“Say, Rudolf,” Letitia glanced at me from my cot. I dragged my chair to face her and raised my brows. “You once told me you were from a different world, right?”

“Yeah,” I raised my lips. “Curious about my past, aren’t you?”

“That is there,” her serious tone made my mischievous ideas disappear just as fast. “But how do you have memories of all those worlds? Does your magic preserve memories?”

Letitia closed the book in her hands as she stared at me. The innumerable scribbles, the ardent determination, the thirst for knowledge; everything was a familiar sight to me. Perhaps my mortal self was similar, but our reasons for unearthing the secret to [Undead] were utterly different.

“I don’t know how to put it in words,” I paused, pondering on the easiest explanation. “There’s essence of life every one of us. I have told you how we steal life force from everything around us to have an eternal life. You can call the essence of life soul if that helps. Memories can be intimately linked to the life force using [Memory make], and the life force can be preserved eternally. The problem is [Memory make] links all memories, though some might be more dormant than the others, but they are all there,” I tapped my finger against my forehead, “in there.”

Letita walked to me and pecked my lips before sitting on my lap. “So, can you protect my soul too?”

“Yeah,” I chuckled, wrapping my arms around her. “But it’s not much useful since mortals have a short life span.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Letitia ran her fingers through my hair. “Just a matter of time before I learn [Undead]. Help me preserve my life force. Who knows? Someday, it might come in handy.”

“As you wish,” I said as I molded the mana in my hands to a spear. 

“Wait, wait,” Letitia got off me. “Don’t tell me you are going to stab me with that spear?”

“It doesn’t hurt,” I laughed and walked toward her.

“Stop right there, Rudolf!” 

“Can’t, Letitia,” I pinned her against the door. “You have already sold your soul to a demon.”

She closed her eyes tightly as I stabbed the mana spear into her mana conduits. “Is it done?”

“You can open your eyes,” I backtracked my steps to the table. 

Before long, I was dragged to the bed, her black hair caressing my cheeks as she stared at my face intently. She ran her fingers over my eyes and my lips, then parted them with her own. 

“I don’t really know why people look for pretty faces,” she said as she tied her hair to a bun. “I could never get tired of looking at you all day long, even if you had a different face. There’s something different about these eyes that draws me in, about your small smile that makes me feel special. I can’t really put it in words, but I adore you too much, my undead.”

“Says the girl who was running behind the crown prince for almost a decade?” I said, touching her hair. 

“My poor man is jealous,” she giggled as she unbuttoned my shirt. 

I remember the days when the crown prince’s name was taboo, but alas, she had grown too much now. I had no control over her anymore, and my machinations were all losing their effectiveness. 

So unlike undead, I’d say.

“Jealous of a mortal?” I pulled her closer to me, our faces inches apart. “That is impossible.”

“I don’t really care. Let me finish the deed, at least,” she pecked my lips and got back to removing my shirt. “Let’s go to my room.”

—

“Rudolf, wake up,” Letita hovered above the bed as I fluttered my eyes open. She held a plate in her hands, and I could already smell freshly baked bread draped in honey. 

You see, I have the nose of a dragon when it comes to bread. 

Letitia placed the plate on the nightstand and took a seat beside me. 

“Did you have a good sleep?” I asked, leaning against the headboard. 

“Yeah,” she said and pointed to the table. “Breakfast for you.”

“Liar,” I ruffled her hair and cast [Heal] on her. “And you should stop making breakfast for me, my lady… Letitia.”

She pecked my lips. “Just repaying the favor, my undead,” she said, buttoning my shirt this time. “Don’t you dare go out of my room half dressed.”

I laughed and got off the bed. The sun had yet to rise, and it was damn early in the morning, but I suppose this is how it was for insomniacs? I wasn’t really one until [Refluengence], and these days, I was just too scared to sleep. Letitia could just disappear within a night. A fleeting life; that’s all mortals had. 

The entire manor was fast asleep as I freshened myself. The mortals and their sleep patterns. Abysmal to the extreme. Do they not feel regret sleeping one-third of their life? 

Letitia deserved more sleep, though.

“Court meeting today, just so you know,” Letita said as I stepped back to her room. “I really can’t deal with those council members anymore. Should we just kill them all?”

“I am too lazy to deal with the economy of the kingdom, Letitia. At least they are good at the job, and they don’t trouble us much except for asking our presence every once in a while.”

“True, but,” she glared at me, “you are supposed to take my side every time.”

“Haven’t seen that look in a while,” I removed the dish cover and cut the bread in half with much regret. “For you,” I handed her the half loaf, and she stared at me, astounded before her face bloomed to a smile that I adored.

Letitia gratefully accepted it and sat beside me on the bed. We ate in silence, and she leaned against my shoulder once she was done. I wiped her hands with my napkin before moving on to her lips. 

“Just clean them with yours,” she smirked. “Two tasks at once.”

“Now, now,” I flicked her forehead. “Aren’t you too smart for your age?”

“Stop treating me like a kid, or I’ll bite you to death.”

Soon, she busied herself with reading the pile of books on her table, and I walked back to my room to tend to my monsters. Glaz was over Yule, both fast asleep, the dragon too cozy in its new form. So much for all the drama he made.

I got some meat from the kitchen and stopped in my tracks when I noticed Arabell outside my room. She bowed gratefully with a smile as I beckoned her inside, the monsters wide awake now at the smell of an intruder. 

“Do you need something, lady Arabell?” I asked as I took a seat on the couch. 

“Gwar!” Yule growled, and I dropped the meat in my hand with a sigh. 

“Share some of it with Glaz.”

“It’s too little for us. Also, we need side dishes. Get some bread, too,” Glaz roared.

“Scram,” I said. “All the bead here belongs to me.”

“Bastard undead! If you don’t want to see me shapeshifting right now, get us more food!”

I sighed, and Arabell stared between the three of us. 

“Undead?” Arabell asked, giggling.

“Just something he calls me,” I shrugged. “Also, wait till I finish my business here.”

“I was quite surprised to see a talking lizard last time, but it looks like it got a personality,” Arabell moved forth to pet Glaz.

“Back off, mortal! Don’t you dare touch my scales! I am a Dragon, not your garden lizard.”

“Just don’t touch him,” I said, pulling Glaz away from her. “He doesn’t like to be touched.”

“I don’t like your touching either, bastard undead, but at least it’s better than having these pests touch me,” he rubbed his head against my shirt, and I sighed. 

“Anyway, what brings you here, lady Arabell?” I asked again and dropped Glaz beside the large piece of meat.

“Oh, right! We are almost out of mulberry dews at the confectionary. The markets haven’t been able to restock it for a while, so getting it from the dry woods beside river Mead is the only way left. I didn’t really want to put up a quest request in the guild because it’s our secret ingredient, so I was wondering if you could help us out.”

“Sure,” I said. “Don’t hesitate to make requests if it has something to do with baking bread. I have to attend the court meeting this morn with Letitia, but I’ll go soon after that.”

“Don’t let sister come with you. We need her help at the confectionary,” Arabell said. “She only listens to you these days. And it’s about time you both got married. Just keep pushing it back, and you’ll end up losing the chance.”

“Marriage?” I laughed. “Well, I don’t think we need one. But if she wants to marry someday, why not? I have never gotten married before, either. It will be a novel experience.”

“Of course, you haven’t gotten married before,” she smiled. “You have been in the manor since you were young.”

Oh, well… Not that I wanted to do the explaining. 

“Though, I could never imagine talking to you so freely before,” she continued. “You always appeared so aloof and distant even though you were always polite to everyone. A lots of things have changed in the manor, and I think living with you all has become so much more fun. I couldn’t even imagine becoming independent and living my own life before, but here I am, living my life to the fullest. I am very grateful to you, Rudolf. You can’t begin to fathom what it means to me to be living this kind of life. So, I would really like for you to become our family.”

I just shrugged and looked away from her. I have too much blood on my hands to accept gratitude and feel happy about it. 

Was I regretful? Never in this undead life. I enjoy slaughter, I do it. But I wouldn’t accept things that were not meant for me. Letitia? She was the only exception, and I would never give her up.

“Anyway, I have already informed Letitia about the arrangement. Though, she would obviously indulge you to let her tag along. Be stern, Rudolf. Don’t give in,” Arabell smiled and walked toward the open door. “Also, can you stop calling me Lady Arabell? Sister-in-law, Arabell; anything would do.”

“That, I am afraid, I can’t do, lady Arabell,” I said.

“Oh well, guessed as much,” she giggled and walked out of our courtyard. 

“Food, bastard undead!” Glaz roared. “And don’t feel happy over the gratitude of mortals. It’s worthless. They don’t think twice before stabbing you in the back tomorrow.”

“I know,” I shrugged. “But I hope the people around Letitia are different. At least that would give me one reason not to detest mortals. Some are different from most.”

“Don’t you already have one, bastard undead?” Glaz said.

“I suppose I do,” I smiled as I moved toward the exit.

“Bastard undead,” Glaz’s voice stopped me. “Do you know who tried to summon me?”

I raised my brows and turned to him. “No. All I know is the summoning circles were a bit askew, and the incantations were faulty, so you weren’t able to get summoned.”

“You should have at least investigated during my slumber. What if they summon more dragons?” Glaz growled. “You don’t have brains, bastard undead!”

“Gwar!” 

“Thanks, Yule,” I smiled. “And I don’t want to hear that from a dragon. Further, I thought you were the last surviving dragon… in our world.”

“Exactly what I am trying to say, bastard undead. I don’t mind fighting against more dragons because I am the strongest of all. But I don’t think this almighty dragon’s draglings will be able to handle them,” Glaz moved his head between the two of us. 

“Gwar grr!” Yule growled and pounced on Glaz.

“Let me see what I can do,” I sighed. 

Too much work for one poor undead.