Chapter 75: Daughter And Her Little Wife

“First, congratulations on passing the trial of the Well of Atonement. You’ve become the first acknowledged forbidden lovers in the castle’s history.”

Hearing Yelan’s words, Noah and Luoyao didn’t feel much joy.

Their situation wasn’t like a couple facing parental disapproval over material issues or trivial matters.

It was never about their love being “forbidden” and thus needing to be stopped.

To Yelan and most vampires, love between a human and a vampire was simply wrong, deserving punishment.

But that notion was baseless, as Luoyao had said—a dictatorship.

Their love was simple: born of the body, true to the heart.

It held no motive beyond “I want to treat you well, to stay by your side.”

Their love affected no one else.

It belonged solely to Luoyao and Noah, like bellflowers blooming quietly in a corner.

Yet such a pure, simple love, harming no one, had to be proven through the so-called trial of the Well of Atonement to show they were truly in love…

Utterly absurd.

The two girls exchanged a glance, nodding subtly in silent agreement, saying nothing.

Yelan noticed their small gesture, smiling. “Looks like you’re not fond of talking about the Well of Atonement.”

“Mother, we’ll listen to whatever you want to talk about,” Noah said.

At first glance, her words sounded loyal.

But Yelan, a thousand-year-old fox, could sense the hint of perfunctory dismissal in Noah’s tone.

She wasn’t angry, simply moving to the next topic.

“Can you tell me how you went from meeting to falling in love?”

Yelan leaned forward slightly, her ample chest pressing against the table, hands clasped, chin resting on them.

She looked at Luoyao, then Noah.

Neither seemed eager to answer.

‘Oh, my daughter and her little sweetheart still have a wall between them and their mother…’

Yelan understood.

After all, just days ago, she’d thrown them into the Well of Atonement herself.

Understanding was one thing, but she still needed to know their love story.

Love, such an unpredictable factor, could disrupt her plans if not handled carefully.

One wrong step, and the whole game could collapse.

“Little cutie, you tell me,” Yelan said gently, smiling at Luoyao.

“Little… cutie…”

Luoyao muttered the odd nickname, glancing instinctively at Noah.

She expected Noah to be annoyed at Yelan’s overly familiar tone, but…

“Mother, please don’t call my girlfriend so affectionately.”

She hadn’t expected her wife to be this bold!

Despite the polite “please,” Noah’s words carried a spark of defiance.

‘Is she going to start a fight now? Didn’t Huangwei say there’d be no fighting this time? Huangwei, you troublemaker!’

But if a fight did break out, Noah’s side had two—her and Luoyao—against Yelan alone.

Still, the outcome might not change much.

With Luoyao, a powerless human, they’d likely be at a disadvantage.

Surprisingly, Yelan didn’t take offense at Noah’s boldness.

Perhaps she was prepared for her rebellious daughter’s outburst.

She only nodded. “Alright. So, Luoyao, can you tell me your story?”

Luoyao looked at Noah, who gave a barely perceptible nod, signaling it was okay to speak.

With Noah’s approval, Luoyao gathered her thoughts and began.

“We met about three months ago. That night, Noah pretended to be a follower of the Blood Hunt Church and came to my house. She tricked me into opening the door, then knocked me out and brought me to the castle.”

“Wait, daughter,” Yelan interrupted. “You never brought prey back to the castle. When did you change that habit?”

“Well… it’s not exactly a change,” Noah said, scratching her forehead, a bit embarrassed. “The moment I saw Luoyao, I just… had this urge to bring her home. That’s about it.”

In private, their sweet talk flowed freely.

But with someone—especially her “Mother”—listening, even Noah felt shy.

In these awkward moments, their “mother-daughter” dynamic felt strikingly human.

“Oh, love at first sight, huh?” Yelan commented.

“Mm…”

“Go on, Luoyao.”

Luoyao nodded, continuing.

“After she brought me to the castle, it was the usual vampire ‘training’ process. Most new blood slaves only think of escaping. I was no exception.

So Noah kept me locked in the bedroom… cough… for about two days and one night before I settled down.”

Two days and one night was short by vampire standards.

Most blood slaves needed at least three days of training.

Take Xiaan, for example—Linglang locked her in a bedroom for five days before she gave up escaping.

For most vampires, training a blood s*ave was a game.

They enjoyed watching their slaves try to flee, only to be caught and disciplined harshly.

Of course, that was “most of the time.”

In rare cases, an impatient vampire might kill a s*ave after one escape attempt.

When Noah first brought Luoyao back, she restrained her instincts, treating her as gently as possible.

For most blood slaves, the first night was a brutal “welcome,” fed on to the brink of death.

But Noah took a gradual approach with Luoyao.

First her wrist, then her arm, then sensitive spots like her abdomen.

Noah was careful, fearing Luoyao would develop strong resentment.

She never told Luoyao this, or her already shaky family status would drop further.

“Then, I slowly accepted Noah and the fact that I couldn’t escape. I went to classes on time, let Noah feed without resisting or fighting back.

Sometimes, I even tried to enjoy our… entanglements. One night, we went to a supermarket in the city to buy food and ran into Suyue from the Blood Hunt squad.

To keep Suyue from hurting me, Noah tricked me into playing a cat-and-mouse game. I ran without looking back, too scared to go home, and spent the night in a 24-hour fast-food restaurant.

But the next morning, when I returned, I found Noah lying at my doorstep, barely alive. She had severe gunshot wounds, her chest covered in blood. I… I was…”

When sensitive people recall painful or frightening memories, they often relive the emotions fully.

Luoyao was in that state now.

Head bowed, eyes fixed on the table, hands on her knees, swallowing hard.

It was as if she could see Noah’s near-death state again…

“It’s okay, Luoyao. You can skip this part if it’s too much,” Noah said, gently patting her back and squeezing her hand.

Luoyao closed her eyes, took a few deep breaths to steady herself, then said, “But I want you to know what I was thinking then.”

Noah paused, then nodded. “Alright. But don’t push yourself.”

“Mm.”

Luoyao pursed her lips, continuing.

“I was so conflicted. I’m sorry, Noah. Back then, I wasn’t clear about my feelings for you. My first thought wasn’t to save you but… but to weigh the balance of power.”

Noah only smiled fondly, pinching Luoyao’s cheek. “You don’t need to apologize.

Honestly, after Suyue shot me, I didn’t have the strength to return to the castle.

Going to your place was my gamble. And you made me win, didn’t you?”

“Mm… I’m so glad I saved you. If I’d let you die there, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”

Luoyao let out a long breath. “After saving Noah, we spent a few days together at my place. It felt so good, like the life I always wanted. Those days made me realize I was starting to fall for her.

Around then, Noah asked if I wanted to return to the castle with her. I… refused.”

At this, Yelan grew attentive, pressing, “Why refuse?”

“Because I wanted to live as a human, to have a human life.”

Luoyao’s answer was the same as back then.

In truth, her desire had never wavered.

From start to finish, she only wanted to live an ordinary human life.

But fate had other plans.

Some people refused to let her live in peace—

Suyue, that crazed Blood Hunt zealot.

Crossing her was Luoyao’s biggest regret.

Without Suyue, she and Noah might be like any long-distance couple, meeting once a week, spending days together.

No Aleng, no Broken Moon Platform, no Well of Atonement—none of that mess would’ve touched them.

Luoyao was just unlucky, running into a lunatic like Suyue.

“You… value your human identity that much?” Yelan asked.

“Yes.”

Yelan nodded thoughtfully, saying softly, “Good. You’ve got character. I knew my daughter wouldn’t fall for just anyone.”

Her typical praise masked subtle shifts in her emotions—a tactic Yelan often used.

When Luoyao firmly confirmed her attachment to her human identity, Yelan’s tone and expression flickered briefly.

But the change was fleeting, unnoticed even by Noah.

Yelan continued listening to Luoyao’s story in silence.

But in her heart, a thought stirred.

‘Stubborn human girl… one day, you’ll pay a price for your persistence.’