I tramped through the woods, churning the fallen leaves underneath my shoes in the darkness. Snake bites were common in the periphery of the woods, and I began feeling wobbly after a couple of them injected wasteful venom into my system. I could have used [First Step] and rushed back to the city, but the bastard had almost ripped my throat open, so I was letting [Undead] use all the mana. More spells only meant slower healing, and I no longer wanted to deal with this agonizing pain.

Glaz was costing me a lot of blood and sweat. If the primitive undead still wanted to kill it, let him be my guest. But I was sure he wouldn't do it. Gut feeling, I'd say.

The hailstorm had receded by the time I reached the gates. The guards at the entrance were more vigilant than usual, and flames burned bright in the flambeau erected over the battlements. The large spears protruding out of the wall had flags strapped on them. A lot of things had changed since the aggression at Etelan. There was solidarity among soldiers and a different air about them. I suppose they were not as wasteful as I had thought. 

I sneaked inside the gates along with a tavern, [Shadow] helping me blend in the darkness. The streets inside the capital were well-lit by mana lamps, and I ambled back to Beth’s residence using [First Step]. My lady was waiting at the gates, blowing her hands and rubbing them together periodically. I watched her for a while and couldn’t help the smile as I walked toward her.

“It’s cold out here, my lady,” I said, ignoring my haphazardly torn shirt with bloodstains. “You should go inside. I’ll-”

She ran her hand over my neck. “Did it hurt?” she asked, her eyes too pure for me to look into them. I glanced away and shrugged. 

“I am undead, my lady.” A chuckle died down just as fast when I saw her expression. “It did.”

“Who did this to you?” her voice was calm, and she was taking her time processing everything. Mortals grow up very fast, and they die just as fast; I was reminded of the fact yet again.

“A benign being like me,” I said, glancing at her this time. Her eyebrows glistened in the little frost that had accumulated over them, and her eyelashes fluttered every time I breathed. Jet black hair was tied up in a bun, and a few strands flowed naturally over her cheeks. Her lips were dry, and when she leaned close to me for a peck, I couldn't help moisturize them. 

Yeah, that’s all I was doing. Moisturizing them.

We pulled away, our foreheads leaning against each other. I didn’t miss the bright smile on her face as she wrapped her hand around my waist. 

“Do you want to do it again?” she asked, running her free hand over my cheek.

“I was just…”

She placed her finger over my lips. “It’s all right,” she said my name. “You don’t have to reason out every little thing you do.”

And I just uneasily pulled her close to me. My hands fumbled, unsure of what my brain was processing, but I wanted her close to me so that I could alleviate a little bit of cold for her. I had forgotten that she was resistant to cold.

"Don't overthink, my undead," she laughed. "I can feel you trembling."

I flicked her forehead and let her go, but she planted a soft kiss on my forehead after straining the last bit of her toes. 

"Don't think you can escape the interrogation just by seducing me," she said and pulled me inside. Beth had assigned a room for us on the first floor, and Letitia held my hand all along the way as she skipped merrily to the guest room.

I recounted the whole incident to my lady once she had locked us inside. She listened calmly, caressing my neck every once in a while. She looked more in pain than me, but I suppose mortals didn't have much pain tolerance. 

The candle flame flickered aimlessly on the nightstand, casting hazy shadows of one undead and a villainess. We stood beside the bed in silence, her hand finding its way inside my shirt. 

"Remove it," she said with rosy ears. "There's too much blood on it."

It was too uncomfortable, so I didn't think much and just removed my shirt. She pulled me to the bed and rested her head against my chest as soon as I tucked her in. Her silky hair tickled my unimpressive abs. 

“Letitia,” I called out after a while of silence.

“Mmm?” she was half asleep. 

“I don't think I'm benign anymore.”

“Mmm,” she mumbled and pulled me closer with her frail arms. 

—

“Are you serious, bread lad?!” The surprise was too much for mortal Garlan. “I thought immortal beings existed only in folk tales. Will he kill us all? Eat our heart and bathe in our blood?”

“Undead are cool, Garlan,” I shrugged off their menace. “I don’t think he’ll do anything for the time being. Not after I disciplined him for his arrogance."

“Stop bragging, bastard!” he eyed the last loaf of bread on the table. “How come you beat an immortal creature? Aren’t they too strong for us mortals?”

“I am undead, bread lad,” I said casually.

That earned me a hearty laugh, and I slapped the hand away that was trying to sneak the bread into his tummy.

“And I am a princess,” he continued with a chuckle. “So,” he moved closer to me and whispered, “Should I inform the guild about this him? It’s my ticket to S-rank, and I suppose the guild would try to find some way to get rid of him before he becomes a threat to the kingdom.”

“That’s your call, Garlan,” I got up. “See what is better. A S-rank adventurer with one undead on his tail, or a A-rank adventurer with all the time to spare.”

I didn’t mind, anyway. But I was trying to put the last bit of effort into saving our kind.

“I'll sleep on that question. Why are you wearing that embroidered shirt, anyway?” Garlan raised his brows. “Was your lady that wild?” 

“I supposed you have a death wish,” I sighed as I glanced at my lady near the doorway of the dining hall. She pushed open the embroidered curtains and stepped inside.

“Commoner Garlan,” my lady walked toward me. Garlan almost stilled at the address. “Don’t blame me for being wild. It’s just that my man is too hot.”

Garlan stared at me in awe. “What medicine did you feed her, bread lad?”

I stared at my lady, equally surprised. “Did you eat something funny, my lady?”

“You should know it better,” she whispered in my ears and skipped towards Beth’s room merrily. I was left stranded in the middle of the dining room amidst Garlan’s suspicious gaze.

We returned home later that day to the not-so-peaceful manor. Some clever house was trying to increase their influence by inserting their seeds in our manor. As far as I knew, Arabell had blatantly rejected every proposal directed her way, which meant the handsome blonde sitting before us was Meisie’s suitor. She was sitting beside him with a scarf covering her face, palm clenched, and open hostility.

“I am here with a marriage proposal, noble lady,” the man said, touching his loose strands of hair on the side. “I am Julian Turin of Turin Nobility. We were recently promoted to the title of Arlikian Noble after being retainers of the kingdom for over two generations. Despite not being in the upper echelons of the Arlikian Nobility, we are a family of good etiquette and a loyal heart. We’ll take care of your sister as if she is our own, and I promise to try my best not to disappoint her. ”

“Sure,” my lady waved her hand. “Spare the talk and the flowery words. Choose a suitable date, and get married. Let me warn you, though,” she paused and glanced at Meisie, who instantly lowered her head. “If you mistreat my sister, believe it or not, your family will see your corpse at the gates.”

My lady knew better than anyone what it meant to be mistreated by her family. I suppose she understood what kind of life Meisie would have in the future if her new family didn’t favor her. For the insults she got, I’m surprised my lady still considered this brat her sister. Nevertheless, if I got to hang one more corpse at the entrance, nothing else mattered. Meisie was just fodder that my hound could gobble up any day, so I decided to give her a chance to change. If that’s what my lady wanted.

I saw her hands relax, and Meisie’s gaze toward my lady was complicated. The man had bought some betrothal gifts for our manor, and we gladly accepted them. 

Money never comes for free, and if it does, don’t turn it down. You can always face the consequences later.