POV: Bruno
Slowly, my eyes opened. Thanks to accelerated regeneration, even though I woke up tired and wounded, my mind was already working at full capacity—sharp and alert.
But when I looked around, I was startled. I wasn't in that simple castle room anymore.
Now it was an absurdly luxurious bedroom—full of elegant and expensive things. Refined chandeliers, soft couches, packed bookshelves, carved wooden racks, a massive wardrobe...
For a moment, I was confused, unsure of where I was, until I noticed something beside me: Flávia was lying comfortably, holding me with affection. On the walls, paintings alternated between her and Serapynhe.
"Totally her style…" I thought, smiling internally.
I tried to move a little, but pain shot through my body intensely. Getting beaten up without the effects of a healing potion was still as unpleasant as ever—then, and now.
Seeing me trying to move, Flávia woke up almost by instinct and quickly tried to stop me:
"Bruno, stay down! Using healing potions too often still leaves pain for a while."
As she spoke, a bit flustered, I reached up, cupped her cheek, and gave her a soft kiss.
"What are you doing here, Batty Girl?"
"Obviously I came to stay with you! If they take Bruno away from Batty Girl... then Batty Girl comes to Bruno!" she said, throwing herself into a cute hug. "So? Do you like the surprise?"
"You have no idea... These days without you felt like torture. But we do need to talk later, right?"
"I don't think so…" she whispered, hiding her face against my chest.
"…Sorry?"
"Nooo…" she murmured even softer, melting in embarrassment.
Even in pain, I pulled her into a tighter hug and brought our faces close.
"Seems like you've been telling me a few little lies, haven't you, Batty Girl?"
She froze a little.
"I found out power levels aren't... that simple. And more importantly: about the vampire transformation ritual... You said you just had to bite me and inject your blood, but turns out there's more to it, isn't there?"
"I heard from Nerys when she figured out who I am. Care to explain, hmm?"
She looked at me with those sparkly mischievous eyes, then a wide smile appeared on her lips.
"Wellll… looks like you found out my lil' secrettt! But it's too late now! We're husband and wife for all eternity!" she said with pure playfulness.
"You're joking about this, Flávia… But we already talked about how I don't like being lied to, remember?" I tried to sound serious, even though I was melting inside from that look on her face.
"So what…? Are you gonna punish me, hubby?" she teased, slightly sticking her backside out.
Smack!
With a playful gesture, I brought my hand down over her back, giving soft taps on both sides.
"You've been asking for it lately, huh? Challenging your husband like that… I think I deserve a reward, or I'll have to punish my lovely wife. What do you say?"
"Well… maybe… Batty Girl might just give a little reward," she said, before sealing my lips with a loving kiss.
Between kisses and cuddles, time passed so quickly we didn't even notice. And through whispered conversations and lingering embraces...
"Changing the subject, my Batty Girl... Isn't it a problem for you to come here and leave the barony without a leader?"
"Nope!" she answered cutely, puffing her cheeks.
"And...?"
"Yes! Since I'm here, Viena will probably send someone to manage the barony."
"Viena? The red-haired woman?"
"No! That's Valessia, Selena's mom. Viena is the blonde one—my older sister."
"Oooh… So Batty Girl has two sisters? And you never thought to tell me? My heart… completely shattered..." I said, faking sadness while pinching her cheeks.
"They don't count in the equation. Only Batty Girl matters!" she replied, hugging me tighter.
"Haha! What a jealous Batty Girl... You gonna go full yandere on me now?"
"Of course! But now Bruno loves Batty Girl so much, even if she's a little yandere, he'll still stay with her, right?"
"Hmmm… I'll think about it. Maybe I'll accept... a clingy little Batty Girl."
"Well, since this Batty Girl is feeling all energetic today, maybe she could answer a few questions, no? Like, for example... where's Selena? And what about your mom?"
"And the vampire ritual... and your time in the barony..." I added, gently squeezing her nose.
"Hmm... this Batty Girl doesn't really like talking about other women... especially the competition!" she said, shaking her head and trying to get my fingers off her nose.
"Let's see… Selena is with her mom. Since they have good chemistry, Selena decided to visit while you were passed out. And I took the chance to kidnap you!"
"Selena's mom, or yours?"
"How about... both? After all, they're both my mothers-in-law, right?"
"Hmph! Batty Girl doesn't like so many women around! Just hearing 'mother-in-law' already made four specific women pop into my head!" she said, puffing her cheeks again.
"What a jealous Batty Girl! Even though you already get 90% of my time, I can't even ask?"
"Ninety percent is still too little! If it were up to me, Bruno would spend 100% of his time with Batty Girl!"
"Well... if you answer nicely... that might not be impossible." I kept teasing, because I love seeing her react.
Noticing this, she tried to squirm out of my hug—but obviously failed.
"You clown… you keep bulliyn' me!" she mumbled, more and more trapped in my arms.
"Bullyin'? No way! I'm just having fun with my wife! And if that makes me happy… it's your fault! You're the one who kidnapped me!" I said, bringing my face close to hers and planting a soft kiss on her cheek, just to see her blush.
"Okay… maybe it is my fault... but that doesn't mean Batty Girl deserves to be bullied!" she said, making a purposely cute face.
Still pretending to try to escape, she murmured:
"Well... if Batty Girl belongs to Bruno, would Bruno be willing to belong to Batty Girl too? Then... maybe she'll accept this bullying."
"Just like Batty Girl already belongs to Bruno, Bruno already belongs to Batty Girl… which is why I can bully you," I whispered, kissing her.
She sighed against my chest, with a spoiled yet glowing expression.
"So you admit to bullying your Batty Girl, you clown?"
"Batty Girl will only accept it... because her Bruno covers her in kisses… and has a really cute face, okay?"
"Oh yeah? That's the only reason?"
"Hm…" she answered with a mischievous smile.
"Then maybe I'm lucky. Because my Batty Girl has such a pretty face… I even get jealous of her mirror!" I said, playfully.
"Really? Batty Girl has such a pretty face, huh?" she asked with fake pride.
"She does. A beautiful little face… hypnotic brown eyes, perfect lips, those cheeks that… ugh... they even made me forget my questions. Maybe... Batty Girl is actually... an angel?"
I made a mock-surprised face.
Her eyes went wide, completely shy. She looked like a kid caught red-handed.
Chomp!
She bit my shoulder, all red.
"Would an angel do that?" she asked, face down.
"My angel would," I replied, smiling.
"Bruno…"
Her voice was almost a whisper.
"That's too much bullying for my heart…" she said, eyes a little misty between shyness and happiness.
"Oooh, my Batty Girl… I think I overdid it, huh?"
I held her tight, and she curled up like a kitten.
"How can this little creature be ten years older than me?" I thought, watching her so shy, cuddled on my chest.
"I'm sorry, Batty Girl… Let me smother you with kisses to recharge your energy!" I said, trying to stifle a laugh.
"No… I haven't really answered your questions yet," she whispered, still trying to hide.
"Valessia, Selena's adoptive mother… When my mom had me, she decided to adopt a child. That child was Selena. Valessia is my mother's right hand. And Selena… is mine. My adoptive sister."
She took a deep breath, calmer now, and continued:
"As for the ritual… it requires specific conditions. It's not just about biting. The main requirement is: you have to die before you're reborn."
"And with your injuries… I barely had time. Thankfully, I managed to complete the ritual."
"It connects us. Allows us to sense each other's location when we're in sync… or when we have no intent to harm each other."
"Also… some feelings and thoughts slip from you to me sometimes… but because of the level difference, you can't do the same with me."
"Finally, time in the barony is mandatory. My mom created this system so we'd all learn to take care of ourselves… and manage a small domain."
I stayed quiet, absorbing it all. Until I blurted out:
"…Wait. You can hear my feelings and thoughts…?"