EnCoffin Me Chapter 53
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 53
Alexio ate his meal more slowly than ever before. Midway through, he lifted his head.
“How about…”
“What is it?” The saint glanced in his direction, his tone calm and unruffled.
Alexio tightened his grip on the spoon. The lunatic was acting perfectly normal, just like always, which made him seem weird for worrying about undressing. The lunatic had always been very persistent. If he refused now, he would definitely be interrogated endlessly. How should he explain?
…Actually, I might have a slight crush on you?
No! No way! Even if Theo got run over by a carriage eight hundred times, he still wouldn't say something like that!
The spoon twisted in his hand. Startled, Alexio quickly crushed it into a tight ball and hid it in his palm.
“How about…” He blurted out, “How about I add more pepper?”
“…That's up to you.”
Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant! Alexio shook pepper into his bowl like a madman. He really was a quick-witted little genius. There was no way he'd give himself away now. He still had half a bowl of soup left to mentally prepare himself.
“Are you done yet?” The usually patient lunatic actually started urging him. “It's just one bowl of soup. You've been at it for over half an hour. Did you put in too much pepper?”
He was right, because Alexio responded with a series of sneezes.
The saint went to the kitchen, poured a cup of warm water, and brought it out to Alexio. The vampire took the small cup, struggled to hold back another sneeze, his eyes watering. He choked down several gulps before he felt alive again.
But the next moment—
“What's that in your hand? A spoon?”
“…It used to be.”
“……”
Lucius confiscated the small iron ball and quietly slipped it into his own pocket. Then, facing the tense Alexio, he showed a faint smile.
“So, shall we begin?”
The main hall was dark, lit only by a faint glow from the dining room. The platinum-blonde saint lowered his eyes and slowly took off his casual coat. The loose collar couldn't hide the line of his collarbone. He was like a sword withdrawing from its sheath. Until that moment, Alexio never imagined the day would come when his archenemy would disarm himself before him, even exposing that vulnerable, deadly neck and shoulder.
He even vaguely caught the scent of blood, that wonderful taste once again surfacing from the depths of his memory. Alexio bared his fangs uncontrollably, hastily covering them with his hand.
“Do you… have a wound?”
“Mm, I was practicing a new decorative cut while chopping vegetables.”
Your bride training courses are really keeping up with the times!
Alexio seriously suspected the lunatic was doing it on purpose. He resisted the urge to bite the side of his neck, clamping down on his lower lip instead. The sharp sting helped steady him. But no matter how much he held back, he refused to lose face.
“Aren't you afraid I'll bite you? Directly at the neck, bite it clean off in one go!”
The saint chuckled softly.
“Vampires aren't trolls. They don't have that kind of biting force. Besides, your fangs seem shorter than most vampires' anyway.”
“Shut up! Don't say they're short!”
Alexio flushed with anger and embarrassment. He glanced around, then picked up a fruit from the bowl.
“Watch this!”
He demonstrated his skill. With just a light bite, his four fangs perfectly embedded themselves in the fruit. As long as there wasn't any violent movement, the fruit definitely wouldn't fall off. This proved that his fangs were still long!
But when he cooled down and looked again, the lunatic was staring at him with a blank expression.
Alexio bit the fruit stiffly. From the lunatic's gaze, he read many things, such as confusion, pity, surprise, and…
“You made me laugh,” the lunatic said sincerely, seeking his permission. “May I laugh?”
No, you may not!
Alexio finally heard the snap of the last string in his mind breaking.
He sneered coldly and, to his own surprise, stepped closer to the saint. His deep rose-colored eyes, in the dim light, began to gleam with the faint glow unique to dark creatures. He grabbed his archenemy by the collar and slammed him onto the sofa. The shadow cast by the vampire completely engulfed Lucius.
“I forgot to ask, how was your last experience?” the vampire whispered by his ear. “Was it… ecstasy?”
It wasn't only Alexio who remembered the taste of Lucius' blood. Lucius also remembered how bone-chilling the sensation was the moment the vampire's fangs touched him. His gaze darkened slightly. A long chain slipped out from his sleeve and slowly wound around the vampire pinning him down.
“You came to provoke me again because you can't forget that feeling, hoping I'll bite you once more?”
The long chain gradually tightened. Lucius narrowed his eyes, seeing the vampire above him bare his sharp fangs and smile.
“This is a mutually beneficial arrangement. Why didn't you just say so?”
He pulled the saint up, his breath brushing against the side of Lucius' neck. Lucius felt the exposed skin stirred by the breath, as if the vampire had opened his mouth, his sharp fangs about to touch his skin—
Lucius' pupils suddenly constricted. As soon as Alexio tasted his blood and showed signs of intoxication, his chain would—
“…Hmm, so this is the thorny cross?”
The expected slight sting and boundless ecstasy never came. Alexio's mind remained clear as he leaned on Lucius' shoulder, twisting into an awkward position to look at the tattoo on his right shoulder. After studying it for a moment, he noticed the lunatic had been silent for a long time, so he tilted his head.
“What? You really thought I'd bite you? Don't worry, even though you always annoy me, I'm not foolish enough to bite you.”
“……”
This vampire, who lacked any sense of vampire aesthetics, seemed to treat biting as a form of punishment and hostility.
The chain silently slipped under the sofa, hidden from view. Lucius remained silent for a while before hearing Alexio say with some surprise, “Are you sure this tattoo is called thorny cross? Is it its full name? No other names?”
“…Why do you ask that?”
Alexio reached out and touched the tattoo with his fingertips. Feeling the muscle beneath his hand instantly tensing, he couldn't help but find it a little amusing.
“Don't be nervous, I'm just pointing out the spot for you. Here… there's a bird.”
…A bird?
Alexio nodded firmly. “The cross is below. I've seen the emblem of the Holy Temple before. Normally, the thorns would wrap around the cross, right? Yours is different. The thorns are still there, but they spread out from the cross and wrap around a bird.
“The bird looks familiar…” Alexio felt certain he had seen it somewhere. “It has a bit of an eastern vibe, the style is very similar.”
“…Qizhi?” Lucius offered a guess, which immediately clicked for Alexio.
“Right, Qizhi. I've seen that flying shape in some travel journals.”
After looking at the tattoo, more questions surfaced. Lucius was sure he only had the thorny cross tattoo when he was in the Holy Temple. This extra Qizhi design must have appeared later. But why did it appear, and why only did this pattern showed up?
Lucius had a vague feeling that the answers to these mysteries lay buried in the memories he had lost.
Alexio was still studying the tattoo from a difficult angle when Lucius handed him a notebook and pen.
“Draw it. It'll be useful for future research.”
“……”
“…I feel like I'm making things difficult for you.”
Alexio glared at him, then suddenly realized his current position—
He was kneeling on the lunatic's lap, one hand on his shoulder. The lunatic, probably afraid he'd topple over, held the pen and paper with one hand and supported his waist with the other. When Alexio realized this, he quickly wriggled free from the lunatic's arms, his ear still warm.
“Then… you can draw it yourself in front of the mirror tomorrow.”
He forgot about the half-bitten fruit on the low table and went straight upstairs. The lunatic's sudden voice startled him.
“Remember to close the window before you sleep.”
He sighed in relief, replied briefly, and retreated to his room, collapsing onto the bed.
Actually, he had come so close… so close to biting… maybe even more than just biting…
In the dark, he reached out and lightly touched his fangs.
Just now, in that instant, he had—
Almost given the lunatic his【First Embrace】.
Lucius stayed in the living room with the lights off. The long chain climbed silently out from under the sofa and wrapped back around his wrist. He touched his right shoulder where the tattoo had changed. The thorns wrapping around the flying bird symbolized ‘bondage.’
And then…
His gaze shifted to the fruit on the table. He picked it up, examining the bite marks left by the vampire.
Four small fangs, perfectly aligned.
Those were the very marks the fangs had almost left on the side of his neck just moments ago.
He wasn't quite sure what he had intended to do when he was about to be bitten. He had activated the long chain he had tamed, hoping to control the vampire's movements as he lost himself, maybe to bind his hands or his wings if they spread. Once his prey was caught in the trap, he would...
He brought the fruit to his lips. Initially, the smooth side was facing him, but then he suddenly rotated the fruit, biting into the tooth marks. Sweet and sour juice filled his mouth. He silently ate the entire fruit, then slowly looked up.
It was time to return to his room.
He felt a faint stirring.
The next day, Alexio couldn't find the fruit from the night before.
Puzzled, he asked the lunatic who was bringing breakfast to the table.
“Have you seen my fruit?”
“The one with four holes?”
“…Yes.” Alexio began to regret asking about that fruit's whereabouts.
“I thought you never wanted to see that fruit again.”
“……” That was actually true.
“Next time, do you want to try an orange? I got a variety with really thick skin.”
“Shut up!”
Alexio angrily picked up his knife and fork. He absolutely didn't want to bring up the fruit topic again. Halfway through his meal, he suddenly heard the lunatic across from him say, “The roses are sprouting.”
“Really?”
Alexio excitedly ran to check, subtly taking the chance to inspect the growth of the carrots. He went to the area near the wall and sure enough, seedlings had sprouted from the moist soil. He squatted down to look and poked at them. The lunatic came over, but instead of squatting, he stood peeling a piece of candy wrapper.
“Give me one too.” Alexio grabbed a candy, popped it into his mouth, and cast a loving glance at the rose seedlings.
“You're eating candy again.”
“…Mm.”
From Lucius' perspective, he could see the top of the vampire's head, a few strands of hair spiritedly tousled. He stared intently at those unruly hairs, wanting to reach out and smooth them down, but then realized that in Alexio's eyes, they probably hadn't reached the point of such intimate gestures.
His memories had advanced significantly with Cravenson's appearance, so he wasn't surprised by some of the entries in his old notes.
The hunter who killed Cravenson had ultimately committed suicide.
The Holy Temple remained silent on the matter, hastily burying the hunter's remains in a common grave instead of the heroes' cemetery.
【I suppose the honorable Holy Temple must have noticed this as well.】
His past self had written this in the notes, while his later, maddened self added a messy, mocking laugh alongside it.
【I, we, all of us hunters chosen by destiny, have always been subjected to a certain kind of education.】
【And that education has now been proven to be flawed.】
【We care too much about our destined one.】
【I…】
【Care too much about Alexio.】
His maddened self crossed out every word between ‘I’ and ‘Alexio.’ Beneath the scribbles, a line of characters burned fiercely and defiantly.
【I…】
【Have fallen in love with Alexio.】