I didn't know how to reply to her. Who knows our dynamics? Certainly not me.
After a few seconds of silence, I forced the most, cool guy smile and said, "Couldn't be better, baby. What about you?"
She didn't reply instantly; instead, just dead stared, letting the silence stretch.
W—Wait… We are a pair, right? Why was she staring like I just murdered her mother?
"Are you really sure you're fine?" she asked again, touching my forehead with the back of her hand, her eyelashes wet as if tearing up.
"…"
Why is she crying?! I just replied to her like a boyfriend would! At least as far as I knew. I cried inside, too.
"Yes, definitely. It's all fine now." She said suddenly, cleaning her eyes, "I couldn't be better too, …ba-baby!" She said awkwardly.
Oh, so it's all good!
[Host should NOT call her baby again.]
'…'
After a bit of thought, I gave her a reassuring smile, "That's great. My strength recovered a bit. Now, we can get out!"
Her lips parted slightly, as if she remembered something, and her eyes trembled.
"H–How? You lost it all, and you were cold, and you stopped regener…" Her voice shook as she cut her sentence, bit her lip before forcing a dim whisper.
"Thank God." As she rested her head on my chest, she was still shaking.
I patted her soft hair, "You started healing too, I am glad…"
Her lips curled upwards in a smile—not a happy one, but a self-deprecating one. Her bright red eyes glimmered in the darkness as her eyes too curled with the smile on her lips.
My heart sank. She looked incredible, magical. I wanted to keep looking at it, but something was wrong. That smile was sad somehow.
"…Ci! Luci!" Her worried shout woke me up from the dreamlike trance.
"Can I ask you something?" I asked, and she nodded hesitantly. "Why did you stop healing?"
'You went cold, you stopped regenerating.' Her words rang in my mind. So… Lucien died.
"I was… I couldn't heal my wounds after what happened last night. No matter how hard I tried… It was like I lost that ability…" she said, clutching my hand tight, her hand shaking.
"…Why?"
I was under the assumption that it was infinite healing even without any blood or doing anything special. Lucien shouldn't stop healing. She shouldn't either. How could they die?
"It will be fine after I drink some blood, so it's okay… It's fine, I am fine." She muttered, not looking up from my chest.
My jaw widened suddenly. The memory of the passive's description sprang. [As long as the user wanted to live.]
"…" Her eyes were shut tight. She knew what I was thinking.
One had to give up to stop healing…
_Previous Lucien gave up, maybe due to the constant torture, or hopelessness of this cell, but… he gave up.
"I am sorry …I still couldn't change, no matter how hard I try." Her face turned even more self-deprecating as she cried.
Why are you saying sorry?! It's not your fault. Watching him die meant she was abandoned. Left alone in this horrible cell with all her kin dead, to bear all the pain and torture, and then be sold as a slave to scumbags.
Anyone would feel like giving up…
It's all Lucien's fault. I wrapped my arms around her head, bringing her closer.
Her eyes widened as she looked at me from the grip of my elbow, "You are––" her voice thinned midway, the words faltered, her gaze drifted past me, towards the heavy cell door, and she froze.
"It's okay, I have a plan to escape!" I actually thought of something good meanwhile, but she gasped anyway, her nails clutching at my chest hard.
Her lips shook, "My blood is all clotted up. I-I can't even move."
"That's why, stay put. I will handle it." I said again.
"It will take some time before I can correct my flow properly…" She panicked further.
Did she not hear me? I felt a bit hurt that she just ignored my plan.
She noticed my face and hurriedly said, "It's not that! I need to protect you…"
Truly, my predecessor had the biggest vagina when it came to being a man.
"Just stay put, you're not in a position to protect me. You will be fine, I will be too, I promise… Trust me?" I said softly, staring right in her red eyes.
She stiffened. "Y–You're different…" So be it. I won't let her get injured for just trying to act like my predecessor. That would be equivalent to killing the old me. Fortunately, I won't, since I wasn't force-fed his memories. Goddamn, I hate those novels.
My pupils dilated suddenly, the beautiful smile she had moments ago returned, but this time it was happy… Which made it even more beautiful than before.
"Than... I will trust you…" She said, "I didn't know your voice could sound like that," She murmured.
"Hm?"
"Nothing!" She punched my chest lightly as she blushed, and her face relaxed a lot. Just as I was about to suggest she continue what she was saying before, she followed up with—
"But, drink my blood at least, you will need it." She suggested in an earnest tone.
Honestly, I was up for it. The only thing stopping me was her being unconscious, but if she is suggesting it herself, it must mean she will be fine.
Why not just trust her and do it?
She raised her arms towards me. Does that mean she's ready?
I gently placed her down against the stone pillar, grabbing her from the shoulders as her head tilted cutely. She didn't resist, just curling adorably on the stone floor and extending her arm again.
My gaze moved towards her pale neck, and her fully revealed collarbone and shoulders, her soft hand rubbing my chest.
I moved faster than I intended, my large fangs tearing through her soft flesh with ease.
Tuck!... Suck!