As it happened, Ethan knew that Autumn had been trying to set Royce and Camellia up as a couple. She had even once asked him not to think of Camellia as anything more than a friend.
But it seemed that Autumn's matchmaking efforts had failed. Camellia's Tarot cards had foretold that the path of love between the Vampire Hunter and the Vampire would bring nothing but pain and suffering to both of them. And that girl, Camellia, trusted her own gift of prophecy completely.
Of course, according to movies and novels, romances between Vampires and Vampire Hunters rarely ended well. But the biggest problem here was that Camellia seemed to have already fallen into an unrequited love with another Vampire.
Even Ethan could guess who that Vampire was. So Royce must have known all too well. Perhaps it was simply jealousy that prevented him from controlling his words and behavior whenever he was around Camellia.
Haizzz!
Now that was the truly ironic part. Cupid had definitely gone too far this time.
"She kept insisting that nothing would ever come of us as long as The Tower was there. Do you actually believe in that fortune-telling nonsense, Ethan?"
Royce let out a long, weary sigh, and Ethan found his own mood sinking with it. He had no idea what he could possibly say to make his friend feel better.
Suddenly, Royce sat upright. The dejected tone in his voice gradually turned sharp.
"I told Camellia that I don't believe in any of that stupid fortune-telling crap. A person's fate belongs in their own hands, not on some Tarot cards or written somewhere up in the stars."
"Fair enough…"
Ethan nodded in agreement with Royce's belief that people should take control of their own destiny. But he didn't think Tarot or astrology were just "stupid fortune-telling crap."
It was true.
If someone had told Ethan a few months ago that Vampires existed, he would have laughed in their face. But the existence of the beautiful creature standing right in front of him had proven that this world contained far more mysteries than anyone could explain.
"What happened next? How did Camellia react? Keep going, Royce."
Ethan urged his friend.
"I…"
A strange expression appeared on Royce's face, and Ethan suddenly felt uneasy. There was only a hint of regret in that expression. Far more prominent was something else… a mixture of malice and triumph.
Oh no. What on earth had Royce done?
"I… I tore those cards apart."
"You? Seriously, Royce?"
"The Emperor, Three of Swords, The Tower… I tore them into pieces. Then I threw them onto the railroad tracks. And after that, they were crushed one more time beneath the wheels of the train."
"Camellia treasured that deck. She treated it like a friend."
"I know… But I had already done it…"
Royce fell silent again. The corner of his mouth curled upward slightly, forming a crooked smile that looked both roguish and strangely charming.
Ethan didn't know what to say either. He knew perfectly well both the monetary value and the sentimental value of Camellia's Tarot deck. Royce's temper had caused a complete disaster this time.
"I know I was completely in the wrong. That's why I stood there and let her bite me, scratch me, punch me, kick me, or do whatever she wanted. I deserved to be punished."
"But compared to your healing ability, how much damage could she possibly do?"
"Bro, don't underestimate Camellia's upgraded nails. They're nothing like the cute nails ordinary girls get done with flowers, ribbons, and rhinestones. They look a lot like Vampire claws. Their performance is almost the same too. I have no idea when that crazy girl modified her nails into weapons without telling me."
"So after that, the Vampire Hunter girl used her fake Vampire claws to take one of your arms?"
Ethan cried out in horror. He had never imagined that Camellia could be so brutal, even if her target was a Vampire.
"No way, bro! That Vampire Hunter wasn't skilled enough for that…"
Royce gradually grew thoughtful again. A mixture of quietness and absent-mindedness appeared on his face, making Ethan even more curious.
After a long silence, Royce continued.
"Unfortunately for Camellia, just as her colleague stepped off the train, the first thing he saw was Camellia pressing her fake fangs against my neck…"
"And then?"
"So he assumed Camellia was a Vampire attacking a civilian - which was me. So I had to grab her and leap into the air to dodge the whip he lashed at us. Ah… at that moment, she could only tremble and cling to me in fear. Heh heh!"
"Wait. That Vampire Hunter couldn't tell the difference between a Vampire and a human?"
Royce didn't bother answering Ethan's very practical question right away. He was still completely immersed in his own memories.
"I carried her from the train station and ran back into the tunnel through the mountain. Then I ran through the forest beneath the shimmering sunlight while our enemy chased right behind us…"
"Yeah! Very romantic. Did anyone happen to see that scene? It'd be a real problem if civilians witnessed it. And what if someone got hurt by that Vampire Hunter's whip?"
"At that moment, the world contained only me and her. I wished I could keep running with her forever, all the way to the ends of the earth, far away from this filthy mortal world. Then we'd have two white-haired children together, and I'd name them Dante and Virgil…"
"Camellia has white hair because she's an albino. There's no guarantee that trait would pass on to the next generation unless you also carry the recessive albinism gene. And even if you do, the probability of your children having white hair is only fifty percent."
"And if we had a daughter, I'd name her Ciri. I'd spoil my little girl more than anyone else, hehe! Alright, let's settle on those names for now."
"But Dante, Virgil, and Ciri are names of video game characters. Are you seriously planning to name your kids that? And have you even asked Camellia? Does she agree with your decision, you authoritarian idiot?"
Ethan could only smile bitterly as Royce completely ignored everything he had said.
"Right after I'd finished deciding on the official names and nicknames for all the children Camellia and I were going to have… Boom!"
"What exploded?"
"Yeah, that Vampire Hunter guy. After chasing us for a while, he short-circuited. Black smoke started pouring out of his head and darkened half the sky."
"That guy… wasn't human?"
"What? Didn't I tell you? Things have been pretty tense in other places lately too. The Vampire Hunter Guild has to concentrate all of its forces on major population centers now. Since our town only has around eight thousand residents, they only assigned us one Robot Vampire Hunter."
Ethan shook his head. He really wanted to punch Royce for telling stories in such a rambling way - adding unnecessary details, skipping important ones, and completely ignoring his audience.
"So I put Camellia on a large tree branch where she'd be safe. Then I went over to take a closer look at the guy. I actually know a little about robot programming. But before I could even touch anything, Camellia's colleague… Boom again. After that, I passed out for an entire day. When I woke up, I was already here, except I was missing an arm. I still have no idea where it went…"
"Yeah. I get it."
Ethan clicked his tongue.
Honestly, in this whole situation, he found it difficult to sympathize with his Vampire friend. From beginning to end, Royce had acted entirely according to his own desires while completely ignoring Camellia's feelings. Wasn't this kind of blind love basically the same thing Kai had done?
And thinking of Kai…
…Ethan suddenly realized that something about Royce's story felt very strange - especially the timeline.
"Royce… tell me again. Exactly how long were you unconscious?"
Ethan's face gradually turned bright red again. This time, the flush spread all the way to his ears and the back of his neck. But that didn't stop him from asking Royce a question that sounded incredibly stupid and completely unnecessary…