As I opened the door, I caught sight of a shadow rushing towards me. He seemed deeply concerned that my father and I might have an unpleasant conversation leading to a fight. Teasing him, I remarked on how well his “daughter-in-law” was managing things, earning myself a playful punch to the chest. Seizing the opportunity, I reached for his hand, intending to plant a kiss, only to be interrupted by Ethan's untimely arrival. Yet, I couldn't blame him; after all, I had asked him to bring dinner to the room. No matter what, I couldn't let “my wife” go hungry.We seemed to have brushed off the incident from the dining room, thoroughly enjoying our dinner. Without waiting for him to finish his water, I whisked him into the bathroom for a relaxing soak, leaving his face flushed like a ripe apple before he reluctantly emerged from the bathroom. Unfortunately, as he stepped out, he was met with my beloved large bed. He seemed torn between wanting to escape and fearing to do so, his agitation r
I approached the castle main door and saw Neil still standing right where I had left him moments ago, his feet firmly planted. What could I do? The celebration at the castle was a must-attend; my sister's event, one I could perhaps skip, but leaving her standing and Neil stranded at home might lead to familial discord, with Neil bearing the brunt of it. Alternatively, could I simply disregard everything and take Neil away? Yet, that would invite pursuit by the wolf pack, akin to living the life of a fugitive. And there was something more crucial: preventing the opportunist from striking in my absence.As I pondered over these matters, Paul suddenly darted into my field of vision, moving towards Neil as if to assuage his nerves. This sight offered a glimmer of hope; I could entrust Neil to Paul for the time being, allowing Paul to take care of him temporarily, perhaps even spend time with him until I returned later that evening. Compared to my scheming relatives, those who ignored me,
It was the second day of the birthday celebration.In the morning, I had to practically drag him out of bed and handed him over to Paul before heading to the party. I still held onto the hope of leaving early, though it seemed unlikely. I couldn't help but envy Paul a bit - he didn't have to attend even though he was the grandson, while I, as the godson, had to, and for a whole seven days at that.The main guests of the day were the elders, both the patriarch and second elder. Alcohol flowed freely, and the revelry seemed to surpass that of the previous day. Neil called at some point, but not as frequently as the day before, and I didn't answer any of his calls. By the time I remembered to call him back, he didn't pick up - he was probably having a blast. I decided not to pursue it further; he could enjoy himself without me, and we could catch up later in the evening.Today I ended up even more intoxicated than yesterday. When I returned, Neil was still awake, sitting on the edge of t
Over the next two days, the fifth and sixth days of the celebration, I returned home early both times. I had intended to make it up to him, but the same issue resurfaced. However, this time it seemed more serious. He wasn't just timid or fearful; I sensed he was on the verge of breaking down, perhaps even disappointed in me.On the first day, I sat down, intending to have a serious conversation with him. I also wanted to tell him about Harry's persistent calls from the previous day. But he started crying, saying he wanted to go home. Before I could even try to soothe him or suggest we leave together in a few days, he said something that immediately angered me.“Ryan, if you don't want to go back, can I go back alone?”"What are you saying?""I'm begging you, let me go back, okay? I won't cause you any trouble. I'll go by myself and figure things out.""Neil! As I've told you before, I have only one request, and that's for you not to leave me. We need to stay together. You promised me
I slept until nearly noon, perhaps because I had been working too hard and felt exhausted. I suspected the person in my arms was still asleep. Turning him over, I prepared to give him a kiss on the forehead. As my hand touched his cheek, I felt as though I had grasped a hot water bottle."Neil, Neil, wake up!"I shook him for a while, but there was no response; he seemed to have lost consciousness. I quickly asked Ethan to call a doctor to check on Neil. I was uneasy about letting anyone else touch Neil and kept a close eye on the doctor's every move. Fortunately, they were professional and didn't get scared off by my vigilance.After the doctor's examination, he explained Neil's physical condition and carefully advised on what to pay attention to. Essentially, the main thing was to take a few days to rest and avoid exertion; absolute rest was necessary."The doctor said it's nothing serious, just that perhaps last night was too overexerted.""Mm.""Darling, I'm sorry, I was too rough
After applying the medicine and helping him into his basic underwear, I covered him with a blanket and then stepped out. Let it be like this, just wait for three days, just three days, and after that, we won't need to worry anymore. I'll wait until that midnight of the third day, not even to delay one more minute, then I'll hold him and leave this place forever.With Neil's phone in hand, I returned to the bar. Judging by how clean it was, I knew Ethan had already arranged for someone to clean up. I poured myself a whiskey and unlocked Neil's phone to check. Unfortunately, I stumbled upon something I didn't want to see. There were fifteen missed calls and unread messages from a new number."Neil, it's Harry. Are you okay?""Are you alright?""Are you too busy to read my messages?"These were all messages from three days ago, the night he had nightmares. He hadn't checked his messages all day, he must have been really exhausted that day. I continued scrolling down..."Neil, I'll be hon
I regained my composure, though it was less of composure and more of speechlessness, powerlessness, and hopelessness. Kneeling beside Neil, who appeared devoid of any color, I found myself devoid of any coherent thoughts, only the desire to fill every moment and every second with him. As I observed the bloodless figure before me, an unconscious question slipped from my lips."How could someone suddenly start bleeding without cause?""Perhaps it's due to internal injuries," Ethan responded naturally, unaware of my murmurs."Internal injuries?" The words stirred something within me. "Neil mentioned being attacked, injured, but I couldn't see any wounds. I even accused him of fabricating it.""Wounds that couldn’t be seen?""Yes, even the vampire claimed Neil was injured.""Master, may I examine Mr. Neil?" Ethan's request triggered a realization. "I've heard of a magic that conceals surface truths, masking external injuries while internal ones persist. Without prompt treatment, these int
In one hand, I held Neil's diary, and in the other, Ethan's USB drive, handed to me personally. As I delved into the diary, I discovered Neil too had fallen for me at first sight, but his self-doubt clouded his feelings. Many times, his thoughts and emotions mirrored mine, only he was more naïve, yet all this was before my transformation. I never noticed my own change, let alone its downward spiral. Initially, to win Neil over, I resorted to deceit and manipulation; once together, driven by my possessiveness, I controlled and punished him. Returning to the castle, I felt I had veered further off course, and the damning truth lay on the next page of the diary: the second day at the castle. No one admonished me, not even Neil, and it was only after his passing that I found my faults within his diary.Turning to the last seventh page of Neil's diary:"On the second day at the castle, I anticipated it to be a splendid one, with breakfast followed by a leisurely stroll. But then I saw him,