Chapter 346 – Your Blood Is So Sweet – The Secret Plot (12)
When Butler Norman woke up, he immediately noticed that something had changed between His Highness the Prince and that commoner—there was a new sense of tacit understanding and… most of the time, the two of them were practically surrounded by pink bubbles.
Butler Norman: I go to sleep for a bit and wake up to find the cabbage I’ve guarded for a thousand years has been snatched by a pig. My heart hurts.
“Mr. Norman, you’re awake! Trey made a delicious dinner. Come quick~” Bai Tang sat at the dining table, fork in his left hand, knife in his right, and a spotless white napkin wrapped around his neck.
Trey was busy in the kitchen. Butler Norman’s heart warmed a little. He felt vaguely comforted—His Highness was still mindful of him and not completely bewitched by that pretty boy. Good, good.
But when Butler Norman entered the kitchen, his attitude toward Trey was even worse than before he fell asleep—nothing he did was right. It was only after Trey brought out all the dishes—beautiful, fragrant, and delicious—and after seeing Bai Tang’s slightly rounder little face that Butler Norman’s expression finally eased a little.
“Mr. Norman, eat! Trey made it. It’s super tasty~” Bai Tang pushed a plate with a large steak toward him.
“Please don’t be picky, Host. Eating more meat is very beneficial for your health.” Xiao A saw right through Bai Tang’s little scheme. Over the past ten days, the male lead thought the Host was far too skinny and kept trying all sorts of ways to feed him meat. Now that Butler Norman had woken up, the Host was finally liberated.
Exposed by Xiao A, the little squirrel’s eyes flickered. He muttered softly, “No I didn’t. I already ate a lot. Butler Norman works so hard—it’s only right to let him have something nutritious.”
He said that, but Bai Tang didn’t really dare to look Trey in the eyes.
“This is Tang Tang’s token of appreciation. Mr. Norman, please don’t be polite.”
Trey didn’t blame Bai Tang at all. Just when Bai Tang saw hope—thinking he could escape eating beef tonight—Trey slid a neatly sliced plate of beef in front of him.
“Tang Tang, you can’t be picky.”
Trey’s voice was gentle. Bai Tang grabbed his hand and shook it. “Can I please not eat it? It’s so greasy~”
Trey calculated Tang Tang’s daily food intake and finally sighed helplessly. “Alright, just for tonight.”
“Trey is the best~” Bai Tang cheered, immediately pushing the plate in front of him toward Butler Norman. “Mr. Norman, take your time. There’s plenty more—eat as much as you want.”
Watching the lively Bai Tang, Trey smiled softly. His little squirrel’s way of acting cute was too lethal—completely impossible to resist. He doubted he’d ever find a way to counter it.
The Holy See.
After Trey left, his influence was absorbed by the Pope.
Edith unexpectedly discovered that among the one hundred boys and girls they had rescued, several had mysteriously gone missing.
With her compassionate heart, the heroine felt she had to uncover the truth—she couldn’t let more children disappear.
Under the pretext of prayer, she brought the remaining ninety-something children into the Holy See.
In her mind, the Holy See was the safest place. Even a vampire prince wouldn’t dare to break in recklessly.
But to her surprise, the next morning, another five children were gone. She questioned everyone in the Holy See, yet no one had seen them.
Their rooms showed no signs of struggle—clean and undisturbed, as if the children had walked out on their own.
The Pope, who rushed over after hearing the news, said, “Edith, let it go. Perhaps the children didn’t like staying here and went home.”
Edith hurried to the homes of the missing children, only to be told by their families that the children had not returned.
“What’s going on? Did something happen to the kids?”
Facing the dark, honest faces of the parents, Edith couldn’t bring herself to tell them their children were missing.
“It’s nothing. The kids were being naughty and insisted on going home, so I came to let you know. If they come back, please inform the Holy See.”
“Of course, of course. Saint Edith, you’ve helped us so much—we don’t even know how to thank you…” The parents were moved to tears.
“I won’t bother you any further.” With heavy steps, Edith returned to the Holy See.
She felt more and more certain that the children’s disappearances were premeditated. Just as she was about to seek out the Pope to discuss it, she heard two men’s voices from within the inner hall and stopped in her tracks.
“Adams, we had an agreement. I provide you with blood, and you give me the Heart of Inheritance. Your strength has almost fully recovered. It’s time to fulfill your promise,” the Pope said.
“You think I don’t want it? The Heart of Inheritance has fused with the prince’s heart. The prince has grown stronger and now has countless bloodkin followers. Because of what happened last time, I lost many subordinates. And now I even have to doubt whether you’re sincere in our cooperation.”
The other man’s voice was not unfamiliar to Edith. She had heard it when she was trapped in the duke’s castle—it was Duke Adams.
Since when did Duke Adams have dealings with the Pope?
Edith’s heart trembled, but she forced herself to continue listening.
“What do you mean? If I weren’t sincere, would I have given you those children? Do you think finding children born exactly at midnight is easy?”
“If you’re truly sincere, then why is your Paladin Commander still at the prince’s side?”
That was what truly enraged Duke Adams.
Bai Tang was constantly accompanied by Trey, and the Sword of Light in Trey’s hand was the bane of the bloodkin. Not to mention Trey’s formidable skills—Adams didn’t dare approach recklessly.
The Pope was inwardly surprised, though he didn’t show it on his face.
“Trey Lewis left the Holy See long ago. Where he goes is his own freedom. I don’t know where he went. I didn’t expect him to end up by the prince’s side—that’s beyond my control.”
Duke Adams said, “As long as you can find a way to lure Trey away, I can obtain the Heart of Inheritance.”
The Pope thought for a moment, then looked up. “Fine. I’ll draw Trey away for you…”
The voices inside grew softer, and Edith could no longer hear them clearly.
She leaned forward, pressing her ear to the door.
Suddenly, she kicked a flowerpot, shifting it with a loud scrape.
“Who’s there?”
The noise alerted the two men inside.
Edith lifted her skirt and fled.
She only managed a few steps before crashing into a maid.
“Ah!” The maid fell to the ground. Edith tried to help her up, but before she could, two shadows appeared on the floor of the hallway behind her.
“I’m sorry—go quickly,” Edith whispered.
There was no time to explain. She pulled the maid with her and hid behind a giant potted plant, covering the maid’s mouth to keep her silent.
Before long, the Pope and Duke Adams arrived in pursuit.
“I saw someone in a white dress. You’d better find her quickly. If our deal gets exposed, I’d like to see how you, the great Pope, plan to clean up the mess.” Duke Adams spoke with gloating satisfaction.
The Pope had already been worried about the matter being exposed. With Duke Adams goading him like that, he grew even more agitated.
“There are no side paths here. She couldn’t have gone far—she must be hiding.” The Pope knew every inch of the Holy See’s layout.
The two men searched every corner and hiding spot where a person could fit. Although they didn’t check the large flowerpot first, at this rate, it was only a matter of time before they found them.
The maid was loyal to Edith. Though she didn’t understand what was happening, she knew Edith was in danger.
She glanced at Edith, who was drenched in sweat, staring anxiously at the two men outside.
“Edith, I’ll go distract the Pope,” the maid whispered with unwavering loyalty.
Before Edith could react, the maid dashed out.
Hearing the noise, the Pope and Duke Adams turned and saw a woman in a white dress running toward the far end of the corridor.
Duke Adams made a swift decision. He flung open his cloak and, in the blink of an eye, appeared behind the maid.
“—Ah!”
The maid’s eyes widened. Duke Adams withdrew his hand, and the maid, losing all strength, collapsed to the floor—her wide, unblinking eyes staring toward the place where Edith was hiding.
Edith covered her mouth to stop herself from crying out.
She desperately wanted to rush out, but she couldn’t. She couldn’t fall into the Pope’s hands, and she couldn’t let the maid’s sacrifice be in vain.
The maids and the Saintess of the Holy See all wore long white robes; from a distance, they were indistinguishable.
The Pope recognized the dead maid—she was responsible for cleaning this area. If she had been the one eavesdropping, that was still… acceptable.
“Your management is lacking,” Duke Adams sneered. “Even a little nobody dares to eavesdrop on the affairs of her superiors.”
Among the bloodkin, the hierarchy was absolute. A low-ranked vampire would never dare listen in on the conversations of a count or duke—unless, of course, they had been ordered to.
“Enough. She’s dead; nothing will spread. Our deal continues. I will find an opportunity to lure Trey away. You’d better keep your word.”
The Pope had already lost face in front of Duke Adams and didn’t want to say more. He wasn’t sure that if he listened to two more sarcastic remarks, he wouldn’t splash holy water on Adams in fury.
The plan had progressed this far—they couldn’t afford failure now.
With a flick of his sleeves, the Pope left.
Duke Adams summoned several small bats to carry away the maid’s body.
He would play the good guy just this once and help the Holy See clean up their… unexpected accident.
After Duke Adams departed, Edith remained crouched behind the potted plant, not daring to come out. She feared the Pope or Duke Adams might double back—if they did, she was finished.
Sure enough, about a quarter of an hour later, Duke Adams returned. He murmured, “Seems I was overthinking…”
Once Duke Adams finally left and night had fully settled over the Holy See, Edith emerged from behind the potted plant.
She returned to her room and poured herself a glass of water.
The cold water helped clear her mind.
Suddenly, someone knocked on her door, making her jump.
She steadied herself and asked, “Who is it?”
“It’s me. I have something to discuss with you.”
It was the Pope. Edith patted her chest, trying to calm her racing heart.
“Please wait a moment, I’m changing clothes,” she said, using it as an excuse while she quickly changed into a light blue robe.
She opened the door, and the Pope entered.
“Edith, I have an important mission for you. This is a secret operation—you must not let a third party find out.”
“Trey has betrayed us. He has joined the vampire prince’s side and is now living in the prince’s castle. I need you to gain their trust and then…”
The Pope revealed his plan.
Edith nodded. “Yes, Your Holiness.”
Author’s Note :
Let me see how many little friends will be spending Children’s Day with me tomorrow~