"Hey, Ethan! What are you thinking about? I can sense that you're scheming something… and it feels really dangerous, isn't it?"
Autumn snapped her fingers next to Ethan's ear. But Ethan was still lost in thought, mentally drafting a plan to set a trap for the Blood-Giver.
"I'm hungry! Let's head down to the dining room!"
Ethan snapped out of it and forced a sheepish smile, trying to act as normal as possible under Autumn's watchful gaze.
"Autumn, can you take me to the dining room? I still don't remember where it is. Your house is like a maze!"
Felix stomped his feet like a toddler, successfully tricking Autumn into holding his hand and leading him downstairs.
And not only that, Felix even pulled Autumn ahead of Ethan, forcing Ethan to watch the two of them hand in hand, laughing and chatting away.
"Bro, we grew up together, okay? We're like siblings from the same family. There's really nothing going on between us, I swear. Don't overthink it."
Royce gave Ethan a sympathetic smile as they walked side by side.
"I'm not overthinking anything."
"Bro, you gave me the exact same look back when Autumn and I showed up in the second-floor cafeteria to rescue you from the Femme Fatale girls."
"No I didn't!"
Ethan turned beet red and instantly denied it at full volume - so loudly that Felix and Autumn turned around to look. But they quickly turned back to continue their conversation.
"Hehehe. I know that look too well. Hang in there, bro!"
Royce gave Ethan a hearty slap on the back.
That slap almost made Ethan let out the sigh he'd been trying so hard to hold in. Almost.
It seemed Royce sometimes forgot that Ethan was human. No - maybe Royce forgot he was a Vampire and also forgot how to regulate his strength when dealing with humans.
At last, what felt like an endless journey from Ethan's attic room to the dining room on the first floor finally came to an end.
In the morning and afternoon, the dining room had felt cold and empty, with only Mr. Silvan and Ethan using it.
But come evening, the room now looked much cozier with the whole Autumn family present.
Mrs. Marina sat at the head of the table - a powerful position that made it immediately clear who the true authority in this household was.
To her left, several seats down, sat her eldest son: Spring, the one with the icy blue eyes that were a perfect copy of his mother's. His hands were resting on the keyboard of a laptop. It seemed that even with dinner approaching, Spring still had a mountain of work to get through.
Directly to Mrs. Marina on the right was Celestia - the girlfriend of her younger son, Summer. Celestia looked especially elegant and refined that evening, with her hair styled in a high Regency-style updo like a noble lady.
As soon as Autumn entered the room, Celestia rose to her feet and opened her arms wide. Autumn dashed into her embrace, and the two young girls exchanged affectionate greetings before Autumn took an empty seat on Mrs. Marina's left.
Seeing that, Felix quickly claimed the seat right next to Autumn. Still wary of his creditor, he subtly slid his chair far away from Spring - which meant he was now seated extremely close to Autumn.
After greeting everyone at the table, Ethan stood awkwardly still, unsure of what to do next. He scanned the room, feeling out of place and uncomfortable - especially as the only human present.
Ethan was about to slip into the kitchen to help Mr. Silvan with dinner prep, following Royce - but it was too late. Summer had already pulled him into the seat beside him.
And so Ethan sat there, dazed, as multiple conversations buzzed around him like a swarm of bees.
"Why didn't your little sister Ruby come over with you today, Celestia?"
Mrs. Marina asked gently.
"She made up with her boyfriend, Ma'am. His family invited her over for dinner tonight."
"Oh, I see. Come to think of it, ever since Ruby got a boyfriend, she hasn't come here to visit Autumn nearly as often. It's been almost a year since I last saw those two adorable girls frolicking in my garden every weekend, hasn't it, Autumn?"
"But I and Ruby are still really close at school, Mom,"
Autumn replied sweetly, flashing a gentle smile.
Ethan froze. He stared at Autumn, dumbfounded. This little sly fox is lying straight to her mom's face without even flinching. Ethan had seen it for himself: the relationship between Ruby and Autumn was anything but "really close."
"Have Anya and Yara gotten boyfriends yet, dear?"
"They're kind of on and off, Mom. Their relationships don't seem as stable as Ruby's."
"So that means you're the only one in your group who's still single, huh, Autumn? Teenage boys these days seem to prefer taller, more mature girls over petite ones who still look like children. Isn't that right, Autumn?"
Mrs. Marina teased, clearly not ready to let her daughter off the hook.
Ethan was once again caught off guard - not because he cared about the dating lives or romantic preferences of teenagers, but because Mrs. Marina had just implied that Autumn and the Femme Fatale trio were all part of the same group.
Had they once been genuinely close in the past?
Is that why Autumn keeps insisting on defending Ruby, Anya, and Yara?
"Yes, ma'am! I think tall guys like Ethan probably prefer tall girls like Ruby. But I personally only like small and adorable girls like Autumn."
Felix jumped in to answer on Autumn's behalf - and shamelessly put words in Ethan's mouth, nearly causing him to choke on air.
"Wh - Who says that! There are plenty of tall guys at Harmony who like Autumn!"
Ethan glared at Felix.
"Then tell me one tall guy at Harmony who likes Autumn?"
"Like… like that guy Andrew the Detective from class 11B. He's about 1.74 or 1.75 meters tall, and he got really anxious earlier this week when his 'princess' went missing during the first week of the Event 'Take Care of the Girls for Vietnamese Women's Day'."
"I bet that was just part of his duties for the event. Try giving me another example, Ethan."
Ethan was speechless. He couldn't say that name - the one only he knew. No, it was still too soon. No one just confesses their feelings outright when they're not sure of the answer.
"You see, Autumn? At 1.53 meters, your height makes any guy around 1.78 meters look like a Pervert Lolicon. You're better off dating someone like me - 1.68 is a perfect match, don't you think?"
Felix gazed at Autumn with his long lashes fluttering, as if the entire dinner table had vanished and it was just the two of them.
Silence fell like a curtain. Everyone at the table froze - as if they had just locked eyes with Medusa herself.
Even Spring, who had been feverishly typing away on his laptop, stopped mid-keystroke to turn and wait for Autumn's reply.