Portrait of Aina

"This one."

Xia Lun lightly tapped his finger against Aina and said, "Remember to send this one over tonight."

"You really know how to pick," Aina said, her eyes rippling with affection as she playfully scolded him.

But of course, she would still be sent over tonight.

Aina and Xia Lun walked further inside along the red carpet.

The vampire maids standing in attendance on both sides had their hands elegantly folded in front of them and their heads bowed. Their posture displayed a submissiveness etched into their very bones. It seemed that with just a single glance or a soft whisper from Aina, they would execute any command without hesitation, no matter how absurd.

Feina and Niya followed closely behind Aina.

"Has there been any movement within the clan recently?" Aina's cold and clear voice broke the silent air.

"Everything is as usual, Lady Aina," Feina immediately bowed and respectfully replied.

"As usual? Since when did so many unfamiliar faces appear in Colonia City?" Aina asked coldly. "Even the cafe I used to visit is now completely full."

Xia Lun blinked. For a cafe, that should be a good thing.

"I am very sorry, Lady Aina... Those familiars were all taken in by Xie Lun. We thought you knew about this..." Feina's heart tightened, and she quickly bowed deeply. "We have already warned him..."

"Xie Lun?" Aina furrowed her beautiful brows, seemingly searching through her memories before recalling his identity. "So it's him."

Aina snorted coldly, "You think too highly of me. I don't have the free time to personally look into every trivial matter of the vampire clan."

"Yes, Lady Aina, we are very sorry." Feina and Niya immediately dropped to one knee. The freezing stone bricks transmitted a piercing chill through the fabric of their skirts.

"Alright, Aina, don't be too hard on them," Xia Lun reached out at the right moment, patting Aina's shoulder reassuringly.

Although Aina rarely returned, her status was simply too transcendent. In this ancient castle that belonged to her, her will was the absolute law.

"Enough, get up."

Feina and Niya rose as instructed. The moment Niya stood up straight, she quickly shot a glance at Xia Lun, her white teeth lightly biting her lower lip.

Aina still managed to catch this detail.

"Niya, do you have some sort of dissatisfaction?"

"Lady Aina, may I ask who this gentleman is?" Niya's body instantly tensed up, her arms tightening around the little bear she was holding. She felt as though she had been betrayed at this moment.

"He is my husband," Aina replied indifferently.

Niya's voice carried an unprecedented stubbornness. "But didn't your husband pass away a thousand years ago? Your husband should be that legendary hero. Only he is worthy of you. I do not acknowledge anyone else."

Niya raised her head and looked directly at Aina. "The Lady Aina in my heart would never fall in love with another man."

"Niya! What are you saying? You are being far too disrespectful." Feina hurriedly pressed down on Niya's shoulders. The little girl's current state seemed a bit off. "Lady Aina, Niya is..."

"He is Xia Lun. I resurrected him."

Aina reached out and gave Xia Lun's rear a forceful smack.

"Ah... yes, I am the hero. Nice to meet you, Miss Niya," Xia Lun introduced himself somewhat awkwardly.

Niya instantly petrified on the spot, and the little bear in her arms fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Aina said no more. She took Xia Lun's hand, turned around, and continued walking deeper into the castle.

Feina waved a hand in front of Niya's face, but the latter still showed no reaction.

"I can't believe you actually dared to ask Lady Aina such a question directly." Feina sighed. "Did you forget your duty as a subordinate just because Lady Aina is usually a bit more lenient with you?"

"Of course not, I am Lady Aina's most loyal subordinate..."

"Then what right do you have to interfere with Lady Aina's private life?" Feina poked Niya's forehead. "Don't push your luck."

"Sorry."

Feina knew that Niya was just paying lip service right now. Apologizing so quickly and cleanly meant she didn't have a single ounce of regret in her heart.

"By the way, Feina, did you already know about this? Ever since you came back from Lady Aina's residence last time, you've been acting weird."

"Yeah." Feina did not deny it.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because Lady Aina forbade me from revealing his identity, of course." Feina shrugged, bringing up a very reasonable excuse.

"Then... then you could have told me secretly," Niya muttered softly.

"Hah? Do I have a death wish?" Feina pinched Niya's cheek. "It's time to fulfill your previous promise. Hurry up and give me a smile."

A promise made to someone still had to be kept.

Niya tried very hard to pull the corners of her mouth up widely. Her muscles moved stiffly, revealing a smile like that of a cheap doll in a display window. "H-how is it?"

Feina stared at her face for two seconds before bursting into laughter. She then waved her hand in disgust, "That was a great smile. Never smile again."

...

The interior of the ancient castle was magnificent and profound, its intricate corridors and staircases resembling a labyrinth.

Although she hadn't returned here in hundreds of years, Aina still knew the layout like the back of her hand. Xia Lun followed her footsteps closely.

The entire space was shrouded in a solemn and majestic gray tone. On both sides of the corridor, suits of knight armor clad in heavy plating and wielding longswords stood like silent guards. On the walls, portraits of successive vampire clan leaders exuded the weight of history and a silent coercion under the dim light.

Xia Lun's gaze was quickly drawn to one of the portraits, and his footsteps involuntarily slowed down.

The Aina in the portrait was very elegant, her hands crossed in front of her as she sat on a long bench. Her incredibly beautiful face held no expression, looking absolutely imperious.

"I am right here in front of you, yet you choose to look at a portrait? Xia Lun, you guy..." Aina, walking ahead, noticed Xia Lun hadn't kept up and looked back at him.

"After all, both are very beautiful." Xia Lun reached out and gently touched the portrait on the wall.

"That nostalgic gesture of yours makes it seem like I'm dead," Aina muttered with some dissatisfaction.

"I just think this painting is really well done. It captured your essence perfectly." Xia Lun met Aina's gaze.

Aina suddenly spoke up, "The painter was a woman."

Xia Lun was slightly taken aback. "What?"

"If another man had stared at me for so long, you would definitely get jealous, wouldn't you?"

"Hehe." Xia Lun let out a dry laugh. "You guessed right."

The corners of Aina's mouth curled up into a somewhat smug smile.

"This painting was done by Niya, the child holding the little bear from just now."

"Is that so?" Xia Lun paused slightly. "That child seems to care about you a lot."

"I picked her up and brought her back, so she relies on me quite a bit." Aina took Xia Lun's hand and scratched his palm. "Don't tell me you're going to get jealous over this too?"

"Of course not."

Their fingers intertwined, conveying a silent trust and warmth. Sharing a smile, they left the portrait and the past behind them, continuing side by side into the depths of the ancient castle toward a space that belonged solely to them.