ISWTDB Ch172

Chapter 172: Be Your Steward (9, 10)

“Ying, you love me!”

“If you don’t love me, why do you care about the relationship between me and that woman?”

Dempus kissed Ying Zhao over and over, his gaze fixed tightly on the narrow-eyed person in his arms.

But he saw that upon hearing his words, the lips of his beloved opened and closed without uttering a word.

His face turned paler, and a sense of despair rose in his eyes.

Such a reaction made Dempus even more certain of his thoughts.

Ying Tan must truly love him; he just didn’t dare to let him know.

So, the man softly coaxed Ying Zhao, “Baby, say you love me, okay? I want to hear it.”

He revealed a gentle smile, lowering his head to press his lips against Ying Zhao’s.

There was no reckless plundering, no violent invasion.

Only the warmth of their closeness, and the gentle touch conveying infinite affection.

Ying Zhao’s cheeks flushed from his lover’s demeanor, and his gaze gradually became dazed.

It seemed he had immersed himself in the other’s tenderness, unable to help but softly say, “Master, I… I love you!”

The sound of this confession was very soft, but Dempus still captured it completely with his ears.

At this moment, he could no longer describe the excitement in his heart with words.

He kissed Ying Zhao’s lips fiercely, even letting out a low roar of excitement.

His baby said she loved him; his baby also loved him!

It turned out that their relationship was not a hopeless unrequited love; it turned out that his beloved had feelings for him all along.

He didn’t know how long the person in his arms had suppressed these feelings, not daring to confess to him until now.

It was all his fault for awakening so late.

Thinking about how Ying Zhao clearly liked him but had to watch him interact intimately with that woman every day, Dempus felt like a complete jerk.

His baby always acted with restraint and was rigid in his principles.

He firmly believed that he was his possession and could not feel any jealousy over people and things that mattered to his master.

Naturally, he would suppress himself and not express it.

Recalling the years they had spent together, during which the other had always taken care of him and looked after the entire Cappadocia clan, Dempus felt that he had been a terribly inadequate partner, allowing his baby to be so hurt and troubled.

With this thought, the man deeply sighed in his heart, vowing that he would make it up to his lover in the future.

He could no longer be so selfish; how could he endure seeing his beloved suffer alone?

In the countless days to come, he would take care of the other properly.

Dempus looked at Ying Zhao with gentle eyes, softly kissing his lips.

Since he had already understood the other’s feelings, then their mutual possession should naturally follow.

He wanted this person to belong to him, completely, inside and out.

Just as he was about to begin this action, his raised arm was suddenly pressed down by the other.

Ying Zhao pursed his lips tightly, his eyes revealing a pleading expression, and softly said to the man, “Master, I know I shouldn’t have such feelings for you.”

“But please, now that you know, don’t treat me like this anymore.”

Hearing Ying Zhao’s words, Dempus suddenly reacted.

Although he knew his beloved’s feelings, he hadn’t confessed to him yet.

Their race was quite open in this regard, but there was a distinction between merely engaging in physical relationships and being in love.

Especially since they were currently in a master-servant relationship, where one party expressed love while the other did not respond.

His direct actions like this were truly disrespectful to the other.

This behavior was undoubtedly a cruel act for the one who confessed.

Realizing this, Dempus felt like giving himself several hard slaps.

He had been so careless and overlooked his beloved’s feelings, causing him to suffer for no reason.

He quickly lowered his head, continually coaxing, “Baby, don’t you understand my feelings yet?”

“The reason I don’t want you to be so close to that Giovanni family guy is that I’m jealous!”

“Because I want you to be mine. I love you! I want you to be my partner, my eternal partner!”

The words “eternal partner,” once spoken, made Ying Zhao naturally aware of what they represented.

Upon hearing Dempus’s words, he immediately widened his eyes, seemingly unable to believe that the person opposite him had made such a solemn promise.

The life of a vampire was long and endless; an eternal partner meant that they would complete a blood pact.

From then on, they would only have each other and could no longer be with anyone else.

Dempus saw the reaction of the person in his arms, immediately looking at him in confusion.

The other’s cheeks turned slightly red, and he no longer had his previous calm demeanor.

The man felt a sweet sensation in his heart.

He lowered his head, nuzzling Ying Zhao’s delicate nose, and then gently kissed his beloved several times.

He chuckled lightly, “What’s wrong? You don’t believe me?”

Upon hearing this, Ying Zhao immediately shook his head vigorously, his voice trembling as he said, “No, it’s not that!”

“I… I just feel like I’m dreaming.”

But soon, an obvious conflict arose on his face.

Hesitantly, he said to the man, “But… but Miss Jian.”

At this moment, hearing Ying Zhao’s question, Dempus couldn’t care less about revealing his thoughts.

After all, he had to clear up his relationship with that Jian Jinghan.

Otherwise, if his beloved doubted his feelings for him, it would really be a huge loss.

So, Dempus hurriedly said to Ying Zhao, “I need to apologize to you about this matter.”

“Baby, I previously concealed this from you. I have no interest in that woman, Jian Jinghan at all.”

“It was just because I discovered that there seemed to be something or someone wanting to control and manipulate my thoughts, creating the illusion that I was interested in that woman.”

“I was momentarily careless and fell into the trap of that thing.”

“But the person I truly loved was you! You should know that with you by my side, how could I possibly like someone else!”

Seeing the shocked expression on the person in his arms, Dempus knew that the other was worried about him.

Smiling, he stroked Ying Zhao’s cheek and soothingly said, “Don’t worry, baby, I’m fine now.”

“I hadn’t told you before because I was afraid you’d worry, but it’s better to keep that woman around for the time being.”

“After all, I have to use her to pull out that thing that can control me.”

“However, my baby, I have to apologize in advance; I can’t make our relationship public yet.”

“I want to protect you because that thing can even affect me. If it goes after you, I would definitely go mad!”

As Dempus said this, his eyes were already filled with coldness.

Only when he looked at Ying Zhao did his demeanor soften again.

Then, with a somewhat aggrieved expression, he said to Ying Zhao, “But baby, you also need to keep your distance from that Fritsch.”

“That guy likes you; I can tell. I can’t tolerate you getting too close to him!”

While speaking, Dempus buried his head into his beloved’s shoulder, rubbing against him comfortably, like a lazy big cat.

Seeing this, Ying Zhao gently embraced Dempus, lowering his eyelids, but his mind was racing.

It seemed that thing was really targeting his man in this world.

More importantly, Dempus could clearly feel that his consciousness was being controlled and manipulated so quickly.

So that thing must have used methods that were more aggressive and intense than the previous century.

It seemed the other side was eager to seize the luck attached to the pieces of the divine soul.

And the identity of who he was in this small world could easily be discovered by the other side.

Thinking of Fritsch’s affectionate gaze when he looked at him in the villa today, Ying Zhao was left with nothing but fear.

It appeared that the thing not only wanted to confuse Dempus into believing that his lover had fallen for someone else, leaving him disheartened.

It also arranged for him to have such a considerate and seemingly perfect partner, obviously intending to separate him from his lover.

If he truly lost hope in his lover and had a new target,

He would probably not care as much about the pieces of the divine soul in this world.

Thinking of this, a cold glint flashed in Ying Zhao’s eyes, just as that thing usually employed its methods.

So insidiously, this time it even went to great lengths to sow discord between him and his lover.

However, if it really was so, perhaps he could turn the tables.

Ying Zhao’s gaze shifted, and he said sternly to Dempus, “My lord, actually, what you said about control is not entirely without feeling; I just found it a bit hard to believe.”

“And it’s not just Jian Jinghan; Fritsch also made me feel somewhat strange. It’s just that I currently don’t have any evidence.”

Upon hearing Ying Zhao’s words, Dempus’s expression instantly darkened.

He hadn’t expected that someone had already infiltrated beside his beloved.

He thought that only Jian Jinghan was the other side’s person, but what if the opponent had other moves?

As for Fritsch, although the other party was the head of the Giovanni family, Dempus didn’t believe that there was any benefit that could sway him to act personally. However, he trusted Ying Zhao’s intuition even more.

He felt increasingly furious about the force behind that wanted to harm him.

Harming him might not evoke the man’s full wrath.

But if it targeted his beloved, Dempus could not tolerate such a thing happening at all.

Seeing Dempus like this, Ying Zhao naturally understood his lover’s thoughts.

So he told him that he felt they could maintain the status quo on the surface.

Because the other party’s purpose seemed to be to create a rift between them; it was better to play along without finding out who the other side was.

Dempus nodded at Ying Zhao’s suggestion; indeed, there was no better way right now.

It was better to stay quiet and keep their movements limited, rather than be overly passive.

After the two discussed this matter, they had somewhat resolved their worries.

Especially after Dempus heard Ying Zhao’s confession.

He also learned that his beloved was actually suspicious of Fritsch.

Since his lover was wary of that person, he surely wouldn’t fall for him.

Thinking of this, Dempus felt much more at ease.

The two of them maintained their embrace, and after talking deeply, the atmosphere relaxed immediately, and the man’s thoughts quickly became active.

Dempus couldn’t help but tighten his embrace a bit more and gave Ying Zhao a deep kiss.

Watching the flush rise on his beloved’s cheeks, the coldness in his eyes had now faded, replaced by a moistness as if it contained a pool of clear spring water.

In an instant, the man felt his breath unstable, and all his spirit had been taken away by the person in his arms.

Unable to contain himself, he leaned in and gently touched Ying Zhao’s lips.

They rubbed against each other, indulging in tenderness.

Dempus actively tugged at the collar of Ying Zhao’s shirt and leaned in close.

His eyes held a smile, and his intentions were very clear.

Ying Zhao was taken aback by Dempus’s actions and then lowered his head, blushing.

As a vampire, he could sense the pulsating blood in the veins beneath that thin skin.

In the past, he had never truly yearned for blood.

But at this moment, facing his beloved, he realized that perhaps blood really had an irresistible allure for vampires.

The sharp teeth pierced the skin, and the warm blood leaped onto his tongue.

There was no smell of blood as imagined; instead, it had a sweet and delightful aroma that was entirely tempting.

And because Dempus’s blood was being drawn, his body trembled, clearly reaching the peak of emotional excitement.

The man couldn’t help but let out a low growl, revealing two sharp fangs.

After Ying Zhao stopped feeding, he also drew his beloved’s blood in the same way.

Then their lips and tongues met, and the blood in both their mouths merged.

Dempus silently recited an ancient spell in his heart.

A mist of blood slowly rose from beneath their feet, enveloping them.

The figures within the blood mist gradually became blurry, intertwined with each other.

This was the contract of eternal partners; Ying Zhao understood what this meant.

They would share their lives, becoming each other’s only from now on.

Feeling his lover’s intention, warmth surged in Ying Zhao’s heart.

At that moment, both of their senses were infinitely heightened, and the temperature in the room continued to rise.

Unlike the usual romantic moments, this overwhelming passion made their emotions surge uncontrollably.

The heat brought about extreme madness, thoroughly indulgent, and it took an unknown amount of time before they finally stopped.

Afterward, Ying Zhao and Dempus maintained the master-servant relationship they had previously discussed, appearing neither too distant nor too close.

Dempus continued to feign interactions with Jian Jinghan, while Ying Zhao took the time to visit Fritsch.

The two continued to maintain their usual good rapport.

Originally, Dempus didn’t want Ying Zhao to contact Fritsch again, worried about his beloved’s safety.

But Ying Zhao insisted, saying that if he acted too strangely, it could easily alert the other party.

Dempus also did not wish to leave any hidden dangers, so he could only reluctantly agree in the end.

The reason Ying Zhao was so persistent was that he originally only had suspicions about Fritsch.

However, after he parted with his lover that day and was cleaning the office alone, Ying Zhao discovered something.

Inside the compass that his lover had crushed, there was a scent that made him feel annoyed.

Therefore, Ying Zhao could further confirm his thoughts.

It seemed that all of this was the other party’s scheme.

In addition to the usual confusion regarding Jian Jinghan and Fritsch, Ying Zhao also made the system monitor them more closely.

Although Xiao Bai was not by his side, his system’s intelligence remained, which was a natural cheat for Ying Zhao.

During the day, Ying Zhao and Dempus appeared to act normally, diligently searching for clues from their target.

When night fell, the two secretly gathered to share their innermost thoughts.

However, this was a small world where they had only just come together.

Especially Dempus, who had finally received his beloved’s affection, was even more reluctant to part with Ying Zhao.

He wished he could stick together with his beloved every moment.

Just thinking about Ying Zhao having to interact closely with Fritsch made Dempus incredibly jealous.

Ying Zhao, who was used to seeing his lover get jealous, could only feel helpless about it.

Fortunately, on the surface, the man was still managing to hold himself together.

He understood the gravity of the situation and did not reveal his true thoughts.

Ying Zhao secretly thought that he never expected his lover could be so composed in this lifetime.

After all, he knew very well that Dempus found it hard to control his emotions towards him.

So, his lover must have been suppressing his feelings to protect him, right?

Thinking of this, Ying Zhao felt even more touched.

However, this feeling of being touched did not last long. When he returned home today, he was unexpectedly overwhelmed by his lover’s raging jealousy.

Seeing his beloved’s red eyes, blocking him in the room, Ying Zhao’s lips twitched.

He felt that his man perfectly embodied the spirit of “the more one endures, the angrier one becomes,” the mentality of a jealous person who couldn’t sleep soundly.

As for why the man was so jealous and angry, it was because Ying Zhao had completed the portrait he promised to do for Fritsch yesterday.

Moreover, he had deliberately gone to the Giovanni family’s mansion this morning to deliver it to Fritsch.

The two had discussed matters regarding the port business and even stayed there for lunch.

The lunch was naturally prepared with very fresh blood by Fritsch.

Ying Zhao originally thought that these matters were nothing, but for some reason, his lover still found out.

It seemed his lover was particularly sensitive about him painting a portrait for Fritsch.

At this moment, being firmly held in Dempus’s arms, Ying Zhao found it difficult to move even slightly.

He knew the man was obviously very angry.

So, he helplessly smiled at Dempus and said, “My lord, didn’t we already agree on this before?”

“I also need to engage with Fritsch; otherwise, we won’t be able to uncover the mastermind behind the scenes.”

Who would have known that after he finished speaking, the man still wouldn’t let it go.

With a furious expression, he retorted, “Then why did you have to paint a portrait for him?”

“Every portrait you paint should only belong to me! I can’t stand you painting for other men!”

Faced with his unreasonable lover, Ying Zhao was completely at a loss.

What else could he say? It was just a portrait after all, and yet it made the man this angry.

Fortunately, the original owner’s obsessive-compulsive cleanliness had kept him from being touched by others.

Otherwise, he didn’t know how jealous his man would have been.

For a moment, Ying Zhao found himself at a loss for words regarding his lover.

However, Dempus, seeing that Ying Zhao stopped speaking, only felt that the other party did not care about him anymore.

Although the two had already confessed their feelings a couple of days ago and he had completely won over his beloved, Dempus couldn’t shake the feeling of insecurity.

In his eyes, Ying Zhao was perfect and flawless.

How could someone like him fall for someone whose mind was unstable and couldn’t even control his emotions?

He couldn’t understand why Eli had entrusted him with the position of patriarch of the Cappadocia clan.

The person across from him was obviously far more capable than himself.

Even if his strength was unmatched, shouldn’t the real patriarch be someone who could protect the entire family?

The more Dempus thought about it, the more he felt unworthy of Ying Zhao.

His heart was filled with grievance and pain, knowing he could only hold his lover tightly to vent his unease.

After all, they had already shared their feelings; it was the person across from him who first confessed his love.

Since he had accepted him, he absolutely wouldn’t let go and would do anything to keep him by his side.

With that thought, Dempus grasped Ying Zhao’s arm and pulled him toward the bed.

Ying Zhao watched his man’s frantic state, having already immersed himself in the role of a tragic hero who sought what he couldn’t have, slightly lowering his eyes.

Unobtrusively, when the man was pulling him, he stumbled a bit, and his shoe unintentionally scraped against the cabinet door beside him.

As a necromancer, controlling the dead around him was hardly a challenge for Ying Zhao.

So, even though he seemed to have kicked the cabinet door casually, it swung open directly.

The paintings, which were originally precariously placed inside, all tumbled out in a chaotic mess.

Those paintings scattered all over the ground with a loud crash, leaving Dempus stunned.

The man hadn’t expected that merely pulling the person beside him would lead to such a result.

For a moment, Dempus felt a bit flustered.

He hurriedly checked on Ying Zhao, looking to see if he had gotten hurt.

Seeing that the person beside him was unharmed, he turned his attention to the paintings with some heartache.

After all, those paintings were created by his beloved.

They should have been cherished in the cabinet; he didn’t know if any had been damaged.

Who would have thought that when Dempus carefully looked at the scattered paintings on the floor, his pupils suddenly constricted.

The man opened his mouth in surprise because he realized that all the portraits on the ground depicted only him.

Not a single portrait of anyone else was mixed in.

Seeing this, Dempus instinctively released Ying Zhao’s arm.

With a dreamy expression, he walked over to the paintings.

Then he bent down, his hands trembling slightly as he picked up one of the paintings from the ground.

After looking at it for a while, he began to lift each of the paintings that had fallen on the floor.

They were all of him! Truly, just him!

In the images, he had different expressions and poses, all vividly captured on the canvases.

One could imagine how much effort the artist had put into these paintings.

Just thinking about how his beloved had depicted all these portraits without his knowledge made Dempus’s emotions swell uncontrollably.

So, Ying Zhao really loved him!

Not just love; it was pure obsession!

He wondered how many years the other had waited for him to create so many portraits of himself.

At this thought, the man’s emotions became overwhelming.

His eyes turned slightly red, and holding the painting in his hands, he lifted his head and looked deeply at Ying Zhao.

Unable to contain himself, he stepped forward and hugged Ying Zhao tightly.

He gently kissed the forehead, cheeks, and then the lips of the person in his embrace.

Whispering in his ear, he kept murmuring, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry, baby!”

“It’s all my fault; I only just realized that I made you wait for so long!”