Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 199 - 186 A Small Misunderstanding

Nia’s words relieved Lyle of some of his anxious waiting, as he stroked her head, gazing at the tranquil night sky over Andrey.

For the past few days, Lyle had been waiting at the Cup of Luxury, and the gathering of the Necromancer Figure Club members had been postponed. He spent the days studying the Spirit Summoning Skill in his own house, and the nights in the club room of the Cup of Luxury. He had even gone to the Bloody Rose Bar once to seek out Beatrice and inquire about Alianna’s recent situation, but from Candy the host, he only learned that Lady Rose had not been seen for several days.

Until the day he had agreed to meet with Kevin.

Sitting in the seat at the Cup of Luxury, Lyle watched the remnants of the sunset fade away, his gaze fixed on the balcony behind the window curtains, which was the teleportation location set by Alianna.

She hasn’t come back today, has she.

"I should go to Kevin’s banquet now, he will surely complain about my lateness."

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The evening breeze stirred the surface of the lake, rippling the smooth mirror of water, disrupting the reflection of the ancient castle.

Beneath the moonlight, a slender figure stood before a window.

Her pallid skin was devoid of color under the bright moonlight; lifting the wine glass in her hand, she brought the clear liquid to her lips. She was beautiful, and the gem set on her chest held an eerie allure.

As the alcoholic liquid induced a buzz, a charming flush appeared on Beatrice’s face. She looked at her sisters still gliding around the dimly lit room, voicing her dissatisfaction.

"Anna, how much longer are you going to dawdle? This isn’t like you. There’s your first recovery performance tonight, and you’re already late."

The slender figure continued to search in front of the wardrobe, with different styles and colors of clothes sweeping past those soul fire hands, only to be quickly discarded into the arms of the ghost maid.

"Benny, I don’t know what to wear, I don’t know which one is more appropriate."

"Why not just pick any? You’ll look radiant no matter which one you wear."

"No, there must be a best choice. Benny, do we have a mirror in the house?"

Beatrice looked at her sister who was acting out of character, her expression perplexed, "Why would you want a mirror? You know that, after all three of us became dark creatures, mirrors were discarded. You never thought about needing a mirror before."

"But I need one now!" exclaimed Alianna, searching her room for something that didn’t exist.

An ethereal voice emerged behind the two sisters. It came from a beautiful sculpture placed in the corner of the room, but the sculpture itself exuded a soul-snatching charm.

"Anna, there is one in my floor, a bronze mirror I fashioned, located in the room on the far left of the third floor."

"Thank you, sister," Alianna immediately left the room, and her two phantom attendants grunted as they moved her wardrobe out.

Beatrice watched the sculpture in the corner, her lips lightly caressing the wine glass.

"Benny, do you know what Anna is thinking about? It’s not a good habit to tease your sister," she said.

"Sister Helena, what I like the most is to tease my sister. Especially when I see Anna looking so silly, in my heart... I just can’t help but want to tear someone apart."

A sigh seemingly escaped from the statue.

"Benny, you have an advantage that we don’t. I once thought you’d be the first among us to taste that flavor."

"And you found I’m the exact opposite? You found I’m the last one? I have emotions, so I hold you all dearer than my own life. And now I watch Anna drifting away from me, unable to stop her. You always talk about emotions being precious, yet now the pain in my heart is mine alone. Is this what sisterhood is? Our promise to always be together was just drunken nonsense!" she protested.

"Anna has not left you; she still regards you as a beloved family member..."

"But now someone is competing with me for first place, and there’s a good chance I can’t win. I understand father’s words now, if anyone desires to take away the gem that I cherish, they’ll have to step over my dead body first. I prefer people to become corpses."

"Benny, you know, just like the fairytales we saw when we were little, every princess gets a happy ending, and you too, Benny, our little princess. You know what’s right, so you didn’t stop it."

"It’s precisely because I knew it was right that I didn’t even have the courage to stop it. Saying that I, as the darkness, should behave recklessly, but in the end, it is sentiment driving me. I really am a fool."

"Oh, my Benny, come give me a hug, you silly girl."

Beatrice hugged the sculpture with the stench of alcohol about her, a tight embrace. She pressed her head against the chest of the statue and never lifted it again.

"Benny, is the gem on your chest fading?"

Indeed it was. The Blood Right Blood Oath, a blood artifact obtained from Hamlet County, originally deep red as blood, the Blood Droplet Stone now no longer had a somber hue but had turned a light pink, exuding a thick girlish charm.

"It seems like the stone is absorbing the fresh blood I take in. Those bugs from Hamlet were the last blood I took in, as you know, these past few nights I have been up drinking. So, I guess it’s had too much whisky and has gotten drunk."

"A mighty vampires’ blood artifact has turned into an alcohol extractor inside you?"

"Thanks to it, I need to consume even more alcohol every time, which isn’t a good thing. Don’t worry, in a few days I will stick to drinking red wine. Maybe it will act the part."

"Why not try some cocktails, Benny? A colorful gem would definitely be cuter. I remember your bar has some skilled bartenders."

"When did you go to my bar?"

"I sneaked in once, among those sculptures you were auctioning off."

"Helena, you really are a sly thief of a sister." Beatrice reflected for a long time, "So those jerks that passed out in my bar were under your influence, not because of some damn too much booze? Do you know how much I had to pay to calm the storm?"

"Certainly less than what you earned from auctioning off my sculptures."

"Hmm."

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Alianna appeared on the windowsill of the Cup of Luxury, dressed in a light blue silk gown adorned with a pearl necklace and lace trims. The moonlight enveloped her like a sheer veil—as she had worn the first time they met.

Along with her was a Beatrice with a face full of murderous intent.

"I was just worried about your safety, especially since you’ve just recovered. I definitely had no intention of hitting anyone."

Alianna paid no attention to Beatrice’s words as she lifted the curtain, her gaze fixed on that spot.

He wasn’t there.

"Alianna!" A delighted figure called out from the Cup of Luxury’s club room, she glided over to embrace Alianna tightly, her tentacles entwining around her waist.

"Nia." Alianna recognized her changed sister Nia by the familiar feeling.

"How come you’re here alone?"

"Gurgle left me here at the Cup of Luxury." Before heading off to his appointment, Lyle had asked Nia to stay and wait for Alianna.

"Where’s the Plague Doctor? Where did he go?"

"He’s in a far, far away place, attending Kevin’s party in Cassandra. Kevin promised him a sweet encounter tonight." Nia recalled the agreement between the three men and recited it word for word from memory.

Beatrice exploded.

"That bastard is hanging my sister out to dry while he goes off to a singles party?!!!"