CHAPTER 130: THE SIN OF SALVATION

Seamus arrived at the Velstrath manor’s foyer.

The place was still as gloomy as ever—its vast marble halls heavy with silence—yet somehow more alive than the nightmare illusion they’d escaped.

The air was cold but real, and that alone was enough to remind him he was still breathing.

But still... even after everything he had done, the world outside kept spinning the same.

People laughed, worked, lived freely, while he carried the weight of sin and grief. Acting like a hero that saves the whole town but found no meaning in it.

His hand clenched over his chest. It hurts to breathe. He’d thought abandoning his father would bring relief, but instead, it only hollowed him out.

The guilt pressed like a stone in his lungs.

"You’re okay, Seamus?"

He felt a light touch on his back, Isolde’s hand was soft and cold. The concern in her voice only deepened his resentment.

"Shut up. Don’t talk to me, and don’t pretend you care." He slapped her hand away.

After all, this was her fault. All of it. She killed Viviane.

Isolde simply exhaled, her expression calm, her tone measured. "Still rebelling, I see." She folded her arms with slow precision.

"You wanted to be treated as my equal, yet you reject my attention."

Seamus’s voice cracked into a shout. "You’re seriously saying that after killing your own daughter which drove me into this insanity?!"

"She wanted to die," Isolde said flatly.

"The monster inside the Dream Labyrinth obeyed her order. How many times must I explain it?"

Her gaze sharpened. "Or should I remind you of your cruel words before she gave up on life—"

Her sentence broke off into a gasp as Seamus’s hand clamped around her throat.

His grip tightened, knuckles white, fury boiling in his eyes. "Shut your mouth."

Isolde’s lips curved into a mirthless smile even as her breath rasped. "Kill me, then. If you can."

Seamus’s fingers dug deeper. The veins on his hand stood out. Her skin was cold, unyielding, like marble under his touch. And yet she didn’t flinch. She laughed.

The sound crawled beneath his skin.

"I’ve had enough of this drama," Madeline’s voice rang from behind, cutting through the tension.

She leaned against a column with a bored expression. "You do know vampires don’t die from choking, right?"

Seamus glared and released Isolde with a shove, stepping back as his chest rose and fell sharply. He turned to Madeline, teeth clenched.

"Whose side are you even on? Don’t you want her dead?"

Madeline tilted her head, a faint smirk tugging her lips. "Oh, that old agreement? Forget it. I can already see how this story ends."

She turned away, her boots echoing against the floor. "Fate’s funny like that."

Then she paused mid-step, her tone shifting just slightly. "Also, I think you forgot someone, Seamus."

His stomach dropped. His face went pale.

Maria and Diane were still in another city as he left them behind.

"Teleport me to them, Madeline, now!"

***

As Seamus appeared inside the living room of the house they had stayed in. His vision steadied and there she was.

Diane was pacing in circles, her steps restless and uneven, like someone lost in thought but trapped inside fear.

When their eyes met, she froze. Her lips parted, disbelief flashing across her face before she rushed toward him.

She grabbed his shoulders, touching his face, his arms, everywhere, just to make sure he was real.

"It’s really you?! You’re back alive?!"

Her voice trembled between panic and relief. Before Seamus could answer, she cupped his face with both hands and pressed her lips to his.

It was soft, warm, and desperate.

Seamus instinctively pulled her closer, one hand on her waist, the other tangled in her hair.

The weight in his chest loosened, the pain burning behind his ribs softened a little.

Her lips were sweet, not just from the cherry gloss she used, but because she meant it. Diane cared.

His doubts about her faded for a moment. Maybe she wasn’t pretending so she could spy him. Maybe she truly wanted to love him.

Their lips finally parted, breath mingling. Diane’s gaze lingered on his face and then she slapped him.

Hard.

The sound echoed through the quiet room.

Seamus blinked, cheek stinging.

"Do you have any idea how worried I was?!" Diane’s voice broke.

"You just vanished! What if you’d died?! What would I do then?!"

Her eyes glistened, her tone sharp but heavy with fear.

"I’m sorry," Seamus said softly. "I couldn’t bring you, it was too dangerous."

She hit his chest with both fists before falling into his arms. Her hug was fierce, crushing his chest as he felt suffocation.

"Liar," she murmured against him. "You think I’m a burden because I can’t help you."

He pulled back slightly, holding her face so she’d look at him. "No. Never. You’re more than enough, Diane."

He smiled faintly. "All the Corvane members are dead... except maybe Lucien. But it doesn’t matter anymore. We’re safe now. That’s what matters."

Diane exhaled shakily and nodded, her frown softening, though she still looked adorably upset, lips pursed and brows furrowed.

Then a familiar, dry voice cut through the air.

"Sweet reunion, really. But stop wasting time, Seamus," Madeline drawled from the doorway, eyes scanning the room.

"There’s another vampire presence here. I can feel it."

Diane stiffened.

"Ah, yes," she said, glancing away. "Maria’s awake. And... I don’t think she’s happy."

She led them down the hall, stopping before a closed door. "She won’t talk to anyone, but I think you should, Seamus. Alone."

Seamus nodded. Out of the corner of his eye, he caught Madeline’s expression, her brows furrowed, clearly displeased and demanding answers he didn’t have time to give.

Because right now, Maria mattered more.

He opened the door slowly and stepped into the dark room.

His vision adjusted; his senses were keener than a human’s, so the shadows resolved into shapes as he closed the door behind him.

In the corner a bundle of blankets trembled. Someone sobbed inside, a small, ragged sound that broke the silence.

"Maria," he whispered. "It’s me. Seamus. Are you all right? Are you hurt?"

He did not know if a vampire’s body still felt the same kind of pain as a human’s, but he prayed she had not turned feral, lost to thirst and madness.

The blanket jerked. In a single motion Maria threw it aside and lunged at him, hands fisting the collar of his shirt.

"What have you done to me?" Her voice tore the air.

Her red eyes burned in the dark like coals. Tears tracked wet paths down her cheeks, a terrible mix of grief and rage.

"Maria..."

Seamus froze, words dying in his throat. The guilt was suffocating.

"I told you not to do it! I told you I wanted to die as a human! I begged you, Seamus!"

Her voice trembled, grief twisting every word. "I said I’d rather die than become a monster!"

"Maria, I—"

"So why?!" she cut him off, her cry sharp and raw. "Why did you betray me?!"

He swallowed hard, trying to steady his voice. "I didn’t want to see you die. You still have your grandmother, you need to live."

’I couldn’t let you die like that, Maria. In that filthy, dark place, buried under mud."

Maria screamed, shoving him back so hard he fell to the ground. "Then watch me die now!" she shouted, running toward the window to open the curtain.

She plans to die by the sun.

Seamus sprang up, cutting her off before she could reach it.

"Stop! Don’t do this! I won’t let you throw your life away!"

Her voice cracked as she screamed back, her fingers dug into her hair deep as if wanting it bleed.

"I already died, Seamus! You turned me into a monster who killed my parents!"

Her sobs tore through the silence. "I watched them feast on my father and mother, I watched them drink every drop of blood while I hid and did nothing!"

Her voice broke again, trembling. "And now you’ve made me one of them!"

She collapsed, falling to her knees as her breath turned ragged.

Seamus bit his lip, his chest tightening. He knelt beside her and pulled her into his arms.

"I’m sorry... I’m so sorry, Maria. But it’s over now. You’re safe. You’re alive."

"Enough!"

Madeline’s voice sliced through the room like a whip as she pushed open the door. Her golden eyes glowed with anger, narrowing at Seamus.

"Did you tell Diane to turn that girl into a vampire?!"

"I—I didn’t have a choice! She was dying!"

"You fool!" Madeline’s aura flared, golden light spilling around her.

"You always have a choice! Everyone does! The only one who didn’t was her!"

Her voice deepened, echoing with fury. "You turned her against her will. That’s a crime worth punishment."

"Then punish me," Seamus said quietly, holding Maria tighter. "Do whatever you want. Just don’t hurt her."