Chapter 259: This Must Be a Dream (4K)

「Mmm…」

In the dark, shadowy, and faintly chilling space, Elizabeth's eyelids twitched slightly.

Slowly, she opened her eyes, her blood-red irises still clouded with the fog of awakening.

「…」

She blinked, gazing dazedly around her.

Who am I? Where am I? What's for dinner tonight?

The familiar darkness, the unchanging interior of the coffin.

She was still stuck inside the coffin.

Hmm, nothing has changed from before.

Elizabeth exhaled, letting out a huge yawn.

「Ha…」

So, I was just asleep earlier.

Come to think of it, what was I doing before I fell asleep?

It feels like I did something really thrilling?

What was it exactly?

「Mmm… I can't remember. 」

After earnestly trying to recall for a while, Elizabeth remembered nothing—her memory seemed to have a gap.

She only vaguely felt she had done something deeply shameful, but not a single detail remained.

After several failed attempts to recall, she chose to stop thinking.

「…Well, probably just a nightmare. 」 Elizabeth mumbled, giving a slight nod.

After all, nightmares always vanish from memory soon after waking.

Forgetting is perfectly normal…

Thinking this, Elizabeth completely emptied her mind.

Don't think.

Think of nothing.

A voice seemed to whisper incessantly at her ears, urging her not to dig deeper.

Yes, don't think anymore.

「Mmm, it was probably just a dream. 」

Elizabeth muttered, repeating it to herself several times as if trying to convince herself.

Wait, that's strange.

Why isn't my body damp at all… Huh?

As this thought surfaced in her mind, Elizabeth froze suddenly.

No.

Why did I assume I should be "damp"?

Something feels off.

Elizabeth's expression turned solemn, a quiet unease stirring within her.

Did I forget something?

It seems…

Even as the voice in her mind frantically warned her, she couldn't help but begin to recall.

I—I must remember!

If I care so much, it must be something I can't forget!

I will remember!

Elizabeth ignored the pleading in her mind and strained every ounce of will to recall.

Hmph!

How could I possibly forget?

Someone must be deceiving me!

I won't forget!

No one can deceive me!

Never!

Finally, after prolonged effort, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.

「Hah! I remember! 」

Elizabeth laughed excitedly, smugly saying: 「Of course I can recall it—I'm me, after all. 」

「I remember, I was thinking about Herbert, and then…」

But as she spoke, her voice gradually lowered, growing increasingly uneasy.

「Sss!! ！」

Herbert!

The moment she recalled "Herbert," it triggered a keyword—she froze completely.

In that instant, the memories sealed away by her "self-protection" awakened instantly.

Once one detail surfaced, the rest could no longer be suppressed.

Herbert is back!

And at that time I was in……

He saw it!!?

The dam guarding her mental health collapsed with a roar, and the bursting shame became uncontrollable, crashing against her fragile spirit like a surging tide.

I……ah!!!!

Eisa's eyes snapped wide open, her face twisting in an instant; she sucked hard at her teeth to keep herself from screaming out loud.

Ahhh—

What have I done!!?

Her mouth gaped wide, but nothing came out of her throat — she was wailing in silence.

Breakdown.

The once-proud vampire completely broke down at this moment.

No no no.

This isn't real!

This absolutely cannot be real!!!

"……No!"

After wailing for a while, Elisha's body suddenly jolted.

"No, that's not right!"

"Seems like it's still not right!"

At that instant, Elisha's eyes suddenly lit up.

"My pants aren't wet, which means……that was the dream?"

As if she had found the very last life-saving straw.

Clutching at her final hope, she began frantically checking the cramped space she was in.

Her eyes swept back and forth, her fingers touched every corner of the coffin, and she carefully sniffed the air around her.

After a thorough check, she let out a long breath of relief.

She was certain her body's posture hadn't changed from before, and confirmed that her clothes were neatly worn on her body, untouched by anyone.

Especially after Elisha sniffed carefully, she caught no scent of Herbert whatsoever.

Yes, no one had been here!

"……Haha, hahaha! So that's how it is!"

Elisha laughed weakly, then burst into laughter as if she'd narrowly escaped death.

Right.

She had only had a spring dream!

Though the male lead of the dream being that guy Herbert made her feel a bit unnatural, unaccustomed, and feel a little ticklish in her heart……

But this was still better than that absurd reality.

"Right, how could I possibly do something like that!"

"Right, how could he possibly show up at just that moment!"

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"Hahaha!"

Elisha laughed for a while, then sighed: "Thank goodness……that was only a dream."

Yes.

Everything before was nothing more than a dream.

In fact, there was no Herbert in reality at all.

He hadn't seen that scene either.

Right!

That's how it is.

It must be!

It must……

And just as Elisha kept nodding, the black-iron coffin holding her spoke up.

"What are you thinking? How could it possibly be just a dream."

Elisha:???

Huh?

The coffin spoke!!?

"Of course a coffin can talk."

"Because you're still in a dream!"

That heavy black-iron coffin shifted, its lid opening and closing twice, and said, deadpan: "Wake up, stop trying to fool yourself."

The coffin said with deep concern: "Deceiving others is one thing, but don't fool yourself too."

"Wake up, quick!"

"Hurry up and wake up to face reality."

"Running away is completely useless!"

……

……

"Mm……"

In that darkness, gloomy and threaded with faint cold, Elisha's eyelids trembled slightly.

This time, she had finally woken up completely.

But she did not want to wake up at all.

She would rather still be inside a dream!

Feeling the discomfort of her body, that not-yet-fully-dry sensation… Elisha felt terrible all over.

"It's all a dream! It's all a dream! It's all a dream! It's all…"

Elisha kept her eyes shut, repeating it over and over in her heart.

Praying that all of this was fake, that she had not yet woken up.

There had to be a deeper layer of dream!

There had to be…

Tap, tap.

At that moment, the coffin was lightly knocked twice, and a teasing voice that could barely hold back its laughter rose leisurely.

"Yo, you're awake?"

!!!

Elisha's body gave a shudder, and she clenched her teeth hard.

Now, how could she not know whose voice this was?

The other party had not bothered to conceal their presence at all!

Herbert!

He really had come back!

"……"

After a moment of inner struggle, Elisha chose to play dead and act the ostrich at this moment.

She did not want to face any of this.

This damned life!

I don't want to face it ahhhh—

The little vampire tried to escape, but… how could the righteous Warden standing right behind her let her off so easily?

At such an interesting moment, how could I possibly let you get away?

Ahem.

No, wait.

I, Herbert, as a Holy Knight who has sworn to purity, how could I possibly turn a blind eye upon seeing such depraved behavior from you?

I must punish you!

Trying to run?

You can't escape!

Herbert raised his right foot, lightly tapped the bustle with his toe, and said with a smile: "Stop playing dead."

Someone once said, you can never wake a person who is only pretending to be asleep.

Really?

Herbert did not think so.

Drawing such a conclusion was simply because the methods had not gone far enough.

Seeing that Elisha was still playing dead, Herbert said playfully:

"Elisha, are you sure you want to keep this up?"

"I don't mind playing this little game with you a bit longer, but I don't think you'd necessarily be able to bear it."

Looking at Elisha's stuck posture with her bottom poked up, the corner of his mouth curled up quite unkindly, and he let out a strange laugh.

"As an elegant noble, that posture of yours is really far too unladylike, that's not good—let me help you tidy up."

No!

Upon hearing Herbert's words, Elisha tensed up all over.

Don't!

Don't you come over and touch me ahhhh—

However, although she was resisting endlessly in her heart, Elisha's body betrayed her will.

Her body was remarkably honest—though every muscle was tensed, it actually made no resistance at all.

"……"

Herbert extended his palm and gently let it rest on Elisha.

However, to Elisha's inexplicable disappointment… the other party did not do anything frivolous.

That wicked Warden let his palm rest lightly at the edge of her skirt, not running roughshod over her body, but considerately tidying her up a little.

Elisha:?

What does that mean!!?

What on earth is going on with you?

How did you suddenly become such a gentleman?

Is there some kind of plot!?

The current development was really somewhat beyond Elisha's expectations, and failing to hold it in, she could not help but let out a soft, puzzled hum.

"……Mm?"

And upon hearing that soft hum, Herbert's smile became extraordinarily brilliant, and he teased: "Heh heh, I didn't do anything to you—does that feel strange to you?"

Herbert smoothed the wrinkles from the hem of her skirt while asking with a soft laugh, "As a holy knight who keeps his vow of purity, isn't this exactly the sort of thing I ought to do?"

Then he asked a question that made Elisa's whole body jolt.

"Or is it… you were expecting me to do something to you?"

Elisa fell silent.

She gave no reaction at all, silent as a stone, no response whatsoever.

That's right.

Why did she feel puzzled?

Why had she felt disappointed earlier?

What on earth… was I expecting him to do to me?

I…

And just as Elisa's head was a complete mess, she heard a sharp crack.

*Smack! *

Hm?

What was that sound?

Just as Elisa was wondering, she suddenly felt a stinging, burning heat—on her bottom.

She came fully awake in an instant.

It wasn't someone else who'd been hit.

It was her own bottom, suddenly slapped hard by someone!

As for who did it?

That question wasn't even worth asking.

Herbert!

How dare you slap my bottom!!?

Elisa wanted to roar, to denounce the man's rudeness.

But she fell silent.

"……"

She was at a loss for words about her own body.

At that moment, more than the anger of being humiliated, another emotion flooded through her.

Pleasure.

Satisfaction.

As if a gift she'd been waiting for so long had finally been placed in her hands.

He finally did it…

So I had actually been looking forward to it all along?

Just as Elisa was thinking this, the man spoke up as well.

"So, were you expecting me to treat you like this?"

"Want me to treat you like a lowly slave? Want me to punish you?"

!!!

Herbert's teasing words struck Elisa's heart one after another like slaps—giving her a strange, thrilling sensation.

No!

That's not what I meant!

I…

"……"

Herbert gazed at Elisa, his fingers lightly tapping as he recalled the feel from a moment ago, and nodded with feeling.

Mm.

Although he'd already had a taste of it once before with the centaur Young Lady, this time still had its own special flavor.

Compared with the spirit-form state, doing it in reality was indeed far more thrilling.

Far more thrilling!

Herbert stared at the vampire, who was trembling slightly yet still silent, and suddenly withdrew his hand.

"Heh, still not going to say anything?"

Herbert couldn't help the corners of his mouth curling up at the thought of what he was about to say next.

He bent down, deliberately leaning close to the gap in the coffin, and murmured into it:

"Elisa, if you keep playing dead, then next… heh, I won't touch you anymore."

"No matter how much you beg me, I won't lay a finger on you."

?

Elisa, who'd already steeled herself to keep up her "rather die than submit, never give in" act, snapped her eyes wide open at that moment.

???

Wait!

That line isn't right!!?

Are you sure you didn't say it wrong!

"Pfft— hahaha!"

Herbert, feeling the bewilderment radiating from her, couldn't help bursting out laughing, and continued in a low voice: "How about it? Feeling anxious now?"

"I'm only giving you the last three seconds to think it over. If you keep playing dead, then I'll…"

But just before Herbert could begin the countdown, Elisa reacted.

"I'm not! I didn't!"

The Young Lady vampire—for whatever reason—spoke up first, shouting furiously: "Nonsense! I've never been impatient!"

She argued loudly, furiously refuting the warden's slander.

"Don't think that saying something like that will make me submit to you!"

"Impossible!"

"Don't you dare slander me any further!"

"Even if I die, even if I'm stuck here forever, I will never bow my head to you!"

Elisa's emotions were extremely agitated at this moment, crying out in indignation.

Compared with her, Herbert appeared quite calm.

He looked at the agitated Young Lady vampire and asked faintly: "Really? Really never bow your head?"

Elisa nodded immediately, shouting with absolute certainty: "Of course! I absolutely won't…"

But, in the very next instant, an extremely faint light sound made Elisa's words come to an abrupt halt.

Drip.

That was the sound of liquid falling.

But Elisa knew clearly that it was absolutely no ordinary liquid.

Accompanied by an intoxicating fragrance drifting from behind her, her eyes began to tremble.

She knew.

She had always known!

That, that was… the sound of fresh blood falling.

Blood.

"…"

Then, in the darkness that had suddenly fallen silent, a distinct sound of swallowing rang out.

Gulp!

(End of this chapter)