His scattered thoughts were interrupted by a gentle touch. A familiar large hand rested tenderly on his cheek. The veins ran beautifully beneath the pale skin, ending in long, elegant fingers—this was the same hand that had once freed him from the rose bushes. The scars from those thorns had long since healed.
It was also the hand that had wrapped him in bandages after pulling the thorns from his body… the same hand that dug into the cold earth with bleeding fingers to bury Q96 that very night.
From all of that, Q97 knew—his favorite vampire was someone special.
He was kind. So kind.
Why had he ever doubted him?
If only he had told him about leaving tonight… But no, he couldn't have. He couldn't involve Sir Draven, in case Rosencraft came looking. And yet—he was here. He still helped.
Q97 couldn't imagine helping a strange child out of nowhere. How much kindness did this vampire carry in his heart?
Sir Draven turned, leaned down, and gently wiped the tears from the young hybrid's face, letting out a heavy sigh, as if in pain.
"I only found out what actually happened to you when that Rosencraft bastard caused an uproar in the palace—he claimed his silver-haired experiment had gone missing. I searched for you… I didn't know much about you, but luckily, I found you before they did."
"Why… why didn't you escape sooner? It must have been lonely and painful. I'm sorry."
Draven's voice trembled slightly. He realized he had been so consumed by his own pain and past that he hadn't noticed someone else suffering right beside him. He had ignored the present.
He was already a failure. And now… he felt like a selfish one too.
Q97 shook his head, his small hands clinging tightly to Sir Draven's palm like a touch-starved creature. Those seven months hadn't felt so lonely with Sir Draven by his side, and pain had dulled long ago—he'd grown numb to it.
He hated seeing Sir Draven look sad—hated the guilt in his eyes, especially knowing he was the reason behind it. It wasn't fair.
"What happened to me was never your fault," Q97 said softly. "Besides, seven months is nothing to a vampire. I'd only be a passing moment in your life. And… this place is dangerous. You have to go. More importantly… I never told you where this cave was. So… how did you find me—?"
"I smell something over there!" A late-teenage girl's voice suddenly echoed in the cave tunnel. That is one of the scientists, Lady Tier, who had a sense of smell as sharp as Q87's, pointed toward the boulder where they stood. Another scientist with super sight, similar to Q57's ability, squinted in their direction. Sir Draven tightened his grip on Q97's hand, the red in his eyes growing darker. The mist around their bodies thickened.
"There's nothing over there," Krei, the scientist with supersight, said, shaking his head toward lady Tier. "You should look at other locations. There are signs he ran there."
"Don't imagine things, we will check it once and head to other locations soon." other guards shrugged their shoulders, some came closer to where Q97 hides and some have marched to the entrance.
"I'll check it out. A few soldiers, follow me." Rosencraft walked toward the boulder. Lady Tier followed Rosencraft toward the formation.
"I told you, we should just start dissecting his body. The next experiment will begin soon anyway," lady Tier grumbled. Some other scientists laughed menacingly.
"Q97 is still useful. I have a few other experiments I haven't tried yet."
"Hey, when you're done with the data transfer from his body, hand him over to me."
Milen licked his lips and smirked. "The genes of the 'most beautiful vampires' are incredible. If his twin hadn't died right away, I would've preserved her in my collection room. The silver hair is just too special."
Q97's heart kept pounding, and his body trembled — not from fear, but from anger. Sir Draven tightened his grip on the young vampire's hand.
"Follow me." The cold pull of Sir Draven's hand snapped Q97 back to his senses. His sharp claws retracted, and he obediently followed the vampire.
Sir Draven's hand felt large and familiar. The young hybrid vampire always felt safe around him, and his eyes was still observing the slightly messy tangled hair on Sir Draven's head when the vampire suddenly turned around to whisper to him.
"As long as you hold my hand, we'll be safe. We could talk quietly as the red veil will conceal our presence."
Q97's fingers tightened, nodding obediently. A faint blush began to color his pale cheeks. There was no need to remind him, for he would never let go of his hand. Even if Rosencraft tried to sever his hand, he wouldn't release Sir Draven.
The group of scientists and several vampire soldiers started to approach. Sir Draven slipped behind the hidden boulder, blending into its shadow. Since the space was tight, he lifted Q97, who then curled up obediently in his arms. The child was so still, almost motionless, afraid of causing any disturbance, which made Draven smile faintly.
Unconsciously, his hand began stroking the soft strands of Q97's thick silver hair. The child's round, curious eyes looked up at him seriously—like a small, watchful bird. Draven couldn't fathom how the scientists could be so cruel to a child as sweet as this. He had never imagined that the boy he once mistook for a small servant was actually another experiment in that grotesque project, funded by some of the highest-ranking noble vampires—led by that Rosen-crafty bastard.
He'd heard whispers that the project had cost billions of krofts and claimed countless lives, with no known surviving subjects… except for the child before him. Looking now at the boy's rare silver hair, he finally understood. He had always thought it strange that a child as beautiful as Q97 could be the son of an ordinary palace maid. Where had his brain been these past seven months? His ignorance had cost the boy dearly. If he'd known the truth earlier, he would have sent Q97 far away—because the boy didn't deserve any of this. And… because he'd grown fond of him.
Draven had overheard rumors while fetching fertilizer from a storage shed near the servants' quarters. They spoke of experiments performed on the children of criminals and nobles accused of treason—unspeakable horrors. The lab was often filled with blood and body parts, waiting to be cleaned away.
Draven clenched his teeth, seething with rage—not just at Rosencraft and the noble families, but at the Emperor who allowed such atrocities to continue. But most of all, he was angry at himself—for letting Q97 suffer, even after they met. But what could he have done? He was just a guard—no, not even that anymore. Just a failed vampire turned rose garden keeper… a powerless figure who couldn't protect anyone.
He shook his head, brushing away the bitter memory of the only family he had ever known—taken from him right before his eyes when he was young and helpless. After that, the Emperor had locked him away in the rose garden. It had been so long that he had almost forgotten who he used to be—what he once was.
Q97 felt Draven's arms tighten protectively around him, shielding him from the vampire soldiers passing by. A faint "I'm sorry" slipped from the gardener's lips, heavy with guilt.
Q97's lips curled into a small smile, his cold heart feeling extremely warm—someone still cared for him, even after Q96 was gone. Gently, he patted Draven's cheek and pressed his own against the vampire's large hand. Draven's gold-red hued eyes softened with regret, his gaze troubled, but it made a faint smile form on the boy's lips.
"You have to get far away from here until they can't find you," Draven whispered, his calm voice steadying Q97's racing heart as he heard the vampire mob draw closer to their hiding place.
"This time, I'll protect you. Forget this place. You deserve a happy life."
A happy life.
It's not that he didn't want to have one, but such a life was doomed to be impossible for an experiment without basic rights like him and Q97 had long accepted that. Moreover, a concerning thought had plagued his mind for a while. His fingers tightened around the soft fabric of Draven's shoulder.
"But… what about you? They won't let you go."
His voice trembled as fear gripped his heart; he couldn't bear to imagine what those cruel vampires might do to his best friend. The thought alone was unbearable, and before he could stop himself, the words tumbled out. "Won't you—why won't you come with me?"
The vampire was silent for a moment before chuckling softly, pressing harder against Q97's cheek, amused by how the boy worried about him. The child should be more concerned about himself, not about someone like him—a useless, failed adult vampire.
"I have my own ways. They won't be able to harm me."
It was rare for Sir Draven to smile like that, and Q97 always treasured those rare moments when the vampire's expression softened toward him. The dense red mist surrounding them and the group of Rosencrafts seemingly unaware of their presence reassured Q97 of Draven's capabilities.
Perhaps Sir Draven was a multi-skilled vampire. If so, then maybe even the evil Rosencraft clan wouldn't dare to touch him. Multi-skilled vampires were valued far more highly than ordinary ones—even more than purebloods—as they held special statuses granted directly by the Emperor. These individuals occupied vital positions within the government hierarchy. Ordinary vampires called them the elites of the elite.
But Sir Draven was just an ordinary gardener… wasn't he? He had served in the military before being reassigned as a guard—or now, a gardener. Q97 tried to analyze and dig deeper. Or was it because of his peculiar ice-carving ability? Didn't that count as a multi-skill, especially when paired with this strange red, veil-like power?
Seeing the boy still staring absentmindedly, Draven gently ruffled his soft, silky hair.
"I really can take care of myself, but you…"
Draven's gaze fell on the boy—his delicate features marred by dirty clothes, numerous healing scars, and limbs tinged blue from the cold. His long-frozen heart stirred with an unfamiliar pang of worry.
Could a young teen like this survive on his own out there? At nearly fifteen winters, with such a somber expression, he had endured far too much under the hands of those insane scientists.
Draven couldn't deny that the mindless years he had spent alone in the rose garden had become more… bearable since the strange boy's arrival. Those round yellow-green eyes always watched him intently, like a small, obedient animal silently observing from the garden's corner—like a harmless little bird. Somehow, he couldn't help but begin to anticipate his presence in the lonely rose garden.
With swift determination, the vampire pulled a tiny brown pouch from his pocket and slipped it into Q97's trousers.
"This will help you for a while. I'm sorry I didn't prepare anything else. Be careful out there and don't... trust others easily—there are many other 'Rosencrafts' lurking around."
Now the boy knew how kind Sir Draven truly was.
The light pouch suddenly felt heavy.
So maybe, just maybe… he could…?