Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Chapter 119

Dulce wore his guilt in his eyes, about to ask if he could eat more of it. "A little."

"It’s a normal fruit," Ruoxi revealed, taking a sip of wine.

Dulce hesitated, torn on what to believe, "But you said..."

"Don’t believe me either," The Incubus said shamelessly, a smile playing on his lips.

He glanced down at the fruit for the umpteenth time, deciding to throw all caution to the wind and eat it. It was so delicious that he was moved to tears, eating all three of the large fruits without realizing it.

Ruoxi entertained himself by watching the Vampire delicately eat through the fruits, reluctant to drink more. "Do you want more?"

Dulce was left with incriminating blue hands, his tongue equally blue as it darted out to lick over his lips. "I shouldn’t," He said with muted devastation.

Ruoxi laughed and emptied the jug of flower wine, "You can if you want to. There is an endless field of them."

Dulce fell quiet, evidently thinking hard about his choice. He thought too long because before he could decide, the Demon was already passed out cold on the large leaf, his hand hanging over the edge into the water.

He sat with his wants until the moon rose, Ruoxi rising unfazed. The Incubus got out of the pond and left without a word, returning before Dulce could question his absence.

Dulce couldn’t help the sparkle in his eyes when Ruoxi returned with more of the fruit, turning a blind eye to the Demon equally returning with another jug of wine.

The time he tried his best not to gobble it down, savoring every bite. When it was finally finished, Ruoxi was still awake, his now empty jug of wine half filled with water from the pond.

"Do you want more?" He asked again, his words slurred, but other than that, he looked no worse for wear.

This time, Dulce could disagree with more confidence. "I shouldn’t." He said again, but there was contentment in his tone.

The sun was starting to rise then, the warmth welcome. He almost felt drowsy, full of fruit and gently warmed by the sun.

As soon as the sun fully rose, he was once again given the offer to soak in a hot pond. It was truly a decadent lifestyle, all he did was soak, eat fruits, drink wine, and then bask in the sunlight and moonlight.

This time, Qingyi came to find him. "I heard you liked moonberries," She fished for information as they walked out of the willow forest.

From behind swaying curtains of leaves, he could hear soft conversation and gentle laughter. It wasn’t just the Lady of the Garden that lived in such comfort, every Demon on the island lived the same way.

"Moonberries?" He repeated, at a loss.

"Yes, I got you more." Qingyi went on like his confusing question was the affirmation she needed.

He didn’t stay confused for long, Qingyi leading him right to Ruoxi’s room where a large cloth was laid out, a pile of shimmering blue fruit piled on it. He stood in the doorway, blinking in shock.

"If you need more I’ll be happy to get you more," She said cheerily, mistaking Dulce’s shock for being overwhelmed with happiness.

"Thank you," Was all he could manage, wary of saying more and encouraging the Succubus to go through with her promise anyway.

He was in another robe, with flowy pants this time, his damp hair sun-warmed. Despite his shock at the sheer number, his bare feet carried him across the carpet to the pile of fruit.

His patterned robe was belted tight but he was worried about staining it, so he undid it and shrugged it off, slowly lowering himself to the ground.

Perhaps if Ruoxi had returned earlier, he would have grown self-conscious and only eaten a respectable portion. But he was left to his own antics for most of the day, his tongue getting more and more blue as the pile of fruits steadily went down.

By the time Ruoxi left his mother’s side, ready to return to Earth, Dulce was drunk off moonberries, crumpled on the carpet with a half-eaten fruit cradled in his arms.

Ruoxi’s expression was inscrutable as he approached, covering up the Vampire with somewhat of an urgency. He picked up the limp Vampire whose hands had gone blue, shimmering in the silver light of the moon.

There was no reason to wait until Dulce roused, this was an agreeable arrangement, it was better to travel through the portal while the Vampire was too inebriated to notice.

The darkness in his gaze didn’t ease even when the portal split open the air - he hadn’t even known that moonberries were intoxicating. They were a favorite amongst children and fledglings for their sweet taste and the blue pigment they left behind.

He had already said goodbye to Lihua and Qingyi. He wasn’t returning home yet so he hadn’t been inclined to announce his presence to anyone else. His home was safe and that was satisfactory, they were also going into hiding so that eased the rest of his worries.

Ruoxi hesitated only for a moment before stepping through the portal. He wasn’t selfish enough, easily fulfilling Dulce’s wishes although he wanted to keep the Vampire in Huayuan by his side for far longer.

It was equally night on Earth yet he was immediately surrounded. The hot, arid air of the desert disagreeable.

"He’s drunk off berries," He explained before he could be asked a question, possessively holding the Vampire close. With good reason, because the three gazes fixed on them were shrewd and calculating, he would lose Dulce if he grew lax.

Asael narrowed his eyes, disbelieving. He didn’t even know the Vampire could get inebriated, his patience frayed thin. Black was creeping in from the edges of his irises, the longer he stayed awake, the more detrimental it was to him.

But he still hadn’t managed to sleep despite seeing Dulce again. He didn’t follow the entourage into the palace, his demeanor calm despite the darkness eating at his eyes.