CHAPTER 418: FIRST DATE [PART 2]

"Evangelinge, that dress looks really good on you," Alex said with a smile.

He knew that he should have said this when they had first met, but he had been so taken aback by her beautiful appearance that he had momentarily forgotten how to compliment people.

Only after arriving at the restaurant did he finally calm down and praised her.

"It must have taken a lot of effort to do your hair like that," Alex commented, knowing nothing about hair.

"Thank you," Evangeline replied with a smile of her own. "Eleanora helped me pick the dress. She was also the one that styled my hair."

The young lady was so happy it’s like she had received the best praise in the world.

Meanwhile, Eleanora, who was eavesdropping, also felt her mood improve. At least, her effort to help dress her mistress up hadn’t been in vain.

’At least he knows how to give credit where credit is due,’ Eleanora thought as she continued to listen to the conversation in the other room.

Since the Vampire Lady, the Fox Lady, and the Catkin all had superhuman senses, they could somewhat hear what the two teenagers were talking about as long as they concentrated hard enough.

"You also look good, Alex," Evangeline stated. "Like a prince."

The young man didn’t know if Evangeline was exaggerating or not, but he still thanked her politely.

(E/N: Evangeline might have never seen a prince in her life.)

But since they were here to find out more about his past and not to chitchat, he decided to take the initiative and ask her the question that had been lingering in his mind.

"Evangeline..."

"Just call me, Eva. Just like how you used to."

"But I’m still not sure if I’m the person that you are referring to, Eva. What if I’m not the person that you think I am?"

"You are Aetherius," Evangeline replied without hesitation. "I am sure of that."

"How can you be so sure?" Alex pressed.

"It’s because," Evangeline answered as a blush slowly crept up her cheeks, "I know the taste of your blood. I will never forget its taste because you rewarded me by drinking your blood at least once, or twice a week back then."

"You know the taste of my blood?" Alex frowned.

"Yes." Evangeline nodded. "I managed to take a drop of your blood. I wanted to confirm if you are really my childhood friend."

Alex looked at the young lady in disbelief, unable to remember when she could have done that. "When did this happen?"

"During the sparring match with Jessica," Evangeline answered truthfully. "I made sure to do it as secretly as possible."

"I see." Alex recalled his intense battle with Evangeline. There had indeed been a few opportunities for her to draw his blood during that battle. "And you confirmed after drinking my blood that I am your childhood friend, correct?"

"Yes," Evangeline said confidently.

"But is a drop really enough for you to make a comparison?" Alex pressed. "Don’t you need more blood to be certain?"

Evangeline was about to agree, but paused as she wondered if she had really been too hasty. Still, the taste of the Prince’s blood was something that she wouldn’t be able to forget.

Even if she had only drunk a drop of Alex’s blood, she was certain that he was her childhood friend.

However, before she could assert that she believed she was right, Alex said something that made her eyes widen in shock.

"If I let you drink my blood, and not just a drop of it, will you be able to ascertain that I am Aetherius?" Alex’s gaze was dead serious and Evangeline had no doubt that he was not joking.

"If... and I say if..." Evangeline took a deep breath to calm herself. "If you allow me to drink your blood, then I can be far more certain."

"Good." Alex nodded. "Then I will let you drink my blood. But let’s do it after we finish eating, okay?"

"Okay." Evangeline looked very calm on the surface, but deep inside, her heart was just about to break free of her ribcage.

She had been eating blood pills since enrolling in the academy. They had been able to stave off her cravings for blood, but she would be lying if she claimed they were delicious.

The mere thought of drinking Alex’s blood with his permission almost made her salivate then and there.

That was when she realized that she had been dishonest to herself. She had repeatedly rebuffed Eleanora’s encouragement to drink fresh, warm blood by claiming she had no desire for it. But that was simply not true.

Given that she had been refraining from blood for so long, she understood that there was a chance that she might lose control if she drank Alex’s blood, which was very special to her.

Because of this, she decided that sinking her fangs into his neck was out of the question.

If bloodlust overtook her, Alex might not be able to break free from her grasp. There was no question of his life being in danger if he ever found himself in such a situation.

While Evangeline thought of ways to drink Alex’s blood safely, the waitress knocked on the door and told them that their order was now ready.

"Come in," Alex said.

With a practiced elegance, the waitress entered the room and placed piping hot dishes before the two diners. She then wished them a wonderful time and left.

Since Evangeline was a Dhampir, she could also enjoy the taste of food.

The human side of her still needed food as sustenance. This also made it easier for her to resist her blood cravings by adding blood pills to her diet.

However, on a deeper level, her nature as a vampire would always seek out fresh blood. Evangeline had fought this desire over the years because she felt like drinking the blood of others would make her a monster.

The only blood that she wanted to drink was Prince Aetherius’ blood because it belonged to him.

Her father and Eleanora had tried multiple times to get her to feed on other humans, but she had refused firmly every time.

As the two ate their food, the three girls who were listening to the conversation also heard a knock on their door.

Not wanting their suspicious poses to be judged by the waitress, all of them sprinted back to their seats and pretended they had not just been pressing their ears against the wall.

The spying mission was important, but so was their dignity.

The young ladies wordlessly agreed to halt their mission just long enough for food to be placed on their table.

Among the three of them, the only one who felt guilty for eavesdropping on the conversation was Lavinia.

She didn’t really understand most of their conversation, but she did catch that Evangeline had drunk Alex’s blood and he was going to let her do it again.

Among the Catkins, there was this ritual to establish brotherly or sisterly bonds between unrelated people. They would drip their blood into a jar of wine before drinking from it.

The participants would then be bound as sword siblings.

Based on what Lavinia had overheard, she assumed that Evangeline wanted to be Alex’s sworn sister.

As for Lumi, she was genuinely shocked and confused by the conversation.

People going on first dates usually didn’t talk about drinking each other’s blood!

Lumi realized there were two possibilities. Either Evangeline and Alex were remarkably open-minded about skipping the first fifteen stages of a relationship or Evangeline was a blood-drinking creature, perhaps even a vampire.

As for Eleanora, her shock eclipsed anything Lumi and Lavinia were feeling.

She knew for a fact how much Evangeline hated drinking blood from humans. Even the thought of doing so was deeply upsetting to her.

Hearing that Evangeline was not appalled by the idea of drinking Alex’s blood made Eleanora wonder if there was a deeper meaning to their conversation.

’He spoke of Aetherius,’ Eleanora noted. ’Who is Aetherius?’

Eleanora bit her lip as she tried to recall if she knew anyone by that name. She might not have the best memory, but she could still remember most of the names of the people that she had met.

She had been with Evangeline for a long time. As she had always been attentive towards her mistress, she was certain that she wouldn’t forget if Evangeline had met someone by the name of Aetherius.

After a while of pondering, she found herself at a dead end, to her immense frustration.

’No matter, I’ll just ask My Lady later. But I have to deal with this problem first..." She turned to the two stalkers who had just started enjoying their food and sighed in her heart.

Since Lavinia and Lumi were not the type to waste any food, they ate calmly and quietly while paying close attention to any sound coming from the other room.

Eleanora understood that she must protect her Mistress’s identity by preventing the two of them from continuing to follow their targets.

It would be very troublesome if her Mistress suddenly mentioned anything about their organization, which would definitely land her into trouble with Frieden Academy.