Chapter 196: Wakeup Call - Trust and Confessions Part I
Nikolai lost consciousness, so when he began to wake up, he feared for the worst. With a heavy and aching head, he tried to rock himself to his feet.
"Ugh... I'm not tied up... and this is a bed?"
He noticed the scent and recognised the place after taking a moment to think and calm himself.
'This is Selene's room... her apartment in the Scarlet Group!'
Suddenly, realising Ryan's father didn't capture him, he rolled out of bed and sat on the edge, a feeling of pain jolting through his muscles. He noticed his limbs felt heavy, and his thoughts were slower than usual.
'What's happening...'
Creak—!
The door opened with a slight noise before Selene walked in with a tray of various foods and a bottle of bright red fluid in a vial.
"Oh? Are you awake Nikolai?" Selene's voice was calm, yet there was a feeling of anger coming from her sharp gaze.
"Y-Yeah..."
'Selene saved me, yet I am keeping so many things hidden from her...'
Nikolai covered his face while taking a deep breath—he wanted to confront his stupid self and the actions he made.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Eh... I feel a little sore and my arms and legs wont move properly."
"Nikolai, do you know how dangerous it was earlier today?" Selene's voice became softer as she reached out and touched his cheek. "Those bullets... were not normal silver, they are what hunters use to capture monsters."
He felt a sudden jolt when the first bullet hit his flesh. It made him feel a strange sensation of agony as if struck by lightning. Then... his vampiric blood stopped working as if something blocked it within his heart.
"What effects... no, how did they get such bullets?" Nikolai's hoarse voice echoed as he leaned back and started stretching his muscles to remove the fatigue.
Selene let out a sigh, her lips curling into a faint smile as she lifted the bowl of medicine and sat beside him, slightly bouncing on the soft mattress. "Nikolai... do you remember that woman who was being treated like a monster at the arena?"
"Yeah, she seems to be related to my dad and me, right?"
"Her name is Anastasia, she was once one of the strongest supernatural's and was expected to become the ruler of the Volkov family even before I was born."
'She was that strong...'
'However, she got caught, that makes little sense...'
"Your eyes are telling me you think it doesn't make sense." Selene narrowed her eyes while speaking with a gentle and amused voice, spooning the medicine to his lips.
"Drink, I'll tell you."
He couldn't exactly ignore her, and there was interest in what she had to say to him; after all, he wanted to become more honest. After meeting Alucard and being almost forced into a horrible situation, he woke up.
'Thankfully, that old man doesn't want me to do anything bad... rather, it seemed more like his task would help me.'
Alucard wanted him to meet a certain family of ghouls who had once helped the Nosferatu house, and luckily, that family was the one the old man belonged to.
'That guy who almost killed Sarah, but ended up apologising.'
Rather, Alucard's warning wasn't serious... instead, he wanted to teach Nikolai that he was acting too much like a human. He didn't trust his closest people and put too much trust in himself rather than acting as a unit.
"You see... that bullet contains a certain poison... that breaks up into small fragments. The poison itself wouldn't kill us." Selene stopped for a moment, biting her lip as she saw the scars left on Nikolai's chest.
"It stops monster blood from spreading through our bodies for a short time. This poison is what they used in the past to capture Anastasia... but it wasn't so refined."
'Stops my blood... so that's why?!'
'Would I have been dead if I didn't have two bloodlines and my Obsidian Tide able to keep me going until that moment?'
"Refined?" Nikolai wasn't sure what she meant.
"I mean, in the past, they used it in liquid and gas form." Selene slowly spooned more medicine into his numb lips, helping him scoop the dropped liquid with a bitter smile.
"Now they seem to have developed a way to use it with a gun. They have crafted bullets that are coated in a certain alloy of silver that can penetrate our flesh and deal lasting damage."
Nikolai gazed into her stern crimson eyes, making him feel a sense of severity... The truth was that he almost lost everything.
"Sorry, Selene..."
"I have many things... that I've been keeping from you, because I am a fool and... thought I could handle everything alone." Nikolai felt like a protagonist after he gained these powers, although he tried not to let it get to his head.
"Hmmn~ really?" Selene's lips quivered—she desperately tried to hide her growing smile.
Suddenly, he gained money and power but didn't think to reach out to tell his father... his two fiancees or even Nagisa, who would help him for sure.
'It wasn't the fact that I wanted to be that way...'
'Why did it take for me to meet Alucard to realise I have been a complete moron for so long?'
"What's the matter, Nikolai...?"
"Haa... I know there is information about those people today, and we need to speak about it but Selene. Since we are going to get married, I should have been honest with you sooner..."
There was a strange aura from Selene, her lips trembling more and more as Nikolai looked up at the open roof window. He didn't see her narrowed eyes gleaming with joy, nor her lips distorted with an eerie smile.
'I will tell her about Risa first...'
"Ahem... Selene, there is something I've kept from you and Nikita..."
"Oh~ go on, tell me!"
Selene's hands gripped the quilt—her eyes narrowed into slits while she bit her lower lip. Although it looked like she was anxious and upset, the woman herself was almost jumping for joy.
'Nikita... you were so confident he would tell you first~ hahaha! This feels amazing, tell me, open up to me you bastard. Then I can punish you!'
Nikolai finally turned to look at Selene, who immediately changed her expression—like a magician or actor. Her eyes were watery, and her lower lip trembled as if she might cry at any moment.
"I slept with another woman... it happened a while ago, at first it was just a drunken mistake." Find your next adventure on mvl
"N-Nikolai!" Selene's voice cracked in anger.
"But... I still ended up doing it with her again, several times afterwards... the reason I feel so bad is because I liked her... It started as something that helped me get stronger at first. However, now it's gone too far for me to stop."
A deep, dark atmosphere descended on the room, covering them like a blanket.
It wasn't everything, but one of the weights from Nikolai's shoulders felt like it had dropped. He noticed the changes in Selene's scent, but since they became lovers, he couldn't read her emotions the same as before.
"You jerk... how could you betray me for some random woman... isn't Nikita enough?!" Her act continued; however, she knew precisely what was happening.
'Some random woman... huh. You know who she is, but don't want to admit it.'
"Selene..." Nikolai tried to reach out to touch her hand but suddenly found himself being struck by a palm against the cheek.
A red mark appeared, and because his blood was still being affected by the bullets. The mark began to bruise, and he felt extreme pain as if his brain slammed against his skull.
Selene was enraged beyond all hell... Yet, that was her outer emotion—her anger was moderate at best because she had already accepted things like this might happen. Selene grew up with two mothers and a few mistresses, after all.
"Shit... I know this isn't good, and I am an asshole for doing it. But I swear... I'll do my best to fix myself."
"Mess... Mess? Do you understand that by sleeping with that whore, you broke the rule of engagement between our two families?!"
She wanted to see how far he would go, wondering what he would risk. That he may turn around and say that their relationship doesn't matter anymore crossed her mind.
'I can't help myself...'
'The feeling of getting something stolen from me is different. Perhaps I have grown fond of stealing...'
Selene watched him with a sharp gaze as Nikolai looked into her face. She could feel his sincerity and his feelings.
Thanks to sleeping with him and sharing blood countless times, she gained a weak version of the Báthory bloodline. Selene could sense his feelings and emotions; rather than seeing the colour, she could smell the changes in his scent.
'I see... he truly regrets it and feels angry with himself. That means if I act more angry, then...'
Her heartbeat quickened... her thoughts swirled, wondering what she should do...
'No... I want to hear everything and brag to Nikita later!'
"So, you are going to keep her by your side?"
"Not like that... I knew it was something wrong, so I didn't make her my Squire, and consciously avoided doing that while biting her." Nikolai stood up and gripped Selene by the shoulder. His body swayed as he could hardly stand straight without leaning.
'Ah~~ he's so desperate—why are you so adorable like this, Nikolai?! I want to make you cry... to see you upset more!'
"Do you regret it now... or because of your current circumstance...?" Selene bit her thumb, looking away angrily.
"... I... Selene, I am going to make it up to you. I will become someone worthy of you, and strong enough to marry you. There are things I have done, stupid things because I felt inferior to you... and jealous."
'Eh? Jealous... Inferior to me?' It was truly a shock to hear those words...
'That can't be true?! How could you feel inferior... after meeting you in my office again. I could tell you weren't ordinary!'
Suddenly, he pulled Selene in by the waist. She could feel the rapid beating of his heart as she forgot to act angry, wanting to know more... to hear more of his confession and truth.
However... before she could do that... the door smashed open with a loud shout.
"Oi! Selene we promised not to cheat!"
Nikita came inside wearing a pair of black skintight leather pants and a jacket with her t-shirt barely hiding her chest wrapped in bandages.
'Damn it... she's here?!'
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