Hearing the teasing from the two women beside him, Vlad, already in a foul mood, shot them a fierce glare.
He had originally wanted to loosen up a bit—and maybe give them a taste of the whip.
But when he directed the glowing orb toward the two women, he made a surprising discovery.
Within both Aleera and Marishka, he saw clusters of starlike mist—almost identical in size and brightness.
Vlad blinked, confirming he wasn't hallucinating. And suddenly, it all made sense.
"So this is what they call... luck?" he muttered, realization dawning on him.
Looking more closely, he noticed a faint, nearly invisible thread stretching from each of them to him.
Or more precisely—to the glowing orb in his mind.
As soon as he noticed that, a surge of inspiration struck him like lightning.
"Ha~haha, I get it now! I finally understand what's going on!"
Vlad's sudden burst of laughter startled the two girls. Before they could respond, he tackled them to the floor and showered them with kisses.
Although they didn't know exactly what had made him so joyful, they sensed he had finally unraveled something that had troubled him for the past two days. So neither of them resisted.
That night.
Inside a small-town hotel room.
Vlad sat writing with a quill pen, organizing the wild thoughts that had been running through his mind.
On the bed beside him, two exhausted girls lay motionless, drenched in sweat and staring blankly at the ceiling.
Scattered across the floor were discarded clothes, hemp ropes, whips, candles, and two small orbs—each a different color.
On the table, the flickering oil lamp cast jumping shadows along the walls, dancing like ghosts.
The sound of the pen scratching on paper filled the silence, creating an eerie atmosphere.
Line by line, fresh ink soaked into the parchment as he wrote:
Mysterious Light Orb: Unknown
Initial Message: Absorb the blood of a woman with luck.
Theories:
The orb may not need blood—but luck itself.
Absorbing blood might simply forge a link to that luck.
My own reincarnation may have been caused by the orb. (Unconfirmed)
The orb may require a certain amount of luck to activate its next phase.
(Confirmed: After absorbing three vampire brides, the orb appeared. The timing matches, and the luck link supports this.)
Women with luck are likely major characters from movies or television. (Others remain uncertain.)
What is the orb exactly? What will happen once it's fully activated?
"Things are getting more and more interesting," Vlad murmured to himself.
He picked up the parchment filled with notes, held it to the oil lamp's flame, and let it slowly burn.
The dancing firelight reflected across his face. Only when the last of the paper had turned to ash did he stand and walk to the window, gazing silently at the world outside.
He stood there for a long while.
"Next... I need to build my strength as quickly as possible. I must explore every hidden corner of this world, seek out those women blessed with luck, and claim their fortune."
With this goal in mind, Vlad felt his restlessness fade. He shut the doors and windows and headed toward the inner room.
"Master, where are we going? Aren't we returning to Wallachia?"
Marishka, her long blonde hair cascading down her back, lay behind Vlad with a sultry look in her eyes, playfully teasing him despite her exhausted state.
Aleera, meanwhile, was still sleeping in the carriage, trying to recover from last night's ordeal. It was clear that the "battle" had been intense—so intense that even a vampire's superhuman endurance hadn't been enough.
"Pa~" "Hiss~!"
"Master, be gentle! My butt's still sore..."
"Then maybe you should stop provoking me."
Vlad narrowed his eyes dangerously, and Marishka instantly grew timid. She clutched her backside and pouted.
"I just want to be close to you. Every time I see you, my heart starts to itch."
Vlad smirked. "Sounds like a condition. You need treatment."
"Then please… be gentler with the treatment next time~"
Watching her begin to act up again, Vlad made a mental note: next time, he'd give her a few more "injections" to truly cure that itch.
"Master, you never answered my earlier question."
"We're taking a different route. Who knows? We might run into something interesting."
"Interesting?" Marishka tilted her head, puzzled.
"Yes. Didn't you overhear those travelers chatting at the hotel this morning?"
Vlad gently pulled her into his arms and stroked her hair, calming her as he reminded her.
Marishka, enjoying the warmth of his touch, squinted like a happy kitten and nestled deeper into his chest.
"You mean the lake with treasure and a banshee?" she suddenly perked up.
"But isn't that place dangerous? Didn't they say a lot of people went missing?"
"Exactly why I want to go."
Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Vlad thought to himself:
"These two are my most trusted allies. I'll need their strength when the time comes. I can't keep everything secret forever."
"As long as I keep the light orb hidden, the rest doesn't need to be concealed."
With that, Vlad answered clearly:
"I need the blood of a woman with luck. That banshee might have it."
"Luck?"
Marishka blinked her eyes in confusion and waited for his explanation.
"How do I even explain this? I can't tell her about movies and shows—she wouldn't understand."
Vlad thought for a moment.
"Let's put it simply. People with unique traits or extraordinary circumstances usually have luck. Some more than others."
"For example, you and Aleera—both of you have luck. Got it?"
"Ah~ I still don't get it." Marishka said sweetly, shaking her head.
"So dumb!"
Aleera, who had apparently woken up during their conversation, couldn't help but throw in a jab.
She clearly hadn't forgiven Marishka for dragging her into last night's escapades.
"Hehe, then you explain it," Marishka said smugly, peeking out from Vlad's arms and sticking out her tongue.
Watching the two of them bicker like squabbling besties, Vlad couldn't help but smile.
His heart, once dark and heavy, felt lighter.
His eyes softened. His thoughts cleared. The weight of his past loosened its grip.
For the first time, Vlad felt something he'd never experienced in this life.
A sense of belonging.
A connection to this world.
And that feeling… felt good.
...
...
Read 40+ chapters ahead! Please support my work on patreon.com/CloudOfDreams.
Also please give reviews.
Thank you!