5.43

In the end, he chose the table next to Jessica Fang's, at the back, by the window. However he no longer wanted to enjoy the view of his seat now. 

During the entire class, Jia Hyson was in a daze, feeling like his mind was full of messy thoughts. Yet at the same time, it was like he had no thoughts at all. Like a chaotic semi-translucent haze clouding his mind. Bebe was also frantically double-checking the story and filtering the data of Jessica Fang's internet history for the last few years, compiling information to summarise for its host later on. 

The mission of this world is actually not difficult, regardless of what happens. The biggest problem was the poor handling of Alaric's crossdressing in the plot and as long as that doesn't get brought up, it's a guaranteed pass. Therefore, Bebe was actually not that worried about that. What it was worried about nowadays was protecting its host's love life!

This was the first time Bebe had seen its host act like a normal human being in a healthy, sweet, loving relationship! In the first world, Drake was such an idiot that Jia Hyson, in the first relationship, was more mothering than anything else. The second world… can't be mentioned or directly ignored. The third world, well, to be honest, Bebe was sure the only reason the other forgave Sefu was because it was funny to bully him, and the scarred man- despite his many faults- really pampered Jia Hyson into the saltiest of salted fish. 

And while the fourth world was the best with Da Gong, Jia Hyson still couldn't bring himself to completely let down the barriers of his heart. When he dared to, it was too late. 

Don't look at their bickering on the surface; the relationship between system and host was really not weak at all after four worlds. Bebe could be easily said to be the person who understands Jia Hyson the most. Well, the system who understands Jia Hyson the most. 

It understood that while this love with Mr Garth seemed relatively easy to bloom, it was built upon four, no, five worlds' worth of emotional maturity, growth, and introspection. Not to mention, Jia Hyson's heart was… it was a conflicting mix of rational and extreme, and it was quite difficult to predict what he would do if his first love could not live out its natural lifespan. Thus, Bebe, who had been a salted fish for most of this world, now suddenly felt a weighty responsibility in its mechanical heart. 

While the class continues, Bebe brings up the summary it had compiled for them. The beta system had also hacked into Jessica Fang's previous school cameras and automatically translated any scenes with Jessica Fang in them to text before filtering out any non-notable patterns or useless noise. 

Looking at the most prominent searches and summarised camera information, both Bebe and Jia Hyson fell into a deep silence.

It turns out.. 

Jessica Fang was actually…

A fan of ShiningGreenTea?

Bebe's light screen was very well informative and compiled. You could easily see how the teenager had been a fan of one of Jia Hyson's earlier works he had posted. It was a relatively comedic and flowery romance that many young maidens' who happened to find it fell in love with. It seemed the protagonist had been no exception. She commented in every single chapter, and not just a simple 'Thanks for the update' or a 'Pls more thx' but a full-on paragraph with a sentence expressing appreciation and a few more about her thoughts on the chapter. As an author, Jia Hyson may not read every reader's comments, but for those who took their time to write out such nice comments consistently, he would naturally notice and even recognise some of those comments that belonged to Jessica.

Unfortunately, this story was something he wrote on a whim and after twenty-six chapters he abandoned it.

Jessica Fang's account then showed signs of moving to check other stories of his works; other then a few, she seemed to not be as taken to due to the genre, such as his horror writing, most observed from her chapter comment frequency as well as the number of times she's mentioned the stories to others online, showed she had deeply fallen for ShiningGreenTea's writing style. 

However, there was one story she hadn't touched until, at that point in time, there were no other ShiningGreenTea stories left to read.

Defining My Brother.

From the data, it seems she had read all of that story before dropping off for about half a year. After half a year, she revisited ShiningGreenTea's list of stories and reread Defining My Brother once more. At the very last chapter she finally wrote something. 

[Fang: It was beautiful… Thank you for writing this.]

Seeing this, Jia Hyson felt a little moved. As a writer who accomplished a lot, it was a bit arrogant to say it, but it was hard not to take the praise for granted at this point. 

When starting a story, of course, the author will check in nearly daily to see if there is anyone who likes it, anyone commenting or saving the story, each action of the reader capable of moving their heart. However, the more fans accumulated, ironically, the less in touch one can become, from valuing and answering back to every comment to, at most, giving a 'like' to the few they happen to see. The amount of collections, saves, or bookmarks become just a number, and even those who've reached out to tell him how much x story has changed their life, while still a joy to hear, was no longer as precious. 

But seeing in person Jessica Fang, the protagonist, who has changed and diverted so much from the original story, and knowing that in some part was really due to his writing… How can Jia Hyson not be proud and look at the girl with some fondness in his heart?

Besides, his previous bad impression was from the original story of how she treated the original Alaric, which was something he had read ages ago. Honestly, if it wasn't the main reason he was here, Jia Hyson would have really forgotten about her completely. It can't be helped; he had caused way too much drama and problems on his own; how could he have the energy at this time to think about Jessica Fang? 

The rest of the online data was more scattered. However, a lot of the searches were less romantic and more on the genre of strong female leads, self-improvement and even various different hobby classes. It was easy to see that, compared to the more introverted original whose main passion is reading, this protagonist had gone to unexpectedly search out other interests. This is good, in Jia Hyson's opinion; while it doesn't fit the typical standard 'average girl' female lead trope in a teen romance, it will make the character more well-rounded and less one-dimensional.

However, that didn't mean she didn't neglect reading at all. Instead, her tastes in books have long become much more diverse. While Jessica still didn't prefer horror, maybe thanks to consuming all of ShiningGreenTea's content, which was full of different genre stories, she had become interested in trying new things to read as a whole, though she still continued to be a firm fan of ShiningGreenTea no matter how much things had changed. 

What was a bit surprising was she even started writing herself. 

Jia Hyson, out of curiosity, read a little bit of one of her latest stories. It wasn't bad, not objectively good either, but the direction was good, the premise was interesting, and the characters, while still a bit one-dimensional, were at least consistent in character. 

As the classes started to end and morning tea was approaching, Jia Hyson had gotten a much more fleshed-out idea of who Jessica Fang truly was now. Much stronger, confident, and less ashamed to go out and try things as long as they interested her. However, she was still insecure in heart, with a lot of questions being asked online on how to deal with various situations. In a way, she was much more relatable than how she was previously designed, and Jia Hyson honestly preferred her current version much more, both as a character and a person. 

What was interesting was the data from last year, the year when the plot had started for her and she had met Damien Rose. Jia Hyson didn't know why; maybe after discovering online stories, something she hadn't really done in the original plot as she usually was reading physical copies of books; the teenager had become just as bad as an average phone-addicted teenager. In fairness, she was much better, but it seems the phone still had enough sway on her that she depended on it a lot for things, as one could more or less find the main plot points of the first book via her searches.

Whether it be [emergency first aid at home, bleeding a lot], [how fast can a normal person heal a broken arm], [superhumans exist?], or [how to fight vampires], [Magical Artefacts America], [Pearl of Past Truths], [history of x high school]- it was pretty evident at what stage of the story they were in. However, it was only a general marker of the direction, and of course, it wasn't the same as having all the details on hand.

Still, it was at least enough to see there were some searches that didn't seem to fit with the original story. The main difference was there was an alarming number of medical searches, emergency aid, and even a search on how to make a will as an underage child. It seems things had proceeded in a far more dangerous manner than expected.

But then again, it did make sense. Damien's punishment in this world was much harsher, and as a consequence he, who could at least protect the protagonist and her friends for most of the book, no longer had the ability. This meant that there was no safety buffer, and as a result, the female lead also needed to step up to pull a lot of weight to avoid death.

Jia Hyson touches his nose thoughtfully. Such a thing happened to Prince Damien, who usually has quite a sensitive heart… After all, even if he said he wanted to be a human, the gap and situation at that time, to Jia Hyson's knowledge, was really too big. 

His powers were permanently blocked and still is, he was exiled unfairly, and had to acclimatise to a new society where no one will pander to him. Without true security and support, even if Prince Damien did his best, it was impossible not to collapse a bit mentally. Not to mention the perceived more vulnerable weak humans like Jessica Fang, whom he should have nurtured some feelings for, clearly got hurt because of him… 

Well, he was very curious what changes the young prince must have gone through last year. 

The moment morning break started, many students couldn't stop themselves from looking at Jia Hyson with bright and curious eyes. Some bold ones came up to him to say hello, to which Jia Hyson returned their greetings with soft and gentle politeness. As he smiled, he, who was always aware of Jessica Fang, noticed her quietly slipping out from the corner of his eye.

Fortunately, thanks to the fact he was older and quite famous in the school, even the more courageous ones were easy to dismiss after a few words. With the excuse that he needed to get some paperwork from a teacher, Jia Hyson slipped out in order to follow the female lead. 

Unfortunately, because of his reappearance in school, he had become an object of interest for everyone and grossly underestimated the level of affection he still had over the student body even after a year of absence. 

Former classmates reached out to say hello and ask how he's been. Then, the human teachers who weren't in the know also pulled him aside, wanting to greet him and ask about the situation with his repeating grade with great concern. When Jia Hyson could finally escape from them, the Academy's Emperors stopped him in his path, wanting to catch up and helpfully fill him in on the current situation in the academy's social circles as well as the gossip among young vampires. They even wanted to introduce him to a new seventh Emperor that they've acknowledged since he's been gone.

Jia Hyson could barely suppress his impatience at this point. Forget finding the protagonists; he was going to be late for class if this took any longer. 

"Look, as much as I wish to formally meet this new member, we are currently pressed for time." He tries to coax, sighing as if heartbroken at the very thought of parting with them early. "It's too disrespectful to any of the teachers if I'm late to the classes on the first day I've come back."

"Alaric, you're so considerate." The Art Emperor, a soft and delicate young man with sharp eyes, was very moved. While he had an aloof personality, his temperament preferred quietness and warmth, and didn't like to engage with much outside his art. Alaric who was very strong with colour theory, and also enjoyed occasionally relaxing quietly in the art room while he worked on his hobbies, was someone the Art Emperor considered a like-minded friend. 

And since his friend has left, he was left with… the rest of them. Vulgar and prickly, with no appreciation for the arts at all.

Unbeknownst to the Art Emperor, though, every other Emperor held similar thoughts. After all, Jia Hyson had a slick mouth and a lot of experience and interesting knowledge, it wasn't difficult to establish a connection with everyone. 

"Don't worry, the kid is really… well, he's a bit fierce, but he seems like he respects you a lot. Should we arrange something for lunch then?" The Fighting Emperor, a tougher, rougher looking young man with a wild sexy temperament that attracted more then a few students with fantasies of rebellion, offers considerately. His usually scowling face no where to be seen as he watches Jia Hyson with an almost puppy-like demeanour. 

Jia Hyson hesitates, he still wanted to go make contact with Jessica as soon as possible. "That's…"

Looking at the handsome young vampires who were watching him back with hopeful expectations in his eyes, each a different flavour of attractiveness, Jia Hyson finally sighs. As expected of the Academy Emperors, their faces were worthy enough to attract attention on their own, but with so many together, it was a devastating hit to a facecon's heart. He supposes one day delay won't harm anything, anyway. "Well, how about lunch time then? Or after class, you can come over to my dorm. But you'll have to excuse the mess, I still haven't fully moved in."

"Of course!" The Fighting Emperor grins widely, patting his own chest heartily, "Don't worry, if there's any heavy lifting, I can help with that too!"

"What do you think he's bringing to his dorm that he can't even lift, dumbass?" Another emperor, the Tyrant Emperor who had a very typical young domineering CEO aura, rolls his eyes, but the upturned lips betrayed his good mood.

The Art Emperor, who was a bit more sensitive, couldn't help but question it a little bit. "Are you sure Alaric? If you're busy, it's really no problem to hang out tomorrow or something as well."

"There's no need for that." Jia Hyson shakes his head with a gentle smile, looking soft and warm, "It's true I do have a few things but given our friendships it's no problem to delay that for a day in favour of catching up with my friends again. It has been so long after all."

Not to mention, it would be incredibly useful to reconnect with this group of vampires again. They serve as another layer of protection and a network of information on the school that only fellow students really share with each other. 

The Art Emperor flushes, flattered, "You're too kind, Alaric."

The Academy Emperors were crowned thus as they were considered the most handsome, and talented in their own right, with unique temperaments that would catch any young maiden's heart. However because of this they were also on some level very isolated and their already objectively quite difficult personalities became even more arrogant. Jia Hyson, to gain favor with their parents as well as help Prince Silas gain followers at that time also did his best to make friends with everyone, becoming the social glue holding them together. 

When the glue was gone, while they still naturally gravitated to each other and had some already established friendship, everyone was awkward and cold, so it was hard to reach out and naturally misunderstandings can more easily occur. 

As for Prince Silas, who was meant to be their leader… don't say it. Before they genuinely respected his power, admitted his appearance was the best looking and gave a lot of face due to Alaric who they considered a good friend, but Silas was obviously too lazy to seriously establish a connection. This sort of perfunctory half-assed attitude was worse than one of complete alienation, and it was difficult for the arrogant little emperors to endure. 

They were all vampires who were held carefully in the palms of their family's hands, even if some had more complicated backgrounds than others they still were used to being the apple or envy of others' eyes. How can they be happy to be treated like a thorn to others? Especially one of the same generation as them? It was too hateful! 

When the Gentle Emperor left the group, originally they had some expectations for Prince Silas to step up. They had even awkwardly tried to reach out in their own ways. However the Golden Rose Coven prince had turned from indifferent to outright cold, chilling them deeply as they were faced with the others disdainful and ruthless expression as they were essentially told to fuck off.

At first, they had been scared, but when the fear wore off, anger and indignant feelings were left to simmer. Prince Silas was a powerful and respectable royal vampire, it was true, but it wasn't like they were soft persimmons either? Each had a powerful backing or a formidable potential. To brush them off and treat them like ants completely stepped on their young pride.

Frustrated and helpless, this is when the newest member entered their eyes. 

"Indeed." A new voice speaks up behind Jia Hyson; as footsteps move closer to the group, the pleasant and faintly familiar voice also becomes clearer, "Alaric has always been very kind. I've appreciated him very much for… a very long time."

Furrowing his brows, Jia Hyson turns around, unable to fully grasp the strange feeling when he hears the newcomer. Bebe, however, had no such memory problems, inhaling sharply the moment the other stepped into the room that the Academy Emperors had dragged Jia Hyson into. 'Host! That's-'

Seeing the shockingly bright red and yellow hair, rebellious and flashy, and the young man's handsome, almost cocky appearance, the blue-eyed vampire blinks blankly. It was only when he gazes into the young, turned vampire's silver eyes that it finally registered. "You.." He begins slowly, uncertainly, "Are you… Kylan?"

They had briefly passed by each other a year ago. Jia Hyson recalls his surprise and unhappiness at his unexpected early appearance at the school back then, but the impression wasn't very strong as his focus was naturally on other matters. They didn't exchange words, and between that time and now, a year had passed. Their first meeting had been even longer ago. It was naturally to not remember the other clearly.

However.. given the other's attitude, Jia Hyson sensitively felt things wouldn't be good if he acted like he completely forgot who the other was. He's met more than a few obsessive types before and was currently a bit more sensitive to them, given his regret over how he handled Prince Silas. Hence, Jia Hyson felt it was important to try not to upset the other for now until he could determine Kylan's current disposition and personality. 

Kylan's eyes widened before his face broke into a large smile full of irrepressible joy, stunning everyone in the room. "You remember me?" Enthusiastically, the delinquent-looking turned vampire grabs Jia Hyson's hand impulsively, silver eyes flashing red, overcome in his excitement. "You, I," He stutters, clutching his beloved's hand tightly.

Jia Hyson frowns faintly, partly due to the other's concerning burst of emotion and partly because his hand really hurt. 

Wasn't Kylan a turned vampire? How could his strength be comparable to himself, a noble vampire?

Is his vampiric ability related to strength?

"It's been so long, I, I didn't expect you to still remember me, or, well, recognise me.." Kylan blushes shyly, "I, I have changed a lot after all."

"To be honest, you have." Jia Hyson swallows back his complaints as he gently pulls his hands away, his expression warm as if nothing was wrong, "But how could I forget your lovely eyes?" He praises, "Though your hair is certainly a surprise, after all the last time you-" Suddenly Jia Hyson trails off and pales, finally remembering that it wasn't Alaric who had met Kylan but 'Jasmine'. 

Jia Hyson: '…Poor memory is truly a killer.'

Kylan could also read his current state of mind and nonchalantly chuckles, "Yes, well, I wanted to become a brighter existence after meeting you." He smiles, "It's been a bit difficult, but ultimately, I believe I'm a much better person now, someone worthy to be your equal." Touching his blazer, he pulls out a phone, silver eyes adoringly gazing into blue ones. "So… can I have your number? Please?"

"Of course," Jia Hyson's mouth thins, silently wanting to curse the young vampire who was clearly not as simple as he seems. Don't look at this silly puppy-like appearance. Jia Hyson could already tell from the others' almost oppressive use of manipulation that this was simply a wolf. 

While seemingly weak, each word will invoke pity and a feeling of pride, making one flattered and full of sweetness. To be truthful, Jia Hyson was almost fooled, but the other's emotions and gaze were too strong and intense. The intent to want to bind him down was nearly palpable. 

But if he rejects the other now, especially in front of the Academy Emperors after that spiel of becoming better and such, wouldn't he lose his 'kind' reputation? Not to mention, Kylan knew he was Jasmine; this was simply an invisible noose around his neck that Jia Hyson couldn't bear to have! 

Things have become more complicated again, and Jia Hyson can't help but genuinely resent both Kylan and Silas. 

It was his own fault too, but fuck, both of these guys really need to cut their losses and give up. Silas knew he was with Mr Garth, and if Kylan could track him down like this, he should also know he has a boyfriend. To be so persistent in the name of 'love' was not romantic, it was just begging to be a mistress in this situation.

He admits, he had strung them up, and fished them along, Silas more than Kylan, but Jia Hyson had already cut the lines ages ago, at a certain point it was really no longer his responsibility or obligation to be blamed for their consequent actions. 

As for his [Corruptor of Children] skill… He simply can't control it ah, there was still a limit to the blame he should burden. Much like if another person falls for his fake kindness, beauty and charms he shouldn't be forced to reciprocate out of some sort of emotional guilt, if he doesn't want to. In the end, you can't force these things; you can do your best to please the other party take your time and, effort and money to woo them, but those are not forced choices, but decisions made, just like how it was his decision to not agree. 

Is he scummy for that? Maybe. Sure. He never said he was a saint. But at least he knows when to stop. 

Reluctantly, Jia Hyson types his number in, a little suffocated in his heart. While he did so, Kylan greeted the other Academy Emperors casually, and it didn't take much observation to understand Kylan, a turned vampire, had somehow entered the rankings of their elite little group. 

It made some sense, even if having a turned vampire as an Academy Emperor was pretty much unheard of, the main conditions were to have a strength, a good background and a handsome face. Kylan not only has a face worthy of a secondary male lead, in the past year he has now been officially fully accepted into the Vericus family. And it was not a superficial acceptance either, apparently being given certain responsibilities in that family that outsiders would never dream of being able to touch. Such news brought an uproar to the noble circles, and Jia Hyson who has been trying to catch up on any related information had naturally picked this up too.

As for a strength… Jia Hyson while holding Kylan's phone, can't help but use his free hand to rub the other idly. Well, it seems he meets the requirement as well. However it's currently unknown the extent of his abilities or talent. 

'Should Bebe search his history too?' Bebe quietly asks. 

Jia Hyson's eyes flicker, a flash of coldness present. 'Do it,' He mentally orders, 'Kylan and Silas. If there's any cameras that have recorded their use of powers too, I want it.' With a little hesitation he also adds, 'And Rigel too.'

'That…' Bebe was a little taken aback. 

'I'm not letting anyone be a problem.' Jia Hyson smiles gently, hiding his gritted teeth as he hands back Kylan's phone back to him. Gesturing to the time and making an apologetic gesture, he quickly bids everyone goodbye. 

"Let's meet again soon, just us two, okay?" Kylan requests, clutching his phone with an unwilling look. His silver eyes staring deeply at Jia Hyson with a barely restrained obsessiveness that made the blue-eyed vampire want to curl his lip in disdain. "We have… a lot to talk about, right?"

"Of course." Jia Hyson replies airily, eyes curving up in joy, as if looking forward to it, "I can't wait. But for now, let's get to class, okay?"

"Okay!" The other Academy Emperors' echo obediently.

"Okay." Kylan murmurs. 

Giving everyone a way, Jia Hyson takes his leave. Turning his back on them, he can't help but let his gentle facade slip, revealing a sense of furious madness painted on his face. 

'I won't let anyone be a problem for him.'

[Ding! Psychotic Break Level 1 activated on passive mode]

[Ding, ding! Psychotic Break has increased to Level 2!]

Startled, Bebe quickly went to check the skill screen. It felt strange, after all, it had forcibly increased this skill to level 2 already, it was strange to get this notification.

However, looking at the history of it, Bebe can't help but sigh.

Psychotic Break was a very emotion-based skill. Jia Hyson had the potential to become a sadistic, completely twisted psychopath, and can turn it on and off pretty well, but the greater the stress and negative emotions, the more likely was this mindset easier to slip into. This was the core of the skill. 

But vice versa, as long as Jia Hyson was happy, and adapted to have a healthier and more optimistic outlook, experiencing more positive emotions than negative, then [Psychotic Break] will naturally regress. Hence why in the aftermath of the second world, therapy was such an important aftercare service. 

Generally, skills will not notify the host or system when they've regressed, only when they've improved. During Jia Hyson's time with Mr Garth, especially in the past year, the skill went back to an inactive state. This really showed… How happy the other had been during that time.

Of course, Jia Hyson also heard the notification, however he didn't bring it up, his clenched fists his only reaction as well as his gait noticeably speeding up. 

Taking out his own phone, he wavers visibly, looking at the phone screen of himself and Mr Garth together. Thumb hovering over the buttons, after a moment, Jia Hyson swallows heavily and puts the phone away. 

It's better this way. He can still handle it. Psychotic Break will help him stand the pressure, and he can control it. Besides, it was too hard to explain. And honestly. It felt too shameful to explain. 

'Host…' Bebe was filled with concern. It's host was mature in many ways, well-educated and slick, like a demon who played with fire so skilfully that the only burns he got were ones to purposely decorate his skin. Unlike past hosts that needed to be nurtured and trained, Jia Hyson was like a fish to water, and the tasks itself did not have high requirements, so there was never a serious need to learn.

The other's heart was like a ballon, airy and free, going with the flow easily, but now it's been entangled onto a branch, and starting to panic and struggle under the wind that it once flew freely on. As a friend Bebe still wants Jia Hyson to be happy and learn to grow more as a person, but as a system, it can't help but wonder if it did the right thing to it's host. 

The subsequent classes were a blur, not that it was that important in the grand scheme of things. Jia Hyson constantly checked his phone throughout the day but, when seeing there was no messages, sighed softly and tucked it back inside his pocket. There were times he would hesitate and start typing but eventually after some struggle, once again deletes what he was trying to say and puts the phone away. His mood was uncomfortable and messy, and instead did his best by distracting himself with the information Bebe passed onto him.

Unfortunately, while vampires had integrated more into modern society, things like security cameras in their homes were not the norm, so it wasn't possible to get much, if any, footage pertaining to Prince Silas, Prince Rigel or Kylan. 

As for site searches, Kylan was off the grid, easily attributed to his long period of slumber, but Prince Silas and Kylan's history at least revealed something.

They were both big fans of the Jasmine blog. 

Huge fans. 

If this was before, Jia Hyson would feel flattered and bemused, thinking of ways to tease them, letting them get twisted up, hot and bothered, playing a game of 'I know that you know, but you don't know that I know that you know'… but at this moment, Jia Hyson only felt annoyed and a little disgusted. 

For random people to watch him, it was fine, welcome even; he put himself out there to showcase his beauty in all his crossdressing form as well as express his hobbies and little joys in life. If he didn't want to share it, then why put it on a public site with the goal of showing these things to a broader audience? But it was another feeling knowing Prince Silas and Kylan not only checked in nearly daily but had even managed to catch some of his live streams. 

'Tsk,' Bebe clicks its tongue, a little disgusted.'As long as they frequent the blog, they will know how good your relationship is with your lover. Bebe really doesn't understand this love-brained overdramatic worldview these guys both have.' One only met Jia Hyson for a few days years ago, the other has been rejected in various ways, both indirect and direct, neither were morons and both have literally seen with their own two eyes the truth but have chosen to blind themselves. 'Host, shall Bebe block them?'

Jia Hyson sneers but was helpless in his heart. 'Don't do it, if they want to watch let them. Consider it charity to the pathetic.' 

If he could do so with no consequences, Jia Hyson would let Bebe block them immediately. But, like taking away drugs from a severe addict, there will always be a backlash as a consequence. And that wasn't something he could afford right now. Besides, he planned on closing the blog anyway; banning them now would just be offending them for nothing. 

Prince Silas had already reached a strong level of power and control over the coven. Kylan, while not confirmed, has shown a significant change in his characterisation and had been previously suspected by Jia Hyson to be involved with the early emergence of the strange drugs that can make vampires lose control. Not only that, but the turned vampire has also somehow gained a stable foothold in the Vericus clan, a family strongly tied to the law enforcement of this vampiric society. 

Even if both Jia Hyson and Mr Garth are strong in their own right, in terms of power and status, they couldn't deny they may not necessarily best Kylan, much less Prince Silas. 

Once again, Jia Hyson tries to summarise the situation in his mind, again and again, as if through that, he will finally find a hint of a direction to aim for. However, once again, he can only conclude how unviable so many of his options were now. It frustrated him, making him feel stupid and regretful. 

With such a depressive mindset, the classes for the day finally finished, and Jia Hyson was eager to go back to the dormitories. At the very least, he can feel some semblance of control by completing small goals, such as slowly closing down the Jasmine blog and then doing some classic escapism via reading. 

Unfortunately, like all small, easily achievable goals, they can just as easily be sabotaged by distractions. 

As Jia Hyson trots toward the dormitory building, he sees a familiar face walking toward him. 

With dark hair and dark, melancholic eyes full of brooding emotions, the second prince of the Golden Rose Coven and male lead, Prince Damien, tiredly smiles as he greets him. "Alaric... It's been a while." Eyes flickering around the passing groups of students, he subconsciously lowers his voice, "Do you have time? I need to talk to you. Somewhere more private, preferably." 

Jia Hyson looks at Prince Damien, who still looks more or less the same as before. Yet, there was an air of pensiveness, almost bordering on gloom, that made the other feel a little less naive and romantic and more tragic and mature. It gave a different allure, and the young vampire felt much more serious and stable. 

The blue-eyed vampire glances longingly at the dormitory for a second before sighing, "Well, what a coincidence; I was hoping to talk to you too, Your Highness." 

...

..

.

Little Theatre:

Jessica Fang: It took 43 chapters and over a year...

Prince Damien: But the main protagonists of the story are finally here!

Jia Hyson: And have been downgraded into plot device supporting characters :D

Jessica Fang and Prince Damien: ...QAQ

...

A/N: Blue has no excuses except life QAQ, its not a great chapter ngl cuz shes pretty sure she repeated stuff from previous chaps again just cuz her memory of it is very fuzzy due to it being so long orz. This author is currently hesitating on certain original scenes she wanted to retain but also ahhhh. (runs to work on Zombie Emperor to escape btbab problems)

This lake will try pull herself out of the river of laziness though and push on! QAQ The plan is the arc to finish by at least February dammit!

I also wanna say there may be some dub/noncon scenes in the future, blue will warn but just heads up now. These are the scenes blue is scrapping and re-adding constantly in her plans ah. Who knew one Mr Garth could change everything aiyah (but I do really like the planned ending much better then the original now ah). 

Thank you all for those continuing to support me despite my slow updates~ I really appreciate every single one of ya~ Muah~