"How old are you and Rias?" Rudy asked in a curious yet calm voice.
"How old do you think?"
"No, no. I asked you that. You can't ask me the same question. Even more, I don't want to guess it wrong only to make you annoyed and get angry at me for no reason," Rudy uttered with a sigh.
"I won't get angry, I promise. And if you guess my age right, you might also get a reward from me."
Rudy pondered for a while and said, "This is a trick question, isn't it?"
Jane averted her gaze and said, "It's not."
"You want me to answer in a hurry while thinking of the reward. But I will gladly fall into your trap." Rudy placed his hand on his chin and stared into Jane's eyes with a curious look on his face. After a few seconds that seemed like an eternity to Jane, Rudy opened his mouth and uttered, "I remember Virgil mentioning your mother left this world and went to the human world around 40 years ago. She married there, so let's assume it took one year for her to find a suitable husband and a year to— you know what I am talking about. And it would have taken nine months to give birth."
After a brief pause, Rudy said, "You and Rias are probably around 36 years old. Of course, I may be wrong, and you might just be in your 20s, but I will stick with the former one."
"Rias and I will be turning 40 in two weeks. So we are currently 39 years old," Jane asserted.
"But… that would mean your mother hooked up with someone as soon as she left the vampire world…" Rudy muttered in confusion.
"I believe that mother was sneaking off behind everyone's back and visiting the human world every full moon. And she was already in love with my father," Jane said calmly.
"Hmm. I am pretty sure that when she left this world behind, she was already pregnant with you and Rias."
"Why would you think that?" Jane asked with a curious look on his face.
"Think about it. She was hooking up with your father for who knows how long, but one day she suddenly decided to leave this world behind. Why would she do that if she wasn't pregnant?" Rudy asked.
"Hmm…"
"And you know better than anyone how they treat the dhampirs. She probably didn't want you two to live such a life. I mean, she herself was a dhampir, so she should know," Rudy shrugged.
Jane shook her head and said, "I don't think that's the case since she dropped us back in the vampire world after giving birth."
"Oh! Yes…"
"I think mom simply wanted to live with my father. She has been sneaking out, but she only got to meet him once every 15 days, and that too for a mere 50 minutes. That's too cruel. I would want to stay with the man I love for forever," Jane said with a flushed face.
"But I have no right to say that," she said with a dejected look on her face. "I kept Rias away from me. And here I am, doing the exact opposite. I am a hypocrite…"
"..." Rudy let out a weary sigh and flicked his finger on Jane's forehead before saying, "Why do you get depressed so easily? And you already know that it wasn't your fault. You were following Virgil's order, and Virgil was following the stupid rule made by the so-called lord."
Jane rubbed her head and muttered, "I thought I was also going to end up the same as brother Victus when you flicked me."
"There is a big difference between you two. And besides, I love you, and I would never hurt you."
"Me too…"
Jane and Rudy brought their faces closer and closed their eyes to kiss.
Pi Pi Pi~ DiDiDiDi Di~!
"What the fuck?!" he yelled furiously. "Why is the siren ringing if there are no classes? And why the fuck did it ring in the first place? The last siren rang like five minutes ago!"
"That was the warning bell. And as for why it rang… I don't know. Maybe they are having extra classes or something," Jane responded with an awkward smile on her face.
"Let's get out of here. I will go mad if I hear the siren again."
"Umm... I brought you here to show you the academy…" Jane muttered.
"Oh. You should have said so." Rudy grabbed Jane's hand and said, "Let's go."
"You don't have to force yourself if you—"
He pulled Jane close to him after saying, "As long as I don't hear the siren again, I am good."
"The siren won't ring for the next 45 minutes."
"Then we are good."
Rudy and Jane entered the academy and walked through the first hallway, which was the entrance to the main building.
Rudy was awed by the architecture of the academy. Every corner of it gave a fantasy-like feeling.
"Not going to lie, I have always wanted to come to a place like this. It feels so nostalgic and satisfying for some reason. But then again, I think most teenagers and young adults wish to see a place like this, go on an adventure, witness magic, and miracles," Rudy uttered while glancing around with a resolute expression on his face."
Jane smiled after seeing Rudy enjoying their date.
'I am glad I brought him here,' Jane uttered inwardly.
Jane knew that Rudy was a smart person, and he liked to study in his free time. So the only place she could think of was the academy— although Rudy was happy for a different reason.
"There was also this movie adapted from a popular novel. It was about an orphan boy enrolling in an academy far away in a wizarding world. I remember binging the entire movie series at Eric's house,"
"Who is Eric?" Jane asked curiously.
"He is my best friend. But more like a brother."
They walked and entered another hallway, but Rudy couldn't shake the familiar feeling. It was as though he had been to this place before.
'What's going on?' he wondered.
@Harley_Ward guessed it correct!
