Vivian lifted her head from Nolan’s chest, took his hand, and gave it a gentle tug.
“Then let’s go home.”
“But you have to give me a reasonable explanation, or else I’ll, um…”
Her voice trailed off as she squirmed with awkwardness.
She racked her brain, trying to think of a punishment for Nolan that wasn’t too harsh or petty.
“I… I won’t talk to you for three days.”
Finally, Vivian mumbled a completely unthreatening punishment, her cheeks flushing red.
The moment she said it, she couldn’t help turning her face away, probably aware of how embarrassing it was.
“Oh my god, that’s terrible!”
Nolan suddenly grabbed both of Vivian’s hands, eyes wide, and spoke with exaggerated emotion.
“I’d fall apart in three days. I can’t even imagine how miserable that would be. One day… how about one day?”
His face went pale, as if he were actually facing execution.
“No, at least two days.”
Vivian said quietly, not daring to meet his eyes, afraid she’d soften and give in.
Nolan shook her hand like a child pleading with their mother, drawing out his words.
“Please, my dearest Miss Vivian—”
At the same time, he looked at her with tearful, pleading eyes.
“…Two days.”
Vivian bit her lip, holding firm, but her voice had already softened.
“Ugh! I can’t deal with you. Fine, one day.”
“Half a day!”
Nolan haggled ruthlessly.
She let out a strange yelp, yanked her hand away from his, and ran ahead along the road home, her back turned to Nolan.
Very cool, no looking back.
In reality, she didn’t want anyone to see her soft side, since in her own mind she was always “strong and full of authority.”
Behind her, Nolan wiped a cold sweat from his brow and let out a long sigh of relief.
It was finally settled.
The muscles in his face gradually relaxed, and the heavy stone that had been hanging over his heart finally dropped.
In a way, this was his first real interaction with Vivian.
If he didn’t count the time when he was hypnotized…
On the way here, he had already mentally prepared himself to make the ultimate sacrifice.
To that end, he had hidden a silver dagger in his coat—
Something he’d picked up while passing by a newly opened tavern.
If things spiraled out of control, he planned to use it to pierce Vivian’s heart.
It was a freshly sharpened blade.
That would undoubtedly be the worst outcome.
He might die…
No, he would definitely die.
But there was no other choice.
Fortunately, his first conversation with Vivian went smoothly, and his worries were unfounded.
Thanks to his silver tongue, Talia was safe this time.
“An easy-to-please vampire…”
Nolan muttered to himself, head down.
“Hey, what are you dawdling back there? Catch up.”
Vivian turned around, her dark red eyes blinking in the darkness.
Under the cold moonlight, her small figure stood straight and elegant, yet with a hint of girlish liveliness.
She deliberately slowed down, waiting for Nolan to catch up, but he just stood there like an idiot for a while.
‘Could he have fried his brain from the fever? Then if I have a kid, would it be a dummy too? Then I’d have to raise two idiots—that’s way too much pressure!!’
Poor little Carrot hadn’t even been born yet and was already being mercilessly scorned by its mother…
“I’m coming.”
Nolan quickly adjusted his expression, putting on a flawless smile as he approached.
“What were you thinking about?”
Vivian rolled her eyes at him and said crossly.
“I was thinking about where Carrot should go to school.”
Nolan said, rubbing his head.
“What’s there to worry about? Just dump her at Derek’s church. She’ll be in the same class as me, and I’ll take her to steal bread.”
Vivian said nonchalantly, her tone flat.
“Ah, it’s not great for a child to be in the same class as a parent.”
“Oh, it’s great. Great.”
Vivian grinned and began to ramble.
“As the saying goes, ‘Parents are the first teachers; schoolteachers are the second.’
“Going to school together makes it easier for me to keep an eye on her. Double the effort, and she’s bound to succeed.”
“You’re absolutely right.”
Nolan said respectfully.
The two walked side by side, laughing and chatting as they headed home.
They had completely forgotten about the rat-man lying on the ground, chest wide open, gasping for air.
“You two… I think I can still be saved.”
Talia closed her eyes and coughed up a mouthful of bloody foam.
“Ma’am, you’d better not talk. You’ll live a second longer for every second you stay quiet.”
“Yeah, my esteemed Duke Talia, without you, what will become of the Fishing Association’s future? Boohoo~”
The orcs crowded around Talia, chattering in a language Vivian couldn’t understand.
“ROOOOAR!!!”
The giant Morlock finally woke up.
As soon as he raised his head, he saw Talia lying on the ground.
Immediately, he dropped to his knees and burst into loud sobs.
His cries were as loud and piercing as thunder, making eardrums ache.
“I’m a doctor! Move aside!”
Vivian walked over and shouted loudly.
She instantly transformed from the villain who had just beaten someone into a doctor healing the wounded.
The smoothness of the switch left Nolan stunned, his mouth hanging open in disbelief.
Clearly, she’d done this kind of thing before…
The orcs immediately stepped aside to clear a path for her.
The giant Morlock, not the brightest, growled threateningly when Vivian got close.
Then Vivian kicked him aside, sending his huge body tumbling several times across the glacier until he crashed into a large block of ice.
A doctor’s authority is absolute when providing medical services.
Especially when dealing with difficult patients, they have the right to use force to maintain order.
Don’t get me wrong—
That’s Vivian’s own rule.
“This was done by a demon!”
“Huh?!”
Talia’s eyes snapped open, staring hard at Vivian.
‘How can this woman be so shameless!’
‘She’s lying through her teeth!’
It was Vivian herself who had beaten her half to death in front of everyone, and now she wanted to shift the blame to a demon.
Talia hated demons, yes, but she was also a reasonable person.
She would never do something so despicable.
“Doctor… can you treat this?”
To survive, she finally chose to go along with Vivian’s story and swallow her pride.
After all, without her life, anything she said would be meaningless…
Talia comforted herself inwardly.
“Nope. You’re going to die.”
Vivian crouched in front of her, examined the situation, then stood up and shook her head regretfully.
As much as Vivian wanted to save her, her blood magic wasn’t refined enough.
She couldn’t repair a shattered heart.
“You…”
Talia reached out a trembling hand, as if to “comfort” Vivian.
But she soon let it fall weakly, coughing up another mouthful of bloody foam.
She seemed about to say something more, but Nolan cut her off.
“I…”
“Don’t talk yet, Talia!”
“Derek can save you. Freeze yourself in ice!”
‘Oh right, I forgot I had that trick.’
A flower made of ice bloomed beneath Talia, spreading upward along her body.
Until finally, Talia was sealed inside the ice.
From a distance, it looked like a huge piece of amber.