Chapter 19: Carmilla’s apology
"Erik, that woman is Carmilla... Nathan’s mother."
Erik followed Elowen’s gaze.
The black-haired woman who had just stepped into the great hall didn’t head toward the registration counter or any of the teleportation gates. From the very moment she appeared, her red eyes had been looking straight toward their rest area.
Carmilla hadn’t gotten far when two female bodyguards stepped out and blocked her path.
"Please stop."
The lead female bodyguard placed a hand on the hilt of her sword, her voice cold:
"Sir Erik is not receiving guests at the moment."
Carmilla stopped.
She looked past the bodyguard’s shoulder and saw that Elowen had already stood up, using her body to shield Erik behind her. The silvery-white combat suit hugged her mature figure, but the gentle aura she usually had was completely gone.
Elowen’s hand rested near the long bow slung across her back, her jade-green eyes looking at Carmilla with clear wariness.
Obviously, she didn’t believe that Nathan’s mother had come merely to say a few simple words.
Carmilla pressed her lips together.
From last night until now, she had imagined this meeting many times.
She had thought Erik would fly into a rage.
She had also thought he would see her as an enemy because Nathan was her son.
Carmilla had even prepared herself mentally to be humiliated in front of everyone, as long as it could keep Erik and Elowen from pursuing the matter against her family any further.
But now, when she was actually stopped, a bit of unease still rose in her heart.
"I have no ill intent."
Carmilla looked at the bodyguard before her, trying to keep her voice calm.
"I came to apologize about Nathan’s matter. Last night, I contacted Meira. She agreed to give me one chance to meet Erik."
The bodyguard didn’t immediately step aside.
She turned her head to look at Elowen, waiting for an order.
Elowen still didn’t lower her guard. She tilted her head slightly, looked at Erik sitting behind her, and asked in a soft voice:
"Do you want to meet her?"
Erik observed Carmilla for a few seconds.
He couldn’t sense any killing intent from her. On the contrary, Carmilla looked incredibly weary, her complexion slightly pale, with a red mark on her forehead that hadn’t completely faded.
This place was the Teleportation Center.
There were dozens of Elowen’s female bodyguards around, not to mention the many Awakened present in the great hall. Even if Carmilla truly intended to put him in danger, there was nothing she could do.
Erik nodded.
"Let her in."
The bodyguard immediately lowered her head.
"Yes."
The two of them slowly stepped aside.
Even so, Elowen still didn’t return to her seat. She stood right in front of Erik, her tall figure completely blocking most of his body, no different from a female knight protecting the most important person to her.
Carmilla stepped into the rest area.
The distance between her and Erik grew shorter and shorter.
Ten meters.
Five meters.
Three meters.
Once there were no more bodyguards blocking her view, Carmilla finally saw Erik clearly at close range.
Her footsteps immediately came to a stop.
Carmilla’s mind felt as if it had been struck hard by something.
The noisy sounds in the great hall quickly grew distant. The conversations, the footsteps, even the sound of the teleportation gates operating all vanished from her perception.
In Carmilla’s eyes, only Erik remained.
The videos had already been enough to make her lose control, but the real man before her brought a completely different feeling.
A handsome face with well-proportioned features.
Black hair falling slightly over his forehead.
A deep, calm gaze that didn’t carry the weakness or arrogance commonly seen in men pampered from a young age.
The black combat suit wrapped around his balanced figure, accentuating his broad shoulders, firm chest, along with his trim waist. Even just sitting still, Erik still gave off a sense of health and vitality.
For a Succubus who had been tormented by hunger for nearly twenty-five years, that appeal was almost impossible to describe in words.
Ever since giving birth to Nathan, Naron had no longer touched her.
Nearly twenty-five years.
In all that time, Carmilla could only rely on refined blood, suppression medicine, along with her own level to maintain her sanity.
She had forgotten what it felt like to be cared for by a man.
Had even more forgotten what feeling a masculine, healthy body could bring.
Right now, just looking at Erik, the unease, worry, along with fear in Carmilla’s heart were all pushed aside.
The full chest beneath the black high-collared top rose with a deep breath. Her legs unconsciously pressed together, and her red eyes slowly swept over Erik’s face, then came to rest on the neck, shoulders, and chest hidden beneath the combat suit.
She had completely forgotten what she had come here to do.
Erik waited a while but didn’t see Carmilla speak up.
He knitted his brows slightly.
"Carmilla?"
Erik’s voice pulled her out of her daze.
Carmilla startled, her body trembling faintly. When she realized she had been staring at him for far too long, a faint flush of red immediately appeared on her mature face.
"I..."
She drew in a deep breath, trying to recover the calm she was supposed to have.
"I came to apologize to you about Nathan’s matter."
Carmilla bowed.
That movement made the form-fitting top stretch even tighter around her full chest, but at this moment she paid it no attention at all.
"He was the one who actively harassed Elowen first. Everything that happened afterward was brought upon himself."
Carmilla’s voice carried a bit of difficulty.
No matter how wrong Nathan was, he was still her son. For a mother to have to openly admit that her son was at fault wasn’t an easy thing, but Carmilla had no intention of continuing to cover for him either.
"I apologize to you, and to Elowen as well."
Carmilla turned to Elowen and bowed her head again.
"I don’t expect the two of you to forgive Nathan right away. I only want you to know that his actions don’t represent my attitude."
Elowen didn’t answer.
She still stood in front of Erik, her gaze observing every change on Carmilla’s face.
As a Succubus, Elowen understood all too well what the look in Carmilla’s eyes as she gazed at Erik meant.
Carmilla hadn’t come here merely wanting to apologize.
Perhaps at first she truly had wanted to resolve the trouble Nathan had caused, but right now, her thoughts had clearly become far more complicated.
That made Elowen a bit uncomfortable.
She shifted one step to the right, continuing to block most of Erik’s body from Carmilla’s view.
Erik didn’t notice the silent competition between the two women.
He stood up and gently placed a hand on Elowen’s shoulder.
"It’s fine."
Elowen turned her head to look at him.
"But she’s Nathan’s mother."
"I know."
Erik calmly replied:
"Besides, she can’t put me in danger here either."
Elowen pressed her lips together, but in the end still listened and shifted to one side.
However, she didn’t move away from Erik. Elowen’s hand immediately hugged his arm, her soft chest pressing against the black combat suit as if openly declaring her position.
Erik didn’t stop her.
He stepped forward, in front of Carmilla.
He didn’t lower his head.
He didn’t avoid her gaze.
Nor did he act inferior just because he knew Carmilla had once been a Diamond-grade Succubus who also possessed an enormous fortune.
That calm and confident attitude made it even harder for Carmilla’s gaze to leave him.
"I accept your apology."
Erik said directly.
Carmilla was slightly stunned.
She had prepared a great deal of explanation, and had even thought about having to stand here for hours to persuade him.
She hadn’t expected Erik to accept so quickly.
"Really?"
"Really."
Erik looked straight into her eyes.
"However, make it clear to Nathan."
His voice wasn’t loud, but the calm within it made the listener understand that this wasn’t a meaningless warning.
"This time I only took one tooth from him."
"If he keeps appearing before me, or dares to harass Elowen again, things won’t end so simply."
Carmilla hurriedly nodded.
"I understand. I won’t let him come near the two of you again."
The truth was that after learning Elowen’s identity, Carmilla had no intention of letting Nathan keep causing trouble either.
Meira alone was already someone their family couldn’t go up against.
Not to mention Erik was clearly not a weak man for Nathan to carelessly bully.
Carmilla was about to say something more, but her gaze unconsciously came to rest on Erik’s lips.
His words of warning went into her ears, but Carmilla’s mind only registered the low timbre of his voice along with the serious way he looked as he spoke.
Erik quickly noticed that she had drifted off again.
He had no intention of dragging out the conversation.
"I’ve accepted the apology. If there’s nothing else, Elowen and I need to enter the Trial Space."
Erik turned around.
Seeing that he was preparing to leave, a feeling of panic suddenly rose in Carmilla’s heart.
This meeting was too short.
So short that she felt if she let Erik step through that gate, she probably wouldn’t know how long she’d have to wait before she could see him even once more.
Her body acted before her reason could react.
Carmilla reached out and grabbed the corner of Erik’s coat.
"Wait a moment."
The instant that movement appeared, the nearest female bodyguard immediately lunged forward.
A cold surge of mana enveloped her hand. The bodyguard didn’t intend to cause a serious injury, but this strike was enough to knock Carmilla’s hand away and leave her wrist aching for several days.
Carmilla sensed the danger.
With the strength she had left, she could easily have dodged or resisted.
But if she made a move here, all of her earlier apologies would become meaningless.
Carmilla shut her eyes tight, waiting for the pain to come.
A second passed.
There was no sound of impact.
And no pain either.
What she felt was only a firm, warm hand gently wrapping around her own.
Carmilla slowly opened her eyes.
Erik was standing in front of her.
He raised his other hand, signaling the bodyguard to stop.
"Stand down."
The bodyguard immediately withdrew her mana and lowered her head.
"Yes, sir."
Erik bent down and gently removed Carmilla’s fingers from the corner of his coat, but he didn’t let go right away.
One of Erik’s hands still held her cold hand, while the other patted the back of her hand lightly, as if soothing someone who had just been through something frightening.
"Don’t be afraid."
His voice didn’t carry any displeasure.
"I’m not the kind of person who’ll take out my anger on you over someone else’s mistake."
Carmilla was stunned.
The warmth from Erik’s hand transmitted through her skin, spreading straight into her body.
It was only a simple bit of contact.
It didn’t violate the formal Contract between her and Naron.
But for a Succubus who hadn’t been touched by a man for nearly twenty-five years, that gentleness brought a feeling stronger than any kind of magic.
Carmilla’s eyes quickly grew hot.
She tried to blink, not wanting the tears to fall in front of others.
"I only want to make it up to you."
Her voice trembled faintly.
"Money, resources, or anything else, as long as you want it—"
"There’s no need."
Erik gently cut her off.
"I’m not lacking in compensation."
Saying this, he recalled the one hundred Detonation Beads, the one hundred Defensive Talismans, along with the enormous fortune Elowen had prepared for him.
Right now, he really wasn’t lacking anything at all.
"I said I’d accept the apology, so the matter between you and me ends here."
Erik gently squeezed Carmilla’s hand one more time before letting go.
"Don’t make things hard on yourself."
Carmilla stood still.
She looked at the hand Erik had just held, and a warm feeling so unfamiliar rose in her heart that it almost made her want to cry.
He didn’t demand money.
He didn’t seize the chance to make things difficult.
He didn’t blame her for her son’s mistake.
He even stopped the bodyguard so she wouldn’t get hurt.
Carmilla couldn’t remember the last time anyone had cared about how she felt.
Perhaps it had been far too long.
So long that she had almost forgotten she too could be treated gently.
A notification rang out from the direction of the teleportation gate.
"Miss Elowen, sir Erik, the stabilization of the Trial Space has been completed."
"The two of you may enter."
Elowen immediately gripped Erik’s hand tight.
"Let’s go."
Even though she understood Erik was only showing kindness, watching him hold Carmilla’s hand for so long still made a bit of jealousy rise in her heart.
Elowen didn’t want to keep letting the two of them stay near each other.
Erik nodded.
He looked at Carmilla one last time.
"I’ll be going now."
Carmilla opened her mouth, but in the end could only give a slight nod.
"I wish you a smooth journey."
Erik and Elowen turned around and headed toward the teleportation gate that was giving off a blue-silver light.
Before stepping in, Elowen took the initiative to hug his arm, her entire soft figure plastered against Erik’s side.
The light quickly enveloped the two of them.
In the blink of an eye, their figures completely vanished.
Carmilla still stood where she was.
It wasn’t until the light inside the gate stabilized again that the strength in her two legs seemed to completely vanish.
Carmilla backed toward the nearby chair, braced one hand on the armrest, and slowly sat down.
Her heart was beating so fast it almost wanted to leap out of her chest.
She raised the hand Erik had just held up before her face, slowly closing her fingers, as if wanting to hold onto the last bit of warmth that remained.
A figure approached.
Then, a soft hand rested on her shoulder.
Carmilla startled and hurriedly lifted her head.
The person standing behind her was none other than Meira.
The blonde Elf Succubus looked at Carmilla, then looked at the hand she was still holding in front of her chest. A very faint trace of jealousy flickered through her green eyes.
Meira was silent for a few seconds before she spoke:
"You’re lucky."