At the top of the castle, in the master bedroom.
Vlad sat at his desk, reviewing reports from all across the kingdom.
But for some reason, a strange expression kept flickering across his face.
His brow furrowed, and he suddenly reached beneath the desk.
"Woo~"
A soft whimper and a slight noise came from under the desk, followed by a stifled cough.
"Hu~"
His tense expression relaxed, and he let out a long breath.
Then he spoke calmly, "Is this how you repay Mirena, Sybil?"
As his words fell, Sybil crawled out from under the desk. Her face was flushed, her hair messy. After a dry cough, she gave Vlad a flirtatious glance.
Vlad smiled, handed her a tissue, and said:
"Your technique is still lacking. Go back and practice more."
Sybil's face turned crimson at his teasing, but she said nothing in reply.
After a while, she set down the water cup in her hand, leaned over the desk, and simply watched Vlad as he continued reviewing the documents.
Looking at the girl in front of him—who had suddenly come running to offer herself—Vlad set the report aside and asked with a hint of confusion, "What's going on? This really isn't like you."
Sybil was silent for a moment. Then she said, "My father wants to marry me off."
Vlad raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that normal? You are of the right age."
Another pause. Then Sybil took a deep breath, looked straight at Vlad, and said:
"I like you. I've liked you since we were children. But back then, you only had eyes for Mirena. I had to go to her every day just to be near you. Now I'm about to be married off, and I don't want to leave any regrets behind."
With that, she lifted the hem of her elegant blue dress and ran off without looking back, leaving Vlad momentarily stunned.
A moment later, realization dawned on him. He called for Dumitru, the captain of the guards.
"Investigate what Earl Gramsom has been up to lately, and suppress any rumors about Miss Sybil in the city. Be quick about it."
Dumitru accepted the order and left without delay.
"Sigh… I should have figured it out sooner," Vlad muttered. "Something like this happens, and Gramsom tries to marry her off before the gossip spreads. He's probably trying to send her far away."
Sure enough, after angrily storming out of the council hall when he learned the clergy had fled, Gramsom had returned home and, within a few days, began looking for a husband for Sibyl.
All the candidates were either minor nobles from remote regions or moderately wealthy merchants and landlords. Given the limited transportation options of the time, if the destination was far enough, the scandal could be effectively buried.
Even if rumors reached them later, by then the matter would already be sealed.
No wonder Sybil had been troubled lately. And today, she even took the initiative to come to him...
Come to think of it, he had been quite the charmer as a child—and Sybil had never truly forgotten him.
"Clever girl." Vlad shook his head and laughed.
That evening, Mirena entered Vlad's study with a face full of anger.
She tossed down a briefing report on the preparations and recruitment progress of the wizard academy.
Seeing her expression, Vlad looked puzzled. "Who dared offend you, dear Miss Mirena?"
"Hmph! You have to help Sybil this time!"
"Her father, the Earl of Gramsom, wants to send her off to some faraway place just to protect the family's so-called reputation. It's not even her fault!
And rumor has it, the man she's supposed to marry is a dwarf!"
Watching Mirena pace back and forth, angrily ranting on Sybil's behalf, Vlad couldn't help but chuckle.
"You're still smiling? No matter what, Sybil grew up following you around. Don't you feel any sympathy?"
Seeing Mirena on the verge of blowing up, Vlad quickly sat up straighter and cleared his throat.
"How do you even know about all this? Did Sybil tell you?"
His brow furrowed slightly as he spoke.
Mirena sat down with a displeased look and replied, "If I waited for her to tell me, she'd already be married by now. I heard it from someone else."
Vlad's expression relaxed. He stood, walked behind Mirena, and gently whispered into her ear:
"My queen, please calm your anger and grant me a chance to make amends. Would you?"
Mirena turned, rolled her eyes, and replied teasingly, "Go sweet-talk your little lovers with that voice. Who wants to marry you?"
"Wait~ Are you jealous?"
Vlad pulled Mirena to her feet, sat down, and drew her into his lap.
"Hmph~"
Mirena turned her head and pouted, lips slightly pursed.
Vlad leaned in and whispered in her ear:
"Mirena, you know… in all my twenty-something years of life, you've always been my anchor. Because of you, I've managed to endure endless wars without breaking down.
You've always been irreplaceable in my heart."
Mirena's body trembled slightly. She looked into Vlad's eyes. A tender light flickered in her own, and she licked her lips softly.
"Then why did you bring back so many women?"
Her tone carried long-held frustration.
Vlad gave an awkward smile, hesitated a moment, then answered honestly, "I had my reasons."
Mirena scoffed. "Not a good enough reason to behave like a scumbag."
Vlad's face darkened slightly. He stood up and said, "Watch this."
A breeze blew through the balcony.
In front of Mirena's stunned eyes, a pair of massive bat wings—over two meters wide—unfurled from Vlad's back.
Before she could react, he scooped her into his arms and shot out of the castle, soaring through the cool night sky amid her startled screams.
He danced through the air in a graceful waltz before returning to the castle under Mirena's furious scolding.
As they landed, Vlad looked at the pale-faced Mirena and said mischievously:
"So? I helped fulfill your childhood dream. No need to thank me."
"Hehe"
Still breathless, Mirena glared at him with resentment. Then, with sudden energy, she pounced on him.
"I'll bite you to death!"
After a bout of playful roughhousing, Mirena sat astride Vlad and panted.
"And that's the excuse you're giving me? Scumbag!"
"Ah! So mad! I'll bite you to death!"
"Hey! You little puppy~ Don't bite my neck—we still have business to discuss tomorrow."
Covering his neck, Vlad looked at Mirena, who now wore a smug expression, and muttered:
"You're so grown up, yet still just like the girl you used to be."
"Huh~ That was me being gentle."
Despite her words, she hadn't used much strength at all.
Looking up at the sky, Mirena said, "It's getting late. I should head back."
"My lady, won't you stay a little longer? There are so many rooms here—just sleep over."
Mirena wrinkled her dainty nose and said, "Hmph~ Go find one of your little lovers."
With that, she turned and walked out without another glance.
Just before disappearing through the door, she turned back and said:
"Don't forget about Sybil. Pay more attention to her—don't let her love you in vain."
She gave Vlad a fierce glare before leaving for real this time.
"Mirena knew all along...?"
Then Vlad chuckled softly.
"Well, it makes sense. After so many years together, they must understand each other's hearts to some degree."