eyes fixed upon his daughter inside the room.
"Greetings, Lady Leone," Lucas said, his voice calm but it felt completely terrifying to Sophia.
"Pl-please come inside," she said, losing the colour from her face. "I-I shall take my leave." She gave a deep bow, her forehead nearly touching her knees, before bolting out of the room with quick little steps.
Lucas shook his head with a sigh before stepping inside. The moment his foot entered the boundary of the room, a kick landed square on his face.
"Do not dare enter inside, Lucas Cendral!" Seraphina snapped, completely furious as she landed on her feet after the kick. She retreated several steps, poised like a cat ready to strike again.
"S-Sera...aghh....h-how could you...my n-nose broke," Lucas whimpered, holding his nose with both hands as he bent down in pain.
"Get lost! I hate you!" Seraphina muttered, folding her arms over her chest, glaring down at Lucas in fury.
"I am really sorry, dear..." Lucas whimpered, his hands never leaving his nose. He remained doubled over, his words coming out in pained gasps. "Please, let me enter inside at least. I have not seen you for a whole year." ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
"Y-you jerk..." Seraphina’s voice came broken this time. Lucas raised his head, finding tears forming in her eyes, her lips shivering. "You would have never seen me again if anything had gone wrong today."
The words struck like a dagger to Lucas’s heart, his eyes widening. He parted his lips to speak but the sight that followed completely broke him.
Tears trickled down Seraphina’s cheeks as she rubbed her eyes, her sniffles filling the room. "You never came to visit me for a whole year. Even in the vacations you said you were busy with your stupid research and cannot meet me. Why did you come today? Go, do your stupid research."
Lucas slowly moved forward, his head lowered, eyes fixed on the floor as he moved his arms around her. She immediately shot away his arms, her small hands pushing against his chest with all her might. He raised them again, pulling her into embrace. His arms encircled her slender frame, drawing her against his broad chest with gentle insistence. Seraphina tried to pull him away again but there was no strength behind her hands. The reluctance slowly broke as she hugged him, her arms locking around his waist.
"I am sorry, Sera," Lucas whispered, his tone low. His chin rested atop her head, his eyes closed, his voice thick with emotion. "Please do not say such harsh words."
"Whatever do you know!" Seraphina snapped, pinching him at the back with whatever strength her little hands could gather. "Why did you not come when they kidnapped me? Why are you coming only when everything occurred? What if I drank Gabriel’s blood? You would have found my dead bod—" frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
"Sera..." Lucas’s grip around her tightened, his voice breaking as his black eyes turned moist. "Please do not say that."
The duo stayed like that for a few minutes as the door behind them closed with a faint crimson aura emerging from Lucas’s body. He continued kissing her head every few seconds, trying to soothe her.
---
"Incredible. You can already use Rose Spring of Sanguine Flame Art," Lucas gasped, his voice carrying both pride and surprise as Seraphina revealed the story about what actually occurred and how she defeated Gabriel. "You might be the first mage in history to use Four Ring spells at the age of seventeen."
The duo were sitting on the wooden chair with soft cushion seat, a mahogany table of intricate design in the shape of a fire flame placed between them. He was pouring tea into the cups, the vapours ascending from them.
He handed the cup placed on the plate to Seraphina. She took a low sip from the cup with the grace of a noble as she continued, "Precisely. Keep treating me like you do, Lucas and I will send you to Retirement Home once I become the next head of the House Cendral."
"Y-you cannot say such words to your father," Lucas gasped, feeling shivers from imagining his life in a retirement home.
He lowered his head and said with a genuine guilt in his tone. "I am truly regretting not coming on time and I will also fulfill your any wish. But please at least address me as father."
Seraphina’s lips curled into a smile of amusement. "You cannot go back on your words," she declared, leaning back on the chair. Something told Lucas that he had been played by her as if she was waiting for him to say those words. "I have only two demands."
"Wh-what do you need?" He asked, sweat trickling down his temple.
"With your connections, you must have already found out that I have a Bloodbound now. He is the commoner that enrolled in the academy thanks to your recommendation letter," Seraphina revealed, which caused Lucas to immediately flinch.
The faint reaction he showed did not go unnoticed by Seraphina. It made her clear that he was aware of this fact.
"I need you to not cause him any harm in any way," Seraphina declared, folding her arms.
"Wh-why?" Lucas demanded, his eyes narrowing at her in suspicion. "Are you perhaps in lo—"
"Shut your mouth, Lucas," Seraphina hissed in a sharp tone, cutting him mid-sentence as she revealed, "He is my prey. I will handle him myself."
Lucas pressed the bridge of his nose between his thumb and fingers, deeply contemplating Seraphina’s demand. "And what about the Vampires’ culture. Once your grandmother learns about your Bloodbound, even I will not be able to stop her. After all, I cannot go against my own mother-in-law."
"And that is where my second demands come," Seraphina said, the smile of victory already tugging at her lips. "Keep that commoner being my Bloodbound as a secret from everyone."
Lucas’s brows furrowed in annoyance. He could already feel shivers imagining the furious face of his mother-in-law when the secret would be revealed to her. "You do realise you are asking for a lot here," he said, clearly not willing to accept those terms.
"Hmph, so you were just all talk," Seraphina scoffed, setting her cup down on the table. The sharp clatter of porcelain against the saucer echoed her disappointment.
"First, you abandoned your daughter for a whole year and then did not even come to save her when she desperately wished for you to arrive. And even now, you cannot fulfill a simple wish of her—"
"I accept your terms, Sera," Lucas agreed with a deep sigh, almost on the verge of tears again from the continuous merciless strikes. "When did I ever refuse any demand of yours."
The moment he said those words, the smug of a noble that had just struck an advantageous deal vanished from her face, turning into a smile of an excited child that had her wish fulfilled by her parent. She jumped from her chair and tightly hugged Lucas, sitting on his lap and said with an excited smile, "Thank you so much, father."
It was only then that the long expressions finally disappeared from Lucas’s face. He gently patted her head and murmured, "Anything for you, my precious daughter."
After a few seconds, Seraphina murmured in a low tone, her voice coming out hesitant, "I have one more thing to reveal."
"I am listening," Lucas replied, his hand never leaving her head, as he continued stroking her with the gentle warmth of a parent.
"My Bloodbound is only a D-Ranked. Logically, his blood should have no effect on me," Seraphina said, her tone laced with confusion. "Yet for some reason, when his blood bound with me, I can feel my mana circuits have become wider and reinforced, which should only happen if he had a talent higher than mine."
