The interior of the Night Rose Palace was even more extravagant than Bell had imagined.
Above the vaulted ceiling was flowing galactic magic rather than simple stone.
A strange, sweet fragrance, a mix of tuberose and a faint metallic scent of blood, permeated the air.
Two tall werewolf guards flanked Bell, holding him by the arms.
Their movements weren't exactly rough, but the irresistible strength they possessed was clearly felt through his arms.
Bell did not resist.
He was escorted through deep corridors, eventually stopping before a massive obsidian door carved with rose reliefs.
The door opened silently.
An even richer fragrance wafted out.
This was Lilian's bedchamber.
The guards shoved him inside and then closed the door behind him.
The room was vast.
Bell's gaze quickly swept over the surroundings.
Velvet carpets, silver candelabras burning incense, and a massive bath large enough for seven or eight people.
And, in the center of the room, an extravagantly large circular bed.
“Tie him up.”
A lazy, slightly husky female voice came from behind the bed curtains.
Two werewolf guards stepped forward, skillfully binding Bell's hands behind his back with a shimmering black rope before hoisting him up.
The other end of the rope seemed connected to some mechanism on the ceiling.
Bell's feet barely cleared the floor, forcing his body to stretch out in a humiliating and powerless posture.
He still did not resist.
His mind raced with analysis.
This rope was Binding Shadow Vine, a magical plant specifically designed to suppress high-level warriors and assassins; it was tough and could absorb mana.
It couldn't be broken by brute force.
Their task complete, the werewolf guards bowed and withdrew from the room.
The heavy stone door shut once more.
In the room, only Bell and the mysterious figure behind the curtains remained.
“Heh heh.”
A soft chuckle drifted over.
The voice was familiar to Bell, yet utterly strange.
The bed curtains were gently pulled back by a pale white hand.
Lilian.
She reclined against the headboard.
She wore only a loose black silk robe, its collar wide open to reveal a vast expanse of snowy skin and delicate collarbones.
Her once dry silver hair now cascaded over her shoulders like a smooth waterfall under the moonlight.
A lazy, satisfied smile played on her face.
Those eyes, once always filled with cowardice and terror, were now like two bottomless lakes reflecting Bell's disheveled figure.
The shy, timid girl was gone.
In her place was a queen radiating lethal charm.
Lilian stepped off the bed barefoot.
The silk robe glided across the smooth floor with her movements, making a soft rustling sound.
She walked up to Bell and stopped.
She tilted her head back, studying him intently.
Like she was admiring a trophy of her own.
“Bell Lucas.”
She spoke softly, her voice low yet carrying an unquestionable authority.
“My... former master.”
She extended her index finger, its tip ice-cold as it lightly traced across Bell's chest.
Bell's body tensed slightly at the sudden touch.
“I brought you here for only three things.”
Lilian's finger followed the lines of his chest muscles upward, finally resting on his pulsing Adam's apple.
“First.”
Her voice was very low, tinged with a hint of seduction.
“Dissolve the master-slave contract between us.”
Bell's pupils contracted slightly.
Theoretically, a master-slave contract was absolute; unless one party died, it could never be broken.
“I know it's difficult.”
Lilian seemed to see right through his thoughts, the smile on her lips deepening.
“But you are Bell Lucas.”
“You always manage to create miracles, don't you?”
“Just as you used your blood to make me stronger, giving the entire vampire race hope of basking in the sunlight.”
Her finger pressed lightly, feeling the movement of Bell's Adam's apple.
“Second.”
Her gaze turned instantly cold, like a frozen lake.
“I want you to lure Cecilia here.”
Upon hearing that name.
Bell could clearly feel Lilian's finger trembling uncontrollably.
Even though she was now a queen, that demon remained the deepest fear in her heart.
“She snapped my fangs.”
Lilian's voice was filled with bone-deep hatred.
“She made me jump out of a window like a dog.”
“I will personally return that humiliation a hundredfold.”
“This is also... to atone for my sins against you.”
She looked up, her deep eyes staring straight at Bell.
“To atone for the sin of abandoning you and fleeing alone.”
Bell remained silent.
His brain was working at high speed.
Lilian's proposal was full of fatal temptation for him.
“Third.”
Lilian withdrew her hand and turned to pace toward the window.
Outside was the dazzling night view of Moon Phase City and its two purple moons.
“I want to create a world where all vampires can live in the sunlight.”
Her voice echoed in the empty room, carrying a near-fanatical resolve.
“We are the world's scavengers, the watchers of the night.”
“We are the ones who clean up the uncollected corpses from wars.”
“Those desperate commoners survive by selling their blood to us for money.”
“Every drop of blood we obtain is gained fairly and square; it can withstand the light of day.”
She spun around suddenly, spreading her arms as if embracing the entire world.
“Why?”
“Why must we be cursed to live in darkness forever?”
Lilian walked back to Bell step by step.
She leaned in very close.
Close enough that Bell could smell the fragrance in her hair and feel her cool breath.
She reached out with both hands to cup Bell's face.
Her movements were gentle, as if handling a fragile treasure.
“You will help me.”
She looked into Bell's eyes, her tone certain.
“Right?”
Her fingers lightly brushed against Bell's lips.
It was a cold sensation, accompanied by a slight tremor.
Bell's body was stiff.
Not out of fear.
But from a much more complex emotion.
He looked at the Lilian before him.
He looked at the former slave he had created with his own hands, now tonight's queen.
Lilian's cheek slowly drew closer.
Her lips stopped less than a centimeter from Bell's.
Then, she tilted her head and pressed her lips against his ear.
Her warm breath brushed against his earlobe.
“So, my dear master.”
Her voice was as light as a sigh, yet as heavy as a mountain pressing down on Bell's heart.
“You created this queen.”
“Now...”
Her lips lightly grazed his earlobe.
“You will serve her.”
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