After resigning, Lucien was sitting on the luxurious sofa in Selene's house; she was lying on his lap with her eyes closed.
Right now, he was thinking about his family... no, more precisely, about his mother.
The image of her lying in a hospital bed stuck in his mind like a knife. The tubes, the smell of disinfectant, her increasingly pale skin...
The idea of turning her into a vampire crossed his mind. Immortality, strength, health... she would no longer suffer; she would never again have to endure a weak body.
But there was a big problem: his mother was not a virgin, and if he applied the same method that Selene used on him, she would become a ghoul thirsty for human flesh and blood.
What kind of son would he be if he condemned the woman who gave him life to crawl around like a hungry monster?
'I need to learn more about this world and vampires, so I can give my mother the gift of immortality.'
And his father? Lucien didn't give a damn. That man was just a damn abuser who ruined his mother's life. Even if he heard the news that he had died, he wouldn't cry.
It was the same when you hear a news story: [A stranger died of starvation on the other side of the world]. You'd say, Oh... how bad, but in reality, you couldn't give a shit about that.
That was the same feeling she had toward her father.
"What are you thinking about, darling?" Selene opened one eye, looking at his thoughtful face, and settled herself more comfortably on his lap.
"To the most important woman in my life," said Lucien, still lost in his thoughts, not noticing how Selene's expression was covered by her horse.
"Who is that woman?" she asked. Her voice was cold and lifeless, an aura of death seeping from her body.
Feeling the dangerous aura, he lowered his gaze and, seeing Selene's state, an amused smile appeared on his lips: "Of course I'm talking about my mother. Who else could be the most important woman in my life?" he said playfully, gently caressing Selene's cheek.
"Oh... right, your mother." Selene nodded several times, as if trying to convince herself, and little by little the aura disappeared. She regained her warmth and even smiled sweetly. "It didn't occur to me... Of course, why would you have another? If you're a virgin... otherwise, you would have become a ghoul."
Lucien's smile tightened. 'Why do they always mention my virginity? It's some kind of joke I don't get.' He sighed, shaking his head.
"By the way, darling, what will you do now?" Selene turned playfully in his lap and stiffened when she felt... something hard pressing against her chest. Selene's smile turned mischievous.
Feeling his little brother wake up, he tried to appear calm, although internally, the embarrassment was killing him.
'Damn, I wish I had had more female contact to avoid these situations.' He regretted not having been more social, especially with women.
Cough!
Lucien pretended to cough, trying to sound casual as he settled into the sofa. "I'm planning to visit my mother in the hospital... would you like to come with me? I'll tell her I'm married to a beautiful woman."
Selene opened her eyes wide, and in an instant her face lit up as if she had just heard the best news of her life.
"Oh, by the vampire king, of course!" she exclaimed, almost jumping for joy. Her smile was so radiant that it seemed to fill the entire room with light. "I have to get dressed up to see my mother-in-law. I need to find something to wear!"
With childlike enthusiasm, she got up from his lap and practically trotted out, followed by one of the maids.
Lucien watched her leave, surprised by how much the atmosphere had changed with a single smile. He had hesitated to invite her, but seeing that reaction... There was no trace of doubt left in him.
At that moment, Selene was not the dangerous vampire who could freeze the air with a gesture, but an extraordinarily tender and adorable woman.
He sits up from the couch, yawning... despite having immunity to the sun, he had a hell of a dream. 'Now I understand why vampires are said to be creatures of the night.' He lazily stretches his body.
He looked around, wondering where to go to find a room, but he had no idea; the interior of the house was too large—it would not be a lie to say it was a mansion.
"How did they make the interior so big?" Lucien asked aloud, not expecting an answer.
"Magic."
The voice came from right beside him. Lucien turned with a gasp and found the maid with shoulder-length white hair, violet eyes, and a face with European elegance.
"Magic?" he repeated, feigning calm.
"Oh, wow. I was expecting you to scream 'Kyaaa!'" said Mayla, bringing both hands to her cheeks and striking a pose like a shōjo manga heroine. Her shrill voice was so convincing that for a moment it seemed as if she had rehearsed in front of the mirror. A second later, she returned to neutrality, as if nothing had happened.
'Woman... You nearly scared the crap out of me!' Even so, he maintained his dignity with forced stoicism. However, something prevented him from doing something so shameful; it was... very strange.
Mayla, with her neutral expression and impeccable demeanor of a perfect maid, said, "As I was saying, Lord Lucien, witches' magic was used to make the interior look so large."
"And can vampires learn magic?" That was an extremely important question for Lucien.
However, he was destined to be disappointed.
"No, vampires cannot use magic, or so I have heard, since there has never been a recorded case of such a thing. Only human women can become witches," Mayla explained in her neutral voice.
"I see..." Lucien immediately lost interest and, with a sigh, said, "Show me to a room, I'm too sleepy."
"As you command, Lord Lucien."
They both gave up, and in a long hallway that seemed to go on forever, Mayla stopped and opened one of the doors, revealing a luxurious room.
"I thought vampires slept in coffins." Lucien raised an eyebrow when he saw the room with its king-size bed, grenadilla wood desk, and bearskin rug.
"Lord Lucien, you've seen too many movies," Mayla replied with absolute neutrality.
He clicked his tongue.
"So there's no coffin with black silk cushions and dramatic red curtains? What a disappointment... and I wanted to practice my Dracula pose."
For a second, he thought he saw the corners of Mayla's lips tremble, but she quickly regained her impeccable composure.
"If you wish, I can have a coffin carved with memory foam."
Lucien looked at her suspiciously, but he was too tired to argue. He collapsed onto the bed and closed his eyes immediately.
His last thought before sinking into sleep was:
'I definitely should have ordered the coffin with memory foam.'
...
Night.
Lucien opened his eyes and felt his senses sharpen and expand. He turned his head, and there was Selene, leaning gracefully against the doorframe.
She wore a tight black dress that hugged every curve of her body; the fabric flowed like a dark river, revealing her firm, beautiful legs.
"Good morning, sleeping beauty," she said with a mischievous smile.
"Wouldn't it be... good night?" He sat up in bed, yawning.
She approached him slowly.
"Darling, you're a vampire now, remember?" Selene said as she gently smoothed the collar of his shirt, as if claiming him with a gesture as intimate as it was natural. "But I thought we were going to see your mother in the afternoon."
"If we had gone out in the afternoon, you would have been exposed to the sun, and I didn't want to put you in danger." Lucien was completely sincere in what he said.
"!!!" Selene's face softened immediately; her eyes filled with a dangerous tenderness, and without warning, she took his face in her hands and kissed him. It was a passionate, deep kiss that took his breath away. When she pulled away, her lips were still brushing against his.
"Come on," she said in a seductive whisper, caressing his chest with her fingertips. "I really want to meet my mother-in-law."
With a playful slap on his chest, she turned on her heels and left the room.
Lucien stood motionless, following her with his gaze. Her buttocks moved with a hypnotic rhythm. 'All of that is what I'm going to eat in the future.' A big smile spread across his lips, and he also left the room.
...
Through the brightly lit streets of New York, skyscrapers and neon signs reflected in Selene and Lucien's eyes.
As they made their way to the hospital, they received all kinds of looks. Well, besides their pale skin, as if they were lacking blood, they were also very attractive, looking like models.
Selene, unconcerned with the attention, stopped at every store that caught her eye. She would go in, point out what she liked, and leave with bags in both hands. She never asked about prices. Money, for her, was an abstract concept, something that didn't seem to apply to her. She walked with the natural ease of someone born a princess.
Lucien, out of curiosity, glanced at one of the tags. A chain bathed in Hope diamonds. The number had so many zeros that it almost gave him a heart attack.
"...The rich are another species," he muttered, running his hand over his face.
Suddenly, his nose caught a familiar scent. He turned his head just in time to see a group of vampires rushing into a tinted SUV that sped off with screeching tires, disappearing into traffic.
The smell was unmistakable to him.
'Loic...' he thought, narrowing his eyes. It must be his family.
For a moment, his instincts tensed, but then he smiled calmly. 'Seems like it was the right decision.'
Then, in a nearby shop window, a pair of glasses caught his eye. Dark lenses, completely black, perfect for hiding the intensity of his vampiric vision.
"How much for those?" he asked the saleswoman, pointing at them.
She smiled professionally. "Two thousand dollars."
Lucien stared at her silently for a few seconds, as if he hadn't heard her correctly.
"...Two thousand? For a pair of glasses?" His eyebrow twitched. A single thought echoed in his head: 'Are the frames made of gold blessed by the Pope? What a rip-off!'
They left the commercial district, and the street changed: the bright signs were left behind, the sidewalks were darker, less crowded. Lucien noticed a strange silence, as if the entire city had held its breath.
And then came the stench, dry and nauseating, like an open sewer in the middle of summer.
And at the same time, pages, yellowed leaves torn from the Bible, were stuck to the posts that gave off a golden glow, and soon a prayer was heard.
"Oh, Lord of the heavens! Here we are, your executioners, your spears and your blades!
Give us the strength to root out the heretics, to tear apart the flesh of monsters and sow your justice in their blood.
Let the impure tremble, for in your name we will slaughter them without mercy!
Amen!"