As Yuyan collapsed to the ground, Tian Yu snapped out of his frenzy. Without hesitation, he gathered her in his arms, his movements were urgent yet careful, as though she were the most fragile thing in the world. Her breath was shallow, her skin pale, he laid her on the bed , his gaze lingering on her, thinking of what to do. Fear and frustration took over him as his breathing became ragged, not knowing what to do he teleported straight to Leng Yue's chamber.
Leng Yue was just about to retire for the night when he noticed something odd—a presence in the room that hadn't been there a moment ago. He turned, only to find Tian Yu standing there, his long black hair in wild disarray, his crimson eyes still burning faintly with the remnants of his bloodlust. His chest rose and fell rapidly, and a faint streak of dried blood traced the corner of his mouth.
Before Leng Yue could utter a word, Tian Yu had already closed the distance between them. In a blink, they vanished from Leng Yue's room and reappeared in Tian Yu own chamber, Yuyan still lying on the bed
Leng Yue shot him a look of irritation, rolling his eyes. "Next time, seek my permission before dragging me along," he said dryly. "What am I even doing here" he said raising a brow.
"She knows," Tian Yu breathed, his voice low and strained.
"She knows?" Leng Yue repeated, tilting his head, trying to gauge the meaning.
"She knows that I am a vampire." He repeated.
Leng Yue's expression shifted immediately. His gaze slid to where his sister lay pale and still on the bed. "What happened?" he asked, his voice now edged with urgency.
Tian Yu's jaw clenched. "We were attacked. I lost control… over myself. They were unlike any vampires I've seen before—wild, ravenous, like beasts born only to drink blood. I think they're the ones you saw in your vision… the ones created by Fang Leng."
Leng Yue quickly stepped outside the room for a moment, scanning the destruction left in the wake of the attack. Furniture lay splintered, the air reeked of blood and smoke. He quietly rush back to the room to see his sister. "Hope nothing happened to her ?" He asked with panic in his voice scanning her body.
While the two men spoke in low tones, Yuyan stirred. Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw were two tall figures standing nearby. In an instant, the images of the attack flooded back—her husband's face twisting, his fangs bared, his voice growling with something inhuman. Terror clawed at her chest.
She let out a sharp scream. "Don't go near him!" she cried to her brother, her voice shaking. "He's… he's not human!"
Leng Yue's face barely changed—no shock, no disbelief. Only that same quiet, assessing stare. And in that stillness, she understood.
Her voice broke to a whisper. "You already know…" Her gaze filled with betrayal as she looked between them. "That means Father knew… that he's a demon. And yet… he still married me to him?"
Her tears fell freely now, streaking her cheeks as her voice trembled. "Why? Was I nothing more than a pawn to him?"
Tian Yu stepped forward, reaching for her hand. "Yuyan…"
But she flinched away, curling back as if his touch burned. Her eyes were wide with fear, her breaths coming too fast. And in that moment, the distance between them felt like an unbridgeable abyss.
Tian Yu froze, his hand lingering in the air before falling limply to his side. His crimson eyes dimmed, and for a moment, the weight of her fear crushed him more than any wound could.
"Yuyan…" his voice was low, almost pleading, but she only shook her head, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You stayed silent," she whispered hoarsely, her gaze flicking to Leng Yue. "You and father make me believe he was human, like every other man. Was he that desperate to protect his kingdom?" Her shoulders trembled as sobs broke free. "All this time—" she pressed her palm to her chest as though her heart might shatter, "—you already knew what he was and you did not bother to tell me."
Yue Leng's jaw tightened, but he didn't deny it. He stepped forward, his expression calm, unreadable. "He is a good man, Yuyan" he said with a pleasing tone, "And whatever he is changes nothing,"
"Shut up" she barked at him. "It changes everything," Yuyan cried, her voice rising. "Mother knew too, didn't she? And still… still you all binded me to him. A demon!"
Tian Yu flinched at the curle of word. "I am not the enemy," he said, his tone heavy with restrained desperation.
But Yuyan only backed farther away, the memory of his fangs glinting under the moonlight burned into her mind. "Stay away from me, you blood sucking beast."
The word left her lips like a blade, slicing straight into him. It was the same name they had hurled at him in the market place centuries ago, when stones rained down on his trembling body.
He could hear it again now, from the girl who has stood by his years ago—
Monster, leech, demon.
The jeers, the laughter, the sting of each rock striking his skin.
Back then, he had curled into himself, bleeding and frightened, until a warm voice had cut through the cruelty saying."Leave him alone!"
She had stood there, fierce, shielding him from the crowd with her own body. She had been his comfort, his safe place.
And now… she was the one throwing the word at him.
His throat tightened. The sharp ache in his chest spread until it felt like he couldn't breathe. He tried to speak, to tell her it wasn't true, that he was still the boy she had defended—but the words tangled and died on his tongue.
His eyes glistened, but he refused to let the tears fall. His claws dug into his palms.
When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"I never thought… you would be the one to call me that." A single tear dropped from his eyes.