Chapter 85: Awakening

The first rays of morning sunlight streamed into the room, illuminating the darkness.

Chloe opened her eyes. Through the tightly tucked blankets, she caught a glimpse of that fleeting light. She sniffed the air, almost able to smell the fragrance of flowers and grass.

A new day had begun.

She groggily poked her head out from under the covers and noticed the firewood in the hearth had burned to ash. No wonder it had been so cold last night.

Strange. Lucia should have come to add wood for Chloe yesterday. Had something happened?

Maybe it was too early. Chloe glanced at the clock on the wall. Just past six.

Perhaps because she was a vampire, she had always slept lightly. Even after all the commotion until the early hours, her internal clock still woke her now.

Chloe sat up, raising her pale arms in a stretch. Her tousled hair fell freely over her shoulders, shimmering silver in the sunlight.

Her thin nightgown couldn’t withstand the biting wind. She grabbed a beast-hide cloak from the clothes rack and wrapped herself in it like a dumpling.

Her bare feet swept downward, slipping into cotton slippers. She hopped nimbly onto the floor and caught a glimpse of her face in the nearby vanity. Even without makeup, she was as beautiful as a winter rose.

She picked up a comb to straighten her hair, then strode openly out the door.

The hallway was slightly warmer than her room, perhaps because the candles on the wall still burned.

It was empty and quiet enough to hear a pin drop.

Chloe pulled her cloak tighter and headed toward Xina’s room.

Yesterday, Lucia had quickly prepared the medicine and fed it to Xina, but she remained unconscious. Lucia speculated that the medicine hadn’t taken effect yet, but worry still hung over Chloe.

She quickened her pace and soon arrived at Xina’s door. To her surprise, the door was wide open.

Had something really happened? Fear surged in Chloe’s heart, and she rushed into the room.

“Lu~ci~a, I don’t want medicine!”

“I’ll make your favorite stir-fried lamb tonight.”

“What? Bring the medicine!”

A familiar voice reached Chloe’s ears. She froze, her eyes slowly shifting to the bed.

Xina was awake, holding a bowl of medicine. She looked radiant, not at all like someone who had slept for half a month.

“Xina…?”

Xina’s awakening dissolved all the resentment Chloe had accumulated in the capital.

So what if Count Cliff had used her? Xina was awake, and that was enough.

A warmth flowed through Chloe’s heart. She approached the bed, collapsing weakly into the soft mattress.

“Little Chloe~”

Xina opened her arms and lifted Chloe up.

“I slept for a bit, and you disappeared. Eh, why are you crying?”

Hot tears streamed endlessly from Chloe’s eyes, leaving streaks down her fair cheeks.

She tried to stop, but her eyes only grew wetter. When had she become so prone to crying?

But… she just wanted to cry.

Unlike the protagonists in light novels who maneuver strategically, Chloe had been led around by the nose ever since she transmigrated.

First Wuxu, then Alena, then Alice, and finally Count Cliff. Everything she did seemed part of someone else’s grand scheme.

It was no different in her original world. Xia Ni worked hard to buy a house and put her sister through college, but gained nothing and ended up with chronic health problems.

She couldn’t control her own fate. But at least saving Xina was her own idea—and she had succeeded. That alone was enough to move her to tears.

Xina held Chloe in her arms, gently stroking her hair.

“There, there, don’t cry.”

Chloe pushed Xina away and turned to flee.

She was so ashamed. She had always looked down on Xina from a senior’s perspective, and now she was acting so pathetic.

Xina reached out toward Chloe’s retreating back, calling loudly, “Little Chloe, don’t run!”

Lucia sighed and handed the medicine to Xina.

“Don’t worry Lady Chloe. Drink it quickly.”

Chloe sprinted down the hallway, her footsteps echoing off the stone floor.

She left Xina and Lucia behind and ran toward Alice’s room.

Xina was awake! She could imagine the look on Alice’s face when she found out. She’d probably act aloof and say, “Oh, that’s nice,” but inside she’d be overjoyed.

Chloe stopped in front of Alice’s door. She took a deep breath, composed herself, and considered how best to tell Alice.

Just then, a distant door opened, and two figures—one tall, one short—approached Chloe.

She looked closely. It was Bruen and Bruoa, the two brothers. They were Count Cliff’s trusted men, currently held as hostages in Castle Sirena.

But she distinctly remembered their rooms weren’t here.

She became alert, her gaze cold.

Bruen hadn’t noticed Chloe yet. He yawned and said, “So noisy this early.”

“Bruen?” Chloe asked.

“Oh, you’re back?”

Bruen rubbed his hands together, putting on an ingratiating manner. His brother Bruoa bowed and scraped along with him.

“Mm, but I didn’t see you yesterday.”

Chloe glanced at Bruen. He was ugly—if humans were made by gods, he was a complete failure. His brother Bruoa was handsome, but when it came to intelligence, the two were reversed.

“Sister Lucia specifically told us not to show up, afraid we’d offend the ladies.”

Sister… Lucia? What a familiar title. Chloe set that aside for now and continued, “Then why didn’t you send your brother?”

“He gets withdrawal symptoms if he’s a step away from me, right, dear brother?”

Bruen chuckled. Bruoa obediently sidled up to him.

Though Chloe appreciated Bruen’s wit, she loathed his glib tongue. She didn’t want to waste more words with him, so she waved them away.

Bruen obediently left, but just before departing, he turned back.

“If you want to enter Lady Alice’s room, best wait a bit. Something seems to be happening inside.”

“What?”

Chloe looked at him suspiciously, but he had already been swallowed by the darkness.

A sense of unease rose in her heart.

She pressed her ear to the door. The cold touch was uncomfortable against her skin.

She heard nothing. The soundproofing was excellent.

Chloe couldn’t wait any longer. She pushed the door open.

A cold wind brushed her face. Light from the window illuminated the faces of three people in the room.

Alice stood frozen, turning her head. Her face was pale, her lips trembling with fear.

“Chloe… why are you here?”

Chloe followed Alice’s gaze to the source of her terror.

Longinus? Alice? Count Cliff?

None of them.

The coachman was sitting leisurely in a chair, holding a thick book. When he saw Chloe enter, a natural smile spread across his face.

“Hello, Xia Ni.”