Nyla's POV:
'She is something else...'
Nyla thought as she watched Sonia train so diligently. For baby vampires, it would take a tremendous amount of effort and time before they could control their bloodlust. Otherwise, they would go crazy at the thought of blood.
'She managed to rein it in within a week.'
Nyla wasn't well-informed about the biology of a half-vampire, but she could tell that Sonia was an unprecedented genius. Her growth rate was beyond normal, and the unique power bestowed upon her made her a force to be reckoned with.
"Urgh..."
A disgusted expression crossed Sonia's face as she took a sip from the blood pack in her hand, which belonged to Nyla and was considered the finest treat possible. Yet, Sonia's reaction was one of disgust, as if the blood tasted awful to her.
'Just how delicious would his blood be?'
Nyla wondered, feeling a bit parched. She couldn't even begin to fathom how tasty Austin's blood must be for Sonia to find all other blood tasteless.
'I want a sip of it...'
Suppressing her desires, Nyla's mind wandered to the image of Austin, a unique man in her eyes. Most would tremble at the mention of her father, the semi-immortal feared throughout the land. However, Austin didn't care about it when he fought against her. Not that she didn't like it; she preferred men with a backbone like him over spineless cowards.
From Nyla's perspective, Austin was the first man to capture her interest. He possessed strength and talent that were unseen, and his background rivaled hers, with both the Lionheart family and the Archery Association supporting him. In terms of appearance, he surpassed the refined beauty of vampires. A small blush appeared on Nyla's face as she thought of Austin.
She couldn't deny her attraction to him. Austin simply seemed different from all the other males she had encountered. Something about him was highly appealing to her.
'Ah~ and that smell~'
Nyla had a unique scent when it came to detecting blood, and even her palate was sophisticated, allowing only the best of the best blood to satisfy her. At times, she could catch the scent of quality blood, just like any other vampire. However, Austin seemed to be a walking disaster in that regard.
From the moment she met Austin, she could sense it—the divine blood flowing through his veins. Her vampire instincts recognized that the figure in front of her possessed the ultimate premium dish, one incredibly tempting to savor. Being proud and battle-minded, she directly challenged Austin to a battle, hoping to secure even a small victory as a reward—his blood.
Heck, ever since then, her main goal had been to defeat him and taste his blood. However, it seemed that things wouldn't go as planned anymore.
'Um~ I can't wait any longer~'
Even Nyla, with her self-control, understood that she wouldn't be able to restrain herself much longer. As the days passed, her desire grew stronger. Her deep-rooted lineage screamed that she needed to taste Austin's blood.
'Damn it all! I will ask for his blood once he gets back!'
Boom!
Just as she thought that a fierce wind struck her face, bringing her focus back to reality. She looked at Sonia, who lay on the ground, panting. Destruction surrounded her. Seeing this, Nyla shook her head and walked toward the exhausted Sonia.
"Tsk... I told you to contain the explosion."
"Huff... huff... it isn't easy, and I want to get... huff... this done... so that I can quickly be of use to him..."
Sonia replied, her face lighting up with a stunning smile as she spoke. Seeing this, Nyla could only shake her head in dismissal. Initially, she had thought of slowly influencing Sonia to leave Austin's faction and join her family's side, but she quickly discarded that idea.
'Just what kind of charm did she use on him to make her so madly in love?'
The strong-willed and prideful Nyla couldn't comprehend Sonia's feelings. Even so, Sonia's expressions were more than enough for Nyla to give up any interest in taking Sonia back to her family.
'Though, should I warn him?'
Nyla reconsidered. Austin might not show it, but he had already become the target of several vampire women. Even Nyla, with her self-control, wouldn't be able to resist the tempting smell of his blood for long. The only reason Austin hadn't been drained by now was due to his power and status. Although Nyla received reports that these girls couldn't hold back any longer.
'What the hell is in his blood?'
A slight headache overwhelmed Nyla as she thought about the plans these bloodthirsty vampire girls were concocting.
'Well, not my problem. I might just enjoy the show...'
Nyla thought as she refocused on training Sonia. She had already set her heart on tasting Austin's blood, unaware that this decision would be one she would both cherish and curse for the rest of her life.
.....
Lanora's POV:
'I wonder when I can get him to play for me again?'
Lanora thought as she shyly played with the strings of her guitar, her mind wandering through the few times she had spent with Austin. She had been captivated by the tune he played back at the realm on his harp and made a promise for him to play for her when she first met him with Elda.
Austin had fulfilled her promise and played for her once, blowing her mind away with his performance. It was short, but it definitely left a lasting impression in Lanora's mind. To her closed-off tribe, music was a form of communication, the purest representation of a person's soul. Lanora believed that the way one plays displays their soul.
And she had to say, Austin's soul was beautiful, enough to blind her for a few seconds.
"Sigh... I want him to play for me again."
Lanora muttered with a weak voice as her hands beautifully played against the strings, producing a beautiful melody. Yet, her heart seemed unsatisfied by it. Somewhere along the line, she wanted Austin to play with her. Just as she thought this, a deep blush filled her beautiful blue skin, making the movements of her fingers erratic for a moment.
In Lanora's tribe, the act of a man and a woman playing perfectly together signifies the great sync between them. If a woman proposes to play music with a man, it means she is interested in him. And if their first play together creates a harmonious tune, then they are meant to be together. The man and woman would then fall in love and marry.
Lanora's tribe has a very conservative and specialized outlook on matters of love. This isn't just a custom to them but also something engraved deep within their souls. It is how they live, and it's a culture that Lanora loves and accepts.
'Should I ask to play with him?'
Even though this thought brought her embarrassment, Lanora wanted to do it. In all her life, she had seen several men play and heard various tunes and music. Back in her tribe, she had even received several proposals from different men, all playing beautiful music to win her heart. But she was never moved as much as she was by Austin's play that day. It shook her heart.
"I wonder, would we playing together create a tune?"
Lanora asked out loud as she shyly hugged her instrument, her gaze turning dreamy for a moment as she imagined the two of them playing together. A mix of anxiety and excitement passed through her. In her eyes, none of Austin's other physical attributes mattered. He could be the least attractive man in the world, yet if his music still played as it did, she wouldn't hesitate to ask him to play together.
'I guess there's no use fretting over it. I will ask him once he returns...'
With that in mind, she moved toward the communication center in the academy, planning to inform her father that she might have found her destined one.
'Mou~ I really want to play with him!'
