The Mystery of Teacher Yvonne's Age

Luo Wei gazed at Evelyn's particularly melancholic expression, his mind turning over various thoughts.

In fact, he had long pondered her age. Luo Wei had always felt that if she were truly a thousand years old, she probably wouldn't be so concerned about her age.

So, based on this reasoning, Evelyn might only be slightly older than an ordinary human. That’s why, when compared to her younger colleagues and friends, she felt old...

Combining this with the known information, high-ranking members of the Vampire Clan could easily live up to a thousand years under normal circumstances. Those at the level of a Vampire Clan prince generally lived to around two thousand years old, while their original ancestors were said to be immortal, though they had temporarily fallen into a deep slumber...

A rough calculation suggested that 100 years for a high-ranking vampire was equivalent to 10 human years. Given that Evelyn had just reached adulthood not long ago and always insisted she was "26," she was likely somewhere between 200 and 300 years old.

Luo Wei silently observed Evelyn, feeling that he was close to uncovering the truth.

Evelyn, on the other hand, nervously lowered her head and focused on her meal.

Between bites, she muttered uneasily.

"I knew I shouldn't have told you all this... Ugh, I regret it so much..."

"Ahhh! I don’t want to go home!!"

After placing the final dish on the table, Luo Wei smiled warmly at her, thinking she looked like an adorable ostrich with her head buried in her food.

"Don’t worry, Teacher. If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t ask."

"But deep down, you do want to go back, don’t you?"

"How about helping me think of a gift for the Duke’s '80th' birthday? If I take you to see him, showing up empty-handed wouldn’t be appropriate, right?"

Evelyn cautiously raised her head and, seeing that Luo Wei's teasing gaze had disappeared, let out a sigh of relief.

"Anything’s fine. He’s lived so long, there’s nothing he hasn’t seen. No matter what you give him, he won’t show dissatisfaction."

"That won’t do..." Luo Wei suddenly felt a little nervous, as if he were about to meet his future father-in-law...

Evelyn noticed his unease and chuckled. "Really, there’s no need to overthink it. As a human, you can’t possibly cater to their tastes. Do you know what those old monsters like most? Would you dare give it to them?"

"What is it?" Luo Wei asked curiously.

"What do vampires like? Human blood, of course!" Evelyn laughed. "Our esteemed Duke has a peculiar preference. He loves drinking the blood of powerful humans, even though it does absolutely nothing to enhance his strength. He just enjoys the meaningless sense of ritual."

Luo Wei silently thought to himself, is this the vampire version of "you are what you eat"? But Evelyn was right—it was utterly pointless, and it seemed the old vampire simply had a taste for it...

Evelyn then shared a story. "Back when he was following his uncle in battles, he loved secretly capturing and keeping powerful enemy mages as prisoners."

"According to him, those were the most memorable and cherished 'vintages' of his life."

"He slowly savored those 'vintage delicacies' for over forty years. The captured mages were treated like livestock, their bodies and minds deteriorating until they couldn’t even speak or walk..."

"But after the empire no longer had major conflicts, he couldn’t continue large-scale slaughter of mages, which he found rather regrettable..."

After hearing this, Helena shivered, and Luo Wei also felt a chill run down his spine.

Images of those "vintages" being kept like livestock flashed through his mind, giving him a glimpse of the atmosphere within the Abraham family.

"You two are quite alike..." he couldn’t help but mutter under his breath. "He picks the strong as food, and you pick the beautiful as food..."

Given how much Evelyn cared about her appearance, it seemed like her own version of "you are what you eat."

"Hmph, I’m nothing like him," Evelyn retorted with a roll of her eyes. "I just have high standards..."

"Well..." Luo Wei continued, "do vampires drink alcohol?"

In his world, bringing a box of Maotai to one’s future father-in-law during holidays was considered a decent gesture...

"They don’t drink ordinary alcohol," Evelyn shook her head. "But they do enjoy a blood-like wine. I’m not sure how it’s made, and they also make similar snacks, though they’re all made with human blood."

Luo Wei felt a wave of nausea, grateful that he had managed to change Evelyn’s diet...

He couldn’t help but entertain the thought of bringing a pound of Northeast blood sausage to the Duke...

He actually knew how to make it, and he was sure the esteemed Duke would enjoy it.

As the table conversation turned to these bizarre vampire customs, a commotion suddenly came from outside.

"Oh? You’re all here."

A carriage stopped outside the inn, and Ophelia hurriedly walked in, taking a seat at the head of the table.

Her arrival immediately shifted the atmosphere. Evelyn stopped complaining about family matters, and Helena tensed up, occasionally glancing at her brother.

"I heard it’s Duke Victor’s birthday?" Ophelia looked at Evelyn with a smile. "Give him my regards. I’ve prepared some gifts—I hope you won’t find them too shabby."

"Not at all," Evelyn replied. "Father will be delighted to receive them."

Luo Wei watched them, knowing that their fathers were on good terms. Even though Charlton II had begun purging the deeply rooted non-human families within the empire, Duke Victor had stood firmly by the emperor’s side, despite strong opposition from his own family and the Vampire Clan of the City of Cain. This loyalty had even sparked discontent among his kin.

Luo Wei wasn’t sure if there were deeper dealings involved, but Duke Victor was indeed fiercely loyal to the emperor.

Ophelia had come to say her goodbyes. Her gaze lingered on Luo Wei. "Father’s people have found me. After I settle matters with our ancestors, I’ll have to report back to him. I might leave Brugge before you."

Luo Wei looked at her travel-worn appearance and handed her a set of utensils with a smile. "You’ve got time to eat before you go."

Ophelia glanced at the table full of dishes, her attention drawn to the feast Luo Wei had meticulously prepared.

"Hmm, not bad! You even prepared this spread knowing I’d be leaving!"

However, her eyes landed on the last remaining golden shrimp ball.

Two forks simultaneously stabbed into the small delicacy, and Evelyn instantly looked up, locking eyes with Ophelia’s light-colored gaze.

"That one’s mine."

When it came to food, especially her favorite dishes, Evelyn wasn’t about to back down.

"Oh..."

Ophelia nodded but made no move to withdraw her fork.

"But I want to try it too... This dish is so popular, it must be the best, right?"

"The others are just as good. Why do you have to take mine?" Evelyn retorted.

Ophelia frowned slightly, surprised by her strong reaction.

But soon, a playful smile spread across her face.

"Well, that's just how I am."

With that, two pairs of sharp eyes turned toward Luo Wei.

Luo Wei broke into a cold sweat.

Seriously, there’s so much good food on the table. Why are you two fighting over this one?

Helena blinked, then cleverly slid her favorite shrimp dumplings closer to herself.