Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Jiang Yao spent a night in the castle.

Duke Louis rarely appeared. He seemed accustomed to a reclusive life, preferring his top-floor room, from which he never emerged again.

Though William was still human, he had adopted nocturnal habits, likely from drinking vampire blood.

The same was true for the three humans bitten by vampires and transformed into zombies. As a result, during the sunlit daytime, Jiang Yao was the only one left in the castle.

Jiang Yao: "..."

The kitchen contained only vegetarian fare. After a simple breakfast, Jiang Yao explored every corner of the castle and came upon a tombstone at the rear.

Carved with Louis's name, the tomb had been dug open, leaving an exposed cavity.

"This is His Grace's tomb," William murmured, materializing soundlessly behind him.

Jiang Yao startled violently, recoiling two paces. "Mr. William."

William smiled, holding a black umbrella and handing another to Jiang Yao. "The sunlight is harsh. You might want to shield yourself."

The morning sunlight was far from harsh—instead, its warmth scattered the lingering mist. Jiang Yao asked, "Was this tomb dug up?"

William nodded. "The Hunter ranks are swelling, but pureblood vampires grow scarce. So..."

So the vampires forcibly roused Louis from his slumber, hoping to use his power to counter the rising threat of hunters.

But Jiang Yao remembered that in the book, Louis was more like a mentally impaired child due to trauma—precisely why the protagonist, Doug, took pity on him.

Had Louis awakened earlier than in the book?

This diverged from the book's trajectory.

William said, "I must take my leave now."

Jiang Yao was startled. "Where are you going?"

William replied, "Back to Lady Cecilia’s residence. Duke Louis seems reluctant to reconnect with his family for now. I’ll report the situation and return with Lady Cecilia for a visit."

Only then did Jiang Yao notice the suitcase at William’s feet. "Wait, then... what about me?"

William said, "His Grace’s butler will be fine. I must go now. Good luck."

"Understood," Jiang Yao reluctantly resigned himself to the situation, drawing himself upright and bowing slightly as William departed. "Until next time, Mr. William."

System: "What now? No pay, no assistance—do you actually mean to depend on those zombies?"

Jiang Yao sighed. "What choice do I have? I can’t just abandon Mr. Louis. I’ll worry about funds later."

System: "..."

The system suddenly barely recognized this Jiang Yao. Based on his usual personality, he should’ve snatched his case and bolted without hesitation!

Wait—

Could it be...?

The system decided to test him: "Why not burn down the castle? Make a clean break and flee the Sixth District before sunset—no trouble, no danger!"

"How could I do that?" Jiang Yao frowned, horrified by the outrageous proposal. "I am His Grace’s butler. A retainer's duty is to serve his lord."

System: "..." Jiang Yao had gained a pure heart—one that twisted his wicked thoughts. Terrifying...

A bat fluttered over and landed on Jiang Yao’s shoulder. "William left?"

The bat's voice was Louis's. Jiang Yao ventured cautiously, "Sir Bat, may I ask who you are?"

"Raise the parasol," the bat said flatly.

Jiang Yao promptly lifted the parasol. The bat flapped its wings and dangled inverted beneath it. "I am His Grace’s loyal servant."

"His Grace ought still to be sleeping. I can’t take you to see him now," Jiang Yao said seriously.

"My name is Ai Wei," the bat retorted, rolling its beady little eyes. "Mr. Louis doesn’t need sleep."

Jiang Yao: "What?"

Ai Wei: "Vampires simulate sleep merely to while away time. In truth, most pure-blooded vampires do this. Even subterranean dormancy is but a means to squander eternity—for being deathless, time means nothing to them."

"Of course, some sleep to recover after battles. His Grace belongs to the latter group, but he’s nowhere near his peak condition."

"Exceedingly so!"

Jiang Yao pushed open the door to the top-floor room. The pitch-black interior nearly robbed him of his bearings—the abyssal darkness seemed to pull him in. Dazed, he felt as if he were stepping off a cliff, a leaden dread settling in his breast.

"Follow me," Ai Wei said, tugging at Jiang Yao’s shirt with its teeth and dragging him into the darkness.

An icy chill penetrated to his marrow. The heavy scent of mold mixed with an earthy, metallic stench assaulted his senses, causing him discomfort.

Jiang Yao treaded lightly, fearful of treading upon some unknown thing. It was too dark—he could scarcely make out his environs.

The only sound was Ai Wei’s flapping wings—until his foot landed on something soft and unfamiliar.

Ai Wei declared, "We have arrived," then flew to a nearby table. Clenching a match between its teeth, it struck it alight and lit an oil lamp.

The glow spread, illuminating Jiang Yao, rooted to the spot.

Ai Wei: "Now you can—WHAT ARE YOU DOING? MOVE YOUR FOOT!"

Jiang Yao was standing on His Grace's noble countenance!

"You—you—!" The bat’s deep, velvety voice erupted into curses. "You wretched mortal! How dare you trample His Grace’s noble face with your filthy foot! I’ll tear you apart and drain your blood!"

The bat shot toward him like an arrow, sharp claws aimed at Jiang Yao’s eyes. Instinctively, Jiang Yao raised his hand—*smack!*—and sent Ai Wei crashing into the wall.

Ai Wei: "..."

Sliding down the wall, the bat wobbled dizzily.

Jiang Yao picked up the oil lamp, carefully shielding the flickering flame as he crouched to examine the sleeping Louis.

Louis lay curled on the floor, naked. His golden hair was disheveled, covering his brows and eyes. His pale cheeks, dry lips, and emaciated frame made him resemble a beached mermaid.

It would’ve been perfect—if not for the shoe print on his handsome face.

Jiang Yao leaned in closer. Louis’s skin was flawless, though unnaturally pale, with faint blue-green veins visible beneath. His breathing was so shallow it was almost imperceptible.

A sickly pale, rigid yet striking face.

Jiang Yao couldn't help but sigh, reaching out to brush aside his messy hair. "So... beautiful, Your Grace..."

"Vampires possess hypnotically beautiful, let alone Your Grace..." The bat staggered as it tried to right itself. "If a human drinks a vampire's blood, their appearance and lifespan will get a major boost."

The system (in Jiang Yao's mind) immediately perked up. Normally, Jiang Yao—a money-grubbing butler whose only concern was money—would already be calculating how to discreetly bleed Louis dry and sell his blood on the black market!

But now...

"How fascinating!" Jiang Yao's eyes sparkled, wide-eyed as a kid. "Then Mr. Louis is truly a treasure among men!"

The bat puffed up proudly. "Of course!"

The system just stared: "..."

With only two hours left until lunchtime, as a butler, there was far too much work waiting for him in this dilapidated castle.

Jiang Yao bent down and swept Louis up bridal-style!

Ai Wei: "Outrageous! How dare you disrespect Your Grace!"

Louis, nearly two meters tall, stretched out in Jiang Yao's arms, making the hold seem cramped while leaving everything on display. Jiang Yao blinked, momentarily stunned.

Holy— 22... cm?!

Whether it was his horrified gaze or the loud gulp he swallowed, Louis slowly opened his eyes.

His cloudy, dead-looking eyes, like murky pond water shrouded in mist, stared blankly at Jiang Yao—blank and pliant.

Such exquisite beauty and physique.

Such vacant, innocent eyes—it was downright criminal!

"Your Grace, you're awake!" Ai Wei perched on Jiang Yao's head, looking down worriedly. "Oh no, he's not fully conscious."

"Why is he like this?" Jiang Yao asked. He laid Louis on the bed and draped a thin blanket over him. "My apologies, Your Grace."

Ai Wei explained, "Your Grace's slumber was meant to last a century. After his grave was disturbed, he was forced to awaken, but his injuries from the battle with hunters decades ago haven't fully healed. So his lucid moments are extremely limited."

"What about yesterday?"

Ai Wei: "Your Grace instructed me to wake him if anyone entered the castle. If he was incoherent, I could hide behind his ear and speak for him."

Jiang Yao: "I see."

"Then... was it also Your Grace's order to seek me out?" Jiang Yao picked up the oil lamp and searched the dark room for a wardrobe. The moment he opened it, a huge puff of dust exploded out, making him cough violently as he stumbled back!

The bat flapped its wings, hovering before landing atop Jiang Yao's head, using its teeth to pick off a cobweb. "Your Grace exchanged 5ml of his blood at a restaurant in London—that was his entire bargaining chip to hire a servant. You drank it, so now you must serve him!"

Jiang Yao scrunched his brows thinking.

Ai Wei went ballistic, "Do you have any idea how precious a pureblood vampire's blood is!? And you called it disgusting! Just wait—once Your Grace fully regains consciousness, he’ll never forgive you!"

"Heh... heh heh." Jiang Yao forced a dry laugh, pulling out all the intricate, antique-looking suits from the wardrobe—Louis' former attire—intending to clean them.

As Jiang Yao left Louis' bedroom, he remained unaware that the vampire's sickly pale face had twisted slightly, his hollow gray eyes fixed on his retreating figure.

Louis' lips parted slightly, drool dripping slowly in slow, unbroken strands.

"It's almost lunchtime. Should I prepare lunch for Mr. Louis?" Jiang Yao's voice carried from outside the door, followed by Ai Wei's reply.

Ai Wei scoffed loudly, "Mr. Louis doesn't eat regular food. You should know—for vampires, only blood is a proper meal. But their hunger is often intertwined with... certain other desires."

Jiang Yao choked out a gasp.

"Lowly humans aren’t even worthy of His Lordship's attention!" Ai Wei snapped. "What are you doing? Why are you blushing? Damn human, don’t even think about—"

Louis' foggy gray eyes remained locked on the closed door, unblinking, utterly exposed. In his hazy, half-awake state, his thoughts moved sluggishly, his mental imagery starkly simple.

He couldn’t even begin to parse complex emotions.

He heard Jiang Yao's thoughts but didn’t understand their meaning.

Like when Jiang Yao carried him, marveling at his skin—cold and smooth as fine porcelain, tempting him to touch every inch.

He didn’t understand.

Or when Jiang Yao saw *that*, his mind instantly conjuring the mix of pain and pleasure it would bring as Louis' partner.

Or when learning of the link between a vampire's hunger and lust, Jiang Yao flushed at his own urge to lick His Grace.

He understood none of the hidden, surging desires beneath.

So he also didn’t understand why his mouth watered at the sight of Jiang Yao—or why his body reacted the way it did.

His hunger seemed disconnected from his mind. Nothing left but raw instinct.