"If you're sleepy, just find a room to sleep."
Draco reminded him.
"Oh," Michael responded, stood up, casually found an empty room, and went inside. Soren had already chosen a room with Kraven, so there was no need to remind him again.
Just as he was about to step into the room, Draco seemed to remember something, turned back to Soren, and asked, "Where's Singe?"
Soren remained expressionless. "Perhaps seeing that persuasion against Michael had failed, he might have returned to the Werewolf."
"Okay." Draco replied casually, without asking any further questions, and then put his arm around Hermione's waist and led her into their room.
After entering the room, Hermione gently struggled, tilted her head back, and said helplessly, "I'm in the room now, so let me go?"
But Draco didn't do as she wished. He smirked and scooped her up in his arms, holding her securely in his embrace.
Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck and exclaimed:
What are you doing?
"Really?" Draco was delighted, his eyes gleaming with mischief. As he spoke, he carried Hermione to the bedside, gently pressing her down onto the soft bedding, his hands supporting his weight on either side of her ears.
After a serious day, this ambiguous behavior made Hermione's cheeks flush red. She asked in confusion:
"Really?"
Draco's smile widened, and he moved closer to him, implying:
"You didn't invite me?"
"I'll invite you my foot!" Hermione suddenly raised her hand and pressed it against his chest. "I asked 'What are you doing?' not 'What are you going to do?' You're thinking nonsense again. Let go of me right now."
"Is that so?" Draco asked, feigning innocence.
"Otherwise what?" Hermione retorted irritably. "And, I forgot to mention, your tendency to misinterpret others' meanings."
"It's because you're not expressing yourself well, my dear wife."
"Bullshit! It's your comprehension that's lacking," Hermione retorted without hesitation. "Let go of me right now, I'm going to take a shower."
At this moment, Draco finally stopped pressing down on her, rolled over to his side, and pulled her firmly into his arms, gently inhaling her clean, sweet scent. "Actually, you don't need to wash, you smell great already. Besides, doesn't England always advocate water conservation? There's no need to go through all that trouble every day, it's such a waste of water resources."
Hermione rolled her eyes in his arms:
"Who said that? Saving water is true, but what they're advocating is shortening shower time. Just a quick rinse to clear your head and wash away the grime is enough; it's not like they're forbidding people from showering."
"That won't do!" Draco retorted firmly.
"I'm sober now after the shower, am I going to sleep or not? But... maybe adding some other exercise before bed..."
Having received the previous hint, Hermione finally understood the deeper meaning in Draco's words. Her cheeks flushed red, and she said in embarrassment and indignation:
"Go to hell!"
Draco chuckled, grabbing her mischievous hand and trapping her wriggling body between his legs. "Go to sleep, you can shower tomorrow."
"... Hmm." Hermione knew that struggling was useless, so she simply stopped struggling, nestled obediently in his arms, and closed her eyes.
The next morning, the first thing Hermione did when she woke up was to get up and take a shower, but Draco, whom she had accidentally woken up, still had his arm firmly around her waist, pulling her back.
"Up so early again?" Draco said lazily.
"Don't I have some vampire stuff to deal with? I'll take a shower to clear my head and make some plans," Hermione said softly.
"It's too early," Draco persisted.
"The morning air is damp and chilly; catching a cold would be a greater loss than a gain. Let's wait until the sun is higher and it's warmer."
Hermione saw right through it and said:
"You're just lazy, you always have these excuses."
"Tell me, am I right or not?" Draco said matter-of-factly.
These reasons left Hermione speechless, so she could only stay in his arms for a while longer, close her eyes to rest, and wait for her mind to clear up. Since it was still early, the two of them analyzed the conflict between werewolves and vampires and the possibility of reconciliation based on their conversation the night before.
It was almost time, so the two left the room. Everyone had already gathered in the living room, Trillian had ordered breakfast.
Draco glanced at it and casually remarked:
"That's good, very thoughtful."
Trillian grinned. "Of course, when you're working for the young master, you have to be a little shrewd, right?"
After everyone had breakfast, Kraven told Draco the location of the castle where the elders were resting. Draco then took Kraven, while Hermione took Selene and Trillian. The group teleported together and appeared in the hall of an ancient castle.
Inside the castle, beneath the high dome, Victor sat on a Gothic throne, looking down upon those below.
As soon as their scents filled the air, Victor looked up. The black man, Kahn, paused, then stared at Selene in surprise.
" Selene? How did you get here with them?"
Ignoring Kahn's surprise, Selene looked directly at Victor and said, "I've come to settle some matters."
Victor met her gaze. "You'd rather believe a complete stranger than your father?"
"I don't completely trust Kraven, but I can't ignore the doubts either. I am loyal to you and respect you, but loyalty shouldn't be built on concealed lies. I want the truth."
Victor's tone turned serious. "I granted you immortality and power, making you the leader of the Death Dealers. Is this favor less than a few words of provocation from Kraven? You should be hunting Werewolf on the battlefield, not standing here judging me."
"Giving her power is a favor?" Kraven stepped forward. "But this power was bought with the lives of her entire family!"
"You've merely forged a blade fed on lies for your own conquest. You granted her immortality, yet robbed her of her memories and the truth. This is not a favor, but a shackle!"
Victor's gaze turned cold, piercing Kraven as he sternly rebuked him. "You, a traitor who secretly colluded with Werewolf and climbed to a high position in the council by stealing war merits, dare to come back?"
Kraven wasn't afraid of Victor's cold gaze. "You can condemn my despicable acts all you want. Even if I'm covered in stains, it can't cover up your crimes. Using my mistakes to divert attention won't change the tragedy that happened. Don't talk about me, answer the question—who killed Selene's family?"
Do I need to explain anything to you?
"It's fine if you don't explain. There's another witness who can prove the truth about you killing Selene's entire family back then."
Viktor scoffed, "You mean Tanis? Just a traitorous exiled official harboring personal grudges. Using the words of a traitor as evidence, Kraven, is that all you have to offer?"