174 5.24

"You may raise your head."

What a bastard.

Jia Hyson raises his head obediently and smiles faintly, "Thank you for the grace."

The beautifully hateful face of Prince Rigel smiles widely back. His easy grin adds to his wilful charm, "You may not believe me, but I truly am pleased by you and have no intentions for another guide unless you do something very annoying." 

"I'm flattered," Jia Hyson dryly replies before his smile curls up a little playfully. "And you may not believe me, but I am also truly pleased and have no intentions to shirk my duties unless you do something very appalling."

Prince Rigel: "I don't believe you." :)

Jia Hyson: "That's deeply and truly unfortunate." :)

Prince Rigel: :D

Jia Hyson: :D

After this exchange of smiles and words, Jia Hyson finally directs Prince Rigel to the guest bedroom that could easily be redesigned for the other's pleasure. Skilfully, he shows the blonde prince around the area. Jia Hyson also took the time in introducing the more modern aspects of home life as well. He showed off the air conditioner, humidifier, the different buttons to control the shower and so on before finally excusing himself to prepare food for tonight. 

D dazzled by all the new technology, Prince Rigel could only fall into a silent and befuddled daze. It was only a minute after the door closed on him did he finally wake up.

Prince Rigel: Wait?? Isn't he going to help me move my things???

However, when he rushed out to demand help, he found that his guide was no longer in the dorm room. 

Prince Rigel's ability was impressive, but it didn't boost his memory. In fact, because of the limits of his ability, his memory was a little worse than normal vampires, and he was often in a daze. The dormitory was so large and relatively complicated, not to mention full of unfamiliar vampires. Prince Rigel was reluctant to go out and cause himself and his coven to lose face as a result of his lack of knowledge.

Gritting his teeth, he begins to move his own items and bed, but mid-way, he can't help but laugh softly.

"Tsk, really irritating."

Meanwhile, the runaway in question was in the dormitory library. 

With a calm and pleasant expression like he hadn't just run away from a vampire prince at top speed a minute ago, Jia Hyson waves at the students in the area. Coolly he strides to the back of the library, where twenty small rooms are located. 

These rooms were somewhat soundproof, and they were a mix between glass walls, tinted glass walls, completely soundproof carpeting or plastered walls decorated with various art and a single rectangular window facing the library's central area. 

Giving various levels of privacy, it was used for group meetings, class projects, discussions and study groups. Due to its limited numbers, though, students must book in advance online or on the library computer. Of course, if no one was using a room, it was still possible to go in until someone called you out. 

The only exception was the few students with special authority and special access to one of two locked and completely private study rooms, exclusive to their use. 

And Alaric was one of those with this special authority. 

Taking out his school ID card, he scans one of the locked study rooms and enters smoothly. The moment he steps in, his soft and gentle smile is replaced with a vicious smirk. Like a villain dropping his facade, he closes the door with one hand while messing up his neat and tidy hair before falling onto the nearby sofa, relaxing into it languidly. "Bebe, give me what you compiled about Rigel Delune."

"Of course." Now that they were alone, Bebe could finally talk aloud and bring out the holographic screen with the information. "Bebe has also used [World Encyclopaedia] to try to determine more, but unfortunately, the topic of Rigel's powers is considered an undisclosed plot point that must be determined by ourselves."

Jia Hyson rolls his eyes, "Of course, ah. When is life ever that easy?"

"Don't you like a challenge?" Bebe retorts.

"Yeah," Jia Hyson sarcastically responds back, "But I like the challenges that are somewhat easy and make me feel good about myself when I solve them." Jia Hyson pulls out his phone and begins texting Mr Garth about the latest events. "You know, ones that are stressful enough to make you think about it a little bit but won't take too long to accomplish after a few tries, giving me a sufficient rush of dopamine and success that outweighs the previous frustration."

Bebe falls into silence for a second before thoughtfully muttering, "…So nothing like you then."

Jia Hyson: "…Yo, what the fuck does that mean?"

Sensing that it was about to be inflicted with a truly scathing response, Bebe hurriedly pushes the holographic screen closer to its host, successfully diverting his attention. 

[Name: Rigel Delune]

[Title: Prince of the Eclipse Coven.]

[Age: 73]

[Multiple Powers (Not known, was not well utilised in plot, hidden plot).

Observed powers so far:

Teleportation, both of objects and himself- Can move to places he has not been before but only confirmed short distances. 

Summoning items- could be another part of teleportation or a space ability. 

Gravity control- produces intense pressure that can pin down or throw people.]

[Personality: Erratic, wilful, childish. Skilled liar. Narcissistic. Toward Jessica Fang, Prince Rigel pretended to be a sweet and friendly youth that secretly sowed discord, seemingly both for his own amusement and due to the enmity with the Golden Rose Coven. After the reveal of his true villain identity, he is depicted as cruel, selfish, and slightly unpredictable behaviour. However, he only had a few scenes before happily sacrificing himself in the ritual.]

[Religion: The Eclipse Coven believes in the Ancient Vampire God, vampire superiority and supremacy. There is strong discrimination toward humans and the encouragement to indulge in the primal vampire instincts that come from their original form as vampiric monsters. This 'instinct' involves using humans as blood slaves, the pursuit of violence and hunting, as well as other things. 

It is assumed Rigel has strong beliefs given his active part in the ritual. Still, he had not been written to showcase a particularly strong discrimination toward humans and had even expressed fascination and interest.]

[Likes: Sleeping-related items. Honesty. Sweets. Comfortable things. Fresh blood. Wanton killing and being able to do whatever he wants. Puzzles.]

[Dislikes: Being too formal. Being too strict. Being restrained and restricted. Being told to do things he doesn't want to do. Boring people. People that bore him. Annoying people. People too impolite. At the same time, people who are too polite are boring, which is disliked. Pretentious self-righteous vampires. The belief that humans and vampires are equal. Carrots.]

[Bebe's final thoughts: Self-willed and contrary asshole. Has both oldest and youngest child syndrome. Surprisingly pedantic. Annoying and unruly garbage man with a good face.]

Jia Hyson: "… Were the final thoughts really necessary? It's all insults."

Bebe: "But was Bebe wrong?"

Jia Hyson: "…"

No, it was pretty accurate ah. 

To be honest, the information was general and not too difficult to figure out with enough time and thought. But Jia Hyson didn't blame Bebe. After all, who told the Author God to focus on the romantic subplot more than the actual plot? 

If one could cut out all the unnecessary miscommunication, misunderstandings, fighting, third-party drama, insecurity and jealousy in the love line, the Jessica Fang series would probably have turned out to be more like a trilogy instead. Then again, with the admittedly decent but poorly executed plot, it was perhaps for the best there was so much romantic padding. 

Before he could say something else, his phone began to ring. Seeing the name of the person calling, Jia Hyson immediately accepts the call and puts it on speakerphone one-handedly. With his other hand, he presses the tip of his forefinger and middle finger to his lips, kissing it softly before pulling it away and coaxing an icy white mist out of his mouth to follow. 

"Alaric? Are you okay? Wait, I'll use video call." The gruff and concerned voice of Mr Garth speaks in a rush. Before Jia Hyson could even say anything in response, the call had already ended, and just as quickly, a video call request was buzzing through. 

Making a little swirling motion with his fingers and letting the ice magic following it build up, Jia Hyson leans back and smiles softly as he accepts the video call. Mr Garth's handsome and scruffy face appears, his eyebrows creased, and his mouth frowning as he looks through the screen. Seeing the relaxed posture of Jia Hyson, he also relaxes slightly, but his voice is still tense. "What's going on, Alaric? How could you be roommates with Prince Rigel?"

"Principal Matthews decided on it," Jia Hyson simply and helplessly replies. Subconsciously his tone became whiny and coquettish as he finally had someone he felt intimate enough to complain to. "Literally just told me today as well. I understand why he chose me, but I still find it ridiculous. How am I supposed to live comfortably with him there?"

"Not to mention it's dangerous. I know Matthews; I'll talk to him. There must be someone else who could do this like…" Mr Garth trails off, hesitant and frustrated. After all, he also knew Alaric was the most responsible of the vampires, with good backing and strength. Another vampire doing this rather thankless task would be suicide at best, provoking a political and literal war at worst. 

But, even if he understood logically, Mr Garth still felt wronged on Alaric's behalf. He selfishly wished someone else could take the job instead. "There's got to be someone, or maybe another option-"

Jia Hyson's heart warms a little seeing the older man struggle to think about ways to help his situation, "It's okay, Darrian, what's done is done. There's really no helping it now."

"Matthews is a good man, but as a principal, he should still be held accountable for not informing you and the Golden Rose Coven sooner." Mr Garth still wasn't appeased. In fact, seeing how easily the other was accepting it, he felt even more distressed for the other party. Despite Alaric's true childish and playful nature, the other was too responsible and face-saving, making it easy for the other to be roped into various obligations and duties. 

It made Mr Garth both proud this was the person he liked but also annoyed at seeing the various burdens Alaric was constantly taking on. But he didn't want the other to stop doing what made him happy. The older vampire just didn't wish to see Alaric to become overwhelmed and overworked. Therefore in his opinion, the best thing he could do was simply to support him and do his own part to take on what weight he could take for Alaric. 

"Principal Matthews is supported by Vice-Principal Rong," Jia Hyson sighs, unaware of Mr Garth's thoughts. "We really can't do much there. Besides, I don't believe the principal had given the information so last minute on purpose or maliciously." 

The older vampire took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. "That's true," he admits reluctantly, "Principal Matthews is a bit weak-hearted, but he knows what to do in critical moments. If he wasn't, then he wouldn't have gotten that job in the first place, and that bastard of a vice-principal wouldn't be so infatuated."

Not to mention, he really couldn't do much if he went against the other. 

The vice-principal was not only one of the Rong family members but also extremely capable and powerful. Having the ability Dancing Swordsman, which can produce various swords from his body with different abilities depending on the type of dance he dances, the vice-principal was very tricky to fight. At the very least, Mr Garth could only struggle against him, and two out of ten times could he managed to grasp a victory when they fought. 

Before, Mr Garth was complacent about his identity and status, happy at his current standing in life. It was only after he became infatuated himself did he understand the vice-principal's thoughts and envied his ability. 

Before, he felt it was too stupid for the other to leave his good job prospects and position to become a vice-principal for rich, arrogant brats and impulsive, annoying vampire brats. But now Mr Garth realised that there was nothing quite as comforting as to be able to be near the person you like, and there was nothing more relaxing than knowing you had the ability to do what you wanted and protect them. 

"Have you spoken with the elders and the king, by the way?" Jia Hyson asks as he finally stops spinning his free hand. The icy white mist had been turned so many times it had become less like mist and more solidified as it lingered around his finger like white cotton candy. Rubbing his fingers together, he flicks the icy magic to the floor. Activating it immediately caused the room's temperature to drop as many ice crystals began forming on the floor. 

Before it could grow too much, he made a fist-clenching motion, turning the ice into icy powder. 

"I have. It was why I took so long to respond before," Mr Garth assures, "Fortunately, they were all in a meeting anyway, so it wasn't too hard to confront them and get their opinions quickly."

Jia Hyson laughs as his hand makes a few gestures, manipulating the small hill of icy snow to move toward the other side of the room where the fridge is located. Yes, every study room had a small fridge with various fresh pressed juices, milk, cold teas and other healthy snacks such as fruit and hummus. The private rooms were, of course, even better furnished. And if any fridge was low on items, all they had to do was press a button for the staff to help refill things. 

"Why can I imagine you kicking the door in and yelling at them, ah?"

Mr Garth coughs and rubs his nose awkwardly, "Am I that predictable?"

Now it was Jia Hyson's turn to cough a little awkwardly, "Well," He hums, "I don't dislike it."

They fall into a momentary silence as they glance at each other shyly. However, they still had important matters to discuss, and the ambiguous atmosphere was forcibly brushed off. 

"Anyway, the King and the clan elders have decided it's best to accommodate the Eclipse Coven's whims for now. We have reason to suspect that some missing vampires are indirectly or directly related to Prince Rigel as they have all suspiciously disappeared either right before or after he goes back to his deep sleep." 

Thinking about this, Mr Garth's anxiety spikes again. He summons a floating cigarette and lighter to calm his nerves, lighting up the cancer stick and sucking in a deep breath of the nicotine before he can continue. "There has been no mention of them being guides for Prince Rigel. Nor any evidence pointing to him at all, for that matter. Still, the timing is too fucking suspicious, and the Eclipse Coven has vampires that specialise in mind manipulation and evidence erasure.. So we've reached a stalemate there."

Jia Hyson nods, already suspecting that given Rigel's previous hinting words, not to mention the Eclipse Coven's sordid history and current reputation as villainous mercenaries. "They want me to keep an eye out on him." He summarises, "Well. I suppose I'm the best person for this, given they can't afford to eliminate me the same way they've done for others." 

If Principal Matthews thought this way, then Jia Hyson could only respect his utilitarianism. However, the principal had always been a bit simple in Jia Hyson's mind and probably did not think so far other than Alaric was responsible and strong. It was a bit annoying, but Jia Hyson couldn't hate it. 

At most, Jia Hyson will teach Vice Principal Rong some bad things after he manages to win over the principal. Heh, the vice-principal was so powerful; as long as he is equipped with the relevant knowledge, it is expected the principal would be eaten so thoroughly that he would need to spend half a month recovering after the first spring night. (,ಡ w ಡ,,)

"Not only that," Mr Garth sucks a very deep breath of nicotine before breathing it out, manipulating the smoke so it stays out of the way from the camera and his view of the younger vampire. "Those old men actually have the idea of trying to see if you could establish a good friendship with the prince. Maybe even find out his true ability, and attempt to sway his ideals to fit 'the current morals of society." 

The last few words were spat out mockingly, and Mr Garth clicked his tongue angrily. "It's simply unreasonable. If it was so simple, we wouldn't have such a long feud with the Eclipse vampires for so long."

Jia Hyson also can't help but sigh emotionally, "I respect them greatly, but their expectations of me are really too much sometimes." 

The changes in the notoriously lazy Prince Silas had been deeply impressed into the elders' minds. The Golden Rose King, who had been struggling with wrangling this annoyingly unmotivated child for many years, was especially appreciative of him. 

In the plot, it was not really explained, so the world's consciousness had directly filled the plot hole of the lacking presence of the Golden Rose King with the excuse that the King did not make many appearances because he was, in fact, very weak. This is why a lot of the power is being slowly relegated to the three princes, with favour toward the eldest, resulting in the growing ambition of the villain of the first book, Prince Kieran. 

Therefore even Jia Hyson had yet to personally see the Golden Rose King since he had transmigrated here. 

When the King expressed his appreciation to him, Jia Hyson only knew because many elders from the Rong family had rushed over to praise and rub his head with great happiness and pride. The most tangible proof was that the King had given him a letter that summarised his appreciation and joy, as well as a few valuable rewards. 

To be perfectly honest, if Jia Hyson didn't know the plot, and if Mr Garth didn't already confirm the other's existence, he really would suspect that there was no Golden Rose King at all and it was all some sort of giant conspiracy scheme. For example, maybe the greater evil had replaced the King and wanted to sow discord within the royal family to benefit another coven, or perhaps all the elders had usurped the throne in secret, and the monarchy was actually a democracy all along! 

"Exactly," Mr Garth agrees, "You're only in your thirties, still young; you shouldn't be doing these difficult tasks, not when…"

"Not when you could do them for me?" Jia Hyson can't help but tease a little. 

Mr Garth coughs. The smoke that escaped from his mouth covers the screen for a moment, hiding his slightly flushed face. 

"Well, it's not that I don't want to take away your achievements or anything. I know you're smart and capable. But," he coughs again, and Jia Hyson annoyedly stares at the increasingly smokey screen. Knowing the other was too shy to show his cute embarrassed appearance.. really made him want to see it even more! "I just want you to enjoy your school life. I don't want you to deal with these sorts of dangerous things yet, not when others could do them instead."

Then, in a quieter and rough voice, Mr Garth mutters, "..In short, I'm worried about you. I know this is best suited for you, I know you should be okay, and it's beneficial for the coven. But I just want you to know your safety comes first... so please remember that, brat."

The smoke slowly dissipated, and the handsome older vampire with faintly red-rimmed eyes was grinning cockily as he hits his chest confidently. "Don't worry, as long as you're safe, even if you manage to start a war with those fucking assholes, I'll be here to stand up for you. So don't think too much about the tasks, okay?"

"Darrian.." How can Jia Hyson not be moved by the straightforward and sincere concern of the other? It was a pity the situation had become very complicated. 

With [Psychotic Break] working actively, even at a low level, Jia Hyson could now easily suffocate his emotional side and become even more pragmatic. He understands that there is a good chance he will end up being entangled with either Prince Silas or Prince Rigel now, and may not be able to fulfil the older vampire's expectations. 

To be honest, he even thought there was a chance he might not even be able to fulfil finishing this high school life. 

After all, this was not a sappy vanilla vampire story, but a dramatic teen love story that romanticised a lot of very chuuni and edgy habits that many adults have realised were incredibly creepy and disgusting in real life. Stalking, forcing someone down, watching people sleep, getting friends to act as spies for you, forcibly kissing, and so on. 

While Jia Hyson personally quite likes these twisted tastes to some extent, he also recognises the problems of the people who follow this setup. Blackening, blackmail, possessiveness, and general scum behaviour would not be surprising to see develop over time in many people here. 

The World's Consciousness was really diligent and had made the environment very easy to nurture this sort of personality. The arrogance of the rich, the short-sighted and cruel nature that many teenagers have, and the immaturity of youth can be infinitely amplified here, especially for the vampires with their natural superiority. 

While he had some confidence and various ideas and backup plans to make his mission work, as long as one of the princes goes too far, it can be considered almost game over. 

At that point, it's better to cut his losses and, well… As long as the death is decent, there is no problem.

Of course, that's merely the last resort. Jia Hyson wasn't crazy enough to seriously consider such a path, especially so early in the game. 

With such thoughts, his heart becomes more biased toward Mr Garth. Even if his thinking was cold, he was still warm and [Psychotic Break] does not mean he was incapable of affection and gratefulness. With a soft smile, Jia Hyson nods indulgently. "En, don't worry, I'll do my best to be safe. With you there, why should I worry?"

Mr Garth's mouth pressed together but it couldn't stop the grin pushing up the corners of his mouth. Despite the situation, his chest can't help but feel ticklish and light as he is praised and depended on by the person he likes.

Still, after a second of floating, he quickly brought himself back to reality with the weight of his concern and anxiety. Mr Garth had lived longer than Jia Hyson and thus was more familiar with Prince Rigel. 

While the other sleeps for long periods, he is considered a formidable vampire when he's awake. His abilities are described as numerous and unfathomable, and before Silas was born, Prince Rigel was considered the contender to win the title of most powerful vampire. Not only that, the other is well known to become more and more excitable and erratic during the time he wasn't in deep sleep. 

Mr Garth fears the last part the most. There was no way anyone could be comfortable with such an unstable ticking time bomb near walking around. This is especially true when said ticking time bomb was sharing a living space with someone he knew and thought well of. 

Still, there was not much he could do for now except helping Alaric try to minimise and cut off any potential problems from this turn of events, and volunteer for a few more jobs nearby the Academy. Thinking for a moment, the older vampire quickly brings up the most important and worrisome thing that he knew Alaric has been hiding. "What about your crossdressing? Do you need me to swing by and collect your things?"

Jia Hyson shows a troubled expression, but in reality he was very calm. "This… I just won't do it until the holidays or something. It should be okay?"

Now it was Mr Garth who showed a troubled expression, "To be perfectly honest, it really won't be okay. Don't think he's an idiot just because he comes off spoiled and trigger-happy. At the very least, he may not be the smartest but he's stubborn and dogged." The older vampire furrows his brows in thought, it had been a long time since he had thought of this royal brat, and while the impression is strong, the details had been understandably blurred a lot. 

Not to mention he's been working as a teacher for the past few years, meaning he's met far too many people and the memories of the past are much more diluted thanks to the influx of new faces he was essentially forced to remember every year. "The training of Eclipse Coven vampires doesn't show too strongly in him but it's present after all. Don't quote me on this but I believe Prince Rigel was actually responsible for uncovering the incident of the Golden Rabbit, Blue Diamond." 

Jia Hyson raises his brow, he had heard of this case. It was not big but it was dramatic and scandalous enough that it was talked about for decades. Essentially there was a unique noble vampire family known as the Fosse family that chose to live in an underground cave and generally gravitated to earthy related professions. For example mining, archeology and so on. 

While it was not very standard to most vampire ideals, the profession, while considered a bit menial, was honest enough and there was a lot of access to gems and antiques so they were not despised and could even say that they were quite popular.

Unfortunately their personal relationships were really as dirty as their professions ah. However nobody realised since everything was buried fairly deeply and it had only came to light during the Golden Rabbit, Blue Diamond incident. 

Jia Hyson could only say… it really proved that fact can really be more unbelievable than fiction.

There was too much to divulge in, but the main point was- the incident started with the death of the head of the family, Louise Fosse during a large banquet they hosted. The banquet was full of very important people and the topic of celebration was never told to the public. When the head of the family did not show up for dinner, the vampires quickly found out Louise Fosse had been roasted and sent to the dinner table as slices of meat, a very brutal and cruel death indeed. It was even suspected she was cooked alive and conscious. 

Because they lived underground, the Fosse family quickly sealed the area and everyone agreed nobody must leave until the case was solved. Eventually many family secrets were uncovered in the process of this investigation.

The son of the head of the family, B, married his sister, sister N, divorced sister N and moved on with multiple wives, including, briefly, another sister, sister H. With wife P, they produced child X who sister N married out of a sense of revenge. 

Unfortunately child X was almost as scum as their father, though in slightly different ways and caused sister N to share a staggering debt thanks to child X's gambling addiction. Sister N divorced child X, and child X quickly hooked up with Sister H. 

Meanwhile, B was still struggling to divorce wife P who was having an illicit affair with servant K in order to marry mistress F who had sold her previous children to sister H for eating in order to provide for her own seal-obsessed husband. Coincidentally mistress F was actually sisters with wife P.*

*Loosely based on real-life server events. Thank you @Nobody, @honey/minimi, @bb, @punnie, @xixi, and sorta @kaid and @saltedfishie for inspiration with your messed up family incest tree

In the end it was determined that even though child X had married sister H, child X still had a strong relationship with sister N. Sister H had brought home a golden rabbit artefact from her archeological digging trip, but she had failed to look too deeply into it and treated it as a shiny object to admire. Child X and sister N were far more thoughtful toward it and had found the blue diamond on its forehead, after a few twists and turns, could be taken out, revealing a thin metal neck behind the gem that becomes a rounded upside-down teardrop shape. 

Upon closer inspection, they found you could pour poison into the neck part, and there was a mechanism in the diamond that could shoot the poison out, with the teardrop-shaped bulb able to solidify the liquid substance into something like a needle. Child X used this to shoot a slow acting paralysis drug at the head of the family from a distance while sister N distracted her, granting them both alibis. After which, one of them 'helped' Louise to the kitchen and then roasted her alive, pinning the blame on sister H who was known to accidentally push her mother into fire pits strangely often. 

And also the baby eating thing. Which was just very suspicious in general and automatically made her the obvious prime murder suspect. 

That wasn't that important though. The main thing was this case was so messy and full of loops and sudden turns, not to mention there were many guests with connections with the Fosse family, both good and bad to also entangle. If Prince Rigel was really one of the people behind solving this convoluted mystery, then Jia Hyson felt there wasn't much point in trying to hide his secret in the first place.

Yes, that's right. His choice was not to stress over keeping his crossdressing secret from Prince Rigel. Instead his focus was on how to make the Eclipse Prince keep the secret with him. 

Right now Prince Rigel was ignorant due to changing times and his own inexperience with a lot of new things. The other had been asleep for nearly two decades which meant there was a lot of culture shock, plus with the Eclipse Coven's teachings there was probably not much in the way of human-based knowledge for him. But once he acclimatises, figuring out will only be a matter of time. 

Honestly, even if Prince Rigel was a person with normal or below-average intelligence, it was still an unfeasible thing to hide from him given they'll be living under the same roof unless Jia Hyson chooses to throw out everything. But that would produce a whole new set of problems in that case. 

So instead, his aim was to manipulate and seduce. Cut his losses, and put more energy in damage control than prevention. 

With the previous interactions at hand, Jia Hyson has a fairly decent grasp on what sort of character Prince Rigel likes. Someone with some politeness and obedience but at the same time a little rebellious, playful and had a streak of maliciousness. A person filled with contradictions that needed to be uncovered. 

Finding someone with hidden sides is always attractive, and some people simply find that the more extreme the hidden side, the more fascinating and lovely. The sense of accomplishment in uncovering it was also satisfying in many ways. Jia Hyson has personally experienced it, being the one who enthrals others with his own self and being also the one who grows intrigued and curious toward another who seemed more than they reveal. 

Most importantly the person must be interesting and had a hidden temperament that was a temperament he liked. As long as the hidden side fits the tastes, does not go past any lines and the current impression of the person in question is good, most people who discover it will subconsciously garner good feelings toward the other person. It may even develop into a feeling of romantic love. At the very least there is usually a feeling of protectiveness over this discovery or a sense of sharing a secret between people

While he still would not confidently say he had completely understood Rigel, the other had admittedly a lot of similarities with himself, especially his younger self, which helps a bit in supplementing the understanding. 

And more than his understanding of Rigel, Jia Hyson understands the concept of keeping a fish on the hook once caught. The method into forcing them to hold on even though it tore their own flesh from the inside out, producing a messy and fascinatingly cruel sight as they clung on yearningly. This sort of game of tempting others and enticing them down to obsession and a little madness, Jia Hyson has not exerted for a long time. But still he recalls his experiences, maybe not so much in detail anymore, but the memories were still present. 

The thrill, the twisted pleasure and sense of powerful control of holding a metaphorical heart in his hands.. It was almost as terrifyingly addictive as the moment you steal a life from another with your own hands. That strange and hollow pleasure, that potent fascination as you cause an indescribable loss to the world, a small but permanent stain that can be covered, but never removed. 

"Alaric?" Mr Garth's concerned gruff voice snaps him out of his wandering thoughts, "Alaric? Don't worry, even if that's the case and he finds out, I'll do my best to protect you, okay?" 

Jia Hyson, who was thinking of seducing Prince Rigel felt an arrow hit his conscience as Mr Garth looks at him through the screen with worry. Unfortunately, his feelings, while still present, were no longer so vividly strong nor as easy to overwhelm his logical and pragmatic decisions. 

Jia Hyson really liked Mr Garth, he really did. But Mr Garth couldn't stop Prince Rigel, neither in status and possibly not in power either. There were difficulties politically and simply put, while he was strong, and held good status, but in the end, Mr Garth was still just a vampire. One who likes to relax with games, smokes enough to disgust the anti-smoker association to death, snacks on pig's blood cake* when it's available and hates being forced to work overtime for anything. 

*Taiwanese delicacy street food made of pig's blood, sticky rice, and soy broth that is deep fried and served on a stick. It looks really nice ah, I would like to try one day. 

He was not someone who should be pushed into this whole situation more than he should be. Maybe he could turn around and become powerful and amazing just like many male leads tend to do, it's not impossible with some coaxing and manipulation on his part to sharpen Mr Garth into a strong knight with a sharp sword and a heavy shield. But Jia Hyson didn't want to do that. He didn't want to force the other to become something he's not just to help him.

Jia Hyson preferred to do things himself anyway… well, that wasn't necessarily true, but at the very least it was not false either. Anyway, if it works out, he can try to go back to Mr Garth. And if it doesn't… it is only his own fault and choices that led him there. He didn't want the older vampire to think otherwise. 

He understands how to hook a fish and make them stay on. With the same understanding he also knows how to cut the line and let them go. 

With a soft smile that hides his inner thoughts Jia Hyson sighs softly, "Don't worry, I don't think I need protecting yet." He gently rebuffs, a hint of playful defiance in his eyes, "But you were very handsome when you said it ah~"

Unfortunately it seems Mr Garth didn't intend to play along and move the topic, "Alaric," He gazes deeply into Jia Hyson's eyes, "I'm serious. I want to support and help you. Let me be there for you."

Jia Hyson swallows and the lump suddenly in his throat almost felt like it was his previous convictions being swallowed down instead. 

Those bold and blunt words, there was no way he could pretend that he didn't recognise Mr Garth's feelings had now stepped over from like to something far more serious. With a pounding heart, Jia Hyson found himself a little flustered again. There was no way, he was being soft and indecisive, wanting to go through with his plan but also wanting to reciprocate this vampire's feelings the best he could, as much as he could. It was really too unfortunate and Jia Hyson couldn't help but resent Prince Rigel whose presence had brought these complications. 

'This feeling of affection is really too difficult and troublesome.' Jia Hyson complains to his system as he touches his hair a little anxiously.

'Well, your situation certainly fits in line with the overdramatic and romantic tastes of the World Consciousness at least.' Bebe helplessly replies. What else could it say? It also wants to encourage its host's slow growth in understanding love and a healthy relationship, but it's undeniable that they had entangled into things too much and now they're suddenly stuck with such limited options. 

Jia Hyson tugs at his hair in frustration, he also understands Bebe couldn't think of much to help right now. They still had an enemy prince waiting for him and it was too hard to predict things right now. In the end he took in a deep breath and exhaled, forcing himself to calm down a little.

His eyes lift up to see Mr Garth on his screen quietly and patiently waiting for him. Once the other saw that Jia Hyson's attention was back on himself, he took another inhale of his cigarette and asked him quietly, "You good?"

Rough and quiet, and yet it made his heart tremble. 

"…No." Jia Hyson chokes out, inexplicably feeling a bit emotional. 

"You brat," Mr Garth mutters affectionately, "Don't try to take everything onto yourself. I know I'm not the best meat on the market, but I do pretty well if I say so myself."

Jia Hyson recalls his previous cold evaluation and found it a little difficult to speak. No matter how he feels, he knows his thoughts are true, but no matter how true they are, it still makes him feel ashamed in the face of Mr Garth's attitude. 

"Hey, do you," The older vampire hesitates, "Do you want to see me? I just think maybe it's better to talk in person and maybe I could help take away the more incriminating objects from your room. I know a guy with a spatial ability that owes me a favour anyway, so really it's the for the best if-"

Seeing the other begin to flush as they made excuses to come over, Jia Hyson couldn't help but chuckle, the sound interrupting Mr Garth's string of sentences. 

"Yeah." Jia Hyson scratches behind his ear, "Yeah, I, I want to see you too." 

After finally admitting it, his face also warms at his own genuine sentiments. It was one thing to spit out lewd and spicy words, but the soft and sweet words of love was really too uncomfortable. Even after living so long, expressing these sort of things still make Jia Hyson inexplicably shy. 

Mr Garth's eyes light up. "I'll come visit you as soon as I can." He promises earnestly. 

Jia Hyson coughs but can't hide his own eagerness, "Well, I'll be waiting."

…

Prince Silas stares at the door to Alaric's dorm room.

He had a bag of popcorn, various snacks, and a few DVDs of various popular movie classics. To any passerby, it was clear he was there for a movie night. 

However, that was just a pretence.

Twenty minutes ago, he had gotten a text from the elders of the coven about Alaric's sudden situation. After carefully questioning the specifics, the prince had quickly thought up an excuse to visit Alaric and made the necessary arrangements before walking calmly over. In this way, nobody would question or feel much curiosity toward his actions, especially the other vampires who may report anything amiss to their respective covens. While the situation will be revealed eventually, it was best to delay the inevitable until everyone involved had a better grasp on what they should do.

It was a confident, considerate and calm response to an otherwise incredibly unexpected turn of events. This was enough to show how much Prince Silas had matured over time, thanks to Alaric.

However, to be honest he was not as emotionally calm as he appeared. In truth, he was quite hurt. 

After all, he was the crown prince, powerful and strong, not to mention close with Alaric. Even if the other was not responding to himself romantically, he had thought they were at least best friends. So why was it, he had to learn about this critical turn of events, not from Alaric himself, but from the elders who learned from Mr Garth?

Prince Silas' eyes dimmed, and his hand raised to knock on the door hesitated. Was it because Alaric still thought he was so unreliable? Was his efforts still nothing in the other's eyes? Is there… is there really no hope?

His black eyes, dimmed and unfocused with hesitation, turns cold. The impatience and unwillingness in his heart shone through the darkness. 

He was no longer the vampire he used to be, who would give up or had no energy to research options that his brain couldn't provide. Silas has perused the internet and books both offline and online. Taking up whatever interests him, it was impossible to ignore brushing up on his theoretical love knowledge.

In his opinion, after supplementing his sense of romance, patience, persistence, and opportunity were the key factors in chasing someone. Don't rush the feelings, consistently show your care and sincerity. If neither has managed to create a breakthrough, then an opportunity is needed to alter the dynamics of the relationship. 

And if no opportunity comes by?

  He was the crown prince, the most powerful vampire of his generation and the arrogance that had been suppressed, as well as the dissatisfaction of being constantly denied every time he lowered his head like a licking dog*, was threatening to burst out. 

*licking dog describes a person who puts down his/her dignity to cater to others even though knowing the other party doesn't like him/her. A simp or brown-noser essentially. 

Well, if there is no opportunity. Then he has to make one. 

...

...

Author's Note:

Happy Halloween~ I should have the extra done by tomorrow maybe ah~ It'll be my treat to you cuties uwu

I have also learned my story is also in Webnovel's sister app thing Chereads (idk much on it) so I just wanna say hello to those guys. I'm sure ya'll cuties too (donate if you have the money hehe but like dw too much about it and enjoy)

This author has recently used some donation money (Thanks Tetra for the super generous donation, and also Mellie, MllAdler, Cilchill, Nathan G, Silly Fox, Aki, DemonicAngelMusic, Anna, Bl_is_best, tree and hex! I always forget to give thanks to the kofi people, and also thanks to all yall gifters too!) and became a premium member on mtlnovel discord and thus can request alllll the novels I want to be machine translated kek. I suppose it shall be a while till I can escape mtl hell ahahah. I just finished My Brother is a Bigshot which is no CP QT about being an awesome brother, it's simple twist that I haven't really seen much of and am excited to see more (I requested another brother based qt like yesterday ahahha fingers crossed its also goodddd).

I feel like ya'll have picked up on this but I usually don't read yaoi on mtl, idk I prefer no romance or straight male QT to mtl, it's simple and enjoyable, the stories I pick always have easy style to translate and I suppose I prefer to squeal over yaoi when I don't have to use my brain too much for translation, focus all on the yaoi :3

With Halloween there is of course a lot of Halloween fanarts on the discord~ I will try update the fanart page in the following weeks~

Hope you guys have enjoyed the chapter, emotional stuff is always a bit of a pain but tis necessary kinda ah~