Chapter 233

Chapter 233: Chapter 233

Dulce looked the Demon over, the taste of sweet lotus still on his tongue. He didn’t know which was more aggravating, that the Demon wasn’t lying or that he couldn’t seem to muster anger.

Clutching the lapels of his stained bathrobe close, he glowered at Ruoxi, but it was more anger from embarrassment than anything else. It didn’t help that the Incubus expectantly held his gaze, while he was unable to do the same.

He scoffed and left the robe in a blur, arriving at his own room, flushed and out of breath. Able to cross continents in hours without feeling fatigued, his breathlessness had nothing to do with hurrying to his room.

Dulce went right to the bath again, and a short while later, he was dressed for the day. It was still early spring but he didn’t put on an overcoat, there was an unrestrained air about him that showed the glaring change in him.

He never bound his hair back, nor did he wear a cravat, his sleeves unbuttoned.

Dulce’s brows were low on his head as he dressed up, all off his problems could be resolved with brute strength, this was the first time he was facing a unique situation such as this.

He quietly walked out of the cottage, it was late in the morning, a gentle spring sun filling the meadow with gentle sunlight. It reflected off his gold-blond hair, making it shimmer, a halo of sunlight around his face.

He swept distant eyes around the familiar meadow, his cold eyes looking right through it. The sun was warm and tender, but it didn’t touch the jagged piece of ice that was his heart.

Without so much as a glance behind him, he left the cottage. He had barely used his vampiric speed when he was without his heart, his memories had been so slow and excruciating, but while they were being made, he had come the closest he ever had to serenity.

He was soon at the entrance to Magic Alley, his vibrant hair wind-blown, his eyes painfully cold. It wasn’t his first time at the secret corner in Fairwyn where mages and magic thrived, but as he walked through, the shady figures that had lined the walls once again now that winter had thawed were alerted by his presence.

Sharp, hooded gazes watched him walk by, every occupant of the alley on edge. Dulce paid no attention to them, saddled with more problems than he had any patience for.

He made his way through the familiar dead bramble forest that surrounded Moira’s shop, the one part of the past few decades that he didn’t meet with dread.

"Dul...ce?" Moira called out from behind the counter, her excitement trailing off into confusion.

She stared blankly at the unmistakable, yet confusing visage of the powerful friend she had known for a while now. "Dulce?" She repeated, slowly stepping out from behind the counter, his name a question.

"Yes." Dulce sighed, closing the distance. "It’s a long story."

Moira’s confusion eased into relief, completely trusting the Vampire. "I can make time. Are you alright?" She softened her voice to ask as she closed the distance.

Dulce let her study him intently, his heartless shell had mostly saddled him with troublesome problems, but he still viewed the human witch favorably. "Not entirely," He muttered darkly.

Moira nodded resolutely and took his wrist, her dark green eyes shining with curiosity after confirming that he wasn’t hurt. "Let’s discuss over tea."

Dulce glanced down at the point where she touched him, hesitation crawling up the skin of his wrist. He didn’t make up his mind in time, Moira already pulling him along.

"Did you come here all by yourself this time?" Moira was speaking as she took him to the hidden section of her shop that held her home.

Dulce glanced over his shoulder, it was just them in the hallway that he could see. "Yes."

Moira enthusiastically pulled him to a chair, going over to pour them both cups of tea from an ever steaming pot. "What happened to your hair? Did you use charms? Did you make it into the western magical institution?"

Her last question gave Dulce pause, so much had happened in the span of a day and then some that he had completely forgotten about that. "Alden found me out." He muttered, taking the time to satisfy the witch’s curiosity before delving into the matters that plagued him.

Moira nearly stumbled on her way over to bring him a cup of steaming tea, the scent of azaleas filling up the cozy room. "C-Chancellor Alden?"

"Yes." Dulce confirmed impatiently, taking the leaf saucer when she offered it to him. "...take a seat," He added after a pause.

Moira floated her teacup over, sitting on an armchair next to Dulce. As dense as she could be, even she could tell that something wasn’t quite right with the Vampire next to her, and it wasn’t the change in his hair color.

"The Dulce you’ve always known was a shell without heart or memories-"

"The glass heart!" Moira suddenly gasped, cutting him off.

"What?"

Her cup of azalea tea was abandoned on the side table that separated their armchairs, her eyes alight with interest. "You once asked me if Queen Aylin was missing a previous possession. I later came to learn that she had a precious glass heart that was stolen."

The memory rose up as she spoke, it made Dulce realize how accurate the description had been. The magical shield around his heart could be mistaken for glass...

"So you were without your heart?" Moira mused, leaning in closer to study him. She had always thought Dulce was a strange Vampire, "Can I?" She asked harmlessly holding out a hand to his chest.

Dulce quelled down his instinct to brush her off, Moira was eccentric but he could almost say he trusted the witch. "You can."

"Your heart beats," She muttered blankly, her eyes holding disbelief.

Dulce took a calm sip of honeyed, flower tea while Moira’s hand was still placed over his heart. "There are all sorts of creatures."

Moira nodded, pulling away. "Indeed."

"I came here for a reason," Dulce steered the conversation away from his recovered heart.

Moira’s gaze was still fixated on his chest like she could see through to the famed glass heart. "Right. The western magical institution wasn’t a viable solution to undo Kath’tan’s contract."

Dulce pursed his lips, "I have already severed all four," He said coolly.

Moira had finally taken a sip of her cooling tea only to spit it back out in shock. "What?"

"I’ve lived for well over two millennia," The Vampire went on, his words were haughty but his demeanor was composed. "I have perfect command of my magic."

His gaze was avoidant as he said it but Moira didn’t notice, wholeheartedly believing him.

"You did lose your memories," She vouched for him, agreeing sympathetically.

"Right." Dulce said, his tone dry. "What do you know about the mating bites of Hellhounds?" He asked directly.

Moira’s gaze shot to his neck, able to catch a glimpse of the healed indents of teeth which bore fiery veins. "I actually curiously went looking for information written about it," She admitted, her usual enthusiasm tainted with concern. "And I couldn’t find anything about it. Is there something you wanted to know?"

"I want to get rid of it," Dulce said coldly.

Moira went quiet, reminded that Dulce had just told her that he had broken off the binding contract between himself and his four Demons. "Caedos should know how."

Dulce sighed, "I would rather not ask him."

Moira thought it over, "How troublesome it must be, regaining your memories to find yourself bound to four Demons."

Despite her comforting words, her tone was almost envious. But Dulce was too strung out to notice, pushing a hand through his hair.

"It’s even more troublesome than the coven that stole my heart," He found himself complaining.

Moira felt a chill down her back, "A Vampire coven took your heart?"

"They’re inconsequential compared to the four Demons I can’t seem to get rid of." He grumbled.

Moira rose to her feet to refill their teacups, "Didn’t you break the summoning contract?"

"They all returned," He revealed grimly.

Moira’s face was green with envy as she stately poured out two more cups of pale purple tea. "They more or less haven’t gotten paid." She said tentatively.

She could tell that Dulce didn’t want to hear that the Demons had gotten emotionally attached to him and that was why they stayed by his side this whole time, to the extent of returning to his side even though their binding contracts were undone.

Dulce’s expression soured, "Vampires are soulless."

Moira studied him curiously, "You have a beating heart, you’re nothing like a Vampire."

Not to mention, Demons didn’t directly feed off the souls of their summoners or it wouldn’t be such a prevalent magical art. Human lives were finite, it gave them a vitality other creatures would never possess. It was this vitality that was exchanged for a Demon’s services.