Chapter 188

Chapter 188: Chapter 188

In the peaceful meadow of Dewmire, cold gray clouds hung heavy in the sky. The once vibrant trees in the fields had lost their leaves, dark branches reaching to the sky like gnarled fingers. There were still a few pears clinging to the branches and beyond the fields, the evergreen forest loomed.

Dulce was seated next to the fireplace in the leisure room, for the first time, the hearth wasn’t cold, it crackled, filling the room with warmth. A warmth that seemed not to touch the distracted Vampire, he was staring out the window, watching the first flakes of snow fall.

Kath’tan frowned, there had been a cold spell over the past few days, and with it came a despondency that seemed to envelope Dulce.

"Do you need to pay a visit to the witch?" He asked gruffly. The Vampire rarely showed large fluctuations in emotion, so he was on uncertain ground.

Dulce looked away from the first snow, his eyes like frosted glass. "Not for two days, no." He replied like he always would, but didn’t ease the strange sadness in his eyes.

"Are you cold?" Asael asked next. He hadn’t been present when the Hellhound departed but Dulce had handled it as well as he handled everything else so he couldn’t pinpoint the reason he was so out of sorts.

The Vampire had the disposition of lukewarm water, so his cold sadness was unsettling.

"I can’t feel the cold," Dulce was quick to reassure them, his smile softening his cold, pale features. "It’s the first snow," He went on, some of the coldness thawing, "Are either of you interested in seeing it up close?"

Neither Demon dared to turn him down when he was in such a strange state, and a short while later, they followed Dulce out of the cottage.

The Vampire had made them wear scarves and padded gloves, but before they were out the front doors, Kath’tan had already unraveled his scarf. He kept it slung over his shoulders despite this, not wanting to worry Dulce.

Dulce lifted his face to the falling snow, his pale hair was unbound, and it was nearing the day for him to feed from Kath’tan so his face was equally pale. It made the Vampire look like he was made from snow, the faintest hint of pink on the tip of his nose.

"Winters are always so lonely," He said without being prompted as they wandered into the flower fields, "It’s why I wanted a Hellhound..."

The flower fields were once vibrant but now they were devoid of color, the grass persevering despite the drop in temperature.

"...to sit with me by the hearth." Dulce went on, a flash of white on the ground catching his attention. "But I’m not lonely anymore," He said with a smile, crouching to study the white flower that had caught his eye.

Kath’tan was unconvinced by Dulce’s claims, he had even forgotten about the aggravating Hellhound already. He looked away, staring into the forest. The Hellhound was the only Demon Dulce wanted anyway, the rest of them were just mistakes.

Asael was less bothered by Dulce’s words, even more than the Vampire’s wants, he already knew that none of the other Demons would be leaving anytime soon. Unless Caedos got himself killed in battle, the Hellhound would return.

But he did get some insight into the Vampire’s strange mood and with the insight came dissatisfaction.

Unaware of the thoughts his words had inspired, Dulce was completely focused on the little white flower. It drooped, a single snowflake weighing it down.

"A snowdrop," He announced, visibly pleased by it.

Kath’tan glanced down, almost missing the fragile little flower. He scowled, it looked like it wouldn’t even survive a gentle breeze, much less the snow which was picking up.

"Take it with you," Asael said his thoughts out loud, "A storm is coming..."

"Why are we outside in the cold?" Ruoxi’s disgruntled voice came from a distance. Unlike the others who had been dressed by Dulce, the Incubus was in an embroidered robe from Huayuan, and as expected, it was unbelted.

Dulce shot to his feet, immediately forgetting about the flower. He hadn’t planned to take it with him though, loath to pluck the first snowdrop of winter.

He hurried over to hold the lapels of Ruoxi’s robe close, concern furrowing his brows. "Are you not cold?"

"Not when you’re next to me," The Demon’s response was quick.

"Let’s return," Kath’tan interrupted with a dark scowl.

A storm was truly coming, swirling snow fell faster, the wind picking up. It was cold and biting, heralding the storm.

Ruoxi warped away with Dulce, Kath’tan following suit.

Asael hesitated for a bit, his gray eyes settling on the flower. It swayed weakly, its petals hanging down like a lamp. He turned away and vanished, leaving the little snowdrop to its fate.

Back in the leisure room, Ruoxi kept Dulce close and in his hand was something wrapped in a cloth. It was to this sight that Asael returned to see.

"You’ve been out of sorts all day so I got you a little present," Ruoxi was saying.

Dulce glanced down at the ’present’ the Demon offered him, curious. "Did you return to Huayuan for this?"

Ruoxi kept a poker face, he had actually returned for some flower wine to cheer Dulce up. Qingyi had been the one to give him this carefully tied moonberry for Dulce.

After studying the two items, one clearly had a bit more effort put into it so a little white lie was in order. "I did. Like it?"

Dulce took the wrapped present, the weight was familiar, his eyes sparkling. "Is it a moonberry?" He asked with a smile, already unraveling it.

The shimmery blue fruit was a shade darker than his eyes, and even though he had already guessed it, he smiled wider. "I do."

Ruoxi barely got started on basking in the Vampire’s approval when Dulce turned away from him.

"Does anyone care for some moonberry?" He asked, walking over to Asael.

Asael looked past him to the infuriated Demon, the edges of his lips tilting in a barely visible smile. "I do."