Chapter 18: Vampire Bride Ailina

Night fell, and the stars glittered.

Inside Sudangwangting, the lights shone brightly, and a melodious, passionate tune echoed continuously through the palace.

Pairs of aristocratic men and women in splendid attire glided into the center of the dance floor, dancing gracefully.

It was a grand court banquet, and almost every power tier of Istanbul had arrived.

Meanwhile, in a dark corner of the palace garden.

"Umm~!!"

A trembling, coquettish whimper suddenly shattered the silence.

Fulade, dressed in a luxurious black tailcoat, slowly emerged from the garden's shadowy corner.

His upright posture and handsome face, enhanced by his Vampire Bride lineage, exuded a unique charm.

At this moment, Fulade, under the influence of his Vampire Bride blood, gained an extra air of composure and elegance.

This caused the many noble ladies and maidens in the palace to cast frequent, ardent glances his way.

It inevitably made Fulade feel right at home at the banquet, becoming the focal point of everyone's attention.

He licked the fresh red spilling from his mouth, tidied his attire slightly, and, with elegant steps, departed calmly.

He paid no heed to the bewildered, disheveled noble lady who lay in the flowerbed, her gaze scattered.

Fulaide, leaving the garden, hurried straight out of Sudangwangting.

The reason he left the banquet early was that Fulade had not only found the second Vampire Bride, but also spotted the third.

Among the Fanhaixin, Ailina, with her chestnut‑red hair and a full‑blown older‑sister aura.

And the graceful Malisika, who bore golden hair and a sweet, charming appearance.

It truly was an extremely coincidental occurrence.

To think one could meet the remaining two Vampire Brides at the Sudangwangting banquet.

Black is Fulade's best cover.

A petite black silhouette streaked across the night sky, heading straight for the Mursi Great Xiudaoyuan within the city.

Indeed, one of the Vampire Brides turned out to be a nun of the monastery—something no one could have imagined.

When Fulade first saw it, he was utterly bewildered; his expression was priceless.

At the Mursi Great Xiudaoyuan, atop the chapel, a pitch‑black bat silently descended, instantly transforming into a tall, mysterious figure.

Fulade looked into the monastery, now plunged into dead silence, and was at a loss.

"Looks like I'll have to find someone to learn what's going on."

He glanced at a nearby room that still emitted a faint light.

Fulade's form flickered; he arrived at the house's exterior, turned into a bat, and flew through the opened window's crack.

"Damn, isn't this a monastery?"

"Didn't expect that~ you've been playing enough."

Having become a bat, Fulade didn't act immediately; instead, he hung upside down from the beam, keenly watching the spectacular performance below.

Below, a middle‑aged nun wielded a Leather Whip, standing at the foot of a bed.

In front of the nun was a girl whose eyes were covered with gauze, a foreign object in her mouth, and whose body was bound with rope.

As the nun continuously swung the whip, the girl kept whimpering, her body twisting violently.

The pain and fear of darkness seemed to dominate the girl's emotions.

Yet the object in her mouth and the bindings left her powerless to resist.

The nun behind her, watching the scene, wore a ferocious, excited grin, continuously hurling near‑abusive curses at the girl.

"As a nun, both body and soul should remain pure. Look at what you've been doing lately."

"Every time you go out you attract attention, flaunt yourself; let me give you a proper lesson."

"Pa~pa~" "I'll see if you dare again!"

Saying that, the hand swinging the Leather Whip grew even more vicious.

"…Wh…wh…no…"

The girl twisted in pain, seeming to want to argue, but she could not speak, silently enduring the senior nun's humiliation.

At this point, Fulade still didn't understand what was happening.

Fulade had thought both parties were bored and wanted some fun; if that were the case, it would have been fine.

He didn't expect it to be a one‑sided abuse driven by jealousy, which made Fulade quite disgusted.

Even though Fulade himself wasn't a good person, he still couldn't stand such arrogance before him.

Moreover, she was a deliciously cute little girl.

"This really opens my eyes—so this is what they call a monastery serving the divine?"

Before the words finished, it was as if a bolt of thunder exploded beside the nun's ear.

"Who's there!"

The nun turned in horror; she never expected anyone else in the room, given the illicit deeds she was committing.

"How did you get in?" she barked at the suddenly appearing Fulade, her tone sharp.

Staring at the repulsive middle‑aged nun before him, Fulade wore a scornful expression.

"How I entered is irrelevant; what matters is that you—are about to die!" Fulade said with disgust.

"What did you say?"

The nun's face changed; she never expected this suddenly appearing man to want to kill her.

"This is a monastery, and I am the Dean of the monastery. If you kill me, the Holy Court will investigate, and you won't escape death." The nun tried to intimidate Fulade.

Hearing the nun's threats, Fulade didn't waste words; a demonic red flash lit his eyes, and the once‑chatty nun suddenly went blank‑stared, frozen in place.

Fulade disdainfully glanced at the middle‑aged nun, then walked up to the bound girl, took out the foreign object from her mouth and said:

"I have a question for you; you just answer truthfully, and then I can take you away together."

Without waiting for the girl to react, Fulade began speaking on his own.

"Do you know Ailina?"

As the words fell, the girl's body tensed, then after a moment of hesitation she nodded and said:

"Y‑you're looking for her for what?"

The girl's voice was soft, merely trembling faintly, revealing that she was not calm at this moment.

Fulade pondered for a moment, then said, "I will take her away from here."

"Y‑you, you know each other?" the girl sounded somewhat puzzled.

"That doesn't seem like something you should worry about," Fulade frowned.

Apparently having heard the impatience in Fulade's tone, the girl fell silent for a moment.

Facing this situation, Fulade was quite surprised; he was only inquiring about a person, but this? It inevitably sparked a hint of suspicion in him.

Fulade slowly removed the gauze from the girl's face, and for an instant the two pairs of eyes met.

"Ailina!" Fulade's eyes widened in surprise, and he exclaimed.

"It—it's you," Ailisha also wore a very surprised expression.

Looking at the girl before him, bound and humiliated by the old nun, Fulade was astonished to discover that she was indeed the Ailina he had been searching for.

This really... is quite melodramatic.

Seeing Ailina, freed from the ropes, like a rain‑soaked pear blossom rushing into his arms and howling in tears, Fulade couldn't help feeling a pang of sorrow.

(End of chapter)