After a while, Catherine finished feeding the snacks, stood up, and patted the grass clippings off her skirt.
The kittens still seemed unsatisfied, circling her feet and refusing to leave. Catherine leaned over and stroked the head of the most clingy black cat.
“Why haven’t you left yet?”
“I’m lost,” Lorevil said. “Could I trouble you to lead the way, Professor?”
“Hmm?” Catherine tilted her head in confusion.
It seemed Catherine still cared about what the original owner of this body had done.
The original Lorevil’s persistence must have caused Catherine a lot of trouble. Now that she had taken over this body, she had to take responsibility for its past actions. At the very least, she needed to clear the air with Catherine and stop disturbing her life.
Thus, Lorevil spoke up.
“I was too willful in the past and caused you a lot of trouble, Professor. It won’t happen again.” Lorevil continued to herself, “If you’re unwilling to lead the way and find it a nuisance, then forget it.”
She failed to notice that Catherine’s expression was becoming increasingly unsightly as she spoke.
“Say no more. I will lead the way,” Catherine said through gritted teeth, taking a deep breath.
With that, Catherine walked quickly past Lorevil.
Lorevil finally shut her mouth and followed behind her.
Catherine, walking in front, seemed to be in a very bad mood. However, Lorevil had only spoken because she saw her feeding the kittens earlier and thought her mood was decent.
After thinking it over, Lorevil couldn’t figure it out, so she simply remained silent.
The two of them walked in silence for a while. Catherine stopped at the end of the path; ahead was the teaching area that Lorevil was familiar with.
As Catherine suddenly stopped, Lorevil almost crashed into her back.
“Thank you for what happened before.”
‘What happened before?’
Lorevil, having stabilized herself, was dazed by the sudden statement.
It took two seconds for Lorevil to react. She realized Catherine was referring to that night at Rose Manor when she had saved her after she was drugged.
“You’re welcome,” Lorevil said, waving her hands hurriedly. “It was just a small favor. Anyone would have helped if they saw that.”
“Is that so?” Catherine asked, falling silent.
Lorevil was truly not used to having such a peaceful conversation with this ice-cold professor.
Especially after experiencing such an embarrassing scene that night, she assumed Catherine wouldn’t be very willing to meet her. As time passed, the atmosphere suddenly became subtle.
“That night…” Catherine spoke first.
“Don’t worry, I won’t say a single word about that night,” Lorevil said firmly, following her lead.
Catherine: “…”
“Your reputation is important, Professor. Besides, with this kind of thing, the fewer people who know, the better.”
Lorevil understood clearly. Vampire nobles valued their reputation above all else, and Catherine was a professor at Holy Blood Academy. If word got out that she had been drugged, the consequences would be unimaginable.
Choosing to hand her over to Madam Sharon to handle was indeed the safest course of action.
‘I should properly thank the Madam when I go back,’ Lorevil thought.
“As for Samuel, I have already dealt with him.” Catherine remained silent for a moment before finally turning around. Her cold, ice-blue eyes settled on Lorevil as she spoke.
“Hmm?” Lorevil asked, surprised.
Lorevil hadn’t expected Catherine to bring it up voluntarily. Furthermore, there was no need to tell the follow-up details to an outsider like her.
“I have already reported the situation to the academy and the family. They won’t cause any more trouble,” Catherine said, her gaze complicated.
Lorevil felt a sense of relief.
Given Samuel’s obsessive personality, she had originally been worried about retaliation. Now that Catherine had handled it, it saved her a lot of trouble.
“That’s good,” Lorevil said sincerely, nodding.
“However, besides Samuel, there seems to be someone else behind the scenes, so you should be careful. Watch your safety and avoid going to remote places alone lately,” Catherine warned. “Also, take this.”
Catherine slid a bracelet off her wrist and held it out to Lorevil.
The bracelet was made of several warm bloodstones. These were the very same bloodstones Master Jerwen had mentioned in class—the ones capable of neutralizing purification errors in blood crystals.
“This is…” Lorevil looked at Catherine in confusion.
“A thank-you gift,” Catherine said, her face flushing slightly. “Bloodstones… they can stabilize the energy of the bloodline within your body. In the future, you won’t have to worry about your blood-drinking instincts affecting your emotions. It provides some help to a Tier 2 Vampire.”
“Professor, this is too valuable.”
Lorevil knew that bloodstones were priceless and rare, even more precious than the blood crystals that provided energy for a Vampire’s promotion. The reason was exactly what Catherine mentioned—the ability to suppress the bloodlust instinct.
Looking at the warmth and smoothness of the bloodstone bracelet, it was obvious these stones had been nourished for a long time. These were usually heirlooms passed down through generations of Vampires and were rarely found on the market.
It was even possible Catherine’s mother had given it to her.
The reason Lorevil didn’t have one was that her family prioritized giving them to higher-ranking Vampires. Furthermore, when they had offered her one before, she had refused, choosing more blood crystals for her daily expenses instead.
After all, blood crystals were the common currency.
Thinking back, the original host truly chose the copper over the gold.
“Besides, I am only a Tier 2 Vampire. My strength is too weak. If I carry precious bloodstones without enough power, I’ll easily be targeted by other malicious Vampires. It would be even more dangerous.” Lorevil explained herself after seeing Catherine’s awkward expression. “Professor Catherine, you wouldn’t want your student to fall into an unnecessary and dangerous situation because of a bloodstone, would you?”
Catherine pursed her lips and stopped speaking, clearly swayed by Lorevil’s logic.
Lorevil looked up at the student building ahead and stepped forward.
Hearing Lorevil’s words, Catherine’s ice-blue eyes dimmed, and she suddenly seemed to make a decision.
Just as they were about to pass each other, she suddenly moved.
In the instant Lorevil instinctively turned her head, a rich, exotic fragrance hit her.
Before she could react, Catherine’s pale, slender hands grabbed Lorevil’s cheeks with a touch of undeniable force. Her fingers felt cool and delicate.
Immediately following that, soft lips pressed against Lorevil’s mouth.
The kiss was very light, like a feather landing on a calm lake, creating a ripple.
Catherine’s long eyelashes trembled slightly. The flush on her white ear tips spread to her beautiful cheeks, yet she stubbornly held Lorevil’s face, refusing to let go.
Lorevil froze entirely.
She could clearly feel Catherine’s hot breath on her cheek and the softness of her lips. She could smell that increasingly rich fragrance, and her mind went completely blank.
She truly hadn’t expected the usually cold and abstinent Catherine to take the initiative to kiss her, so she was completely defenseless.
Regarding this kiss, Lorevil was at a loss, even a bit panicked.
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
*Mwah.*
The brief kiss ended. Catherine pulled away, her beautiful face stained with a light shade of pink as her eyes flickered.
“Consider this as me returning the favor. We are even now.”
Having said that, Catherine turned and fled.
“Wait.”
Lorevil snapped back to her senses and instinctively called out to her.