~Chapter 110~
“…Give me more of her blood, and test again.”
Damien pushed the vial of Rubiana’s blood toward the vampire curse.
The bat tilted its head.
“Do I really need to?”
Even so, it didn’t refuse.
It licked the blood, smacking its tongue and rolling it around in its mouth. Then it folded its wings, resting like a man with his chin in his hand, eyes closed in thought.
“Mm… now I see it clearer. She’ll die in about ten years. No—seven.”
“….”
Damien’s eyes narrowed. Was the creature lying?
But there was no sign of deceit.
At last, Damien accepted it: Rubiana truly had little time left. Now he needed a solution.
“What’s the cause?”
He had thought the sickness from the Swallower was already solved. She should have been free of that curse. Then why would she die in only seven years?
“She’s still young, right? About twenty?”
The bat was correct.
“But soon, her blood will start hurting.”
“You mean… from outside influence?”
“No. Disease.”
The bat shook its head.
“She was just born that way. That’s her fate.”
Blood-related diseases were many. This one was unrelated to the Swallower—Rubiana was simply destined to fall ill and die young.
“She still gets sick a lot, doesn’t she?”
It was true. Though she had improved, Rubiana still caught colds easily and her body was weak.
Damien regretted his complacency. He had thought, once the Swallower’s problem was solved, she would live a long, healthy life.
“Poor girl. To live such a short life… but that’s her destiny. Unless it’s some rare, special case, you can’t change it. Accept it.”
But Damien could not.
“I’ll succeed in the soul contract—no matter what.”
It was no longer a choice. It was the only path. Even if Rubiana one day refused, he would still push forward.
At least then, her life could be altered.
The bat shoved the vial of blood away with its wing.
“Tch, put it away. It’s good, but if I drink too much, I won’t be able to stop thinking about it. Makes survival harder.”
But Damien didn’t hear. He was consumed with only one thought:
“The third rite… it must succeed. I cannot lose our future.”
The purple moon would rise. Under it, with a kiss, they would bind their souls. That was all it would take. He swore there would be no mistakes.
He would not—could not—give up his future with Rubiana.
“Aah, Damien.”
After finishing with the vampire, Damien went to Rubiana’s room.
When he called from outside, his beloved wife greeted him warmly.
“You’re here? Come in quickly.”
Even though he had almost attacked her the night before, she smiled at him just as always.
He wanted to see that smile ten years from now, twenty years from now, even seventy years from now. He wanted to grow old with her, to see her aged face still smiling at him. Was that such an impossible wish?
“Did you talk with the vampire?”
“Yes. I’ve calmed it. It behaved well, so I might release it soon.”
“Really?”
Her eyes sparkled with interest.
Damien carefully changed the subject. He could not let her know the truth of her short lifespan. Soon, once the soul contract was complete, it wouldn’t matter—so why burden her now?
“Yes. But unfortunately, it likes your blood too much. So I couldn’t bring it here.”
In truth, the vampire had already lost interest—greedy eaters eventually grew bored. But Damien didn’t want Rubiana hearing dangerous talk about lifespan.
“I thought it might bite by accident, like it did to me. Forgive me.”
“No, if you thought it was dangerous, then you did the right thing.”
She trusted him completely.
“Anyway, how’s your body? You look healthier than yesterday.”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
“Do you need more blood? Just say so.”
“No.”
Damien pulled out the glass vial he carried.
“I drank some of the blood you gave me.”
Rubiana peered inside. The amount was clearly less than before.
“Ah, you really did. That’s good. If you ever need more, promise me you’ll say so.”
“Yes. But it should be enough—I’ll return to normal tomorrow.”
He leaned closer, meeting her eyes.
“Ruby, tomorrow this vampire state ends. If you want to ask or observe anything, do it now.”
“Eh, how did you know I had questions?”
She pulled out a small notebook.
Across the cover, bold letters read: ‘Vampire Q&A Collection.’
Damien chuckled at her innocent curiosity.
“Well, you love curses so much. Ask anything.”
“Then—do fangs feel uncomfortable? When my fangs grew from the Swallower, they hurt my tongue.”
She asked strange questions, but Damien answered them all sincerely. Rubiana scribbled notes quickly, even adding little sketches.
The Q&A went on for thirty minutes.
“So interesting! You don’t burn in the sun—it just hurts badly.”
“Yes.”
“I think that’s all. Wow, my notebook is so full now.”
She flipped through the pages, satisfied.
“Sorry if I bothered you.”
“Not at all. I enjoyed it too.”
“Hehe, thank you.”
She smiled brightly, and Damien felt warmth in his heart.
“What did you do today, Ruby, while I was gone?”
“Oh, I looked up more about the third rite.”
“I see.”
“Yes, but I didn’t really find much more than before.”
She picked up an old book from her desk and set it on her lap.
“But look at this. It’s not about the rite itself, but something interesting—see? The soul contract is actually a type of curse. Isn’t that fascinating?”
“Ah, yes. I thought so too when I first learned it.”
“Right? And now I’ll really get to try it. Amazing.”
She laughed brightly, showing no hesitation about the contract.
‘Good. I must be careful—she mustn’t doubt this before the purple moon rises.’
“Yes. It’s fascinating. The only curse without a will, the only one Maledictus can make. A curse that binds two souls.”
He reached for the book.
“Soon, the purple moon will appear. When it does, on the main hall rooftop, under its light, we only need to kiss. Then it’s complete.”
“I see.”
“Simple, right?”
“Yes, very.”
He explained the general plan, and she listened carefully, nodding.
Then—
“But Damien.”
“Yes, Ruby?”
Her clear face turned toward him, serious.
“Am I… not going to live long?”
