Including... blood...
Hearing these two words, Anran felt as though she was on the verge of suffocating.
The air was thick with her sweetness, and Richard's voice, even his gaze, became intensely predatory. In truth, he was doing his best to suppress his inner desires because he didn't want to frighten the girl before him.
A low, husky voice emerged from deep within his throat. "Anran, I will wait patiently... until you are ready."
Perhaps it was his eyes, or perhaps it was his voice. Anran didn't know why, but in that moment, the fear in her heart gave rise to a thread of anticipation.
Richard's voice carried a certain ** as he asked, "Why did you suddenly bring this up?"
Anran had no choice but to recount the incident involving Aixue.
"Hmph, Jason Byron..."
At the mention of that name, Richard couldn't help but let out a cold snort. "If it weren't for Sheffield, I would have already taught him a harsh lesson last time. I didn't expect him to disregard me so blatantly."
Last time? That must have been when she was intercepted by Jason and four others on her way home from school.
Looking at her, Richard explained, "In Rosewood Town, there's a rule that must be upheld: vampires can only feed on the blood of volunteers, and they must not harm their lives."
"Volunteers?" Anran asked, puzzled.
"Volunteers are humans who willingly offer their blood. At St. Aloysius Academy, the volunteers are mostly vain young girls. In fact, they don't know about the existence of vampires. However, they go to the academy's chapel to pray to suffer from anemia because they know that any girl who develops anemia will have the chance to interact with students in purple uniforms," Richard explained.
Anran was neither a volunteer nor susceptible to the hypnotic powers of vampires. Jason's actions toward her had already violated the rules, and now he had caused a volunteer's life to hang in the balance. It was time for Sheffield to learn about Jason's misdeeds.
Vanity, the greatest sin!
Anran hadn't expected "volunteers" to mean this, and since Richard was also a vampire, did that mean he also fed on the blood of volunteers?
"Richard, do you also..." Anran found herself unable to finish the sentence.
Richard, of course, understood what Anran was asking. He didn't want to hide it from her. "Of course. Sometimes I go to the chapel and select a volunteer."
In fact, when they first met, he had been feeding on a volunteer's blood. However, he had long forgotten that volunteer's name and appearance, so Richard didn't realize that the volunteer was the Aixue Anran had mentioned, whose life was now in peril. Similarly, Anran didn't know that this had been her and Richard's first encounter.
When Anran heard that Richard sometimes fed on the blood of volunteers, her heart felt deeply, deeply uncomfortable. It was a kind of sour, bitter sensation she had never experienced before.
However, Richard didn't tell her that he hadn't fed in quite some time. Ever since the day in the old school building, when he caught the scent of her blood, he had lost interest in his usual fare. Lately, his appetite had been poor, and he had been subsisting on red wine and tomato juice.
Gazing into his eyes, Anran clenched the fabric over her chest tightly. She said, "Wh-what if I'm ready now?"
"Really?" Richard was taken aback, his deep eyes scrutinizing her, not missing a single expression.
Anran nervously replied, "O-of course I'm s-serious..."
To demonstrate her resolve, under the weight of his purple gaze, Anran resolutely removed the cross from around her neck...