Chapter 5: Old Story

Alden returned shortly after with a small basket with several different potions inside which lay on a clean bandage.

I turned a porcelain potion with an elaborately carved pattern on the outside, asking,

"What is this?".

Alden explained slowly,

"This is primrose oil for wound healing."

"And here..."

He pointed to the others potions:

"Menthol, chamomile and herbs, have a sedative effect and help you get a good night's sleep. This is willow bark, a very good pain reliever."

I touched each jar and nodded at the names and uses listed. Then I sat up straight again and lifted my head, letting Alden touch my face.

Essential oils had a characteristic aroma that stimulated the receptors in my nose. And at this distance I could smell the scent of a vampire, still amber, but with an extra layer of medicinal herbs. With each touch, the fragrance emitted became more intense.

"Your scent has changed. Is it because of the change?"

I lifted my lips, feeling the other's fingers tremble slightly after the question:

"Sorry, I touched on a sensitive topic again."

"It's okay, my Prince."

Alden sighed, frowned, and gently stroked the scar above my left eye:

"If you're curious and really want to know what happened during my disappearance, or why I became what I am. Now, I'll tell you."

"Only when you're ready, Alden. I don't want to push you into anything."

I smiled softly.

"This is a boring story and it's fine if you're not interested, then I'll stop."

Before I could correct Alden's words, he continued,

"But I need to put this solution in your eyes first."

As a friend, I could not embarrass Alden when this was his mission. So I tilted my head back, slowly lifting my eyelids to reveal bone-white pupils and a long, fierce line of scars.

I shivered slightly as the cool and smelly liquid trickled into my eyes, making me whimper and blink. At last parts fell into my eyes, a part caught in my curled eyelids, the other slid gently down my peach cheeks and was wiped away by Alden's icy hand.

"It's over. It's not a long story, but you should lie down first after the tiring journey."

Alden was right, every muscle in my body was crying out for rest from the journey and what followed, culminating in an unexpected encounter. So I lay down and let Alden pull the blanket over me.

"It feels like I've been back many years, and you sit here by my bed and tell me about your little adventures. It's hard to articulate how I feel right now hearing about your death. I almost completely broke down when I received the news of your death, and I found myself with nothing to regret if I had to die."

There was a pause in my words, until Alden reached out and brushed my blond hair lightly.

"I'm glad I have a place in your heart, but I'll regret it and torment it until my next life if you feel hurt even a little because of me."

I could read happiness and uneasiness flickered in Alden's crimson pupils.

"In part, the news of my death was completely true. Our boat got hit by a big storm and was completely submerged in the big waves. I remembered thinking about you every time I sank to the bottom of the deep water. Darkness and helplessness dominated all of my senses for a very long time. But somehow, I woke up and realized someone was gnawing on my body. At first I thought it was a shark or something, but as I became more aware I realized that I was being sucked by a vampire. There were no words to describe my near-death feeling. I thought the desire to live was so strong that prompted the transformation. Until I opened my eyes again, I realized that I was still alive even though the thing inside my left chest had long since stopped beating. Believe me Jerome, how much I wanted to go back to you, but I couldn't do it with that body and identity. So no matter how painful it was, I had to stay here."

Biting my lip, I tried to imagine how painful, lonely, and lost Alden must have been in clinging to life. This truth made my heart bleed. But he smiled, he always did to reassure me. Because he knew how sensitive I was.

"It took months for me to get used to and adjust to my new body. Then I went to the Demon Land, and ended up being a servant in the palace. For a demihuman like me, staying in the palace was a great privilege. And that's the whole story."

"Alden, you were…"

I rolled the hard words on my lips:

"Killing someone? Well, to drink blood. I'm not criticizing, I just want to know. I know this is a personal and rude question."

I shyly twisted my fingers together:

"If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to answer."

I got up and approached Alden, then put my head on his lap like I used to do when I was a kid. I remembered he had a pair of toned thighs from doing hard work and it was perfect for being a pillow. Until my hand absentmindedly touched Alden's stomach and he tensed in a reflex that made me feel the stiffness and clarity of his muscles, I immediately withdrew my hand like it was on fire. The difference in size and body between an Alpha and an Omega was so obvious, it made me a little embarrassed. During these years, Alden had matured and developed in a good direction.

"No, this is a perfectly normal question, don't worry,"

Alden began to talk after a while, biting his lip and saying.

"About… um… food… actually they are humans brought back from the Seven Territory Alliance of various ages and genders. Their value is not based solely on the taste of blood, but mostly on appearance, the younger and more beautiful, the higher the price. Nobles are willing to spend hundreds, even thousands of gold coins just to buy a bloodstor. Although their position is not equal to that of vampires, but their life is much happier than a slave. They are provided with food, shelter, beautiful clothes, and can even go out to participate in parties if the owner allows them to do that. There's no abuse or violence here. Of course, there are rich vampires with different tastes, they're quite picky and like to buy more than one person at a time, but you should know that's just a very small portion."

Alden stopped talking and quietly observed my expression, waiting for me to finish absorbing the overwhelming amount of information. After a while, I motioned for him to continue.

"As for the lower classes, who can't afford to own a blood store or pay for blood bags, they are forced to drink animal blood, but that just enough to maintain their sanity because animal blood is much less nutritious than human blood"

Frowning, I nodded slowly after absorbing what I heard. This was clearly not as bad as I thought it would be, but it was far from reaching the standards required for human society. They used their blood in exchange for a life of ease, but apparently full of uncertainty.