Chapter 26: Mistress C
About five minutes later, in a luxury hotel.
Under the gentle and quiet night, a graceful figure glided elegantly through the moonlight.
Silky white hair shimmered faintly with the cold gleam of the crescent moon.
That figure concealed herself in the hidden corners where ordinary eyes could not reach—swift as a cat, silent as a shadow.
When she appeared, no one noticed. But once caught in sight, no one could look away from that breathtaking beauty.
She—her name is Carmilla, Class Rider, also known as Mistress C, a mysterious female Phantom Thief who specializes in operating within hotels and casinos.
That seductive figure wore a dark red female Phantom Thief outfit, provocative and sensual, a scandalously revealing costume that perfectly accentuated her bewitching curves. Her supermodel-like body was almost proportioned to the golden ratio, as if about to burst out of the outfit at any moment.
Her endlessly long legs were wrapped in high-heeled dark red boots, unintentionally yet deliberately revealing her inquisitorial and controlling nature.
While Eikou and the others were still attending the party in the adjacent room, this female Phantom Thief had already slipped into the luxury hotel and silently sent out a warning letter.
Its contents were very clear: Tomorrow, she would steal the most valuable painting the hotel possessed.
As a seductive Phantom Thief who roamed freely through gatherings of the elite, theft had long since become second nature to her—this was not the first time, and it certainly wouldn't be the last.
With the title of a renowned Phantom Thief among the aristocracy, Mistress C possessed an exquisite skill for manipulating the human heart. Her greatest pleasure was to steal the most precious things from others. Whatever people valued, she wanted to take.
"The warning letter has been sent… now I just need to confirm the escape route…"
Phantom Thief Carmilla murmured softly.
Just as she was conducting the final check of her escape path, she suddenly heard several footsteps approaching.
Such sudden situations—she had encountered them countless times, so she remained completely unfazed, immediately and quietly picking the lock of the neighboring hotel room door and slipping inside.
Unexpectedly, those footsteps not only didn't pass by but used a room keycard to open the very room she had just hidden in.
What a coincidence… they entered this exact room at this exact moment.
Mistress C hurriedly hid inside a large wardrobe nearby.
Through the gap in the wardrobe door, she saw three Knights of the Round Table carrying in a drunken teenage boy and laying him on the bed.
It was Gawain, Tristan, and Mordred—they were preparing for Eikou to spend the night here.
"Let Sir Eikou sleep here tonight," Gawain said. "We can't possibly drag someone this drunk back to the school dormitory, the school will definitely question us."
Tristan quietly placed a glass of water of life on the bedside table.
Mordred immediately noticed the small action.
"Hey Tristan, what are you doing?"
"I'm afraid he'll wake up in the middle of the night feeling thirsty."
"Thirsty, my ass! If he drinks any more of that, he's never waking up again!"
"Really? He seemed to really like this stuff."
"Has your brain been wrecked by Gawain's mashed potatoes or something? I bet your brain has started to ferment and sprout fucking potato flowers!"
Mordred turned to Tristan and gave him a good scolding.
"Does anyone want to eat my mashed potatoes?"—Gawain asked.
"Absolutely not!"
Both of them answered in unison.
"Shh, quiet down. Let him rest properly."—Gawain lowered his voice, and the others cooperated, gently turning off the lights and tiptoeing out of the room.
After confirming that the footsteps had faded into the distance, the female Phantom Thief Carmilla carefully pushed open the wardrobe door and stepped out gently.
Even though the room was pitch dark, with her vampire night vision and high-tech Phantom Thief support gear, she could still accurately gauge her surroundings and identify the key figure within—the moment her gaze landed on the unconscious boy lying on the bed, it locked on instantly: Eikou.
Eikou's face was flushed red, his breathing heavy—clearly a result of too much alcohol.
If one could temporarily ignore the overpowering smell of alcohol on him, this teenage boy was actually quite handsome and captivating: tall figure, fair skin, a somewhat androgynous face, with a melancholic air between his brows that suggested some kind of inner torment.
As a vampire, his clavicle was especially eye-catching to her.
This teenage boy seemed like the type who was "quiet, obedient, introverted, and serious"—a reserved and discreet young man.
Through the eyes of a Phantom Thief, Carmilla found him to have a very high appreciation value.
Although they had no relation, seeing such a beautiful and graceful boy lying there defenseless was no different from having a carefully wrapped present placed right in front of her.
"..."
The sight of the sleeping boy stirred the sadistic part of Carmilla's psyche—she bit her cherry lips hungrily, suddenly wanting to do something naughty and stimulating, like…
Whipping him hard with a whip, or stepping on his face with her high heels.
But she quickly suppressed that desire.
"No, no need to bother with this kid… the mission of a Phantom Thief is more important."
If she really wanted to inflict pain, tormenting girls was far more interesting.
Yet she couldn't help glancing back, feeling a tingling itch in her heart.
"…But, with such a rare opportunity like this, doing a little bad thing shouldn't hurt, right?"
Carmilla leaned down, her cherry lips brushing close to the boy's neck, and pressed a deep kiss there, leaving a clear hickey on his skin.
If this boy woke up tomorrow and saw the mark, he'd surely be stunned and wonder if something "sexy" had happened while he was drunk, then frantically search for "the owner of the kiss mark." But by that time, the female Phantom Thief who had stolen his innocent heart would have vanished without a trace.
If the person he secretly liked happened to see the mark, what kind of storm would it cause?
Phantom Thief Carmilla, Mistress C, was greatly looking forward to the chemical reaction sparked by that moment.
Immersed in this sadistic and malicious prank, she glanced at the glass of water placed on the bedside table.
Should she make it even more realistic—take a sip and deliberately leave a woman's lipstick mark, making the boy even more convinced that something really happened last night?
This clearly wasn't something a noble lady should do, but it was exactly what Mistress C wanted to do—with just a small trick, she could stir hearts, manipulate minds, and lead people by the nose with no way to escape.
Besides, the glass looked untouched, no one had drunk from it, so it wouldn't affect her elegance in the slightest.
"Sorry, boy. But you were just unlucky to have run into this famous female Phantom Thief."
Carmilla thought deviously, gently picked up the glass, and took a sip. Her deep red cherry lips deliberately pressed tightly against the rim, leaving a clear lipstick mark.
But in the very next second—
"PFFT——…!!"
She completely lost her elegance, spitting out the entire mouthful.
This… this wasn't water at all!!!
What the hell was this liquid? Was it alcohol!? Why was it so strong, so spicy, so harsh, so dizzying!?
She had only taken a single sip and already couldn't stand properly.
Shit… just one sip and her consciousness was already turning hazy…
Just how insanely high was the alcohol content in this stuff? And this boy normally drinks this kind of thing!? It didn't match his appearance at all! The gap between his looks and his habits was absolutely shocking!
'This is bad... I can't stand up... anymore...'
THUD——
Phantom Thief Carmilla suddenly felt her body both weightless and heavy, and before she could react, she collapsed backward, falling straight onto the boy's large bed.
Her consciousness instantly sank into nothingness.
Just like a certain Fairy Queen, her Endurance was a pathetic rank E—just one sip of water of life was enough to bring her down.