Water droplets rolled down from the ink-black hair tips, splashing onto the leather sofa and splashing a few tiny, delicate water droplets beside Xavier.
The oppressive feeling of being overwhelmed gave rise to even more associations instead.
“When this Highness campaigned in France back then, the battle steed that accompanied me on the expedition was a rare and fine steed in this world.”
Xavier’s gaze still lingered on Kane, slowly saying with a trace of nostalgia, “Alexander was pitch-black like forged steel throughout, with a vigorous figure and sinewy bones, just like a divine miracle. When accompanying me on campaigns, it charged through battle formations, fierce and fearless like a storm passing by, never retreating a single bit.”
“It shared a telepathic connection with me; it is the mount I still yearn for to this day.”
After sizing up Kane again from top to bottom, Xavier smiled faintly and meaningfully.
“However, speaking of feeding preferences, I still prefer slender and delicate humanoid forms.”
Kane’s expression didn’t change, only letting out a soft scoff from his nose.
“It seems you hold some undue expectations of me, such as thinking I would willingly act as a battle steed bowing its head before your saddle and driven at your command.”
As he spoke, the man leaned down, drastically narrowing the distance between the two of them until it was so close Xavier could catch his scent.
Under the cover of moist water vapor, that breath remained scalding hot, carrying the indomitable arrogance typical of him himself. Yet his voice was gentle and low, putting on a patient disguise.
“Why don’t you elaborate and tell me what you plan to impress me with? Using your soft and cute spiritual tentacles?”
His broad shoulders blocked the light source from above, and Xavier’s gaze focused on Kane’s face, searching for a trace of a clue in the grey-blue eyes that looked even more gloomy in the reverse light.
In the dimness, only his pair of eyes remained brilliantly golden-amber, dazzlingly bright. “If it’s absolutely impossible, then you shouldn’t feel bothered by it. Being in such a rush to distance yourself now, does it look like you have a guilty conscience?”
Kane stared at those eyes that seemed to be holding a winning hand at every moment. His palm suddenly pressed down, and the sofa immediately sank by a large margin. The moment Xavier’s center of gravity was slightly disturbed, he had already reached out to scoop the tiny Highness the Prince entirely into his palm, turning and sitting down, firmly and domineeringly occupying Xavier’s original spot with an aggressive posture.
“Quite the contrary. I’ve decided to grant your little wish.”
He pressed Xavier onto his sinewy and sturdy thigh, using his fingertips to steady his posture, and spoke from on high:
“Ride.”
Kane possessed a very typical close-combat physique; his thigh lines were firm and smooth, with distinct muscle contours, radiating a sense of power and explosive force born from years of training and combat.
Without the hand behind him to steady his body, given Xavier’s current size, it would have been completely impossible for him to sit steadily on his lap.
Xavier: ……
He just knew this fellow wouldn’t suffer even the slightest loss.
“Alexander was extremely empathetic and shared a telepathic connection with me; that’s why I favored him. As for you—” Xavier turned sideways, glaring sideways at Kane. In his light-colored, half-lashed eyes, a trace of faint irony flashed, “Unfortunately, you are not within my range of options.”
“It’s really not easy to hear you praise me.”
Kane shrugged with feigned regret, lifted Xavier—who looked like he was trying his best to endure his emotions—aside, and casually picked up a towel to dry his wet hair, tiny water droplets inadvertently flinging out around them.
Disgust was hard to conceal on His Highness the Prince’s face. To dodge the splashing water droplets, he retreated repeatedly.
Yet his steps weren’t large to begin with; before he had walked far, his retreat was blocked by someone. Xavier looked back, only to find Kane’s hand resting behind him at some point.
Turning back around, he happened to crash right into the other’s eyes.
Those grey-blue eyes stared straight at him, and seeing him turn back, they blinked softly before continuing the action of drying his hair.
Kane’s gaze smoothly swept elsewhere, noticing the motionless energy base, and he asked casually, “Why didn’t you replenish your energy just now? Having stayed under my nose for so long, what kind of energy do you rely on to maintain your active operations?”
Stellar photon energy? Not quite. The little fellow before him seemed quite resistant to daylight.
Xavier walked away from his side and casually pointed toward those magic ores upon hearing the question.
Kane’s expression shifted slightly. He adjusted his sitting posture, his figure resembling a dormant beast, moving stealthily closer to Xavier. “You mean, you use these ores as energy.”
“You could say that.” Xavier nodded slightly.
This statement was indeed correct; refined magic ores were the best external magic power replenishment. However, for vampires, drinking blood was the most efficient way to restore strength that also brought the fullest sense of gratification.
It was just that times had changed; Xavier couldn’t drink blood, and to return to his original form, he could only rely on these ores.
An unexpected answer.
Kane remained silent, his gaze locked firmly onto the self-absorbed Xavier.
His gaze sank, as if he wanted to drill a hole through the person, piercing past the exquisite exterior straight down to the deeply hidden essence within.
Xavier ignored his contemplation, instead using this opportunity to break free from the other’s invisible shackles.
“This Highness also needs to cleanse his body.” Brushing away non-existent dust, Xavier asked lazily, “Where is my sleeping robe?”
Kane straightened up. All kinds of suspicions were interrupted by Xavier’s taken-for-granted attitude, and a rare trace of perplexity surfaced on his stern and striking face.
“…Asking me?”
Seeing him look like this, Xavier also reined in his expression, his brow furrowing slightly as he interrogated, “You lost my sleeping robe?”
That was the only clothing left after his ancient castle was blown up!
“Recognize your identity, little fellow, don’t always use a commanding tone.” Kane scooped him back in, feeling the texture of his fingertips, before slowly saying, “The set of clothes you changed out of earlier? Grisha put them away; they should still be on the Blood Blade.”
Xavier stepped back another two paces to the side, breaking free from Kane’s hand. His nicely-lined jaw tightened slightly, clearly extremely dissatisfied with his answer: “Then what am I going to change into now?”
“Don’t move.” Kane’s hand chased after him again to cup Xavier into his palm. This time he exerted some force to ensure Xavier couldn’t run away willfully again before pulling at the corner of his mouth to suppress his impatience, “You’re already a mature intelligent entity; do such minor matters as getting dressed still require others to arrange them properly for you?”
Seeing that breaking free was impossible, Xavier simply accepted it resignedly, leaning lazily against Kane’s palm, and nodded with an air of absolute deservedness at the words.
“Then have someone send over a set of clothes first. You’re clear on His Highness the Prince’s requirements as well.”
Kane: ……
A low breath rolled out from the man’s throat, and his final impatience completely turned into a helpless resignation at being pestered with no other choice.
“This place isn’t as convenient as the Blood Blade. Either go to my cloakroom and pick a piece you like, or come out shopping with me.”
Recalling the sunlight from earlier, Xavier wasn’t too keen on going out again, and complained instead, “I don’t wear other people’s old clothes.”
Kane: “…I’ll find you new ones.”
Led by Kane, Xavier entered the cloakroom, where rows of clothing and accessories were all brand new. He picked out a dark-colored, form-fitting shirt made of exquisite material with a strong drape, and said reluctantly, “That’ll do.”
Kane picked it up casually, pinching the edge of the fabric with his fingertips, neatly ripping open a long tear, and then finding a tool to fold and cut it roughly. With a few quick motions, he produced a piece of soft fabric.
Xavier watched intently from start to finish, and seeing Kane lightly drape the cut fabric over his body, skillfully wrapping it around twice, changing angles to wrap it once more, and buckling it closed to form a small, elegantly styled dress,
He vaguely felt the wrapping method looked familiar. As he lowered his head to look closely, those nimble, large hands suddenly paused, quickly undoing the knot just tied, re-wrapping it twice, and loosely tying it into a casual knot.
A subtle stir arose in Xavier’s heart, and he looked up to see that pair of grey-blue eyes hiding undercurrents like a deep icy sea.
That change flashed by in an instant, almost too fast to catch.
Yet he had perceived the man’s emotional fluctuations in that split second.
Xavier’s pupils shrank slightly, his hunting instincts causing him to unconsciously capture the residual emotional molecules in the air as he blurted out, “What are you thinking?”
“When it’s not time to ask, learn to be a bit quieter, little fellow.”
Kane casually untied the knot, gathered the trailing fabric back together, and no trace of fluctuation could be seen on his stern face, as if the anomaly from that single instant was merely Xavier’s illusion.
His gaze lowered slightly, and he suddenly raised his eyebrows with interest, “Put it back, I’ve already seen your spiritual tentacles.”
The tip of the tentacle that had stealthily poked out stiffened abruptly and retracted at lightning speed.
“Who cares to know!”
Xavier was provoked into a bit of annoyance by Kane’s thinly veiled hardline attitude. His pale-gold pupils, with their slightly upturned outer corners, condensed an unhappy expression. Noticing the man was still staring at him, he immediately instructed in a huff:
“What are you looking at? Why aren’t you hurrying to take His Highness the Prince to cleanse himself.”
Seeing the pure white tentacles hide away at flying speed, Kane scoffed lightly, suppressed his own similarly restless spiritual power, and stood up to lead Xavier toward the bathroom.
He stopped in front of the bathroom door, his gaze leisurely sweeping a circle over Xavier’s body as his voice dropped low and slow, “Need help?”
The light-toned bathroom was startlingly spacious, and a faint, crisp, and clean fragrance floated in the air. His Highness the Prince had always been accustomed to being served closely by blood servants, yet facing Kane’s inquiry at this moment, a tingling sensation suddenly shot up his spine, and he heard himself uttering a single word: “No.”
Kane was somewhat surprised, but didn’t force it, only saying indifferently, “As you wish.”
Xavier watched his retreating figure, a trace of oddity crossing his heart—why did he let go of the opportunity to order this fellow around so easily?
On second thought, Kane was distinct from blood servants after all.
Those blood servants sent to serve by His Highness the Prince’s side were one in ten thousand and impeccable in terms of appearance, family background, capability, and loyalty.
While Kane, in Xavier’s eyes, was merely a barely usable mount, not even as worry-free as the Blood Blade, at least a starship wouldn’t talk back and refute him from time to time.
Yes, that must be it. The reason he wasn’t allowed to serve closely was because he wasn’t qualified enough yet.
Having sorted out the original cause and effect, Xavier slightly raised his chin and walked into the bathroom with an air of aristocratic arrogance.
However, looking up at this futuristic furnishing and layout, to someone whose body had suddenly shrunk, it everywhere revealed a sense of being out of one’s element.
Holding his newly-made little dress, His Highness the Prince stood stiffly at the entrance of the bathroom for a long time before giving a light cough, his tone involuntarily rising: “Your Excellency the Bandit?”
Kane leaned sideways against the corner, having never gone far from the beginning, staring at Xavier’s slightly stiff back with a hint of playful amusement dancing in the depths of his eyes.
“Something the matter?”
The low voice suddenly sounded from behind. Xavier instinctively turned his head, his gaze lifting to crash right into Kane’s condescending look from above.
He gave a light cough, “Prepare the cleansing arrangements for His Highness the Prince.”
Kane hadn’t expected the small intelligent entity’s behavioral module to be designed to be so anthropomorphic. He raised a hand to tap the sensor at the bathroom entrance, and the semi-transparent screen instantly lit up.
“Prepare a small bathtub, draw warm water, and fetch a towel.”
Having finished his instructions, his gaze fell back onto Xavier, his knuckles tapping lightly against the wall, “If you have other needs, find your own kind; it’s more professional in this regard.”
The smart home appliances inside the bathroom operated automatically. Hearing the sound of rushing water, Kane paused and added with a half-smile: “And it’s more obedient, won’t throw tantrums randomly.”
Xavier’s attention was captured by the fully automated home system, and he waved his hand casually, “Got it, then you can withdraw.” With that, he walked toward the bathtub on his own.
Kane watched his unhesitating back, feeling not at all surprised by his “use and discard” attitude as he turned and left as well.
Inside the bathroom, Xavier shed his outer robe and slowly sank into the bathtub.
The warm water flowed over his slightly cool skin, finally causing a trace of vivid warmth to rise in this time-stagnant body.
Meanwhile, Kane waited in the resting area, having changed into a dark bathrobe. He picked up one of the ores Xavier had pointed out earlier, tossing it up and down with a gloomy gaze.
After a long while, a melodious tune suddenly played from the bathroom. Kane’s hand tossing the stone paused, tossed it back into the pile of ores casually, and laughed lowly: “He learns pretty fast.”
He got up and pushed the door open to enter.
Through the light water mist, Kane saw Xavier sitting quietly on the edge of the bathtub. The original champagne-colored suit was tossed aside carelessly, replaced by the small dress he had hastily cut.
His curly silver hair still carried moisture, clinging against his porcelain-white shoulders and the ink-black fabric. His small face bloomed with a rare, pale blush, and his lips were dewy and bright red.
Under the extreme color contrast, it presented a heart-stopping, breathtaking beauty.
Xavier had been soaked dizzy by the warm water, his pale-gold eyes holding a layer of watery luster as he looked toward the tall figure standing stiffly at the doorway upon hearing the sound.
“What are you standing there stunned for? Come over and wring my hair dry.”
Kane stared at him without blinking, ultimately not mentioning that there was a post-bath care module in the bathroom—he hadn’t used it just now simply because he was too lazy to bother. Instead, he picked up a soft little hand towel and stepped forward to gently wipe Xavier’s beautiful long silver hair.
Xavier’s petite figure swayed slightly with his movements, his whole head enveloped under the shadow.
The dim lighting and the lazy comfort after the bath washed over him, causing an irresistible drowsiness to gradually rise in a body that had been operating beyond its capacity since waking up due to forcibly channeling spiritual power.
He thought hazily that although this person had a sharp tongue and always liked to get physical, he was actually quite adept at serving people.
If his performance remained acceptable in the future, he wouldn’t mind making an exception and promoting Kane to be his personal blood servant.
“Ores…” he muttered sleepily, “When are we going to raid the Holy See? This Highness wants ores.”
“No rush.”
Kane’s voice came from before him, low and gentle. Separated by the towel, it seemed to surround him from all directions, every word sinking into his ears.
“I have a faster method. Now, sleep.”