As soon as they pulled into the driveway and parked, Aconite was already standing by the door, waiting with her usual serene posture.
Before anyone even stepped out, every pair of eyes in the car settled on Dahlia—almost instinctively—as if everyone already knew who Aconite was here for.
"What?" Dahlia blinked. "Relax. She’s not going to punish me."
She spoke with the confidence of someone who absolutely shouldn’t have confidence, then swung the door open. The others followed her out.
"Hello, Aconite! It’s rare to see you away from the garden. Are you waiting for someone?" Dahlia asked in her cheerful sing-song.
But instead of scolding her, Aconite moved straight past her, hooked her arms around Seamus’s, and clung to him like a quiet but immovable vine.
"Why did you leave without me?"
"Huh? I didn’t know you wanted to come," he replied, genuinely confused. He still had no idea why she kept clinging to him.
He glanced toward Diane, expecting irritation or jealousy. Instead, she stood frozen, hands fidgeting nervously, her expression strained, somewhere between fear and anxiety.
"Umm... I need to go," she muttered suddenly, and hurried off.
"What’s wrong with her?" Seamus murmured.
But Aconite drew his attention back as her tone shifted.
"You killed humans again, didn’t you?" she said, voice low and firm.
"Not directly, but yes," Dahlia answered flatly, unfazed, as if they were discussing groceries.
"I need to punish you this time."
Aconite’s golden eyes brightened, and a glowing circle bloomed at her feet.
At the center, the Draemir crest—an open-mawed wolf—stared as if ready to swallow everything whole.
Seamus jolted backward and scrambled out of the circle before it could touch him.
"You can’t leave this house for a week," Aconite declared as the golden aura wrapped itself around Dahlia’s body like a shimmering shackle.
"Oh wow. You’re surprisingly soft with punishments," Seamus muttered.
He remembered Sarah’s punishment; losing her youth and happiness. Compared to that, house arrest didn’t sound terrifying.
Aconite tilted her head. "Soft?"
Dahlia suddenly screamed, collapsing onto her knees. "I—I can’t get out?! No! Noooo!" she wailed as if the world had ended.
Seamus and Lulu exchanged an awkward glance.
Dahlia crawled forward and grabbed Aconite’s ankles. "Why are you being so cruel?! Aren’t we friends?! I’ll make you the best poisonous pie, just take my powers instead!"
Aconite shook her head. "No. Ulrich told me to be stricter and to actually do my job properly. He blamed me for your misbehavior."
She pouted. "I didn’t even do anything..."
Seamus honestly couldn’t understand the horror. Being stuck at home for a week? In his old life, that was paradise. Doing nothing sounded like heaven.
But considering Dahlia’s... personality—and her very intense "research" hobbies—yes, this was practically torture.
"Ahhh! I’ll never bake pies for you again!"
Aconite’s eyes widened. "What?! No—ugh, I’m increasing your punishment!"
"You can’t do that! That’s abuse of power!"
"I can and I will! Now get baking!" Aconite’s golden eyes flared again.
Dahlia glared, dropped to the floor face-down, and refused to move like a stubborn cat. Aconite huffed.
Seamus and Lulu stood there, caught between laughter and second-hand embarrassment as they watched the two Emblems bicker like children.
It was chaos. But the strangely comforting kind.
***
Seamus decided to ask Lulu to walk around town the next day. He had already told Isolde and Ulrich about what happened, and they were strangely calm about it.
Ulrich even said, "Don’t worry, they won’t dare attacking us," and the crowd had dispersed without further trouble.
Diane, however, had vanished shortly after.
The day was warm, but Lulu still wore sunglasses and carried an umbrella. Seamus felt a little guilty for dragging her outside.
"Should we just watch a movie instead? It must be uncomfortable for you to use an umbrella like this."
"Oh no, it’s fine. You said you wanted to look around the town today so... um." Her voice was soft, and the nervous pause made him smile.
"You don’t have to be nervous. This is a thank you for defending me in front of the hunters. Honestly, it was sweet. Thank you, Lulu."
"You don’t need to thank me. I couldn’t let you get cornered like that when you were already doing your best."
She looked at the ground as they walked. "No one should bear something like that alone. It’s cruel."
"Lulu..." Seamus murmured as he took her hand. "Let’s go to one of the cafes here. Ulrich recommended one owned by his family so vampires can eat too."
"Really? Is there sweet too?"
"Of course. Let’s go."
As they walked, Seamus noticed she kept glancing between their joined hands and the path ahead, as if worried she might trip from excitement.
The small squeeze she gave him now and then made his chest tighten in a good way. She tried to hide her smile behind the umbrella, but it was obvious she was happy.
He led her through the busier streets, his phone open to the map.
She kept stepping a little closer whenever people passed, and each time her shoulder brushed his, she pulled away quickly and whispered a shy apology.
Seamus found it cute every time and slowed his pace so she could walk comfortably beside him.
They arrived at a nice restaurant with an open kitchen. The server welcomed them and guided them to a table after Seamus gave him a code.
Lulu received a separate menu, and her eyes widened with delight.
"Oh wow, lots of sweet."
"Draemir House focuses on hotels and hospitality," Seamus explained, pointing at a section.
"Their cafes are famous for tea time. I think you should try this one."
"Okay, then I will order it."
They talked and ate from the tea party set. It felt easy with her. Lulu did not hide intentions or try to sound clever.
She simply enjoyed being there with him, and it reminded him of Viviane from long ago, when he didn’t know about vampire existence, someone who had loved him without expecting anything in return.
"Um... what does sex feel like?" she suddenly asked.
He nearly choked on his tea.
"Don’t get me wrong. We will do that in a week... maybe. I don’t know." She fidgeted with her fingers, looking overwhelmed.
"I don’t care about evolving anymore. I think I’m giving up on it. So I don’t want it to be painful when we do it."
Seamus laughed softly. "It will hurt the first time, but after that it won’t if I find your good spot. Anyway, relax. You’ll be fine. If you don’t want sex, it’s okay too."
"Not like that!" Lulu’s cheeks went red. "I think I like you, Seamus. It’s weird since we rarely talked, but you noticed me. I’ve been invisible for as long as I remember."
Her voice trembled. "So I want this relationship to work."
Seamus stared at her, surprised and touched. Her honesty made something warm settle in his chest. He held her hand gently.
"Don’t worry, Lulu. Everything will happen naturally. I don’t have much experience with love. There’s only one vampire I loved all my life."
He smiled to ease her tension. "So if you still want to be with me, you’ll have to share."
"I don’t mind. Just being beside you is enough."
She smiled shyly and Seamus couldn’t help but laugh as they enjoyed their tea time a bit more.
After finishing, they walked again, slower this time. Their conversation drifted from small things to childhood memories.
Lulu admitted she used to dream about eating human sweets but never had the money to buy them and because her hometown was in the war area, she was always moving around.
Sweet was scarce, the only time she ate it was only candy and she remembered it as the most delicious thing in the world.
Seamus promised he would bring her to the cafe again to satisfy her craving. She blushed so hard he had to look away to keep from laughing.
They visited historical sites and eventually the abandoned castle.
"Oh wow, I didn’t know the Kingdom of Morum was actually here. That’s why the name is familiar with Rowena," Seamus said.
Lulu nodded. "I heard the kingdom turned into an empire after the crown prince died. Many of the castles scattered around the East."
They explored the ruins quietly afterward. Lulu walked a little ahead, touching the cracked walls as if imagining the past, while Seamus observed her with a growing sense of warmth.
Moments like this made him wish things were simpler.
Then they both felt it.
Someone watching.
Their eyes met in silent agreement. Acting natural, they left the castle and headed down the forest path. The orange sky filtered through the trees, and the air felt heavier.
They walked side by side, close enough to hear each other breathe.
Seamus leaned in and whispered, "Use your clone," before kissing her quickly as bait. She jumped in surprise but obeyed.
Using the blind spot, she split into two. Her clone flashed behind the stalker, grabbed him, and held a dagger to his neck.
"Seamus, we got him."
Seamus stepped through the bushes and found her clone restraining the man. The stalker smirked.
It was Alice’s brother. His uncle.
"You’re sharper than I expected," the man said and stabbed the clone, turning it to dust.
"What do you want? Why are you stalking me?" Seamus asked calmly. "I don’t want anything to do with your people."
The man chuckled. "Too late. The moment you attacked us, it became a problem. You really don’t understand your position, kiddo."
He leaned back with a smug grin. "Rumors about you are spreading across the city and beyond. Let’s see how you survive all your father’s enemies."