Chapter 3039: Blood-Colored Addiction 15

Jin Chen caught the fainted Saiyin, laid him back on the messy bed, brushed his hair away from his face, then looked down at Saiyin on the bed, casually narrowing his azure pupils.

【Ding! Side quest "First Embrace Day" completed! Successfully prevented Saiyin from giving Osdin his first embrace, and put him into the preset weak state. Quest evaluation: Excellent. Rewards being distributed……】

Immediately afterward, a fragmented, blurry image surfaced deep in Jin Chen's mind.

It seemed to be in an ancient castle as well, a boy in red robes rushed in, panicked.

The boy's appearance was handsome but somewhat immature; his steps staggered and he fell into the lush rose bushes at the doorway, a crimson bead of blood instantly welling from his palm, as if he had seen something, he turned his head in fear, looking toward the interior, his gaze locking with Jin Chen's.

The image cut off abruptly.

Jin Chen guessed that he must have been very pleased at that time.

"Huh…?"

Jin Chen's gaze fell on Saiyin's face; he tilted his head curiously, his blue eyes slightly narrowing as he traced Saiyin's brows and eyes.

And once again, that distant feeling of being watched, like a lingering ghost, appeared in the room.

Jin Chen was somewhat displeased; he didn't like Saiyin's current appearance, being seen by any other entity, as if it inherently belonged to Jin Chen, everything was his, not allowing others to covet or spy.

He bent down, reached out to pull the blanket up, covering Saiyin's body from shoulders to ankles, thoroughly covering the exposed skin, then drew Saiyin into his embrace.

Jin Chen's silver hair, hanging down, tangled with Saiyin's hair, he gently stroked Saiyin's spine, while his aura slowly spread out.

At the highest point of the distant castle, inside a dark coffin.

Jiaxia, this almost unfathomable second-generation prince, faintly sensed a hint of wariness.

He slowly withdrew his probing gaze, wandering aimlessly through the castle, then suddenly his attention fell upon the hallway, lingering on Osdin for a moment.

Immediately, Jiaxia's ancient, sharp fangs slowly extended in the darkness.

Look at what he discovered.

——

Saiyin indeed became somewhat weak, and his temper grew worse.

Over the next few days, the atmosphere of Evernight Castle became somewhat subtle.

The servants acted ever more cautiously, for their master, Count Steland, seemed unwell, spending most of his time in his bedroom and the adjoining small hall, rarely appearing; when orders were occasionally issued, they were extremely harsh, causing the steward Aidejia, responsible for relaying them, to often tighten his bark-like old face.

As for what happened that morning in the dining hall, and the count's several days of recuperation afterward, rumors and vague whispers also spread among the servants and lower-ranking bloodkin.

The protagonist is naturally that silver-haired, blue-eyed first attendant personally left by the count, who also seems to frequently provoke the count's anger.

But one thing is certain: the stunning Lord Jin Chen has not appeared publicly since that day.

Jin Chen was placed in confinement.

He was not even allowed to return to the blood servants' annex; instead, guards escorted him to the white bone cell in the basement, whose environment was naturally not good—damp and cold, reeking of decay, the floor paved with bones that creaked underfoot; even in white robes, one could feel the chill seeping from the bone cracks.

But Jin Chen adapted well.

On the first day he tidied a corner of the cell, then asked the steward for a blanket and a lamp, arranging that corner into a barely habitable nook; each day he stayed there, reading books and sleeping under the eerie green bone lamp light, listening to Ling Gun Gun's endless complaints about this and that, passing the days leisurely.

That day, Evernight Castle received an unexpected batch of visitors.

The other six counts seemed to have made an appointment, arriving almost simultaneously at the castle, claiming they had heard Count Saiyin was unwell and came to visit, while also discussing recent minor border frictions and the upcoming Blood Moon Festival.

When all seven counts gathered, even though Saiyin was universally recognized as the chief, it was still a matter requiring solemn treatment.

By convention, as the master's first attendant, Jin Chen should have been at Saiyin's side, responsible for guiding, relaying messages, and displaying the master's dignity.

In the small hall beside the castle's main hall, reserved for meetings, Saiyin changed into a solemn, splendid black formal attire; aside from his complexion being a bit paler than usual and a faint blue shadow under his eyes, he appeared almost normal.

Steward Aidejia stood respectfully to one side, quietly reporting the arrival and waiting of the several counts; finally, he hesitated a moment, then bowed his head and asked, 'My lord, should I summon the first attendant to serve?'

Saiyin's fingers, resting on the gilded armchair, curled slightly.

The vivid red marks, the icy whip, the uncontrollable trembling, the strange comfort… various images flooded in.

"No." Saiyin's voice was icy, he dismissed it without thought, "What is he, to even be worthy of appearing here?"

Aidejia lowered his head further, his bark-like old face twitching, "Yes."

Saiyin leaned back in the chair, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest twice, then narrowed his eyes, resuming his lofty, detached demeanor, "Let that holy knight come."

"Yes, my lord." Aidejia complied, withdrawing silently to deliver the order.

Saiyin leaned against the chair back, gazing vacantly at the intricate ceiling mural; inexplicably, his slender fingertips swiftly traced a few motions in the air.

This was a scrying tracking spell; the magic array's light flickered faintly.

In the dim cell, the silver-haired figure lounged on a stone bed strewn with dry grass, holding an old parchment book, lazily flipping through it, long lashes drooping to shield those blue eyes that constantly unsettled him.

Saiyin stared at that person's calm, self-satisfied demeanor, and his inexplicable irritation grew stronger.

This slave!

They made him like that, yet they act as if nothing's wrong, reading books in this dungeon.

Watching Jin Chen's tranquil profile, Saiyin uncontrollably flashed back to that day when he was embraced by him, the feeling of a gentle pat on his back…

Saiyin's Adam's apple rolled; he waved his hand to dispel the scrying array before him, somewhat flustered as he leaned back against the chair, raising a hand to press his forehead, his crimson eyes filled with doubt and anger.

What on earth is wrong with him.

Why does seeing that slave, or even thinking of that slave, trigger these strange, uncontrollable reactions.

Is it the slave's blood that's problematic? Or… is it something wrong with himself?

Or... what's wrong with him?