It was unclear how much time had passed before Luo Wei stumbled out of the room in a daze...
From the moment he entered her room to the moment he left, it was as if he had become a completely different person.
Although he had ultimately defeated the enemy and firmly gained the upper hand over her, the cost had been undeniably great.
There was truly nothing left...
So this... was indeed a punishment, a terrifyingly severe punishment!
Yet, last time hadn’t been like this…
Perhaps Luo Wei had truly underestimated the "resentment" and "affection" she had accumulated over the long journey from the Royal Capital to here... to the point where he had almost crashed and burned.
Their battle had been fierce and chaotic, and after they had collapsed in exhaustion and fallen asleep together, they didn’t wake up until the next day…
After taking a shower, Luo Wei wandered into the hotel’s living room and slumped onto the long sofa.
The entire luxurious hotel had been reserved by Ophelia. Luo Wei caught a glimpse of Evelyn tinkering with some strange dish by the fireplace, with Helena watching curiously by her side.
"Huh? Where did Brother go yesterday? Are you hungry?"
Helena obediently sat down beside Luo Wei, noticing that something seemed off with him, and reached out to touch his forehead in concern.
"Are you feeling unwell, Brother?"
"No..." Luo Wei shook his head. "I’m fine, too fine, in fact."
"Huh?" Helena’s little face was filled with confusion.
Luo Wei turned his attention to Evelyn.
"Teacher, is there anything to eat? I need to replenish my energy."
"What a coincidence!" Evelyn cheerfully walked over, clutching something resembling skewers, but aside from the skewer sticks, Luo Wei couldn’t recognize anything else on them.
Everything was blackened, charred to a crisp...
"Come on, try it! I’ve been grilling it for so long, it must be delicious!"
Luo Wei had no intention of being her guinea pig. "Let Helena try it. I don’t want to eat that."
"Brother, I don’t want to eat it either..." Even Helena, who usually hated wasting food, wrinkled her nose in hesitation.
"Then what do you want to eat? I’ll make it for you!" Evelyn was already fully immersed in her culinary experiments.
The culinary standards of this seaside city were clearly far superior to those of Saint Callen, and everything she had seen and experienced along the way had inspired her to "showcase her cooking skills."
"Teacher, I’d like some milk." Luo Wei thought replenishing his protein was a good idea.
"Milk? Oh, sure."
After ordering a glass of milk from the staff, she brought it over and handed it to Luo Wei.
"Huh? Why do you seem a bit off?" Evelyn eyed him suspiciously.
"I remember you were taken away by Ophelia earlier, right? She seemed pretty angry. Did she do something bad to you?"
Luo Wei downed the milk in one gulp.
Meeting her slightly worried gaze, he could only nod.
"Yeah, I was punished."
"Punished!?" Innocent Helena, who had no idea what he meant, genuinely thought her brother had been bullied.
"That white-haired woman is so unreasonable! This whole thing wasn’t even your fault! Why did she punish you? How annoying!"
She immediately wanted to stand up for her poor brother. "Hmph! Don’t think I’m afraid of her! So what if she’s a princess? She’s just relying on having more people under her command! Brother, I’ll go avenge you right now!"
"Wait, no!" Luo Wei quickly grabbed her as she was about to unleash her tentacles.
Seeing her confused expression, Luo Wei helplessly glanced at Evelyn.
Evelyn’s gaze grew even more suspicious.
Luo Wei coughed and, looking at Helena who was eager to avenge him, suddenly adopted a solemn and heroic tone.
"Hmph! Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river!"
"A mere princess of the empire, how could I, your brother, ever submit to her?"
(Next time, he’d be on top.)
"Once I grow stronger, I’ll make sure to pay her back! One day, I’ll make her beg for mercy every day!"
Seeing her brother’s indomitable spirit, Helena’s sapphire-blue eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Brother, you’re amazing!"
"Helena will get stronger too!"
She hugged her brother’s waist and buried her face in his chest. "That way, Brother will never be bullied by those bad women again!"
Luo Wei affectionately patted her head. "Good girl."
For a moment, the hotel living room felt as warm as home.
Meanwhile, Evelyn, who had already figured everything out, looked at Luo Wei with disdain.
"Lying to your sister again, huh…"
Luo Wei desperately tried to signal her with his eyes.
"Huh? What?" Helena looked up, confused.
"Nothing, nothing." Luo Wei smiled gently. "Go get Brother another glass of milk. I’m hungry."
"Okay." Helena nodded obediently.
After Helena left, Luo Wei let out a relieved sigh.
Evelyn couldn’t help but murmur, "So that’s what you meant by punishment…"
She had finally understood, and her cheeks quickly turned red.
"No wonder you were gone for so long and didn’t come back to the room until late at night…"
"Hmph, I remember the witch came back with you, didn’t she? She had just left, and then you went off to meet with the fifth princess, and then…"
As Evelyn imagined the scene, for some reason, she suddenly felt a surge of anger.
"If I were her, I’d drain all your blood! Turn you into a specimen, or tear you to pieces with magic! Let’s see if you’d still act so shamelessly!"
Luo Wei shivered involuntarily.
He silently looked at Evelyn, whose gaze was filled with resentment and whose voice had turned icy.
"Teacher, I feel like those aren’t the witch’s words, but yours, aren’t they?"
"Teacher, you’re so ruthless…"
Evelyn sat at the other end of the sofa, snorted coldly, and refused to engage with him further.
"Teacher?" Luo Wei smiled and leaned closer. "Are you mad?"
"I’m not mad!" she huffed.
"Then you’re definitely mad."
"I said I’m not mad!" Evelyn glared at Luo Wei angrily.
"Alright, alright, you’re not mad, you’re not mad…" Luo Wei quickly tried to soothe her.
Seeing that she still wasn’t responding, Luo Wei put on a big smile.
"Teacher, if you’re mad… I mean, if you’re feeling upset, you can punish me too to vent your anger!"
Her emerald-green eyes, like precious gemstones, shifted toward him.
Her gaze flickered slightly. "What kind of punishment are you talking about?"
Luo Wei stared at her. "Teacher, what kind of punishment do you want?"
"What do you think…" She leaned closer, her breath brushing against Luo Wei’s neck as she inhaled deeply, almost as if intoxicated.
Luo Wei felt the atmosphere suddenly grow ambiguous and quickly added:
"Uh, well..."
"I’ve always wanted to be punished by you, but can we do it another day?"
Otherwise, it might really cost him his life...
"Hmph!" Evelyn pounced on him fiercely. "I want to punish you right now!"
"Teacher… can I at least have breakfast first?"
"Ha! Out of energy? That’s even better!!"
"At least let me have a glass of milk..."
As the two of them playfully wrestled, an unexpected guest suddenly arrived in the hotel living room, interrupting them.
Both of them looked up, and Evelyn froze in place.
Luo Wei observed the visitor.
It was a woman dressed rather peculiarly. Despite the sweltering heat, she wore a long coat, though she had adapted to the local custom by donning a wide-brimmed sun hat.
Upon entering the hotel lobby, she gracefully closed her parasol, her eyes immediately locking onto Evelyn.
"Miss Evelyn?"
She looked surprised, her gaze fixed on Evelyn, who was sitting closely with Luo Wei on the sofa.
"Annie," Evelyn said, smoothing her disheveled hair. "What brings you here? It's such a scorching day—why are you out and about?"
Luo Wei studied the woman with delicate features. This vampire named Annie had crossed paths with him during one of his previous "saves." She was the butler of the Abraham family, a position of considerable prestige.
"Of course, I came to find you," Annie replied, her eyes quickly sweeping over Luo Wei before settling on Evelyn with a hint of reproach.
"Why did you run off to such a faraway place without a word? Brugge isn't safe, you know. Do you have any idea how worried your parents are? And..."
"Enough of that!" Evelyn cut her off, already knowing why Annie was here. She waved her hand dismissively. "Don't bother trying to convince me to go back. I'm not returning, and that's final."
Annie sighed, looking at Evelyn helplessly.
But as if expecting this response, she chuckled softly and said,
"Don't be so tense, Miss Evelyn. Your father has already agreed to let you live independently outside the family. Next month is his birthday, and he just wants to see you again. So, come back with me, just this once."
Evelyn was taken aback. "What?"
Annie smiled gently. "It's been so many years, and there's no point in dragging this out any longer. I think your father has finally seen your determination. I truly hope you two can mend your strained relationship."
Luo Wei glanced at Evelyn. Though her expression remained mostly unchanged, he knew her well enough to sense that she was already considering it.
Evelyn didn't agree immediately. Instead, she smiled and said, "Let's not rush this. I need some time to think. Annie, you've traveled all the way from the north to the south to find me. You must be exhausted—get some rest first."
Suddenly, she added, "Oh, have you eaten yet? Let me treat you to a meal. The seafood in Brugge is incredibly fresh!"
Annie froze, her expression one of utter confusion.
"Miss Evelyn, what did you just say?"
"You want to... treat me to a meal?"
Evelyn suddenly realized her mistake and facepalmed.
"Ah, I forgot. We vampires don't eat..."
...
Luo Wei sat nearby, barely holding back his laughter as he listened to their conversation.
But as he listened, a system notification suddenly popped up.
[Chapter 3: The Gloom of Hegles]
[Quest completed. Chapter concluded.]
[Rewards are being distributed. Please check your inventory...]
...
[New chapter updated.]
[Chapter 4: The Vampire's Feast]