Chapter 150: Lullaby II
The wounds Chloe suffered were not deep, but there were too many of them, causing her to lose a lot of blood. Even after the treatment, she was told to stay in the infirmary until morning to recover from the blood loss. Vlad stayed by her side until evening, only leaving after she fell asleep. He left a note beside her, asking her to call him if she needed anything.
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"Hello, we meet again," Lily said, waving a hand at Vlad with a bright smile. He had just appeared on the roof of the dormitory, holding a violin case in his hand.
"Aren’t you early?" Vlad asked, settling beside her with his legs hanging over the edge. "The sun is still out."
The last rays of the setting sun painted their faces in golden light. Vlad had only seen Lily beneath the faint moonlight before. He had already admitted that she was ethereal, like a goddess, but now, under the fading sunlight, her features seemed even more enchanting.
Her otherworldly silver eyes, her long hair spread across the stone surface behind her like a flowing silver river, and her mature hourglass figure made it difficult for Vlad to look away.
"I finished my work early," she revealed with a smug smile before demanding, "Why do you ask? Am I bothering you?"
"Of course not," Vlad chuckled, shaking his head. "If I had known you were here, I wouldn’t have kept you waiting."
"Wh-who was waiting? I came only a minute ago," she blurted, snapping her head forward. She was definitely not sitting there for half an hour.
"Oh, then it’s alright," Vlad replied. "By the way, have you met Shadow, my beast companion? He is a dark unicorn."
’Oh, so that dark unicorn chose him,’ Lily murmured inwardly, her eyebrow lifting slightly. ’It really must be fate.’
"Yes, I have. I am their caretaker after all," Lily nodded. A smile bloomed across her face as she continued, "He is quite a troublemaker, always bullying other beasts of similar strength. Still, he is a good child. Take good care of him."
Instead of replying, Vlad simply looked at her with narrowed eyes, amusement flickering across his face.
"What?" Lily asked.
"Your words reminded me of Chloe’s grandma back in the village," Vlad chuckled, shaking his head. "She also talks like that, saying Chloe is mischievous and telling others to take care of her. For a moment, I thought she was speaki..."
His words dissolved on his tongue as he realized what he was actually saying.
’Oh crap, I just can’t shut my darn mouth.’
His head slowly turned toward Lily, who was sitting perfectly still with an unreadable expression.
’G-grandma!? Do I really talk like an old woman?’ Lily gasped inwardly. Her hand moved to her forehead. ’Or has work given me wrinkles? N-no, it can’t be. In dragon years, I’m only a young adult. There must be something wrong with his eyes!’
She glared sharply at Vlad. "Do I look like an old lady?"
"Definitely not!" Vlad instantly shook his head. "I just meant those exact words reminded me of Chloe’s grandma, not your face."
Lily narrowed her eyes. "Hmph, I’ll let it slide this time."
’Phew, that was a close one,’ Vlad breathed a sigh of relief.
Their small talk continued for more than half an hour until the moonlight of the full moon came to dominate the earth.
Vlad took the violin out of its case, placed it on his shoulder, closed his eyes, and began to play.
The soft melody filled the air, soothing Lily as she watched him warmly, her face resting against her palm.
Vlad’s lips parted as he took a deep breath. Then, at the perfect moment in the melody, he began to sing.
♫ O my swan
♫ Don’t be scared anymore
♫ May the moon’s brightness fill you with sweet dreams
♫ Sleep, my dear swan
♫ O my swan
His voice was deeper than it had been when he sang the same song last month. His matured voice allowed him to hit every note with perfect pitch.
The grass swayed with the melody, while the blooming flowers slowly closed their petals as though drifting to sleep.
♫ Close your weary eyes now
♫ The night wraps around you like a gentle embrace
♫ Let the starlight guide your resting soul
♫ The dawn will come to greet you softly
♫ Sleep, my dear swan
♫ O my swan
Lily’s hand moved to her chest, a soft gasp escaping her lips. She could feel the comfort carried within Vlad’s soothing voice. If she hadn’t evolved into a Primordial Dragon, she would never have sensed the deeper emotion hidden beneath it.
Grief.
She could barely keep her eyes from turning moist.
♫ Don’t let the dark touch your wings
♫ Let your feathers spread across the vast sky
♫ The moon sings for you, the stars dance for you
♫ Don’t be scared anymore
♫ Sleep, my dear swan
♫ O my swan
The music gradually faded as he lifted the bow from the strings and opened his eyes.
Complete silence followed.
Even the insects seemed to have fallen asleep, leaving the night air perfectly still.
"So beautiful..." Lily said, finally lowering her hand from her chest. "It was even better than last time."
Vlad placed the violin back into its case, his face carrying a grim expression. Lily lifted her hand, only for it to stop midway as hesitation overtook her.
She took a deep breath and gently cupped Vlad’s cheek.
"I don’t know what burden you carry within your heart, nor will I try to pry into it," she said softly as she moved closer to him. Wrapping her other arm behind his head, she gently rested his face against her chest in a warm embrace before continuing, "Just so you know, you can always come to me whenever you’re feeling down."
Vlad’s jaw tightened as he struggled to hold back the tears. He had never allowed anyone to see him cry, but that night, he wasn’t sure he still could.
After a brief hesitation, his arms slowly wrapped around Lily’s back.
"Thank you, Lily. It really means a lot to me."