Chapter 154

Chapter 154: Chapter 154

By late morning, Dulce had rounded everyone up to go fishing. The Vampire made them all wear coats, as well as rain boots, two servants riding ahead with the fishing gear.

Kath’tan tugged at the cravat around his neck that Dulce made him wear, staring up at the clear skies, there wasn’t even the faintest hint of gray in the sky.

Dulce wore a sweater, it was exquisitely knitted, the dark grey making his skin appear paler, he then wrapped a scarf around his neck. He couldn’t really feel the cold, so the added scarf was for if someone else felt cold while they fished.

Trees grew around the almost perfectly round pond, the stream that fed it coming down an incline, making a small waterfall, the water so clear that its bottom could be seen.

The fishing gear was already prepared by the time they got to the pond. The servants who had brought them returned to the cottage, bidded to return after a handful of hours had passed.

There were blankets laid out on the grass, a basket bearing freshly pressed juice, buttered bread and fruits was placed on it.

The walk from the cottage to the pond was leisurely but the sun’s strength only increased, so as soon as they arrived at the pond, Kath’tan lost his cravat and his coat.

Dulce wrapped his scarf tighter so he could better show the Demons how to place the bait on their fishing rods. Then they settled in to attempt catching something.

The pond was sizeable, and although it wasn’t as crystal clear as the distributary feeding it, the fish swimming underneath the crystal blue waters were partially visible.

Dulce sat cross-legged on a blanket at the edge of the pond, his pale, shimmering hair tied back. He threw his line out into the pond, ripples spreading out from the bobber.

Kath’tan had never gone fishing either, uninterested and uninvited to his half-siblings expeditions. He sat closest to Dulce, taking the activity very seriously.

He still remembered his conversation with Azra, the noble Fiend was mellow, and her hobbies seemed to have a hand in it. He needed to treat his attempts to be gentler with the severity it deserved.

He mimicked Dulce’s actions, throwing out his line as well. Watching the other Demons do the same to see if their technique was better than his.

While they waited for a catch, there was peaceful silence, anticipation thrumming through the air. It made everything around appear crystal-clear, like the rains from last night had washed even the sky and the earth.

Dulce’s bobber was the first to sink and with a happy smile he skillfully reeled the fish in, a silvery fish twisting on the edge of his hook. There was a barrel of water prepared to store fish that was caught, the first catch of the day plopping into the barrel.

Kath’tan stared intently at his line, wondering why no fish had bitten yet, he had put his bait on perfectly. His face was already starting to shimmer with sweat, past the sharp lines of his jaw and down his neck.

Dulce’s bobber sank a second time, snagging two fishes in a row while the others still struggled to get their first catch. He reeled in another fish, increasing the number of fishes in the barrel.

"How are you getting all the fish?" Kath’tan asked earnestly but he was prickly from the heat and irked that his line remained empty, so it came out on a scowl.

"Just hold the rod steady and a fish will bite," Dulce said with sympathy, throwing out his line for a third time.

After he caught a third fish in a row, Kath’tan shot him a glare. "Why don’t you try my fishing rod instead." He offered with a sheepish expression, putting the bait on it before handing it to him.

Kath’tan tried to soften his expression but the sun was beating down and he was in a winter shirt. "Thank you," He muttered gruffly, throwing out the line with the new rod.

Dulce wisely didn’t attempt to fish with Kath’tan’s fishing rod, taking a completely new one from the stack that had been prepared. Despite taking a completely new rod and preparing bait for it, he still caught a fourth fish before Kath’tan caught his first.

In hindsight, all three Demons were yet to catch a fish, Kath’tan was just taking it the hardest. Just as he thought that, Ruoxi’s bobber sank, the Incubus reeling his catch in.

"Why is it so big?" Ruoxi asked in mild horror as he struggled to bring the fish in, it caused large ripples in the water. It truly was big, and despite Ruoxi’s strength, the line quickly went taut.

"Try pulling it out," Dulce advised.

With a simple flick of his wrist, the fish was hauled in a wide arc out of the blue water, revealing an enormous iridescent fish reflecting the sunlight, its wriggling splashed water on Ruoxi. He placed his catch in the barrel with an expression of distaste.

"I would rather not catch another one of those," Ruoxi muttered, taking an impromptu break after his first catch.

Kath’tan shot him a glare as well, the pond was clearly casting pearls before swine. A big catch like that would have soothed his bruised ego, but even after taking Dulce’s magic fishing rod, he still couldn’t catch a single fish.

When Dulce caught the umpteenth fish, Kath’tan had hit his limit, he threw the rod down, unbuttoning his dress shirt with a ferocious expression.

Dulce glanced over at this, "Asael still hasn’t made a catch, a little more patience and..."

"I have no bait on my hook," Asael cut in dryly, and as he said that, his bobber sank.

Kath’tan shot to his feet, ripping off his shirt without undoing the rest of his buttons, having completely run out of patience. "Don’t worry, I’ll go in directly and catch the fishes I want." He said with an unsettling calm, kicking off his shoes.