"I..." Annan realized who she was and changed his tone. "Lydia, are you awake?"
What was going on? This female Prince had been dead for two or three thousand years. How could she still wake up?
And if she could wake up, what about the other vampires in the Slumber?
Annan suddenly realized how little he knew about the Vampire Clan.
The stern scarlet eyes softened. "My dear, who did this to you...?"
"Your descendant, Williams..." Annan turned toward the sound of footsteps outside the tomb. "He's here..."
A crack opened in the Crystal coffin, and a sudden pull dragged Annan inside.
Annan had imagined Lydia bursting out of the Crystal coffin, beating Williams senseless, and declaring him her... partner. Then he could trample Williams underfoot, become the King Without a Crown of the Morel Family, and use its power to save the Crimson Princess's mother and restore her to her former glory. Finally, he would sit on the Blood Council as a Councilor, with the imposing Lydia on his left and the innocent Crimson Princess Lena on his right...
Instead, Annan was merely lying beside Lydia inside the coffin.
The Demon Lord wouldn't disturb them here, would he?
With that thought, Annan's eyelids grew heavier, and he drifted off to sleep...
Whoosh—whoosh—
Annan opened his pitch-black eyes.
A blizzard raged outside, its slanting streaks scraping past the window like pencil lines.
Flames burned in the fireplace, filling the little cabin with warm light.
Two chairs stood before the hearth. Annan sat in one, and Lydia sat in the other...
Annan had expected her to pounce on him like the Elf Mentor, throw him onto a bed, and send him soaring into the night sky... But she simply sat there, still and lovely, like an Old Ancestor.
Annan remained cautious.