277: [Bonus chapter]Regrets of an ancient vampire

[Bonus chapter]Regrets of an ancient vampire

The three of them settled in the living room, arranging themselves comfortably. Andreas and Egon found a spot on the couch, while Adela occupied a chair facing them, her posture poised yet cautious, remembering the previous time she'd tried to intervene in her sister's relationship with Andreas, he had made it clear it was their matter to resolve.  1

"I believe I can empathize with my sister's situation," Adela began, choosing her words carefully. 

Andreas nodded in acknowledgment, his demeanor showing readiness for a candid conversation.

She brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear before continuing, "I couldn't help but overhear the conversation between you and my husband just now. Please, correct me if I'm mistaken, but it seems you may be having some difficulty accepting Larissa's closeness to Claude."

Andreas's young-looking forehead bore lines of tension as he spoke.

"I never doubted her feelings for me before," he began, "It was her who had doubts, who couldn't accept the past, which I cannot change. Nor would I, even if I could."

Adela raised her forefinger, seeking clarification. "Forgive me if my memory serves me correctly, but during your previous discussions with Her Excellency, didn't you suggest that you could be... 'friends' with Larissa?"

She accentuated the word that had given her mother quite a headache during their ride home. After all, friends didn't usually feel jealousy over their friends' romantic choices.

Andreas's eyes widened slightly as he replied, "Perhaps that suggestion was a selfish one on my part—a way for me to observe her as she accepted our situation. That option would have been better than the others..." His face twisted in an expression Adela had never seen on him before.

What other options was he talking about? A shiver ran down her spine at the thought.

Egon, his voice and face soft, akin to how he spoke with Bastian, interjected, "You're delusional, Andreas. How could you stand by and watch someone else get close to her?"

Andreas's eyes clenched shut, his jaw set in a way that made Adela uneasy. When he finally opened them, a deep crimson, nearly black, hue swirled in their depths that had significantly thickened. Their transformation was nothing like the more human-like colors her husband sometimes displayed when emotions overcame him.

She fought the urge to flee.

Noticing the change, Egon cast Adela a concerned glance, while Andreas himself seemed oblivious to the transformation he had undergone.

She inhaled deeply. Reminding herself that she had known Andreas was a vampire for some time now, it didn't mean he was evil; far from it.

"How could she?" Andreas murmured through clenched teeth. "I understood from the beginning that I might always be on the losing side in our bond. But I hoped that even if she couldn't feel our connection, she would love me deeply, in a way humans do. I've seen such love before." His expression soured. "The idea of her falling for another man like this… it's… it's agonizing."

Adela let out a sigh.

"Can we pause for a moment to remember that this is Claude we're discussing, our cousin? He's like a brother to us."

"Don't delude yourself, Adelaide, he doesn't see you that way," Egon said.

She brushed off his comment, choosing instead to address Andreas.

"Your conversation was interrupted last time with Her Excellency's arrival, I know that. You need to be clear about your feelings. If watching her get close to someone else is this painful, maybe you should talk to her."

"Talk to her? You and my mate couldn't be more different," Andreas replied, his voice filled with a clear accusation directed primarily at her older sister.

She wished his eyes would return to their normal color, especially when he used that kind of a tone.

"I sense the mate bond, and she doesn't. She can't be blamed for that."

"It's not just that," Andreas continued, his blaming tone slowly giving way to a tone of genuine misery. "Larissa's personality has not developed. Unlike you, who are strong and independent, she is weak. Her attachment to her mother is unhealthy, and she allows Grace to control her every decision."

As Adela observed Andreas in his moment of pain, she couldn't help but agree with some aspects of what had been bothering him. However, what concerned her even more was the sight of Egon, who, out of her peripheral vision, was subtly rubbing the bite mark on his wrist.

This was the first time she truly grasped the extent of the influence Andreas had over her husband.

While she patiently waited for Andreas to regain control of his emotions, Egon, on the other hand, appeared to be running out of patience.

"My wife has a point. Listen to her. You're obviously falling apart over this. It's better to express your feelings than to let them eat you up from the inside."

Adela's heart throbbed. Hearing her husband put Andreas's feelings into words like that was not easy on her. And for the first time since she saved Aldric's life, she wished she didn't. The sorrow of her beloved Lanark, her beloved Emoria seemed more bearable than the sorrow of her husband.

Andreas's sorrow seemed to shake him up significantly too. She had to do something about it.

"Andreas, may I hold your hand?" Adela asked, looking straight into the eyes of the ancient vampire, feeling her husband's confusion as he looked at her.

It took him a moment, but a small smile appeared beneath Andreas's crimson eyes.

"If your husband does not mind it. Of course, you may."

Since Egon might mind it a bit. Adela decided to go ahead with it without asking. She extended her hand and held Andreas's, channeling the light within into their touch. Imagining herself patching up all the broken parts inside of him.

"That is very comforting," Andreas patted her hand with the tenderness of a father, "I'm glad Egon and Larissa have you."

Her gaze shifted from their intertwined hands to meet Andreas's eyes, which had returned to their usual blue hue.

"I'm here for you too," she reassured him. "If I'm able to hold my husband's hand today, it's because you happened to save his life back then."

Andreas turned his head to glance at Egon, who bore a hint of embarrassment.

"I regretted so much, living the peculiar life I did, but that..." Andreas's voice quivered.

Egon's bronzed complexion turned a shade redder as he prepared for what was coming next.

"That was the best decision I've ever made."

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