Caught off guard by William's perceptiveness, Nissa's face instantly turned red.
But a little embarrassment was nothing compared to the guarantee that she could continue living at the estate and officially become part of the Devonshire family.
With this promise, she and Selene were no longer just bodyguards—they had secured a permanent place in his life. Overjoyed, Nissa threw her arms around William, resting her forehead on his shoulder and whispering excitedly,
"Thank you, thank you, darling. You don't know how much this means to me. I only feel truly alive when I'm with you, not like some cold, lost outcast."
"Don't worry, you've always been mine." William kissed her lips before holding her close. "Both you and Selene already have my mark on your souls. That means you belong to me—understand?"
"Mhmm." Hearing his words, Nissa felt all her lingering worries vanish, leaving her brimming with gratitude and affection.
"Bloody hell, are you two done yet?"
Selene, who had been piloting the spaceship, had excellent hearing. She was initially pleased upon hearing William's words, but when she realized that Nissa was using the moment to cling to him even more, her temper flared.
"Nissa, if you're not in a spacesuit and seated in the cockpit within one minute, I swear when we get back to the estate, I'll drain you dry and lock you in the basement for a year."
The threat made Nissa's heart race in panic. She clung tightly to William, pleading, "William, you have to help me!"
Seeing Nissa trembling slightly in fear, William simply shrugged and smirked. "Darling, I suggest you listen to Selene. Even if you get away with it today, I can't be around you all the time. If she wants to get back at you, there's no escaping it."
"Ugh."
Nissa had planned to use William's influence to suppress Selene just this once. But after glancing back at Selene's predatory stare,
she shivered, realizing that since they would both be living at the estate or the Oxford castle, there was no way she could avoid Selene forever.
Unhappy, she swatted William on the arm. "Can't you just order her not to hurt me?"
At the same time, she brazenly slipped off her silk nightgown right in front of him and slowly started putting on her spacesuit.
Unfortunately for her, William had no time for distractions. Not only would Selene genuinely be upset, but the influential figures waiting for him in England wouldn't appreciate unnecessary delays.
Besides, Abby and Jessie were at home—he couldn't exactly return and immediately act like a spineless fool, could he?
With a gesture, he summoned Nissa's custom-designed battle armor from the equipment storage. The suit floated toward her, rotating in midair.
Nissa, who had been teasing William on purpose, quickened her pace in putting on her spacesuit. Once dressed, she gave William a quick peck on the cheek and stepped back.
Raising her arms playfully, she grinned. "Come on, help me out, darling. You wouldn't really want to see me locked in the basement, would you?"
The thought of Nissa, now all soft and affectionate, being drained of blood made William shudder.
With a casual lift of his hand, Nissa floated off the ground as the battle armor disassembled midair, its segments moving into place one by one.
Guided by his telekinesis, each piece latched onto her suit, and with Sunday's assistance, he carefully locked and checked each connection.
Once confirmed to be airtight, he flicked his fingers, sending Nissa gently drifting toward the cockpit.
She automatically landed in the co-pilot seat, smirking at Selene. "That was definitely under a minute. Are you disappointed?"
"For the Blood God's sake, can't you go back to being normal? Or better yet, just shut up and fasten your seatbelt."
"Fine."
Having secured her place in William's life, Nissa felt no need to keep up the act.
However, even as she obediently strapped herself in, she muttered, "You only have three hundred years on me. Why do I always have to listen to you?"
"I'm not just three hundred years older than you—I'm also stronger. And my status is higher."
Selene glanced at Nissa's dissatisfied expression and smirked.
"Don't forget, I'm Victor's descendant, while your father was Marcus's. That makes me equal to your father in rank, so of course you have to listen to me."
"Hmph."
Nissa frowned in thought before suddenly grinning. "Haha! But don't forget, Victor may have been our great elder, but he was still Marcus's descendant in the end.
Which means, by bloodline, we're both third-generation vampires. You're not actually superior to me."
"Alright, fair enough."
Selene turned her head and smiled slyly at Nissa. "But I can still beat you in a fight."
"You—!"
William, seated outside the cockpit, chuckled to himself.
From the time they had started arguing until the spaceship began its descent, Nissa never managed to find a comeback.
It seemed that, no matter the species, when words failed, strength always decided the winner.
Even if one couldn't win, at the very least, having enough power to make an opponent hesitate was necessary for a fair negotiation.
"Sir, the spaceship will land at the London Aerospace Center in ten seconds. However, I recommend you change into your duke's formal attire."
A holographic projection appeared before him as Sunday spoke.
Outside the aerospace center's landing pad, a welcoming party of over a hundred people stood waiting.
Among them, seven or eight individuals stood out, dressed in double-breasted red noble formal wear.
Seeing them, William instinctively frowned. But after taking a closer look, he relaxed.
Philip and the other old foxes had not gotten reckless just because of his rising prominence.
Among the ten noblemen receiving him, the one leading them was Wilson, and the rest all appeared to be under thirty years old.
Judging by their hats, they were mostly barons and viscounts, with the highest rank being a single earl.
William quickly realized what was happening—these were likely young nobles handpicked by Wilson, eager to enter his inner circle.
If the welcoming party had been full of older aristocrats, William might have ignored the suggestion and walked out in his spacesuit, mindful of public perception.
But since the attendees were all young and likely future allies,
and seeing that Wilson—despite being a duke—had deliberately positioned himself half a step behind Lena,
William shook his head with a smile and stood up, floating midair inside the spaceship.
His spacesuit automatically peeled away, and a double-breasted red formal coat materialized midair, assembling onto his body piece by piece.
(End of Chapter)
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