Full of Majesty

"Something seems to be happening outside..."

"Xia Lun, don't mind it. Your attention should be on me right now. No talking about other boring things..."

Aina's hands rested on Xia Lun's shoulders. "Don't... don't move like that. I can't take it."

Xia Lun felt a bit helpless. The timing was truly inconvenient—Aina hadn't even finished her breakfast yet.

But Aina surely knew her limits. She must have been aware things wouldn’t escalate beyond control.

"It's fine, don’t worry, Xia Lun... That elf... is quite strong. Feina... probably isn’t his match." Aina nibbled on Xia Lun’s ear, her words coming out in broken whispers.

Feina... Aina clearly knew who had arrived.

Xia Lun thought it would be impolite to keep the visitor waiting too long.

With a startled gasp from Aina, Xia Lun lifted her up, one hand supporting her from below, the other pressing against her back. Instinctively, Aina wrapped her arms around Xia Lun’s neck, clinging to him like a koala.

Final form—Aina Armor, activated.

The battle would be over soon.

...

Feina’s expression darkened.

The elf before her was far stronger than she’d anticipated. His swordplay was sharp and precise—she couldn’t defend against it at all. If he hadn’t deliberately held back, she’d already have several bloody holes in her body.

The sword energy swirling around his blade... Even with a vampire’s powerful regeneration, she wouldn’t recover anytime soon.

Since when did the elves have such a formidable warrior? She had no idea.

Meanwhile, Joli’s face was equally grave.

Feina’s twin curved blades were dangerously swift, her attacks relentless like crashing waves. Dealing with her was no easy task... And she kept using bizarre spells, forcing him to stay on guard.

Blood bats split from beneath Feina’s robe, swarming toward Joli. Before his sword could strike, they exploded mid-air, forcing him to dodge frantically.

Still... Joli could handle it.

The real problem was that she refused to let him explain. This was all a misunderstanding, and he didn’t actually want to hurt her.

As for Feina, her shock only grew with each passing moment.

She was no fool. Though she seemed blinded by rage, she had already assessed the situation.

An extraordinary elf swordsman... And inside the cabin, his companions lurked. A magic barrier shrouded the house, blocking her senses entirely.

But as Aina’s subordinate, she couldn’t just flee in disgrace. Even if she stood no chance, she had to prove her worth.

Besides... Feina had already begun to suspect something.

The blood bats beneath her robe dissolved into thick crimson liquid, coating her twin blades until they gleamed like twin blood moons, radiating a deadly red glow.

Feina swung her blades, sending two scarlet arcs of energy hurtling toward Joli.

Joli’s heart skipped a beat—this attack seemed far more dangerous than before. But he reacted instinctively, redirecting the energy with his sword.

The slashes... weren’t as fearsome as he’d thought. His blade guided them upward, sending them harmlessly into the sky.

But Feina wasn’t idle. She closed the distance in an instant, pressing in close.

Her curved blades were shorter than Joli’s sword—at this range, she held the advantage.

Her blades crisscrossed, aiming for Joli’s throat.

Joli’s sword was still raised high from deflecting the attack. There was no time to bring it down for defense—Feina’s blades were already at his neck.

Yet, in that split second, Joli tightened his grip and yanked the hilt downward before releasing it entirely. The sword plummeted like a falling star, its blade standing upright between them, blocking Feina’s strike.

His left hand caught the sword mid-fall, parrying her twin blades and forcing her back in one fluid motion.

Such swordsmanship... Feina had never seen anything like it.

Joli was just as stunned.

Honestly, he wasn’t even sure how he’d pulled that off. It had felt natural, yet the results were astonishing.

The distance between them widened again.

Feina took a deep breath. Her dark red robe began to ripple like flowing blood. It was time to resort to more drastic measures...

Joli’s hair stood on end—he sensed a threat far greater than before.

"Feina, stop."

Just as Feina steadied herself to unleash her true power, a familiar voice halted her.

Feina’s face lit up with joy as she turned toward the figure emerging from the cabin. "Lady Aina!"

But her elation turned to shock when she saw Aina clinging to another man’s arm.

"I forgot to tell you—I was staying here for the night."

"N-no, Lady Aina! You needn’t inform me of such trivial matters..."

Feina immediately dropped to one knee before Aina.

Xia Lun studied Feina. Like Aina, she was a vampire—silver hair, crimson eyes—but her features and figure were far more mature...

Aina’s slender finger jabbed sharply into Xia Lun’s side, her warning unmistakable.

"Ahem, and this is...?" Xia Lun redirected his gaze back to his wife.

"Feina, one of my most loyal subordinates," Aina said flatly, her expression unreadable. "I tasked her with maintaining this cabin."

"It’s an honor to serve you, Lady Aina." Feina kept her head bowed, her voice reverent.

She desperately wanted to look up and scrutinize the man beside Aina... But in her lady’s presence, she didn’t dare.

"Rise, Feina."

Feina blinked. Aina’s tone was gentler than usual.

Though her eyes remained on Aina, she couldn’t help stealing glances at Xia Lun.

"He is my husband." Aina had clearly noticed Feina’s curiosity.

Feina’s crimson eyes widened. "Could it be... you’re—?"

"Not a word of what you saw today." Aina’s voice was calm but firm.

"Yes, Lady Aina."

"You may leave. Continue tending to this cabin as before."

"As you command."

Feina’s form dissolved into a swarm of blood bats, scattering into the wind.

Once she was gone, Xia Lun wrapped an arm around Aina’s shoulders.

"Quite the commanding presence in front of your subordinates, Aina," he teased.

"Hmph. If you’d dared to grope me and made me lose face, I wouldn’t have let you off easy," Aina sniffed.

"Oh? And how would you punish me?" Xia Lun raised a brow.

"Keep provoking me, and I’ll tie you up with binding magic tonight, then step on your face." Aina glared fiercely.

Xia Lun swallowed hard.

That sounded... intriguing. But perhaps it was best not to push his luck.