I Shall Cuck Everyone-Chapter 481: Xander Wants A Sip

I grabbed one of the bottles sitting on the table and popped the cap open. The moment I tilted it, the beer rushed down my throat with that familiar gurgling sound.

"Ah... damn, that’s chilled," I mutter, lowering the bottle for a second before taking another long gulp.

Across from me, Xander was staring.

At first I ignored it and continued drinking. Kids stare at random things all the time anyway. But when I lowered the bottle again, she was still looking at me with those big curious eyes.

Then she pointed.

"Da... drink."

I raised an eyebrow.

"You can’t have this," I say plainly before taking another sip.

She tilted her head, still watching me carefully like she was analyzing some ancient artifact.

"Dad... give."

No response from me. I just kept drinking.

A few seconds passed.

Then a few more.

Xander’s face slowly scrunched up like someone twisting a piece of cloth.

Oh boy.

I knew that look.

She sniffed.

"Da... give..."

Still, I didn’t answer.

Not because I was ignoring her. I was just finishing the sip.

Then the inevitable happened.

"WAAAHHH!"

Yep. Full-on crying.

I sighed and set the bottle down.

"Well, that escalated quickly."

Xander’s little arms reached toward me while she continued crying like the world had just ended. I stood up and picked her up from the chair. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

"Alright, alright. Relax," I say, patting her back lightly.

She clung to my shirt while sniffling.

"You can’t drink beer. You’ll get something else," I mutter.

She sniffed again but didn’t stop staring at the bottle sitting on the table.

Kids really lock onto things they want. I shifted her on my shoulder and started walking.

"Let’s go find your mom."

Zella was standing on the other side of the room talking with a few of the maids when I approached. The moment she saw Xander crying in my arms, she raised an eyebrow.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Beer happened," I replied.

She blinked once before glancing at the bottle behind me on the table.

Then she looked back at Xander.

"Ah."

"Yeah."

I gently passed Xander over to her.

"Give her a blood pack or something. She saw me drinking and now she wants to try it."

Zella held Xander and began rocking her slightly.

"That explains it. Why do you even have to drink beer in front of her?"

Xander continued sniffling but calmed down once she was in her mother’s arms.

Kids really switch targets fast.

I watched for a moment before leaning forward and pecking Zella on the cheek.

It was quick. Nothing dramatic.

Still, the reaction was immediate.

Zella froze for a second, her cheeks turning slightly red.

Behind us, several people suddenly cleared their throats.

"Ahem."

"Cough."

"Hmm."

I turned my head and saw everyone pretending to look anywhere else.

Sigh...

Zella lightly nudged my arm.

"You’re doing that on purpose now," she muttered.

"fufu."

Xander was already calming down as Zella pulled a blood pack from a small cooler nearby.

Problem solved.

I gave them a small wave and walked back to the table where old man Duke was sitting.

The old vampire was still holding his bottle like nothing had happened.

I sat down across from him.

"You should probably stop drinking beer in front of Xander," I said.

Duke raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"She’ll keep asking to taste exactly that bottle."

He looked toward Zella and Xander for a moment before chuckling.

"Hahaha!"

I sighed.

"What’s funny?"

Duke leaned back in his chair.

"You worry too much. I started drinking beer when I was two."

"What?"

"Two," he repeated proudly.

Then he raised two fingers like he was presenting evidence.

"At that age, I could finish half a bottle. By three, I was already drinking with the servants."

I stared at him.

"You’re joking."

"Nope."

He took another drink.

"By five, I could finish an entire crate."

Holy shit.

I rubbed my temple.

"Yeah... I definitely don’t want that kind of lifestyle for my kid."

Old man Duke waved his hand dismissively.

"You say that now."

"No, I mean it."

Kids drinking crates of beer before elementary school didn’t exactly sound like good parenting.

Old man Duke leaned forward slightly and looked at me more carefully.

"You know," he said slowly, "it seems Derek raised you like a woman."

I blinked.

"Are you taunting me now, old geezer?"

He shrugged.

"You worry too much about harmless things."

Then he pointed at his bottle.

"Vampire royalty drinking early is normal. Always has been."

I leaned back in my chair.

"Normal or not, she’s not getting beer from me."

Duke laughed again.

"You’ll change your mind eventually."

"I doubt it."

I picked up my bottle again but didn’t drink immediately.

Instead, I thought about what he said.

As annoying as the old man could be... he wasn’t entirely wrong. Derek definitely raised me cautiously. Misty was more active in my life.

Actually, now that I thought about it...

She probably overpampered me even more than Derek did.

Sigh...

I cleared my throat.

"Ahem."

Duke looked up from his drink.

"What?"

"There’s something I need to tell you."

His eyebrows slowly rose.

"Oh?"

Then his lips curled into a grin like he had already figured something out.

"Let me guess," he said.

I narrowed my eyes slightly.

"Guess what?"

"You bagged another woman."

I paused.

Well...That was surprisingly accurate.

I rubbed the back of my head.

"Maybe."

Old man Duke burst out laughing.

"Hahaha! I knew it!"

Of course he did. This perverted old vampire seems to have a sixth sense for this kind of thing.

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