Chapter 4

"Why not?"

Jack Avery couldn't hear the words that followed. His head and body felt like they were in different zip codes, making it impossible to understand anything said to him!

Jack couldn't feel pain, but the sight in front of him was horrifying. Who else had seen their body from this angle? And those who had were certainly not around to talk about it.

In the lower right corner of his vision, a prompt to load a previous save appeared, indicating only ten seconds remained. What would happen if he didn't reload in time? Die from decapitation? And what about in reality?

Jack had no interest in taking risks. He quickly reloaded, and his head returned to his body.

The butler's voice echoed in his ear again: "You've received an invitation from Count Eckhart..."

After dying twice in a row, this sentence felt like a death knell.

Jack sized up his butler, previously thinking him just an NPC meant to help him adapt to the game environment, never suspecting he was also a hidden boss – beheading someone with a thin saber was not something an ordinary person could do.

What Jack couldn't understand was why it came to beheadings over just attending a banquet. Was it really necessary to go to such extremes? Were these two just insane, or was there a special significance to this banquet?

Jack realized that reloading his save wasn't much help. What should he choose? If he didn't go, a vampire would shoot him with an arrow; if he did, the butler would decapitate him. Dead either way, what was he supposed to do?

He could only try the third option – not confirming whether he would go or not.

Jack Avery's intuition told him that being non-committal was also unreliable. For now, he had no choice but to see how things unfolded, fortunate that he had chosen immunity to fatal injuries, so he wasn't afraid of "dying" a few more times.

He remained silent, and the butler called out again, "Master?"

Jack hesitated, and sure enough, Lucas's eyes warmed a bit. Listening closely, Jack could sense a hint of anticipation in his voice.

Jack hadn't noticed these things before, but now he saw them clearly, and he also felt an eerie chill from somewhere... The silver-haired vampire must be hiding nearby, listening to their conversation, building up his rage.

Jack Avery's heart tightened, and he quickly masked his expression.

The butler asked softly, "Do you not wish to go?"

Jack Avery: "..." I didn't say that, I didn't mean that, don't put words in my mouth!

The next second, the warmth in the butler's eyes faded, and his lips pressed tightly: "Do you wish to go?"

Jack Avery was stunned. How was he supposed to answer that?

The butler's lips curved up again, revealing a gentle smile, but his eyes were devoid of any warmth.

Jack Avery realized with alarming clarity that if he didn't refuse the invitation, he'd literally lose his head. But agreeing meant a heart pierced by an arrow. What to do...

Suddenly, an idea struck him. He blurted out, "Let's go together."

That should work, right? He'd be attending, and not leaving anyone behind.

Then came the sound of something slicing through the air... followed by the sickening crack of bones breaking...

Jack felt a chilling sensation in both his chest and neck. Great, not only was his head detached from his body, but his heart was also impaled by an arrow.

The butler's voice was filled with despair: "I have loved so humbly, why do you still choose to humiliate me like this?"

Jack was speechless: How is bringing you along a humiliation?

The butler tenderly held his head, "I'm sorry, I can't do this."

With only five seconds to reload this time, Jack didn't dare delay and quickly chose to reload.

The prompt to select a recent save point appeared again in the lower right corner of his vision. The first time, he hadn't thought much about it; the second time, he was too shocked by the visual and eager to return to his body. But now, somewhat accustomed to the situation, he noticed the detail.

Did this mean he could choose a different save point?

Jack Avery responded with a "No."

The text changed again—Please select a save point.

There were two save points available. Ignoring the most recent one, Jack chose the other.

After a moment of darkness, Jack found himself back on the luxurious four-poster bed. It was last night again. It seemed to avoid the fatal choice ahead; he needed to trace back to this moment and find the cause.

The thick curtains moved without a breeze, as the silver-haired vampire appeared out of nowhere.

Jack Avery thought to himself: That fast? No time to even brace myself.

He quickly reviewed what had been said before, trying to get his thoughts in order.

Having been through this once already, Jack wasn't as shocked when the vampire lifted him into his arms.

"Cyrus," the vampire began, unchanged, "my dear, did you miss me?"

Even prepared, Jack felt a jolt of surprise that sent shivers through his hair.

But this time, he took the initiative to ask, "Where have you been these past few days?"

His face was expressionless, but his question came off with an unexpectedly petulant tone.

The silver-haired vampire's heart melted. "Don't be mad, everything I do is for my Cyrus."

Thinking of the two arrows that had pierced his heart, Jack silently remarked: So quick to kill, all for me, huh?

Jack pushed him away, "Put me down."

The more Jack feigned anger, the more compliant Cyrus became. Carefully setting Jack down, his handsome face was all puppy-dog eyes, "Are you really mad?"

Sitting on the bed, Jack raised an eyebrow at him, "Shouldn't I be?"

"You should… Whatever Cyrus does is right," the vampire took his hand, placing it against his cheek, "Just don't harm yourself with anger. If you're really upset, take it out on me."

Jack thought: Dare I? Just for missing an appointment, I got a stake through the heart!

Withdrawing his hand, Jack carefully probed, "What exactly were you doing?" That seemed to be the key to unraveling the situation.

The vampire's lips were tightly pressed, his voice oozing appeasement, "I found the Sacred Heart."

Jack Avery paused: Sacred Heart? What's that?

The vampire's deep red eyes were filled with unabashed love as he looked at Jack, "With the Sacred Heart, your body can endure the First Embrace."

First Embrace? Jack was familiar with the term; it often came up in vampire lore, generally meaning that a human becomes a vampire after being embraced by one for the first time. As for the Sacred Heart, it seemed to be a game-specific term, suggesting that a human turning into a vampire requires their blood to be completely drained. It appeared Cyrus sought something like a talisman to prevent any mishaps.

So, it seems Cyrus wants to turn him into one of his own kind.

"I was planning to surprise you tomorrow," Cyrus knelt before him, looking up, "Cyrus, would you be willing to become my most beautiful bride?"

Jack Avery was taken aback. If he remembered correctly, Cyrus Hall was definitely a man. Sure, Jack had no issues with homosexuality, but how could a man become a bride? It seemed absurd.

Seeing Jack's silence, Cyrus's smile faded slightly, and a shadow of darkness clouded his vibrant eyes, "Are you having regrets?"

Not wishing to meet his end right there, Jack retorted, "Who wants to be your bride? I'm a man."

Cyrus appeared stunned for a moment, then his gaze softened, filled with tenderness, "Cyrus Hall is the love of my life, my eternal partner."

Despite the depth of the declaration, it somehow sent shivers down Jack's spine.

By now, Jack had pieced together the situation. Cyrus had pledged his eternal love to him, and Jack, by missing their rendezvous, had betrayed him, prompting the heartbroken vampire to shoot him with an arrow.

In reality, Jack had no clue about the significance of tomorrow's appointment; he thought it was just a dinner.

The problem lay with the butler, Lucas. The letter Cyrus sent must have been opened by Lucas, who, after reading its contents, went mad with jealousy but still asked Jack Avery for his decision.

Once Jack agreed to go, it signified his acceptance of Cyrus's proposal to become his "bride." Lucas, out of a love turned bitter, then decapitated him.

Thus, when Jack suggested they go together, Lucas said he couldn't do it—he couldn't serve a Cyrus Hall who belonged to someone else.

The situation was clear, but how could Jack break this cycle?

What troubled Jack even more was the nagging feeling that Cyrus Hall deserved his fate.

Playing both sides, death was perhaps the most fitting gift.