Chapter Eight: Confusion

“Another morning,” I muttered softly, still unable to adjust to the change in the nocturnal habits of the vampire clan. I’d been woken from a deep sleep by Ang, who helped me wash up and change clothes.

“Miss, after breakfast, you’ll need to pick up Mr. Xingyu for school. So from today on, your wake-up time will be a bit earlier. Please forgive the inconvenience,” Ang said respectfully.

“It’s fine. This was my decision,” I replied. “And from now on, there’s no need to prepare breakfast for me.” I instructed Ang. I had made up my mind last night—I would no longer drink the blood of anyone but Xingyu. After tasting his pure blood, the thought of anyone else’s became utterly unappealing. No, more than that—I felt a deep aversion to it. Compared with Xingyu’s, other people’s blood seemed unbearably filthy.

“Miss…” Ang looked uneasy at my command. Vampires rely on blood to sustain their lives, and even I, though my existence wouldn’t be threatened, would grow weak without feeding.

“It’s all right. A vampire won’t die from skipping a meal; I’ll only be a little weaker, and I can endure that. Hunger before a real feast only makes it more delicious,” I said indifferently.

“But… it’s already difficult enough to be active under the sunlight. If you stop feeding, even Princess Liliana won’t be able to endure it for long,” Ang tried to dissuade me, his worry evident—even addressing me as ‘Princess’ in such a formal tone.

“Don’t worry, Ang. I will feed on blood—I have no intention of wasting Xingyu’s pure blood. But before that, let me endure a little longer,” I replied calmly, a note of anticipation in my voice.

“Yes, Miss. Since you have decided, I will obey your orders,” Ang finally relented.

“All right, let’s go. We shouldn’t keep Xingyu waiting.” I gave the order.

“Yes, Miss.” Ang bowed and withdrew to make the preparations.

When the car arrived at Xingyu’s home, he was already waiting downstairs.

“Lilith, thank you for your trouble again today,” Xingyu thanked me once more.

“It’s nothing. It’s on my way—you don’t need to worry,” I answered coolly, dispelling Xingyu’s unease.

On the way, Xingyu kept asking if I was adjusting to school life and the new environment. His concern warmed me. It had been so long since anyone cared about me like this. Although Father doted on me, the affairs of the vampire clan left him little time for my daily life—especially with Liriel around. Liriel… I sighed softly at the thought. She had never acknowledged my existence.

“What’s wrong, Liliana?” Xingyu asked, hearing me sigh.

“It’s nothing, just remembering some troublesome things from the past,” I replied, not wanting to dwell on the subject. Still, Xingyu was really gentle. My impatience to taste his blood, to possess everything about him, grew stronger by the minute.

Upon arriving at school, we immediately attracted curious glances and whispers, partly because Xingyu’s face was flushed as Ang carried him. Even after entering the classroom, the blush didn’t fade—he truly wasn’t used to being the center of attention.

After taking my seat in the corner, I glanced around the classroom. Some classmates still watched me with interest, sneaking glances my way, but intimidated by my cold demeanor, none dared approach. Baiye’s seat was empty—he must have received Ang’s warning. If such a person could disappear from my life altogether, I’d be thoroughly pleased.

Xingyu, meanwhile, was surrounded by classmates, all expressing concern for his injured foot. He smiled and thanked them—such popularity must be due to his gentle nature towards everyone, I thought.

“Nana! Xingyu!” Lexiao You burst into the classroom, joyfully greeting us.

“Xiaoyou.” Xingyu waved back, while I glanced at her before looking away—my way of acknowledging her greeting.

“Nana!” Lexiao You ran over and shook me repeatedly.

“What is it?” I asked, unable to ignore her persistence.

“Hehe, here you go,” she said mysteriously, pulling out a stack of cute envelopes from her bag and holding them out to me.

“What’s this?” I asked, puzzled by the unfamiliar names on the envelopes as I took them.

“Love letters!” Lexiao You grinned like a fox who’d just stolen a chicken. “Nana, you’re really popular—all the boys in the track team had me deliver these to you.” She was so excited, I couldn’t understand what she found so delightful about delivering my love letters.

“Love letters?” I repeated flatly.

“Yes, yes!” she replied, her excitement leaving me at a loss.

“Throw them away,” I said indifferently.

“Huh?” Lexiao You exclaimed in surprise.

“You’re just going to throw them out? Without even looking? Maybe there’s someone you’d like in there!” she urged, unwilling to give up.

“No need,” I replied impatiently. Why waste time on the tedious affections of humans?

“All right, I’ll toss them,” she said, disappointed. I really couldn’t understand why she cared so much about something so trivial. It wasn’t until the class meeting was about to start that she reluctantly returned to her seat.

Once Lexiao You left, Xingyu turned and gave me a smile, a hint of mischief in his eyes. Had he caught her enthusiasm, too? I felt a bit helpless.

Baiye never appeared for the meeting, causing a minor stir until the homeroom teacher explained he was absent due to illness. The class settled down again—clearly, that hypocritical human was well-liked.

At noon, because of Xingyu’s injury, Lexiao You and I stayed with him in the classroom for lunch. Xingyu had prepared lunch for me as well.

“I wonder how Baiye is doing. He seemed fine yesterday…” Xingyu said, concerned.

“I’m sure he’s fine, nothing to worry about,” I replied nonchalantly. But truly, he couldn’t be fine. I was quite pleased with the outcome of Ang’s warning—no more of his insincere face in my sight. My mood was excellent.

“I hope so,” Xingyu said in the end, still worried.

“Nana, you really wasted those love letters without reading a single one. I worked so hard to bring them to you!” Lexiao You grumbled about the morning’s events.

“If you like them so much, take them yourself,” I replied, impatient.

“Ah, you just don’t understand romance. Love letters are such a romantic thing,” she complained.

“All right, Xiaoyou, don’t trouble Lilith. Receiving so many love letters must be difficult for her,” Xingyu interjected on my behalf.

“Hehe, you must have plenty of experience, Xingyu—after all, you get even more love letters from girls than Nana does!” Lexiao You teased him, then suddenly looked at us with a strange expression, her eyes darting back and forth as she grinned slyly.

“Xiaoyou, what is it?” Xingyu was unnerved by her stare.

“Hehe, confess—are you two secretly involved?” Lexiao You acted as if she’d made a big discovery.

“What are you talking about? Don’t tease—there’s nothing like that, stop guessing,” Xingyu retorted, his face reddening.

“I just heard Xingyu call Nana ‘Lilith’—there must be something between you two,” Lexiao You declared, convinced. If being called Lilith means a secret relationship, then what does it mean for you to call me Nana?

“Lilith and I are just ordinary classmates, really. Don’t make trouble, Xiaoyou,” Xingyu replied calmly.

“All right, all right, I get it,” Lexiao You said, clearly unconvinced.

For some reason, hearing Xingyu say we were just ordinary classmates made me feel a little sad.

Why? He’s just an ordinary human, merely a source of food—why should I feel this way? My attraction to him should be because of his pure blood, so why did I feel this pang of sadness? I was lost in confusion.