Chapter 90: What the Heart Wants

Daemon understood.

Sitting on the garden bench while laughter still drifted through the estate, he finally understood why Victoria’s eyes had turned wet in the middle of everyone else’s joy.

Kassia could carry a child.

Victoria, right now, could not.

Not safely. Not fully. Not while the incomplete Vampire Bloodline still lived inside her like a countdown. Until she completed the Bloodline Trial in the Vampire Kingdom, her body would remain unstable.

The trial would take months. And until then, the future she wanted most would keep sitting just out of reach, no matter how brightly everyone else smiled around her.

Daemon lowered his gaze and spoke inwardly.

System. You told me Kassia was also affected by the same kind of bloodline curse after awakening. But she cured herself. How?

The System answered at once.

[Host, Kassia awakened a Dragonoid lineage.]

[Like Victoria, her awakening was only partial and not fully compatible with Earth’s energy.]

[However, what prevented the curse from consuming her was her regeneration ability.]

Daemon’s eyes narrowed slightly as the explanation continued in clean, exact lines.

[Vampires and dragons both possess superior regeneration compared to most races.]

[Kassia’s lineage is White Dragon royalty purer and significantly stronger than Victoria’s current incomplete Vampire Bloodline.]

[Because of that purity, the curse could not spread through her body. Her regeneration activated on a cellular level and repaired the damage as it formed.]

[In practical terms, her body leans toward immortality. Ordinary physical destruction is extremely difficult. Only the destruction of the soul poses a true threat.]

Daemon was silent for a moment, letting the meaning settle fully into place.

Can Victoria have a child? Can both she and the child remain safe if it happens?

[Possible, but not advisable in her current state.]

[Her remaining lifespan under the incomplete awakening is approximately three years.]

[Priority recommendation: complete bloodline awakening and stabilize her body first.]

[After full awakening, pregnancy becomes far safer. The child may also inherit potential from both parents.]

Daemon exhaled slowly.

That was enough.

He needed to talk to her before the misunderstanding in her heart grew any deeper, before she turned other people’s happiness into proof that she had been left behind.

"Victoria. Come here."

She was still near the others when he called. For a second she hesitated, then walked over through the soft garden light.

The moment she came within reach, Daemon pulled her down onto his lap and wrapped an arm around her waist with quiet certainty.

Victoria’s whole body stiffened.

"D-Daemon"

Her ears went red almost immediately. Evelyn, Sana, Roxanna, and Kassia were all still in view. Being held like this in front of them was far more embarrassing than any battlefield she had ever faced, and she could already feel every pair of eyes catching the moment.

Daemon gently lifted her chin with two fingers.

"I know what you’re thinking."

Victoria’s eyes widened.

"You want a baby too, don’t you?"

"I-I don’t no " She stumbled over the denial so badly it only made the truth clearer.

Daemon didn’t laugh at her. He only held her tighter, voice low enough for her alone, steady enough to leave no room for doubt.

"You can have one. After you complete the trial."

Victoria froze against his chest.

"...Do you really believe that?"

"One hundred percent," Daemon said without hesitation. "I believe in you. Who knows? You might even set a new record."

That finally pulled a real laugh out of her, soft and shaky, the kind that came only when fear loosened just enough to let hope through.

"My sweet darling," Daemon murmured, brushing his thumb against her cheek, "don’t put yourself down."

Victoria’s embarrassed expression slowly eased into a small smile.

"Okay."

From a few steps away, Kassia watched them carefully.

A strange thought crossed her mind as she took in the scene.

The Daemon she used to know had always struggled a little when talking to other women. Around her, he had been natural. Around strangers, awkward and careful.

Now she was watching him hold Victoria with open affection, speak gently, and read her heart without needing a long explanation.

He had changed.

For a moment Kassia waited for jealousy to rise the way she expected it to.

It didn’t.

Not the sharp kind she had prepared herself for.

Because here, in this garden, it was obvious that none of these women were standing above the others in his eyes.

They were all with him. Different places in his life, same weight in his heart.

That understanding settled over her more easily than she thought it would, and the relief of it surprised her more than the absence of anger.

Kassia walked over.

Without asking for permission, she sat on Daemon’s other leg, opposite Victoria, and rested lightly against him as if the decision had already been made in her chest before her mind finished arguing.

Victoria blinked in surprise.

Kassia looked at her and smiled with quiet sincerity.

"Sister. If you truly think of me as your sister, then you can think of my child as yours too."

Victoria’s eyes shone at once.

"okay," she said softly. "Thank you. I gained a sweet sister today."

Daemon sat there with both of them on his lap, one arm around Victoria and the other steadying Kassia, and for a brief second the world felt almost too full. Happiness, fear, hope, and responsibility all pressed into the same small space between them, warm and heavy at the same time.

Then the System rang in his mind.

Ding!

[Rewards have been generated.]

[Source: Kassia and Victoria’s genuine happiness.]

[Reward 1: Nameless Bloodline progression increased to 25%.]

[Memory Capsule 1 can now be opened.]

[Reward 2: Kassia’s Regeneration Skill has been granted to Host Level 1.]

[This skill may be upgraded through the Host’s growth.]

Daemon’s pulse jumped hard.

Twenty-five percent.

The Memory Capsule he had been unable to open for so long was finally unlocked. And on top of that, a regeneration skill connected to Kassia’s bloodline had been granted to him.

Both rewards had come not from battle or bloodshed, but from real happiness shared openly in front of him. For once, progress had arrived through connection instead of conflict.

Before he could check the details further, Sana caught his hand.

"Alright," she said. "Everything important is settled for now."

Daemon looked up.

Sana’s eyes gleamed with open intent.

"You promised me something. Now keep it."

There was no mistaking the way she said it. Soft voice. Direct look. The kind of seduction that did not bother hiding itself from anyone watching, and did not care who saw her claim the moment.

Daemon smiled faintly.

"How could I forget?"

Sana turned to the others without a hint of shame.

"Nobody disturb us. I’m taking time with him."

Victoria raised an eyebrow. Kassia’s expression blanked for half a second. Roxanna covered a small smile with her fingers.

Evelyn looked skyward like she had decided not to process any more surprises for the rest of the day.

Sana pulled Daemon up from the bench and led him toward the house with clear purpose in every step, leaving the garden’s warmth behind them.

As they left, Kassia watched their backs with a complicated look she could not fully name. Before the thought could turn heavier, Victoria took her hand.

"Don’t overthink it," Victoria said gently. "Just relax. Come on. We can talk with the others. I still want to hear more about you and Daemon."

Kassia hesitated, then nodded and let herself be guided back toward the group, leaving the path to Sana’s room behind them and choosing conversation over silence.

Sana’s room was quieter than the garden.

The moment the door shut, she turned and kissed him.

It was not shy. Not careful. It was the kiss of someone who had been holding back longer than she wanted to admit.

Daemon responded at once, one hand at her waist, the other sliding into her white hair as he pulled her closer until there was almost no space left between them.

When they finally broke apart, Sana’s breathing was uneven and her eyes were bright with something she no longer tried to hide.

"Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this?" she whispered against his mouth. "From the moment I saw you in the WHA control room, I fell for you. Call me crazy if you want. It’s still true."

Daemon’s eyes darkened at the honesty in her voice.

He kissed her harder.

Sana made a small sound against his lips and pushed at his chest.

"Slow down, idiot"

The push sent him back onto the bed.

Daemon landed on the mattress and laughed under his breath.

"Now you’re the one pushing me?"

Sana stood at the foot of the bed and smirked, heat clear in her eyes as she looked down at him without looking away.

"Yes."

She stayed there for a second longer, as if giving him one last chance to understand exactly what she intended. Then her hands moved to her clothes.

Slowly, deliberately, she began removing her dress.

Daemon’s gaze followed every motion as the fabric loosened and started to slip from her shoulders, and the door to what came next waited just beyond that falling cloth.