122: 122 A Letter From Her

122 A Letter From Her

Albert's POV

Anxiety, anger, worry.

In the past few days, a myriad of negative emotions had been piling up in my chest, making it hard to breathe. But I knew I couldn't falter; I had a mission to save Delia.

After bringing the unconscious Delia back to her father's pack house and into the medical room, I kept her secluded. For these past few days, I'd been transfusing her with my own blood, hoping for her to regain consciousness as soon as possible.

Initially, Delia had been deathly pale and barely breathing, but with the continuous transfusions, her condition had stabilized, and her color had improved slightly.

After ensuring that her body could handle it, with the help of a doctor, I removed the knife that had been stuck in her.

As the blade was pulled out, a fresh wave of blood spilled from her chest. I used my magic to staunch the bleeding, working tirelessly until her wound had healed.

I had expected her to wake up quickly, but to my dismay, a whole day passed with no sign of her stirring.

I tried various methods to rouse her, but all my efforts were in vain against her deep slumber.

I closely examined Delia's body. From her skin's surface, there appeared to be nothing unusual except for the pearl necklace hanging around her neck, which had taken on a crimson hue, as if tainted by blood.

This troubled me deeply. I fetched a clean cloth to wipe the necklace, but no matter how hard I tried, it showed no sign of turning white. Instead, it grew increasingly red.

This situation left me extremely anxious. Upon the doctor's suggestion, I left the medical room and held a meeting with him in the study.

"Doctor, you've seen more patients than I have. When do you think Delia will wake up?" I asked impatiently as soon as we entered the study.

"Your Majesty, I've never encountered a case quite like Delia's," the doctor replied, visibly nervous. "Based on my observations, you might need to prepare for the possibility that Delia won't wake up for a while..."

"What do you mean by 'for a while'? How long is 'for a while'?" I asked, trying to keep my patience.

"I don't know..."

"Get out!"

I couldn't tolerate the doctor's hesitance any longer. I yelled, and he hurriedly left the study as fast as he could.

I sat at the desk, and the mounting unease and negative emotions of the past few days weighed heavily on me.

Moreover, a feeling of despair crept over me. What if Delia never woke up? What if she died? What would I do then?

Just the thought of possibly losing Delia brought back painful memories of losing a loved one in the past. My heart constricted, making it almost hard to breathe.

At that moment, someone lightly knocked on the study's door. "Your Majesty, there are visitors outside," they announced.

"Who?" I asked irritably.

"A man and a woman, the man is Alen, from Kral's side, and there's a young witch with him. She calls herself Vivian."

Alen and Vivian? I hadn't expected them to come. I could let Vivian slide for now, but as for Alen, I hadn't finished him off when I had the chance the other day, and I wasn't going to let that opportunity pass again.

"Let them in immediately!" I stood up eagerly.

"As you wish."

My subordinates quickly ushered Alen and Vivian into the study. I had thought that Alen had been injured by thorns a few days ago, but to my surprise, he appeared completely unharmed.

Standing next to him, Vivian seemed different too. While she had been innocent and somewhat timid around me before, today she stood before me unflinchingly, staring straight at me without any sign of fear.

This was a far cry from her previous self.

I wasn't sure what was going through Vivian's mind, and frankly, I didn't care. Regardless of anything, Vivian was Alice's apprentice and someone I had watched grow up; I wouldn't harm her. But my thoughts about Alen were different.

I had let him escape a few days ago, and I wasn't going to give him another opportunity to elude me today.

I used magic to seal off the study's doors and windows. Then, I drew a circle on the floor in front of them and began chanting a spell. Thorns quickly emerged from that circle.

The growth of the thorns took some time, and I took a moment to glance at Vivian and Alen. I noticed they were exchanging glances, and their expressions revealed something was amiss.

Why was Alen looking at Vivian with an "I told you so" expression, while Vivian looked anxious, as if she wanted to stop the thorns from growing?

Unusual circumstances required immediate attention, and I couldn't think further. I continued chanting the spell, causing the thorns that had grown around their feet to coil tightly around their ankles, making it impossible for them to escape.

"Albert, what are you doing?" Alen screamed as soon as the thorns coiled around them. Although it was a male voice, his tone and speed of speech sounded remarkably like Vivian's.

I raised my hands and cast another spell towards both of them. After a moment of white smoke, Vivian and Alen changed positions.

I was sure that after the thorns had entangled their feet, it was impossible for them to switch places. In other words, when they entered the room, they had already swapped identities!

"To deceive me, you've actually swapped identities. Quite a clever ruse," I said with a cold snort, releasing the thorns entangling Vivian's feet.

They quickly dissipated, and I kept my focus on Alen, preparing to chant the spell that would envelop him entirely in thorns.

"Wait!" Vivian cried out upon seeing my lips move. She pulled something from her pocket and hurried to stand before me. "Delia's mother once wrote you a letter, and it contains vital information."

The mention of "Delia's mother" left me stunned. Even my recitation of the spell was forgotten.

"Albert, Delia's mother means a lot to you, doesn't she?" Vivian said gently, noticing my reaction. "I bet you're eager to read this letter. If you want it, I hope you'll release Alen from his restraints."

Vivian held the letter with both hands, just an arm's length away from me. The way she moved made it clear that she wouldn't hand it over unless I released Alen from the thorny bindings.

While I was tempted to end Alen's life immediately, I reasoned that they were trapped in the sealed study, and their powers were far weaker than mine. There was no chance of escape. I decided to read the letter first, then deal with Alen.

With that in mind, I chanted the reversal spell, causing the thorns around Alen's ankles to uncoil and release him.

"Vivian, I've kept my promise. Hand over the letter," I said, extending my hand toward Vivian.

"Here you go!"

Vivian handed me the letter and promptly returned to Alen, showing concern for his well-being.

Although I disapproved of Vivian's actions, the most important thing at the moment was to read the contents of the letter.

As I opened the envelope, I could feel my hands trembling. While I had been eagerly looking forward to what Delia's mother had written, having the letter in my hands made me suddenly apprehensive.

Carefully, I unfolded the letter.

Seeing the words, "Dear Albert," at the beginning, I recognized Delia's mother's handwriting.

We used to practice our penmanship together, and her handwriting was as familiar to me as my own.

At that moment, I felt as though I had traveled back to my teenage years.

At that time, Delia's mother and I were both students.

We met in school, quickly became friends, and Alice was our mutual friend.

Delia's mother was beautiful and confident, and I had fallen for her at first sight.

However, because of the deep-seated rivalry between werewolves and vampires, and my role as one of the future heirs of the vampire kingdom, it was unthinkable for me to marry a werewolf, especially when I had yet to establish myself within my own family.

My family would never allow it. Moreover, I could sense that Delia's mother regarded me as a friend. 1

Though I wanted to confess my feelings to her, I was afraid of scaring her away, to the point that I couldn't even maintain a friendship.

Years passed in this manner. I couldn't pinpoint when it began, but I felt that Delia's mother was growing distant from me.

Later, I discovered that Delia's father was aggressively pursuing her, and she was developing feelings for him.

After they officially became a couple, Delia's father inexplicably distanced himself from her. In a bid to secure his affection, she even turned to Alice for a magic potion.

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