IETSTSMLARA | The Ambitious Vampire Prince | 101
Celtic did not bother to kill him, because this vampire had been a failure from beginning to end, never earning Lin Su's respect.
He disdained this vampire, but those words still entered his ears and settled in his heart. Celtic clenched his fingers tightly, lifting his chin to glance at Lin Su. "Deal with it yourself. I'm leaving."
"Be careful on the road," Lin Su calmly said from behind him.
Celtic should have left straightforwardly, but at this moment, he inexplicably felt a burning in his heart.
That vampire had claimed Lin Su's genuine feelings were wasted, but Celtic knew he should be unhappy, yet he didn't say it. Was it because he didn't want to say it, or... couldn't say it?
Because he had always appeared ready to leave, was that why he couldn't say it?
Celtic yearned for any excuse that would make him stay, but from the moment he walked down the stairs and out the door, Lin Su didn't utter a word to detain him.
Although he had clearly won against that vampire, his heart was burdened even heavier.
Celtic eventually left. At the moment he departed, Lin Su looked up. All the vampires who had been secretly observing hid themselves.
Arnold awkwardly picked himself up from the ground, silently picking up the scattered documents. Lin Su looked down at him, expressionless. "After you've finished, come to my room. I have something to discuss with you."
"Yes, Mr. Lin," Arnold obediently replied.
Lin Su turned and left, leaving the atmosphere in the entire villa somewhat stagnant. Several vampires who had been spying on the situation exchanged glances, hesitant to approach. Only Ian cautiously emerged from the corner, rubbing his eyes, and carefully approached Arnold.
"Arnold, are you okay? Your neck..."
"I'm fine," Arnold replied as he picked up the materials and stood up. "Could you move aside? You're in my way."
"Oh, uh..." Ian quickly stepped back, watching Arnold ascend the stairs. "You should apologize to Mr. Lin properly. He'll forgive you."
"Do you think everyone in the world is as soft-hearted and easy to bully as you?" Arnold glanced back at him with a hint of fierceness on his cute and delicate face. Ian was taken aback and took a step back.
"Don't meddle in other people's business."
He just worried about his friend, that's all.
Ian understood why Arnold liked Mr. Lin. Mr. Lin had saved him more than once. Initially establishing the hospital was also for him, allowing him, who was shunned by both humans and vampires, to survive.
Mr. Lin, who was so good, was like a ray of sunshine in Arnold's life. Ian knew the feeling of being rescued when he was desperate. But it wasn't right to compete for Mr. Lin's affection when he already had a lover.
"I'm hungry," Yi Zhelai suddenly appeared next to Ian, saying casually.
"I'll be right there," Ian responded. He hastily undid his collar. Yi Zhelai glanced at him and said, "Go fetch blood from the freezer for me. I want grade one blood."
"Huh? Why not drink mine?" Ian was a bit confused.
"Hurry up and go. Don't meddle in other people's business," Yi Zhelai instructed.
Lin Su's affairs are not easy to meddle in. Would he keep a vampire around to bother Celtic when he finds out that he likes him? No.
Therefore... it must have been intentional.
Ian lowered his head and pursed his lips, saying, "I understand."
Turning around, he descended the stairs and stopped halfway, lowering his head. "Yi Zhelai, do you dislike me?"
Weak and useless, clearly unable to manage his own affairs well yet still meddling in others'.
Yi Zhelai, who had been heading upstairs, paused and said coldly, "No, if I disliked you, I wouldn't stay here at all."
He continued upstairs, and Ian turned to watch him, a smile already on his face. "Really? Yi, I'm so glad."
"Hmm," Yi Zhelai softly responded.
Humans are inherently fragile and sensitive creatures, capable of being discouraged by a single word and uplifted by another. As long as emotions are managed well, they can be controlled.
In this regard, he believed that Lin Su, as a human, should understand him.
Arnold tidied up the documents and stood at Lin Su's door, taking a deep breath before knocking. Upon hearing "come in" from inside, he opened the door and walked in.
A man sat beneath candlelight, his shimmering golden hair somewhat dazzling. He lounged lazily, a familiar smile on his face. Arnold walked over and placed the documents on the table. "Mr. Lin, I'm very sorry."
Lin Su chuckled and looked at the slightly guilty young man under the candlelight. "You did well. It was just too provocative. If he had really made a move against you in that situation, I might not have been able to stop him."
Celtic's strength was formidable; his fingers were already gripping Arnold's throat. If he had to intervene, the only way would be to use silver to strike at Celtic's vital points, but he couldn't do that.
"I was too hasty, I wanted to do everything perfectly in one go," Arnold softened his voice. "I'm sorry. I almost ruined everything for you."
Lin Su chuckled lightly, "No, this is the best option for now. I'm preparing to open a hospital in the Empire of Bird, where the Central Holy Church is located. It's a place familiar to vampires from there and unfamiliar to others. Would you be willing to go?"
After considering various options, Lin Su found Arnold to be the most suitable candidate. Importantly, he had some acquaintance with Albert, making coordination easier.
"I will follow your arrangements completely," Arnold replied softly.
This man had saved him for the first time in the Holy Church, sparing him from the fate chosen by the vampires. The second time was when he was at his wit's end as a vampire. This man was like a beacon of light in his endless darkness of life. He even had the authority to command his life, let alone give orders.
"Everything is ready, and we can depart immediately," Lin Su, always emphasizing efficiency, stated without delay.
"Understood," Arnold nodded.
The carriage was heavily shielded from light; pulling up the blinds prevented even a trace of light from entering. Accompanying them were two vampires and two humans loyal to Lin Su.
Initially fearful, they had now become as comfortable as Joe, getting along with both vampires and humans.
Arnold boarded the carriage with his belongings. Leaning against the window, he caught sight of Lin Su bidding farewell. He smiled softly, "Mr. Lin, I'm leaving."
"Take care on your journey," Lin Su waved as he said goodbye.
As dawn broke, Arnold closed the carriage window. Not once did he look back until the carriage departed the villa's grounds. It was only then that he retrieved a jade-green cufflink from his sleeve and held it in his hand, lost in thought.
The cufflink wasn't his; he never wore such things. It was meant for Mr. Lin's cuff, where it seemed to serve its purpose best.
Mr. Lin was gentle and accommodating, but he only offered them shelter out of pity, never extending extra warmth or illusions. Yet even that slight warmth was enough to restore hope to someone on the brink of despair in the icy wasteland.
He loved him—or rather, one could say that no vampire in that mansion did not admire him. To receive his special treatment was to be the luckiest person alive.
Arnold didn't envy Celtic for his noble birth, excellent lineage, splendid appearance, and outstanding abilities. What he truly envied was the special treatment that person received.
He envied him, was jealous of him, and resented his failure to cherish Mr. Lin. That's why his initially planned scheme slipped out uncontrollably when the time came to speak his mind.
Among those words, only one thing he said was false: that he would compete with him. He envied and resented that vampire, but would never harm him. Mr. Lin was not someone he could simply take from, especially since that vampire was Mr. Lin's favorite. How could he possibly ruin that?
As the carriage traveled on, disappearing into the morning sunlight along the roadside.
During the day, when vampires should be asleep, Lin Su returned to the mansion and encountered Yi Zhelai standing silently with folded arms.
The ancestor of the vampires surveyed him. "You are quite ruthless."
"Things that are taken are often the most cherished," Lin Su replied as he passed by.
Young vampires were not yet accustomed to loving someone. It was necessary for them to experience anxiety and hesitation repeatedly. If they didn't, how could they mature?
Yi Zhelai sneered. "You know what I mean."
"If you don't like someone, don't give them any hope," Lin Su glanced at him. "Otherwise, it harms both parties."
Arnold was like this, and Ian was no different.
Although the Little Holy father was tolerant and compassionate, with a soft heart, when someone accumulates enough disappointment, they silently leave. Yi Zhelai could stop him from going anywhere in this world, except for one place he couldn't prevent.
Yi Zhelai's lips twitched slightly as Lin Su patted his shoulder and headed upstairs.
After staying up all night, he was truly tired. When a person is exhausted and mentally relaxed, falling asleep only takes a moment. Lin Su pulled the curtains and slept deeply. Meanwhile, the coffin in the underground of the estate had its lid moved aside, and Celtic sat straight up inside, his hand on his forehead as he realized he couldn't sleep.
This was unprecedented for him, but now his mind was in turmoil, with the image of that man appearing whenever he opened or closed his eyes.
That man was outstanding, which was why others coveted him and wanted to seize him. The reason they wanted to seize him was that they didn't appreciate him enough.
Why should others interfere in his affairs? But if he didn't appreciate it, would that special attention, coveted and envied by others, transfer elsewhere?
"Master, what's wrong?" The butler came over to check on the coffin's closure, only to find his usually sound-sleeping master sitting here troubled.
Humans tend to want to confide when they're troubled, and Celtic found himself having that inclination now. "How do you know if you've fallen in love with someone?"
"You've fallen in love when you're willing to restrain yourself from doing what you want for their sake," the butler half-knelt before him and said.
He didn't need to ask who that person was that he'd fallen for.
"Is that so?" Celtic chuckled meaningfully with his head down.
Counting all the things he had restrained himself from doing for that human, he couldn't even count them all on one hand.
It turns out that vampires, like humans, can deceive themselves.
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Thanks for the update
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