The lamb and the wolf truly had a good relationship. It wasn't a complicated relationship because our feeling was mutual. We were each other's company, and we only had ourselves to look out for each other.
But everything changed when I, the lamb, grew more fond of humans. I neglected the wolf and he would usually watch me from afar. I had known all along that the wolf wasn't pleased with this. He was quite... territorial. But I wished for him to open his heart more.
We had those problems too. But we compromised, trying to understand and respect each other's opinions. So, even when I spent more time with humans, I would make sure the wolf would never feel left out. It was almost perfect when the wolf started to be more sensitive about other beings' feelings.
But like usual, when problems arose, they just didn't come one after another. They would come all at once.
Years later, the lamb met someone. A man whose skin was as pale as a ghost, matching his long white hair. Eyes shared the color of dried blood, deep red, just like what his body craved for to survive.
A vampire.
Our meeting was 'pure' coincidence. Apparently, the vampire ran away from their territory. Although he was a quiet person, I felt his determination to not get involved in the vampire's purpose. He ended up injured after traveling all on his own. So when I saw him, he could barely lift a finger.
He was starving to death, and I knew why he was starving to death. He wasn't drinking blood. Out of the goodness of my heart, I let him take a sip from me. It was better to cure him that way. The man was already on the brink of death, after all.
The lamb was always neutral. Even though I had broken a rule and meddled with human affairs, being neutral to other races was a habit I couldn't let go of. Perhaps that was because I was born that way. So it didn't matter if he was a vampire. I took care of him.
Seven nights. That was how long it took for the vampire to recover to full health. However, that seventh night, the wolf finally found me after searching high and low for me.
The wolf found me at the wrong time because the vampire stole a kiss from me. He had witnessed only that, but that was enough for the wolf to lose his mind. He already believed I was choosing the vampire over him, that I was planning to betray him.
We fought. Not just a single argument, but a battle of life and death. Obviously, my love for the wolf was far greater than my will to kill him. So in the end, while I was hesitating, he slew me. After killing me, he came after the young vampire, sharing the same fate as I did.
To make the story short, the wolf killed us without hearing my side of the story. He went insane completely, devoured me to own me, and from then on, our hate just grew deeper into our soul. It was a misunderstanding, but we carried it for years until now.
It was a little silly if I thought about it, but that was just how things turned out.
So, seeing Azazel reminded me of that part of history. The vampire, the last straw before the wolf went mad. Although he didn't exactly look like that vampire in the past, there were some resemblances. Especially that long white hair tied up. Well, Daniel didn't look exactly like the wolf's human form.
"Too much." I snapped my eyes as Hugo's voice brought me back to the current lapse. I turned my head to him on my side, only to catch him staring at Azazel across from us.
"You are staring too much, Prince," he clarified in a lazy yet firm tone. "She is my wife. I will appreciate it if you shift your eyes elsewhere."
Azazel peeled his eyes away from me to Hugo. "I was simply wondering how come she looks like the woman in the theater last night," he explained calmly, unfazed by Hugo's intimidating gaze.
I gulped, feeling the stifling air bouncing across the four corners of the sitting room. I glanced at the other people standing in the corner. It was Reks and Cedrick, Azazel's vassal, as he introduced him to me earlier. Even though there were only five of us inside this place, the tension between Hugo and Azazel was too strong to not notice.
But Reks and Cedrick were the same. They kept pulling auras at each other, taunting silently, waiting for either one of them to give in. Were they always like this?
"What is it to you if she is and if she isn't?" Hugo tilted his head to the side, swaying his foot sideways, leg resting over the other. "Don't tell me you fancied the woman last night?"
Azazel laughed shortly. "Your Grace, what is it to you if I fancied her or not?" he shrugged, still having the energy to press Hugo's buttons as if the air in this room wasn't suffocating enough.
"I jest, Grand Duke." He raised a hand shortly after while chuckling. But just when I thought Azazel would take his words back, his next words made me hold my breath in horror.
"Of course, a mere dancer had aroused me in a way. Hence, I am glad to see her again. I didn't expect to see her again, after all."
I glanced at Hugo cautiously, surprised to see that his smile remained. His eyes were fixed on Azazel, arms crossed.
"Reks," he called, and in that instant, a growl and the sound of a sword being drawn deafened my ears. I flinched, eyes following where the sound came from.
There, near Azazel's seat, Reks was gripping a sword's sharp blade with his claws. Blood instantly tricked down from his grip, but he was unfazed. If anything, Reks kept his cold eyes on Cedrick, the person who blocked his attack on the prince.
"Azazel, we had benefited from each other enough. Shall we end this alliance in here?" Hugo smirked, batting his eyes ever so slowly. "I do not mind leaving this sitting room with only me and my wife and my trusted aide."
"I always admired your confidence, but I am certain Cedrick and I…" Azazel trailed off as he cast me a quick look. "… and her will leave this room alive."
"Is that so?" Hugo rocked his head, keeping his head cool despite that his aura grew stronger and darker.
That instant, the already stifling atmosphere in the room grew worse. It was only a matter of a second before both of them clashed.
I panicked, darting my eyes between Hugo and Azazel. My mouth opened and closed, thinking about how to interrupt this brewing tension between them. But alas, I couldn't think of anything that was worth their attention. So I only spoke about a random thought that was lingering in my subconscious mind without me realizing it.
"The milk," I spoke in a weak voice, gulping down upon seeing their attention on me. "Have you ever wondered if you had drunk milk from the same cow? Because I do."
"???"
I bit my tongue and lowered my eyes in embarrassment. Of all the things that could come out of my mouth, why would I say something so ridiculous? But it seemed this shame was the only consequence of avoiding bloodshed.
"Pfft —!" I raised my head when I heard Azazel laugh, seeing him clap while he laugh.
"Bambi, you did," Hugo spoke with an amused smirk, winking at me as soon as I met his eyes.
"…" He was definitely talking about another kind of 'milk'. My face flushed because this time, I hung my head low.