Chapter 342 – Your Blood Is So Sweet – Deciding to Cooperate (08)
Trey finally made it back to the castle before night fell completely.
He led his horse to the stable, then climbed up to the second floor the same way he had earlier. Bai Tang was still asleep.
He placed a gentle kiss on the sleeping boy, then turned and went downstairs to the kitchen. Tangtang would surely be hungry once he woke up—he needed to have dinner ready before then.
While he was preparing the meal, Butler Norman appeared behind him without a sound.
“Good evening, Butler Norman.” Trey turned around and saw a man in a black cloak standing at the doorway.
Butler Norman gave a standard, polite smile. “Good evening, Mr. Trey.”
The way Butler Norman addressed him immediately set off alarms in Trey’s mind. Very unusual—and unusual always meant trouble.
“May I ask where you went today?”
“I went back to the Holy See.”
Trey’s honesty caught Butler Norman completely off guard.
“So, you’re admitting you’re an undercover agent for the Holy See? Tell me—what’s your purpose for infiltrating the castle and gaining the prince’s trust?” Butler Norman’s expression shifted in an instant. His previously calm face twisted suddenly, revealing sharp fangs, as if he would tear Trey apart if he didn’t give a satisfactory explanation immediately.
Trey picked up a small knife and made a cut on his own arm, letting his blood drip into the stew. Then he turned off the fire and lifted the pot.
“My purpose? Doesn’t Butler Norman already know? Naturally—it’s Tang Tang.”
Butler Norman tensed, becoming even more on guard. He was just about to open his mouth, ready to bite Trey to death, when a soft, milky voice came from behind them.
“Butler Norman, Trey, you’re both in the kitchen~?”
It was Bai Tang. He had woken up.
With a smile, Trey placed the food onto a tray.
As he carried the tray past Butler Norman, he leaned close and spoke in a voice only the two of them could hear: “I mean no harm. I only returned to sever ties with the Holy See, but I ran into some trouble. I’ll need your help later.”
With that, he walked out carrying the tray and laid out all the dishes neatly in front of Bai Tang.
“Wash your hands—it’s time to eat~” Trey said.
“Wow~ You made all this?” Although he hadn’t been in this world for long, it felt like ages since he’d last eaten a meal cooked by his own dear hubby. He’d really missed it.
Bai Tang took a deep breath. It was the familiar fragrance of home-cooked dishes—every one of them something he loved.
“T-then I’ll go wash my hands now…” Bai Tang hopped away cheerfully to wash up. Meanwhile, Butler Norman brought out the bone broth he had prepared earlier for Trey—broth that, thankfully, had not been eaten.
“Mr. Trey, this is your dinner.”
“Thank you for the trouble, Butler Norman, but I’m not hungry yet. Since you worked so hard, please enjoy it yourself first.”
Trey had absolutely no intention of tasting Butler Norman’s special dark cuisine again.
Just then, Bai Tang returned. Hearing their conversation, he laughed and said, “Trey’s right. Butler Norman, you’ve worked hard—please eat first. We’re all family here, no need to be so formal.”
Since Bai Tang said so, Butler Norman had no choice but to comply.
He watched helplessly as Trey fed Bai Tang mouthful after mouthful, the two of them laughing intimately, occasionally sneaking in little kisses.
Butler Norman’s heart felt like it was being wrung dry—especially when Bai Tang’s face turned red with shyness.
The prince is being deceived by this pretty-faced brat…
Butler Norman roared internally. He lifted the bowl of bone soup as if it were made from Trey’s chopped-up bones and gulped down several large mouthfuls… then frowned, his expression twisting into something unspeakably strange.
After dinner came his usual digestion routine. Butler Norman stood in the courtyard, watching the two stroll together while listening to the reports being relayed back by the little bats.
He raised a brow.
So the pretty-faced brat wasn’t just from the Holy See—he even held a high-ranking position.
Low-level infiltrators were bad enough, but high-ranking ones were far more dangerous. Butler Norman silently heightened his vigilance.
When the two finished their walk and returned, all three of them sat down face-to-face for a serious conversation.
Bai Tang nestled comfortably in Trey’s arms, licking the candy Trey had bought for him. So sweet~
Butler Norman lowered his gaze slightly and sighed inwardly.
“I have something I need help with. I hope both Tang Tang and Butler Norman can assist me.” Trey knew full well that no single person—or even a squad of knights—could stand against Duke Adams’s vampire forces. So he explained everything about Edith being captured.
Butler Norman sneered. “And why exactly should I help you? You’re from the Holy See. For all I know, this could be a trap you and that female spy set up.”
“That’s not true… Trey isn’t like that~” Bai Tang said softly in Trey’s defense.
Butler Norman felt his heart growing even more congested.
Trey felt a warm surge in his heart at Bai Tang’s defense of him. He tightened his arms around the youth and lowered his head to kiss his cheek. “Thank you for believing in me.”
“You’re welcome~” Bai Tang had long lost count of how many worlds he had lived through with the male lead. Trust wasn’t built in a day—it was nurtured through the love and care the male lead gave him in every lifetime.
In this world, the female lead wasn’t particularly evil either. The Holy See and vampires simply stood on opposing sides. Her deceiving the male supporting character was only because she sought to eradicate vampires. If they hadn’t been on opposite sides, his fate wouldn’t have been so tragic.
In the original plot, she never harmed innocent civilians to achieve her goals either.
Bai Tang chose to trust his intuition. Edith was probably a good person.
Butler Norman had yet to agree. The prince did have the authority to demand Duke Adams release the prisoner—but that would also mean Bai Tang was placing himself in direct opposition to all vampires. It would be extremely disadvantageous to his future as their ruler.
The two were still at an impasse when a small bat flew in through the window, a letter held in its mouth.
Bai Tang took the letter, and the little bat flapped its wings and vanished.
The letter was from Duke Adams, and its contents were regarding Edith.
They had captured the Holy See’s saintess and negotiated a trade with the Holy See: if the Holy See delivered one hundred boys and girls, they would return Edith.
But the problem was—they feared the cunning Holy See might try something underhanded. They wanted the prince to personally lead the exchange in three days.
This letter confirmed that Trey had not lied, but it also placed a difficult dilemma before Bai Tang.
He had only just awakened his powers, which were still unstable. His combat experience wasn’t deep either. Sending him to face the fully prepared, battle-hardened Holy See meant far less chance of success than if Duke Adams led the team himself.
Duke Adams had always been ambitious; Butler Norman knew this well.
After reading the letter, Butler Norman’s expression changed drastically. Adams’s wolfish ambitions were practically spelled out—he might as well have written “seize the throne” in bold ink. The meaning was the same. And they couldn’t refuse.
If they refused, it would prove Bai Tang was unfit to lead the vampires, forcing him to yield the throne and surrender the power of inheritance. If they agreed, a clash with the Holy See could easily end in mutual destruction, allowing Adams to reap the spoils. No matter how one looked at it, Adams would be the biggest winner.
At this moment, Butler Norman finally looked at Trey properly.
“You said earlier you wanted to cooperate. Does that offer still stand?”
Humans were cunning—Trey might raise his price now that he knew Bai Tang was in a bind.
“Naturally. Our goals are quite similar. Aside from protecting Tang Tang, I want to rescue the Holy See’s saintess without harming anyone. After this is over, I’ll resign from my position as Paladin Captain and stay by Tang Tang’s side, caring for him…”
Trey’s gentle gaze made Bai Tang blush shyly.
“Butler Norman, let’s work with Trey,” Bai Tang said. He didn’t really care about being a prince or not, but he couldn’t bear the thought of so many innocent people dying.
In the previous world, even when Tang Tang had nearly fallen into half-demonization, he still kept a kind heart. As long as he held onto that kindness, he would never truly fall into demonic corruption.
Qiu’er and Xiao A fully supported Bai Tang’s decision to save people—not just for the sake of saving lives or earning merit, but because, more importantly, it was a way to save Bai Tang himself.
“Alright, let’s discuss our plan,” Butler Norman said.
…
The messenger bat wobbled as it flew into a castle. Duke Adams swirled a glass of red wine, listening to the bat report back.
So the letter had been delivered… Adams’s smile widened. He wasn’t the least bit worried that Bai Tang would refuse. Just as Butler Norman had analyzed, refusing would be the same as admitting he lacked the ability to lead the vampire clan. And the vampires had no need for a useless prince—he would have to step down.
“Very good. You’ve earned your reward.” Duke Adams set the wine glass on the table, and the little bat stretched its head forward to take a sip.
During the day, Trey returned to the Holy See to discuss strategy with the knights. At night, he coordinated with Butler Norman and Bai Tang in the castle.
Time passed quickly, and soon, the third day arrived.
Edith had been confined in a pitch-black dungeon, never seeing sunlight. The vampires were afraid their captives would starve to death, so they sent food daily—but they only tossed it through a small opening in the door without ever unlocking it. Edith had no chance to escape.
The vampires weren’t stupid. They gave only enough food to keep the captives alive—never enough to fill their stomachs.
The civilian who had been caught along with Edith—the one who had provoked the vampires by looting them—was named Doen. He wasn’t a particularly large man, but men typically had more physical strength than women. His education level was low, and in his hunger, he completely forgot that Edith had saved his life.
He used force to snatch Edith’s food. She couldn’t overpower him, and soon she fainted from hunger.
The man, even after stealing her share, was only half-full.
The heavy dungeon door opened with a rumble. A blinding shaft of light shot in. Edith regained consciousness, the brightness forcing her to raise an arm to shield her eyes.
“Move.”
A vampire shoved them forward roughly. Edith had barely any strength; she stumbled several times, nearly falling. Faced with terrifying vampires, Doen didn’t dare act out at all. He shrank back like a cowardly quail.
Soon, they were brought to a banquet hall.
After walking for a while and getting used to the light, Edith finally began to think clearly about her situation.
“Duke, the hostages have been brought. We can depart now,” the vampire who had escorted them out of the dungeon said respectfully.
“Good. Let’s go.”
Adams strode forward, his cloak billowing behind him, leaving behind a heavy stench of iron.
Walking behind him, Edith caught a whiff of the smell and couldn’t help it—she doubled over and vomited. But after three days without proper food, all she could bring up was bitter bile, and even that smelled awful.
Duke Adams’s face darkened as he looked at the stains on his cloak.
Damn woman. She dirtied my favorite cloak.
Author’s Note:
Good night, my little cuties~