Chapter – 05: The Timing When Something Stimulating Is Needed
A deep, dark night.
A servant was running somewhere in a hurry.
In his hand was what looked like a letter.
The servant ran down a long corridor and reached the door at the end.
He knocked, and a voice from inside gave permission to enter.
“What is it?”
A cold, low voice came from the darkness.
“Master, an invitation has arrived.”
No sooner had the servant finished speaking than a thin, red thread shot out and snatched the invitation from his hand.
The master, effortlessly holding the letter in hand, noticed the seal of the Lilith family on the envelope. He broke it open and pulled out the contents.
His once endlessly cold expression faintly softened into a rare smile.
“Finally, the time has come.”
“I knew it.”
Although he had expected it, seeing it with his own eyes made Camula feel even more disgusted.
She clicked her tongue and threw the report she was holding onto the desk.
The supply and demand of blood among the servants were completely mixed up and in chaos.
The distribution records in the logbooks were incorrect, leaving it impossible to know when and to whom the blood had been delivered.
“Who wrote this? You?”
“No, the blood supply was handled by someone else…”
“Bring them to me as soon as the report ends. I will personally teach them the consequences of negligence.”
Rumors had quickly spread throughout the manor that a servant had lost control of their thirst and touched Camula’s followers.
In response, Camula publicly declared that she would personally punish everyone involved. The other servants hid nervously, exchanging uneasy glances.
“Next.”
Camula put the report aside and reached out, and Ben handed her another document.
“This is the guest list for the coming coming-of-age banquet.”
“Haah…”
One problem was solved, only to be followed by another, even more troublesome one.
Though she didn’t really need to look, Camula skimmed the list with her eyes.
“The invitations have already been sent, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then they should have arrived by now?”
“They were sent via the fastest means, so except for those in remote regions, most should have received them.”
“I see…”
A strange smile appeared on Camula’s lips.
“Then it’s about time to start preparing.”
Muttering something meaningless, Camula stood up.
“Pardon?”
“I’m tired, so prepare a bath for me.”
After staring at rows of black lines on a white background for hours, her eyes were strained.
“Understood.”
After Ben left, Camula leaned her head back and closed her eyes.
“Hope I’m not too late.”
Her meaningless muttering dissipated into the empty air.
Knock, knock.
The door opened, and someone entered the room.
It was none other than Leotiz.
He looked around the empty room.
“Master?”
“Here.”
Leotiz approached the door from which the voice had come, among several in the room.
Opening the door, he saw the room filled with thick steam.
As he walked through the mist, he heard the sloshing of water.
Inside, a partition had been set up, and at the end of it, a bathtub protruded.
In the bathtub, arms crossed over the rim, he caught a glimpse of wet, bare shoulders.
It was Camula, bathing.
Leotiz paused, noticing that she was still in the bath.
“I’ll come later. Finish up.”
“No, I’m done.”
No sooner had she spoken than water splashed out of the tub with a sharp sound, and Camula’s silhouette appeared behind the partition.
She wore a silk robe draped over the partition, tying the sash around her waist, and walked toward him.
“Feeling tired?”
Seeing her dark expression, he asked.
“Yes. Some troublesome matters have put me in a bad mood.”
Even though she had taken a bath to relieve stress from the thought of the coming-of-age ceremony, her mind felt even more foggy.
Stepping outside, the cool air contrasted with the warm bathroom, yet her mood did not improve.
Sitting at her vanity, Camula lightly rubbed her hair with a towel.
Leotiz stood behind her, watching.
Though she said she felt tired, her usually proud shoulders appeared slightly slumped.
As he observed, his gaze inadvertently landed on something—
A knife.
Ben had left a berry-filled pie for her, but Camula hadn’t touched a bite.
Leotiz watched the knife she would use to cut the pie and then alternated his gaze toward Camula.
Swish!
Camula, feeling the sweetness of blood, abruptly turned her head.
There, in his hands, Leotiz held one arm bleeding, the other smeared with blood, and yet he remained calm.
“What are you doing!”
Camula sprang up, startled, while Leotiz stayed composed.
“When you’re feeling down, the best thing is to eat something sweet.”
Leotiz offered his bloodied arm to her.
“You’re insane.”
“I can do anything for my master.”
“You… wait!”
The scent of blood stirred her thirst, and she hastily covered her nose and mouth.
“Why are you covering it?”
“Get it away, quickly.”
“No, I won’t.”
Camula glared at him, but he didn’t back down.
“Don’t be stubborn. Do you want to end up like last time, almost dying?”
“You’re the one being stubborn. You want blood, don’t you?”
He was right. From the moment she smelled the blood, her mouth had gone dry, yet she was restraining herself to not waste it.
“If you’re worried about me, you don’t have to.”
“?”
“I actually enjoy it the most when my master drinks my blood.”
“What?”
Camula frowned, as if she had heard something she wasn’t supposed to.
“Really. Honestly, it was the first time in my life I felt such a sensation.”
The first time was undoubtedly painful.
But the pleasure that followed was more than double the pain.
It was painful, yet extremely pleasurable—a kind of addiction one could never break.
“And someone told me once…”
“What?”
“That if you feel good when a vampire drinks your blood, it means your body is compatible.”
Her crimson eyes widened suddenly at the unexpected statement.
“That’s a lie, right?”
“No, it’s true. As proof…”
Leotiz set down the knife in his hand, approached Camula, and placed her other hand on his chest.
Through the taut muscles of his chest, she could feel his heart beating faster.
Her master’s blood was waiting to be taken.
“Ugh!”
Seeing that she was about to reach her limit, Leotiz smiled slightly and pulled her into his arms.
He whispered a small temptation into her ear.
“Then go ahead. Now is the time when something sweet is needed.”
Or rather, when something stimulating was needed.
In the end, Camula gave in.
To a small but fatal temptation.
Her pupils darkened further, and she bit into Leotiz’s bleeding arm.
Unlike before, she didn’t just bare her fangs recklessly but gently licked the wound on the knife-cut.
Lapping, lapping.
As she licked feverishly, her wet hair clung to her pale cheek. Leotiz brushed it away with his fingers.
Her gaze naturally rose, meeting his eyes.
Determined not to miss a single drop, she held his arm with both hands and licked upward in a highly sensual and provocative manner.
“Haah, slurp.”
The robe opened slightly, revealing moist skin. Leotiz felt dizzy.
Camula felt the same.
Intoxicated by blood, she looked upward.
Through her lowered gaze, her eyelashes cast a shadow over her eyes, revealing golden irises.
Like a full moon breaking through clouds.
A full moon, said to be the source of all monster power.
Drinking blood under that full moon felt as if she were drinking the moon’s blood itself, sending a strange thrill through her.
Eventually, Camula wrapped her arms around Leotiz’s neck instead of his arm.
Without hesitation, she removed his shirt and pressed her lips to his neck.
As her sharp fangs pierced his flesh, a moan escaped Leotiz’s lips.
“Ah… ugh!”
Naturally, he tilted his head back, and her red lips followed insistently down his neck.
“Slurp.”
The sound of wet friction filled their ears.
Due to their height difference, Camula couldn’t continue drinking comfortably from his neck while standing on tiptoe.
Noticing her struggle, Leotiz slid his arm under her thighs and lifted her.
Even as she was lifted, she continued to drink his blood from his neck.
“Haah, sip!”
With their eyes at the same level, she drank with greater intensity.
“Ugh!”
The feeling of her mind being drained with his blood was overwhelming.
Fearing she might faint if this continued, Leotiz stepped back.
“Just a little more, just a little more…”
Though she had just told him to get it away, now she flushed her cheeks and urged him on.
Leotiz smiled slightly.
“If you wish…”
He gently pressed her head with one hand.
“Ah, haah…”
As she paused briefly, blood flowed down to his collarbone.
Licking from collarbone to neckline, Leotiz exhaled in excitement.
“Haah, haah.”
Intoxicated by blood, they continued, eventually lying on the bed, Camula atop him.
Even after all that, it didn’t feel enough.
Leotiz felt the same.
As Camula leaned down again, preparing to open her mouth over his snowy skin—
Bang!
A tremendous noise echoed as the door to the room burst open.
