"My little girl, you finally found a man, but looks like he's the type to attract some eyes to him, hmmm ha ha ha " a middle aged man , with slightly wrinkled forehead, but was still handsome, long black hair tied in a bun and a perfectly trimmed beard , red irises with vertical slit pupils, he gave a low chuckle as he sat on his chair behind his study desk a small mirror orb floating on the desk.
"Time to meet my son in law." He murmured as he sipped his whisky.
In the mirror orb , it was the image of Vespar and Lilith sitting on his lap from the perspective of the ant?
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" What about your parents, don't they talk to you? I mean, you seem like the loner type who avoids any irrelevant interactions." Vespar said as he ate some dryfruits he bought earlier.
" You're really don't hesitate to lay your thoughts on the ground do you." Lilith was irritated as a comical vein bulged on her forehead.
" Well I was close with my parents till i was 15, then after my 16th birthday, they avoided me like i was some stain in the family, after that i found solace in this alchemy and i got hooked in researching about blood, every specimen has a different structure I'm always surprised that i can find something new every time i experiment." Lilith said with a neutral expression like she was used to it.
Vespar raised an eyebrow at Lilith's words, pausing mid-chew on a walnut. "That's... a hell of a thing to say so casually," he muttered, his voice low but laced with a seriousness that hadn't been there a moment ago. "They just stopped talking to you? Just like that?"
Lilith leaned back, arms folded. The flickering candlelight of the room caught the edge of her sharp cheekbones, giving her an ethereal, distant glow. "I said I was used to it. Doesn't mean it didn't hurt."
Vespar was silent for a moment, the mood in the room subtly shifting. The usually chaotic energy that danced in the air between them dimmed, replaced by a quiet gravity. His fingers reached out, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.
"I get it," he said softly. "I mean, not the exact thing... but that feeling. Of suddenly being alone. Like the world changed and didn't bother sending you a memo."
They sat there in a brief but comforting silence, the flicker of candle flames casting long shadows across the worn floorboards. Vespar reached for another dryfruit, popped it in his mouth, and then hesitated.
"So this obsession with blood…" he started, watching her carefully. "Is it... purely academic?"
Lilith narrowed her eyes playfully. "You mean am I going to dissect you in your sleep?"
"I mean, if that's your way of foreplay, I might need a safe word."
She let out a genuine laugh, and it echoed lightly through the room like wind chimes in the distance. "You're ridiculous," she said, shaking her head.
"But seriously," he pressed, "you're always so meticulous with your potions, so absorbed. You're not just experimenting for fun, are you?"
Lilith looked down at her hands for a moment, long fingers tracing the curve of her palm like she was reading a language only she knew. "There's something... in blood," she said eventually. "A secret. A truth that even time has forgotten. When I research, I feel like I'm talking to something ancient. Something older than this world."
Vespar tilted his head. "You think blood has memory?"
She nodded. "I know it does. You felt it, didn't you? When you drank mine?"
His expression darkened slightly, that memory still burning at the edges of his mind like a book you're not supposed to open but can't stop reading. "Yeah," he whispered. "I saw... something. It made me angry. Protective. Like I wanted to tear the whole world apart just to find the thing that hurt you."
Lilith's expression froze for a split second before she looked away. "You shouldn't have seen that."
"Why not?" Vespar's tone was firmer now. "If something's hurting you—"
"It's not about that," she interrupted sharply. "It's about boundaries. I didn't choose to share that with you, Vespar."
He looked taken aback, but he didn't pull away. "Then why did I see it?"
She hesitated. "I don't know. Blood shouldn't show memories. Not like that. Especially not sealed ones." Her voice dropped lower, almost like she was thinking aloud.
Vespar leaned forward. "Sealed?"
Lilith's eyes flicked to him, then away again. "Forget I said that."
He scoffed. "Oh sure, let me just erase that little detail from my brain. Poof. Gone. Easy."
She pinched the bridge of her nose, frustration simmering beneath her calm facade. "I'm not trying to be difficult. Some things are... not mine to share."
"Maybe not," he said, softer this time. "But I'm not going anywhere. When you're ready, I'll be here. Fangs and all."
Lilith blinked slowly, some of the tension melting from her shoulders. "You're insufferable," she said, but there was no venom in it.
"And yet you're still on my lap."
"Only because it's comfortable."
Vespar chuckled. "You know, I should charge rent."
She gave him a sly look. "I'm already paying with blood. Seems like a fair trade to me."
He tilted his head dramatically. "Touché, my little parasite."
Lilith smacked his chest playfully, her touch lingering. "I'm not a parasite. I'm an apex predator."
"Adorable and deadly. A winning combo."
Suddenly her pocket glowed red. Her breathing growed uneven. She took out the red teardrop jewel from her pocket. As she supplied a miniscule amount of her mana the stone stopped glowing.
" Father wants to have a meeting, i guess he found out about his son-in-law " she said with a nervous chuckle.
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