Blood Moon Over Blackthorn Manor

Chapter 9 "The Mysterious Guest"

Just a meter from the passage, Li Fei was caught around the waist, trapped between arms and wall. Moonlight streamed in through the nearby window, and Li Fei finally got a clear look at Siles. He wore a silk nightshirt, open from chest to waist, revealing his toned physique. His wild white hair accentuated his feral nature. In the moonlight, he exuded an unusual charm. Like a cheetah eyeing its prey, he leisurely surveyed the panicked girl before him.

"Ha ha, Your Grace, anything else you need to clear up?" Li Fei gulped, wishing she could slap herself. What was she doing ogling a hot guy at a time like this?

Siles had never felt so bemused. This Eastern girl really had just barged in carelessly, naive enough to think she could escape the same way she came. He took in her petite frame, her childish yet mischievous expression - she was like an overgrown kid. He believed she was genuinely naive enough to think she could draw vampire blood. No doubt "he" believed it too, which is why he let her in. This thought made Siles want to tease her a bit more. "You think you can come and go from the castle as you please?"

"Ha ha ha, Your Grace, you're so magnanimous. Don't hold this against a little girl like me. I'll never do it again." Yeah, right! The last part was: I'll never make the mistake of getting caught again. Where did I go wrong? Was I too slow? Looks like I need to practice my skills more if I want to ambush a vampire.

He could tell just by looking at her eyes that this little troublemaker had no intention of behaving. It made him want to scare her even more. She wanted to see a vampire, did she? He'd show her! He wanted to see what she'd do.

"Little one, what's your name?"

Unaware of Siles' overly gentle tone, Li Fei answered reflexively: "Li Fei." Only after answering did she realize her blunder. Now he even knew her name! What if the Duke pulled some strings to have her deported back to Taiwan?! Oh well, if the Duke wanted to do that, he could manage it even without her name.

"Li Fei, what a lovely name. Fei Fei, you just said you thought I was a vampire, right?" Siles cooed like he was talking to a child, whispering gently in her ear. Li Fei's skin broke out in goosebumps. Had the Duke lost his mind? Or had he already decided how to torture her? Why did his voice sound so creepy!

"Ha ha," Li Fei continued her nervous laughter. "Your Grace, I'm young and foolish, prone to wild imaginings. You're not taking this seriously, are you?"

"So, you're just pulling my leg?" Siles raised his head, fixing Li Fei with a mischievous stare. It was only then that Li Fei noticed Siles' strange transformation.

Starting from where the moonlight touched him, Siles' white hair changed as if by magic, turning into a dazzling silver color that extended to his waist, exuding an otherworldly charm. His already fair skin now glowed in the moonlight. His green eyes now gleamed with an impossible coldness... This look shouldn't appear on any human. Except for the age discrepancy, he was exactly as Big Sister Eva had described - a vampire!

"You—" Face to face with the vampire she'd dreamed of meeting, Li Fei felt none of the romantic encounter she'd imagined. Instead, she pictured the violent man drinking blood, and alarm bells rang in her head, warning her that she was probably done for.

In the silvery moonlight, the handsome and roguish silver-haired man gazed at the beauty in his arms. It should have been a picturesque scene, but Li Fei's trembling face ruined any chance of romance.

"What about me?" Siles watched the girl in his arms, who didn't dare move a muscle. He was fascinated by the myriad expressions flitting across her face - surprise, worry, then flattery. How could someone cycle through so many emotions in seconds? Bane, that poker-faced butler, should take lessons from her.

"Hehe, Your Grace, are you really a vampire?" Li Fei asked cautiously.

"And if I am?" He wanted to see what she'd do.

Li Fei gasped, partly because her wish had come true, and partly out of concern for her own safety. Her little brain started whirring, trying to figure out how to get the vampire's blood and still make it out alive.

"Well, even if Your Grace is... is a vampire, it's no big deal. There's nothing new under the sun. Besides, Your Grace's family has lived in British society for so long, you must be quite the 'gentleman'." The implication being that he surely wouldn't take advantage of a weak girl like her.

"Hm." Siles chuckled softly. "I do have gentlemanly manners, but whether I use them with women who sneak into a gentleman's bedroom is another matter."

Li Fei lowered her head awkwardly, not daring to meet those bewitching green eyes. She felt like those bottomless pupils could steal her soul, making her brain malfunction and her body freeze.

Li Fei's guess wasn't far off. Vampire green eyes had a special ability called "eye technique." If they wished, they could control the actions of those they gazed upon, like puppet masters.

Li Fei, not giving up, continued probing: "Your Grace, you're such a joker. How about this? Let's make a deal. We'll trade - I'll draw as much blood from you as you drink from me. Isn't that fair?"

Li Fei thought it was a brilliant idea. This way, she wouldn't accidentally get drained dry - at worst, she'd be anemic.

Siles was about to burst out laughing! How could someone be so... ingenious! What kind of situation was this? Still daring to negotiate with a vampire! But he didn't laugh. He wanted to see this little girl even more flustered - if he really did drink her blood.

Siles grinned, revealing a set of white teeth with sharp canines just visible at the corners. "Are you serious?" His hand gently caressed her snow-white neck, his fingertips sliding across her throat. The sensation made her shudder. "Of course, I'm a woman of my word," she replied, putting on a brave front.

He smiled wickedly, lowering his head close to her. His cold white teeth brushed against her ear as he whispered chillingly, "Too bad, Fei Fei. I don't feel like accepting your terms." As he finished speaking, he swiftly bit into her exposed neck, giving Li Fei no chance to even think of escape.

"You—" Li Fei only managed to utter one terrified word before a wave of dizziness washed over her, and she fainted in Siles' arms.

Siles gazed at the girl in his arms, his green eyes clouded with conflicting emotions. Though he had only taken a small taste, what shocked him wasn't Li Fei's fainting, but the realization that it was "her"!

At seven in the morning, Blythe tiptoed into the dining room, eager to see Siles in a rage and check on the troublemaker who hadn't been kicked out of the castle all night. Knowing Siles' personality, he doubted he'd have eaten the girl alive - at most, he'd have given her a good scare.

The scene in the dining room nearly made his jaw drop. Siles was calmly enjoying breakfast as if nothing had happened, while the troublemaker was nowhere to be seen. Surely Siles hadn't actually done something drastic? This joke had gone too far.

He rushed into the dining room, grabbing Siles anxiously. "You didn't actually... dispose of her, did you?"

"So it was your doing after all." Siles' lips twitched in slight annoyance. Considering the prank was somewhat amusing, he'd settle the score later.

To Blythe, this expression meant something entirely different. He couldn't believe that after a few years, Siles had become so cold-blooded. Feeling guilty for endangering Li Fei, Blythe was overcome with remorse. In his distress, he reached for the milk on the table, intending to down it in one go to ease his regret.

Siles stopped his hand, putting the milk back on the table. "Who said that was for you?"

Blythe was a mess of emotions. He couldn't believe how much things had changed - the once adorable young master was now not only cold-blooded but too stingy to even share a glass of milk. "You... Jace, I really misjudged you."

Siles gave him a cold look. "You're lucky I haven't punched you. If you want breakfast, go ask Bane to prepare it."

"Then why did you prepare two breakfasts?" Blythe snapped, completely forgetting why he'd come to see Siles in the first place.

"That's for Fei Fei."

"Fei Fei? Who's that? I've been here so long, how come I've never heard of her?" Blythe was about to argue when suddenly it clicked... Fei Fei, Li Fei, Miss Li... His eyes widened in horror! "Jace, you didn't... eat her, did you?!" Having never seen Siles so intimate with any woman, Blythe was stunned, blaming himself once again. Miss Li, I'm so sorry, it's all my fault for throwing you to the wolf. But then again, it's not entirely my fault. I never thought Siles would be so ungentlemanly as to... with a girl he's only met once... well, twice...

Siles cut off Blythe's wild imagination with a fierce glare. "Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm not that desperate."

"But that doesn't make sense. If you didn't do anything to her, why is she still in your room?" Blythe asked slyly, all traces of his earlier remorse gone.

"I just gave her a little warning, drank a bit of her blood. How long she stays passed out from anemia is her problem." Fed up with Blythe's sneaky attitude, Siles shot him a cold glare, planning to give him a taste of his own medicine with his next piece of news. Let's see if he'll keep that smirk on his face.

"You might be more interested in something else."

"What's that?" Blythe was still reveling in teasing Siles, completely oblivious to his serious expression.

"I've found the Tear of Bella," Siles said slowly, enunciating each word.

Those words wiped the smile off Blythe's face instantly. His bright eyes suddenly seemed to have aged centuries. "What?"

"I found it. That's all." Noticing Blythe's heavy gaze, Siles repeated casually, trying to lighten the mood.

"Where?"

"In my room."

For a moment, Blythe thought Siles was joking. But in the next second, he understood. Who would have thought? After searching high and low, the person was right under their noses!

"You drank her blood?"

"By chance. Last night I only meant to scare her, but her blood carried Bella's scent." Siles narrowed his eyes, a shadow passing over them. Bella was the mother goddess of vampires. Every vampire's blood would boil at the sight of the Tear of Bella hanging in the sky on a full moon night. Let alone tasting the fresh blood of someone carrying the Tear of Bella - Siles could hardly imagine his own shock last night.

Blythe swallowed hard, staring at Siles. His playful mood vanished, replaced by worry and the shadows of the past. "What do you plan to do now?"

"You keep an eye on the blonde Anton. I'll watch the Huxon family's movements. As for the rest, we just need to keep her here and monitor any changes."

"It won't work. Eva will come for her immediately. Knowing her, she'd even use the underworld to get her back. That could easily draw the Huxon family's attention: Siles' castle harboring a strange woman? Any vampire with half a brain would guess it's the Tear of Bella," Blythe analyzed objectively.

"Of course, we can't hide her forever. But staying in the castle at least prevents the Huxon family from acting. Your return has already caught their attention. Letting her stay outside the castle would be more dangerous now."