Chapter 18

“Just engaged, but the wedding will have to wait. She said she wants to enjoy being a fiancée for a while.” Thinking of that lively woman who mischievously refused to marry him with a smile, making him both angry and loving, Alexander's indifferent face showed a hint of helplessness and a bit of indulgent joy.

"Johnson said that if you had to retire because of marriage and could no longer teach him, he would still wish you well." The work of an exorcist comes with considerable risks. Years ago, Alexander almost lost his life because of it. Given his serene nature, she wouldn't be surprised if he quit for the sake of his family.

"I won't retire; I'll just stop taking on dangerous assignments." Not wanting to talk more about himself, he changed the subject. "Johnson is very worried about you. If you want to go back, I can stop Emile from pursuing you."

Go back? With things having developed to this point, could she even go back? Delin Sara said bitterly, "I have to finish what I started."

Alexander shook his head disapprovingly. "You can't beat him. Continuing like this will only harm you—"

"Are you trying to steal my woman, Alexander?" A lazy voice rose from outside the shop.

Emile stepped into the Aniseed Pavilion, wrapped his arm around Delin Sara, and planted a kiss on her forehead. "Did you come to find me? You seemed to be sleeping soundly, so I left quietly." He handed her a small paper bag. "This is for you. Go back and try it on. I'll join you as soon as I finish talking with Alexander."

His soft, apologetic demeanor was like that of a gentle lover. Delin Sara understood that he was doing it on purpose for Alexander to see. Given that their relationship was already beyond repair, she didn't bother to say more and left with the paper bag.

"Have you been taking your medication these past few days?" Alexander scrutinized Emile. His demonic aura had significantly weakened, but the medication shouldn't have caused such an effect. Why was this happening?

"Most of the medication is on schedule, but I stopped taking the ones for impotence. Although theoretically, they should make me more vigorous, there's too much risk of something going wrong. With a lovely woman by my side, I don't want to disappoint her. As a fellow man, you understand my concerns, right?"

Emile watched him mischievously, intending to make him uncomfortable. The best sorcerer, yet also the most thin-skinned.

Sure enough, Alexander's handsome face reddened, and he became uneasy, immediately changing the subject. "You shouldn't force her to stay with you; it's too much."

"No one ever taught me what restraint means." He laughed wantonly.

"By doing this, you're harming her and yourself. You'd better let her go before Delin's family comes for her."

Emile didn't respond, picking up a piece of chocolate from a plate and, under Alexander's astonished gaze, put it in his mouth. After savoring it, he nodded in satisfaction. "Hmm, not bad." He casually asked, "Where's Xingnian? Haven't seen him these days."

"His friend is in the hospital, so he's been taking care of him." Alexander was extremely surprised. A vampire's taste differs from that of humans; ordinary food is tasteless or even nauseating to Emile. Yet now... what had happened to him?

Ignoring Alexander's astonished look, Emile took the whole plate of chocolates for himself and continued, "By the way, do you have any condoms? Give me a box. I've run out these past few days. According to the rules, I can't leave Longsong Road, so I have to rely on you to 'resupply.'"

Alexander was completely stunned, his face flushing like a wildfire, turning red from his face to his ears. He glared at Emile, who wore a rogue's smile, but couldn't say a word.

"Alexander, oh Alexander." Emile sighed with a smile, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I've watched you grow up. When the job of monitoring me passed from your master to you, you became the person who understands me best in this world. So, I'll kindly give you a warning."

His lazy voice turned low and chilling, his green eyes revealing a cold menace. "If you dare to incite her to leave me, I'll kill your lovely fiancée, Qin'er. If you want to marry her, go marry her ghost."

Alexander's expression changed. "You wouldn't dare."

"Why wouldn't I?" He smiled, his expression both serious and wickedly insane. "I've never had anything. If you try to take away the only thing I have, I'll make you suffer. Good friends should share good times and bad. What's wrong with you keeping me company in loneliness?"

Alexander stared at him. "...You've changed."

Emile used to be indifferent, uninterested in anything. No matter how many drugs scientists injected into him or how much pain they caused, he always laughed it off, treating life as a game with a numb attitude. Now he had emotions, obsessions, and someone he wanted to hold onto—that girl probably couldn't go back to the Delin family.

Emile smiled faintly. "I haven't changed."

It's just that the dead parts of him had been awakened, like new buds sprouting from withered branches, yearning for her warm and nourishing rain.

Years ago, he made a terrible mistake in a moment of impulse, and he deeply regretted it, vowing never to kill again. But to have her, he didn't care whose corpse he had to step over.

"That's settled then, Alexander. Behave, and you can have a peaceful wedding. I'm going back to accompany that lovely lady before she starts overthinking. I'll take this plate of chocolates with me. Next time you have such chocolates, don't forget to send me some."

Emile turned to leave, then looked back at Alexander after a few steps, smiling. "Remember, get me more condoms."

Chapter Six

Emile returned to the house, silently stopping outside the bedroom, watching Delin Sara sitting on the edge of the bed.

She had opened the paper bag, which contained a black dress and a shawl, both as light as linen but as smooth as silk, unlike any ordinary fabric.

She held the dress in contemplation for a while, seemingly thinking of something, then raised her hand to cast a fire spell, placing it on the dress. Normally, clothes would have caught fire instantly, but the black dress didn't emit any smoke, instead absorbing the flames and glowing with a faint luminescence.

"You guessed right. This is an elven firework craft." He walked into the room. "Elves capture double-headed snakes that grow in flames, extract their body fluids, and refine them into this special fabric. For a sorcerer, it can resist flames and enhance the effects of fire spells. It also provides excellent warmth."