43. Victor's Protest
Victor Storms to Her Mansion --
The moment Marcelline ended the call, the whole room fell silent.
For… exactly eight seconds.
Then—
BOOM. BOOM. BOOM.
It wasn't knocking.
It was someone trying to break the door off its hinges.
Marcelline sighed. Only one vampire had the audacity to knock like the police and a jealous boyfriend combined.
She snapped her fingers.
Door unlocked.
And Victor burst in, cloak swirling like he had rehearsed this entrance since childhood.
"KATHRINE MARCELLINE VALERIA—"
Marcelline: "…That's not my name."
Victor: "IT IS NOW! BECAUSE YOU ARE CLEARLY A WOMAN WHO NEEDS A FULL GOVERNMENT NAME WHEN SHE IS BEING RECKLESS!"
He slammed the door so hard the mansion walls trembled.
Marcelline didn't even flinch. She picked up her hot chocolate again.
"You're being dramatic."
Victor stared at her like she committed high treason.
"Dramatic?!
You just told three rulers—including ME—that you will casually waltz into Hollowmist City!"
Marcelline: "I said I'll check it. Not waltz."
Victor: "DID YOU JUST GRAMMAR-CORRECT YOUR OWN SUICIDE MISSION?!"
---
Victor's Panic Mode — Fully Activated
He marched straight to her, grabbed her shoulders, and shook her lightly.
"What were you thinking?!
Are you out of your divine-demonic hybrid mind?!
You can't just GO to Sparklight Country! It's across the freaking planet!"
Marcelline sipped calmly: "Private jet exists."
Victor's jaw dropped.
"Oh. My. Blood."
"YOU'RE ACTUALLY PLANNING IT."
Marcelline raised one brow. "I wasn't planning. I already decided."
Victor threw his hands in the air.
"AND YOU DIDN'T THINK TO TELL ME BEFORE HANGING UP?!"
---
Victor's Emotional Breakdown (Cute + Infuriated) --
He paced like a lunatic.
Back and forth. Back and forth. Faster than human eyes could track.
"She's going to get herself killed.
Of course she is.
Why wouldn't she?
She only has the strength to decimate a planet—"
Marcelline: "Exactly. So I'll be fine."
Victor stopped pacing.
He looked at her with a different kind of fear.
Soft. Raw. Unmasked.
"No… Elli, that's exactly why I'm terrified."
"You think power means immunity."
He stepped closer, voice low.
"But if something strong enough to shake elders exists…
What if it's strong enough to hurt you?"
His hands curled into fists.
"I can't— I won't— lose you."
---
She rolled her eyes and turned to walk past him.
"I'm not dying. Relax."
Victor moved faster, blocking her path with supernatural speed.
"NO."
"You're not brushing this off."
"You're not going alone."
Marcelline narrowed her eyes.
"You're forbidden to leave the country, remember?"
Victor's expression turned calculating. Dark. A bit unhinged.
"Then I will break the rule."
Marcelline: "Victor."
Victor: "I don't care about politics. I care about YOU."
Marcelline stared.
Victor didn't blink.
---
Marcelline: "You will NOT lose your position or provoke the elders because of me."
Victor: "And you will NOT step into Hollowmist City alone."
The air crackled between them— power against power, stubbornness against stubbornness.
Finally, Marcelline exhaled.
"I'm not changing my decision."
Victor stepped closer, face inches from hers.
"Then I'm changing mine."
His voice dropped dangerously soft:
"If you jump into hell…
I'm jumping with you."
Her chest tightened— annoying. Stupid. Unnecessary.
She looked away.
"I don't need a vampire babysitter."
Victor smirked faintly through the worry.
"No, but you might need someone who would burn down the world for you."
Marcelline: "…Victor."
He leaned even closer.
"You're not doing this alone, Elli."
"Not while I'm breathing."
Marcelline clenched her jaw.
This man was going to give her heart a stroke one day.
---
Before she could argue again—