Chapter 118

Chapter 118: Chapter 118

Ruoxi roused first, Dulce’s pink face the first sight he was greeted with. The Vampire smelled like he had soaked in a vat of wine, and Ruoxi was honestly surprised he could even get drunk. But if there was any wine that would do that, it would surely be the flower wine of Huayuan.

His hands itched to push the Vampire’s hair out of his face, his hands itched to touch his soft skin, his hands itched to gather him close and never let him go.

How cruel that the one thing he wanted Dulce didn’t have to give. Although, it was just as equally cruel to crave what he also couldn’t give.

He laid back and stared at the ceiling until Dulce roused, making up his mind during the wait. "We’ll leave after I manage to drink a jug of wine without getting drunk.

Dulce woke up groggy, his hair disheveled. "How long is that going to take?"

"There is only one way to find out," He rose to his feet and held out his hand.

Dulce took the offered hand before asking questions. "Where are we going?"

"To soak in a hot spring and drink more wine." Ruoxi said simply, leading them out.

Dulce glanced down at their joined hands, feeling like he should be protesting such decadent plans, considering he had actually managed to get drunk the night before. But the sooner they drank more, the sooner they could return, it was a curious arrangement.

So a short while later, he was in a flimsy robe, sitting in steaming water while cradling a steaming pot of wine. He hadn’t been able to turn it down when Qingyi shoved it into his arms, wondering why he was also drinking more.

But the wine was incredibly delicious, sweet yet light, it was too easy to keep drinking more.

When Ruoxi informed him of their plans for the day, he hadn’t been expecting that he would get a little pond all to himself. Privacy was provided by the leaves of the giant weeping willows around, a gentle breeze blowing through the hanging leaves.

The sun was hidden by the trees so it was difficult to tell how much time he spent in the pond, but he eventually had enough of sitting in the eternally warm water, rising to his feet.

He shrugged off the wet robe, his hair limp and wet, the faint inscription down his slender back immediately covered up by a dry and larger bathrobe, cradling his now-empty pot of wine in his arms as he attempted to find his way out of the maze of weeping willows.

Lihua found him first, her tall figure easily parting the curtains of leaves to get to him. "Ruoxi is drunk off a jug of wine again," She reported without remorse, "So I came to get you. Are you hungry?"

The Succubus was as elegant and intimidating as the enormous willow trees around, the lotus flower on her forehead a soothing pink.

Dulce wasn’t hungry but he didn’t want to turn her down so he agreed, finding himself on a lotus flower in a pond with a large tray of pastries.

"Some fruit," The Succubus said mildly, returning with an armful of shimmering blue fruit.

Their strange color was the least startling thing about them, each was the size of a cushion, it reminded him of the young Demon child they saw when they first arrived at Lotus Garden.

"Thank you," Dulce said with trepidation, wondering how he was expected to finish so much food.

"My company must be uninspiring, I’ll go fetch Ruoxi." Lihua said, drifting off before Dulce could protest her words.

What he didn’t know while he worried about how to go about eating so much food was that Lihua had picked up her son and tossed him into the nearest pond she could find, shooing him off to go entertain his lover.

Dulce was bravely attempting to bite into one of the blue fruits, needing to hold onto it with both hands when Ruoxi made an appearance.

The Demon’s black hair was damp and loose down his back, his golden skin glowing in the afternoon sun. "Lihua said you were crying for me." He claimed with a straight face lightly leaping onto a lotus leaf next to him.

Dulce lowered the unbitten fruit, "I heard you were drunk."

Ruoxi reached over to take a pastry from the tray, "That’s an aphrodisiac," He said shortly, referring to the fruit in Dulce’s hands. "Don’t believe everything Lihua tells you."

Dulce glanced down at the fruit, disappointment in his eyes. He had been looking forward to trying it, deeply curious about what it would taste like.

Ruoxi saw the longing in the Vampire’s eyes, his gaze lowering. "You can eat as much as you like, then come crying to me." He was so entranced by the idea that he forgot to eat the pasty he held.

Dulce reluctantly put the fruit down, "It’s more trouble than it’s worth." He mumbled, not sounding like he fully believed it.

"It’s not trouble to me," He rose to his feet, pastry polished off. "I’m going to get more wine."

Dulce didn’t stop him, aware that they couldn’t leave until the Demon achieved his goal. He bobbed around gently on the pond, eyeing the fruit several times, the tray of desserts completely forgotten.

Perhaps if he tried a little nibble he would be fine... he rationalized, wishing he had been brave enough to ask how potent an aphrodisiac it was.

Ruoxi took his time returning, and during the wait, Dulce gave in to the temptation, taking a little bite out of the fruit. He was stunned when he did, the shimmering blue fruit tasted like spun sugar, it took a concentrated effort for him not to throw all caution to the wind and eat more of it.

Ruoxi returned then, bringing with him a single jug of wine, mischief dancing in his eyes. "Did you try the fruit?" He asked right away, getting comfortable next to Dulce.