Chapter 350 – Your Blood Is So Sweet – Confrontation at the Door (16)
Rumors about the vampire prince drinking blood were spreading rapidly. More and more people were dying, and strangely, every victim drained of blood was a child between nine and thirteen years old.
Because the victims were all children, this was what angered people the most.
Children are the future of every family. Of all the people to harm, choosing children was simply monstrous.
Families with children lived in constant fear. Unless they needed to buy essentials or earn money, the adults rarely left home, and they absolutely forbade their children from going out to play.
Even so, in the middle of the night, cries could still be heard somewhere in the city. Whenever this happened, the nearby residents knew: another child was gone—the vampire had come again.
They would hold their own children tightly, terrified that one victim might not be enough, and the vampire would soon be searching for the next prey.
Every day, commoners cried and begged the Church to deliver justice. Even families who had not yet suffered misfortune feared that they might be next; whenever they had free time, they also went to the Church to offer their support in the crusade against the vampires.
As rumors spread, they eventually reached the vampires as well.
At first, the vampires found it ridiculous. Since the prince had issued a decree, he would naturally lead by example. None of them dared to kill humans—how could a newly awakened prince do such a thing?
But as time went on and the rumors persisted, a seed of doubt formed in their hearts. Could it really be the prince?
It was true that Bai Tang had only recently awakened. Because of that, perhaps he hadn’t yet mastered full control over himself, which might have led to such actions.
The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed. Eventually, they decided to visit His Highness the Prince.
Watching public opinion unfold, everything moving exactly as Duke Adams had planned—
He hid in the shadows, observing the civilians kneeling in the Church. The corner of his lips curled into a satisfied smile.
It seemed the plan could proceed even faster now.
During the day, Edith finished writing the note. After letting the ink dry, she rolled it up. Avoiding Trey and Butler Norman, she snuck to the agreed-upon lakeside spot and tucked the note into the designated place.
After completing everything, she quickly retreated from the scene.
Closing the gates of the castle, Edith leaned against the door and let out a long breath.
Being a double agent really wasn’t something an ordinary person could handle. She had to protect the Church while also protecting Trey—it was anything but easy.
Her earlier behavior had only been an act in case someone nearby was watching her. After all, she was the Church’s undercover agent; if she was going to put on a show, she had to commit fully. Only then would the Pope believe whatever was written on the note.
“Edith… what’s wrong? You don’t look so well.”
At some point, Bai Tang had appeared right in front of her.
With all the curtains on the first floor drawn, the darkness made it almost impossible for Edith to see the furniture around her.
Bai Tang lit a candle, guided Edith to sit on the sofa, and even poured her a cup of tea.
“Thank you.” Edith held the cup absentmindedly.
“If you trust me, you can tell me what’s bothering you. I’m very tight-lipped—I won’t tell anyone.” Bai Tang covered his mouth and mimicked a “sealed shut” gesture.
Edith couldn’t help but laugh. She downed the tea in one gulp.
She looked at the boy’s delicate face, her thoughts drifting who-knows-where.
For someone who was a vampire prince, it was incredible that Bai Tang could still keep such a pure, innocent heart.
Bai Tang was still waiting for her to speak. Steadying herself, Edith finally said, “I was chosen as a saintess when I was very young. Before entering the Church, my life was full of hunger and cold. It was the Pope who brought me into the Church, who gave me a comfortable life, who had people teach me to read and took care of me… He may not be a good person, but he showed me kindness when no one else did. If possible, I hope we can spare his life. Let it be my way of repaying him.”
Edith had thought about it for a long time before finally voicing her true concern.
In the original plot, this Pope wasn’t a good person at all.
The reason he wanted the vampire prince’s Heart of Inheritance was because the current king suffered from a strange illness, and ancient texts claimed that only the heart of a vampire prince could save him.
The Pope’s personal greed and ambition meant he was no longer satisfied with ruling only the Church. He also wanted the reverence of the masses—he wanted to seize the throne and take control of the entire nation.
Bai Tang let out a sigh. People like the Pope—once given the slightest opportunity—would stop at nothing to obtain what they wanted. Even if they locked him up, he would surely find a way to escape and continue pursuing his grand ambitions.
Seeing Bai Tang troubled, Qiu’er spoke up.
“Ah~ what’s so difficult about that? Just leave him alive. Give him a dose of something and turn him into a ‘Sleeping Beauty,’ problem solved.”
Xiao A also added, “In the original plot, the male and female leads repaid the Pope’s kindness by imprisoning him in the dungeon forever, never letting him out again. Agreeing to the heroine’s request didn’t matter much—unless there were special circumstances, the male lead wouldn’t kill the Pope anyway.”
Bai Tang stopped struggling over the issue. Whether the Pope lived or died was up to Trey, not him.
He said to Edith, “Alright, I promise you. I won’t kill him. But whether someone else decides to take action… that, I can’t guarantee.”
Edith thought the “someone else” he mentioned referred to Duke Adams. She hurried to thank him. Now that the Pope held the duke’s secret, Duke Adams might not be able to kill him even if he wanted to—so the Pope’s life was, in a sense, preserved.
That night, the vampires loyal to the prince arrived at the castle, requesting an audience with him.
Butler Norman opened the door. The vampires representing their clan entered and walked to the dining room, where they immediately saw their prince sitting on a human’s lap, being fed.
The vampires: !!!
“You can sit wherever you like. I’ll talk to you after I finish eating,” Bai Tang said, his mouth stuffed with food, his words muffled.
Even though their prince told them to relax, they dared not truly act “casual” in front of him.
Edith came from the kitchen with glasses of water.
“Please wait a moment, everyone.”
It was common for reputable vampires to keep a few human servants. Vampires disliked moving around during the day, and castles this big still needed cleaning.
So having humans in Bai Tang’s residence wasn’t surprising to them. What was surprising was that Bai Tang was sitting on a human’s lap.
They sat rigidly on the sofa, stealing glances toward the dining room every now and then.
They watched as Bai Tang speared a piece of steak, then reached back to feed it to the human behind him. If the human had merely accepted food hand-fed by the prince, that would have been shocking enough—but he even leaned in and kissed the prince on the lips.
They stared wide-eyed at the unbelievable scene before them. Beside them, Butler Norman calmly ate his meal—yet the veins bulging on the hand gripping his knife and fork made it clear he, too, was barely holding himself together.
Norman shot Trey a look: Pretty boy, that’s enough. Does the prince not care about his dignity in front of his subordinates?
But Trey, completely oblivious to Norman’s silent message, gently wiped Bai Tang’s mouth and handed him a bowl of soup.
“Drink slowly. Let them wait—it’s fine. No rush.”
Butler Norman: Considering he’s taking care of His Highness, I’ll tolerate it… for now.
Dinner ended amidst the vampires’ shock and Norman’s endurance.
Bai Tang took the seat of honor and calmly asked, “So, what brings you here this time?”
There was not a hint of guilt on his face.
The vampires responded, “Recently, many people in the city have died. All of them were drained of blood. On their bodies… we found your insignia, Your Highness. Rumors say it was you. Many vampires also suspect this, so…”
“So you came here to ask whether I did it?” Bai Tang’s voice was soft and childish, but his expression was perfectly serious.
“Slander!”
He slammed his palm on the table. “Who is slandering me?!”
Trey quickly grabbed Bai Tang’s hand and blew on it, heart aching.
“Did it hurt? The table is so hard. If you need to vent, you can hit me…”
Bai Tang pulled his hand back, cheeks slightly pink.
“It doesn’t hurt. I’m not going to hit you~”
A perfectly normal meeting—completely derailed again!
Butler Norman hurriedly redirected their attention.
“You said the insignia of His Highness was found. Take it out and let us see.”
The vampires immediately presented the imprint they had brought. Everyone leaned closer to examine it. Norman slapped the table—its craftsmanship was sturdy, so it didn’t break, but it trembled three times.
“Mr. Norman…”
“Outrageous! If I find out who framed His Highness, I’ll bite them to death!” Norman’s beard trembled with fury.
The vampires still didn’t understand. Bai Tang opened his palm, revealing the insignia that represented the highest authority of the vampire race.
He pressed it onto the table. The imprint resembled the one the vampires had brought, but the patterns were clearly different.
“This is…”
“I’ve been inside the castle the whole time, training and integrating my inherited power. When I took out the insignia of the vampire prince, I thought the design wasn’t very nice… so I changed it a bit.”
Being able to alter the insignia’s design meant that Bai Tang’s power had already surpassed that of the previous prince. He had awakened for less than half a year, yet he had already risen an entire level. Truly worthy of being their prince.
The vampires knelt, expressing their loyalty and admiration for him.
“I can’t just let people slander me. Check whether the time this insignia was modified matches the time of the incidents you found in the city.” Bai Tang looked furious, but in truth, he was extremely nervous.
He wasn’t worried they would discover anything—Qiu’er and Xiao A’s abilities far exceeded those of ordinary vampires. The problem was that he had lied. And when this little squirrel lied, he always got nervous, and when he got nervous, his eyes darted everywhere. Anyone with decent eyesight could immediately tell he was hiding something.
Half-embracing Bai Tang, Trey brought him a cup of milk tea mixed with his own blood.
“Your Highness, please have some tea.”
Bai Tang took it and sipped. Having eaten a full dinner, he wasn’t really in the mood for anything else.
He put the cup down and, completely abandoning his image, threw himself into Trey’s arms. Being the head of the vampire clan was so exhausting—he didn’t like it at all.
Trey stroked his back and placed soft kisses near Bai Tang’s ear.
One, then another…
Light, dragonfly-like kisses landed on his ear tip, behind his ear, and other sensitive spots.
Bai Tang’s face flushed bright red, and all the guilt and nervousness flew out of his mind.