CHAPTER 375: BUILDING STORM (2)

Mirel stared at Teresa with a puzzled gaze.

He had always been good with faces, and though he had only seen Teresa once, her short hair, which was tied into a bun that looked like a mushroom, made it easy to spot her. Other than Teresa, Mirel had never seen anyone with a hairstyle like hers.

On top of her maid outfit, it was easy to recognize her.

"What is she doing here?"

Mirel looked around to check if there was anyone around.

All of the guests were still inside, and the people outside were mostly drivers, too indifferent to care about anything beyond their cigarettes or naps. None spared a glance—for the lone maid wandering in the middle of the night aimlessly, her steps oddly unsteady as she leans against the fence to even remain standing.

Confused and worried, Mirel jogged outside and approached Teresa.

He came right in time as he caught Teresa before she fell to the ground after a weak stumble.

"Woah, woah, woah..." Mirel helped her stand straight, firming her against the fence. "Are you okay?"

Mirel felt a sudden wetness on his hands.

He looked at them and realized that they were covered in blood, not too much to indicate severe trauma, but not too little either for him to simply ignore. Looking down at her torso, he noticed the redness on the right side of her waist.

Instinctively, Mirel tore the fabric and saw a deep gash across her side.

It started from her lower stomach and rose all the way to her waist.

Judging from the open wound, it seemed to be caused by something sharp, but too messy to be a blade.

"I’m sorry, young master," Teresa whispered.

"Sorry?" Mirel arched a brow at her. "Sorry for what? No, don’t explain—let’s get you inside first. I’m sure Vanessa has something for that wound. And don’t be nervous, Master Tobias is here. She holds him in the highest regard."

"No!" Teresa protested, her hands clutching Mirel’s shirt. "Don’t bring me inside."

Teresa stared at Mirel with a seriousness he had never seen before.

One that made him stop immediately.

"O-", Mirel stammered, confused. "Okay. Then let’s sit down, and you can tell me what happened."

Mirel helped her sit down gently.

A painful hiss escaped her lips as she finally sat down, her back leaning against the wall.

Even though the concrete street was unbearably cold tonight—the coldness didn’t reach Teresa as her body had lost too much blood; the numbness grew by the second. Her face was already pale, which was worrying, but Mirel couldn’t do anything as she insisted on staying.

Regardless, he folded the torn fabric and pressed it against Teresa’s wound firmly to stop the bleeding.

It didn’t make much of a difference, but it was still something.

"So, tell me, what happened to you?"

"I’m sorry, young master..."

Her composure shattered in an instant.

One blink, and tears streamed down her cheeks as if a dam had burst without warning.

She wasn’t crying softly, but in ragged, choking sobs, her shoulders trembling as if she’d been holding it in for far too long—until it all came spilling out. Teresa covered her face with bloodied hands, weeping openly before Mirel without restraint.

"Just what is going on? Why do you keep saying sorry? You didn’t do anything wrong to me."

"But I did!"

Slowly, Teresa lowered her hands, exposing her tear-streaked face.

Stains of blood mixed together with the tears as they streamed down to her chin before falling.

Mirel looked at her in confusion and worry.

He never had any problem with the maids under Tobias, so seeing her like this... It put him on edge.

"I-I can’t keep doing this anymore..."

"Do what, Teresa?"

"Master Tobias... He... He..."

Blood spurted out of Teresa’s mouth before she could even say what she wanted to say.

Mirel looked down at her drenched outfit—before his eyes widened, finding that the amount of blood was not normal. In a panic, he wanted to find help—as he couldn’t let Teresa be like this, but her hand shot towards his again.

He looked back at her, eyes wide in panic.

"Teresa, please... Let me call someone. There’s a healer inside, I’m sure. One of the guests should be a healer." Mirel said, begged. Regardless of what she wanted to say, her life should come first. "You’re going to die if you lose any more blood!"

"No..." Teresa whispered weakly, blood drizzling down her chin. "Please... Stay..."

Mirel gritted his teeth and knelt in front of her with his face down.

He fought back his urge to run inside and screamed for help, determined to listen now.

Soon, he raised his gaze when a soft whisper escaped Teresa’s bloodied lips.

"Master Tobias... He’s not a good person. He’s... He’s behind everyth—"

Splash!

Teresa’s words broke off in a strangled gasp, failing to finish her last words.

Her face contorted, twisting with sudden agony as if an invisible vice clamped down on her chest. Then, without warning, a violent spray of blood burst from her lips, spattering the street between them, flying in arcs across Mirel’s vision.

In an instant, her body went slack all at once—like a marionette with its strings cut.

Mirel saw the light drained from her eyes rapidly, leaving them glassy and vacant.

She slumped against the wall, sliding down in a graceless heap

Only when the final sound echoed, a dull thud of her head meeting the floor while her gaze fixed on a world the living couldn’t see, did Mirel snap out of his daze. He scrambled towards Teresa, helping her up once again, but this time, he couldn’t feel any strength in her body.

"Teresa... Teresa!" Mirel called, shaking her body.

But no response.

Mirel leaned back with her body still in his arms, looking around the empty street, gasping for air.

Beads of sweat already slicked down his face as he couldn’t process what had happened.

It was then—his eyes flickered with something.

"Is this the same...?"

Looking back at Teresa’s lifeless body, he gritted his teeth as hesitation gnawed at him. He was really contemplating whether it was the right thing to do, as probing a dead body is disrespectful. But he had to know if this was the same or not.

So reluctantly, he decided to check.

"I’m sorry, Teresa. But I have to check." He whispered as he opened her buttons.

Once the center of her chest was exposed enough, Mirel coated his index finger with ether.

He cut her flesh and opened up her chest.

As soon as he opened her up, he was surprised to find that her chest cavity was filled with blood like a pool.

Despite not particularly having the stomach to endure this situation, as he was no Lucivar, he shoved his hand into her chest and probed around. His uncomfortable look soon shifted into one of shock when he couldn’t find her heart.

"Her heart exploded..." Mirel thought aloud, his shoulders slumping.

Recalling how Ravenna, despite being bitten on her side, always clutched her chest whenever she tried to speak something, he suspected that Teresa might be experiencing the same. And now he realized that both Ravenna and Teresa had almost certainly been infected by the same ability.

If Ravenna wasn’t careful, she could end up like Teresa.

"Master Tobias came out of her mouth." Mirel looked at Teresa again. "It’s him..."

...

Meanwhile, inside, Leandra was still leaning against the wall, pupils trembling in horror.

No mistaking it this time.

Master Tobias is almost certainly the person who attacked Ravenna.

"But using the Blood Clot ability—with such a complex condition?" Cassian blew from his mouth, not wanting to mess with the person who was able to do something like that. "I’d say you should apologize to that person right now if you have a problem. Just swallow your pride and move on with your life."

Hearing this, Leandra put on a half-smile, knowing full well that she couldn’t do that.

If it were anyone else, she could bow her head down and apologize.

But it was Master Tobias.

She couldn’t stay silent and let Master Tobias get away with this.

It was too painful to let this go, and she doesn’t have that kind of strength.

"You said the Blood Clot ability is only exclusive to those with high bloodline purity."

"Yes, what about it?"

"Vampire Hybrids with high bloodline purity, at least the ones who were above the threshold, are all associated with the supreme house. Not that they had a choice. It’s quite a must for them. So, care to explain to me how you know so much?"

Cassian was caught off guard as he wasn’t expected to be cornered like this.

He wanted to leave, but Leandra stood in his way, giving him no path to escape this conversation.

Leandra tilted her head, her gaze locking onto hers as she erased the last inches between them.

"What’s wrong?" She asked, her tone soft and sweet. "Didn’t you talk to me because you wanted to get close to me? Because I’m pretty? Now this pretty woman wanted to get close to you, so why are you pulling away? Why don’t we resume our conversation and talk some more?"

Cassian was pressed against the wall, looking away, chuckling nervously.

"I’m okay, thank you. I think we should pick up our conversation some other time."

"Why...? Aren’t you wasting your opportunity to be with a pretty woman like me?"

"Haha... That’s why we should talk some other time. I need to prepare, you know."

"Really? You’re not going to answer for me?"

Her breath brushed against Cassian’s neck, causing a cold shiver to run down his spine.

In her presence, his body was trembling, and his lips were quivering.

Normally, it would be the other way around, but it was now reversed due to the looming suspicion.

"Fine, fine! I’ll talk." Cassian finally buckled.

Hearing this, Leandra pulled away, returning to her ice-cold demeanor, "Okay. Good. Talk."

"I’m from the Valerius Supreme House, and I’m not here for Vanessa. I’m here to keep an eye on—"

"Tobias?"

"Yes. Tobias..."

Leandra wasn’t that surprised.

She already had a suspicion in mind, and this only confirmed it.

"Who is Tobias to the Supreme House?" She asked again.

"He’s a pariah. Exiled. I don’t know under what circumstances, but I’m here to make sure that he was still no longer a Hybrid." Casian answered, then shifted uncomfortably. "Look, I don’t have anything else that you don’t know. Even if I have, it’s best that you don’t know. Let’s enjoy the party again."

Hearing this, Leandra looked down at his collar and then to his broad chest.

She placed a hand on his chest.

"Don’t worry, I have enough information right now." She said, looking up at him, and then smiled. "You have been a great help, Cassian, and I’m thankful for it. Now, I have things to do, but as a suggestion—from a friend... You should leave the party."

Leandra walked and stood right beside him, about to return to the main room.

"After all, the party is quite boring, don’t you think?"

Once she asked that, she walked past him, eyes gleaming with a purpose.