"Haa....ha..."


    Niki sat against the cold wall... his face looked gaunt and pale. The queen of the mermaid''s purple lipstick remained on his neck as he closed his eyes, trying to focus. He couldn''t focus his mind properly, and his legs felt like jelly.


    ''I wonder how that happened...''


    He lifted his right arm, marks left from her scales imprinted along them. In his palm, a sticky... moist and warm sphere the size of a small golf ball.


    "A queen''s pearl..."


    With a deep sigh, he dropped the pearl with a sticky thud before it rolled and tapped against a pile of over six of them.


    ''I thought I only needed one...''


    ''Never trust women from the ocean! Mermaids are nothing but liars and scoundrels!''


    Niki used this mantra to calm his mind before taking out his clothes and quickly dressing himself.


    All thanks to the easypletion of the tenth floor. Niki gained more than he thought, and now he needed to return and prepare to meet the contact from Alucard.


    "Phew..."


    ***


    Two hourster, Niki wore a ck jacket and denim jeans with a loose fit and a white t-shirt with a band that Nikita had told him to buy. The t-shirt had the letters H-U-N-G written on it in a pretty font.


    ''Phew... let''s check my phone.''


    He took out his phone with a wry smile on his lips, looking at the icon for the four messages received. He swiped open his lock using his thumbprint.


    [From Selene]


    [Today]


    How are you feeling? I''ve missed you...


    Will you keep mepany tonight?


    (ck Cat blowing a kiss)


    —-----------


    [From Nikita]


    [Yesterday]


    I love you~


    I really miss you~~


    Come here and make me feel good!(Eggnt) (sweat droplets) (Peach)


    [Today]


    Ahem... You need toe to my ce!


    I dreamt about youst night... it was a really strange dream.


    Hehe~


    —-----------


    Thest message came from the strange number that Alucard called him on and told him where to go and when the person he would meet would arrive.


    ''Oh, so it seems the person will be a female?''


    ''ck skirt and red blouse... with a leather jacket.''


    ''She will order a double coffee with caramel pump.''


    Niki closed his eyes and took a deep breath—although they might meet at Moonducks, they would probably take a car afterwards.


    Jingle—!


    The door''s bell echoed before a group of five people came into the store. They weren''t the ones Niki needed to wait for, so he sent replies to Selene and Nikita. He was tapping his phone, and he felt a vibration. A reply came from Selene instantly... but it was an image file.


    ''Well... it says surprise, what kind of image could it be?''


    Niki made sure his corner seat wouldn''t be visible to anyone else, then covered the screen and opened it.


    Selene''s body sat against her sofa, wearing a red cocktail dress... ... but she had pulled the dress up to her waist and spread her legs apart.  Her hand parted a flower neatly, revealing how its nectar dripped down the crack beneath.


    ''Oh...''


    Instantly, he saved the picture in his secure and password-protected folder.


    It was a smart move because a momentter, the message vanished, reced with a line of text and a winking cat emoji.


    —If you liked what you saw,e to my apartment tonight. I am eagerly waiting for you.


    "Haa... when did Selene be so spicy... and wild?"


    Niki quickly replied and made a promise to visit her the following night.


    His eyes lifted from the screen, ignoring the message from Nikita because he asked to meet tomorrow instead.


    Jingle—!


    Suddenly, while he was thinking about Selene''s golden bushes, another customer entered, wearing a leather bubble jacket along with a ck skirt almost hidden by it. He noticed her hood hid her face, but she seemed extremely pale.


    ''This is her?''


    "A Double Shot, Espresso with caramel pump, please." She spoke with a slightly low and hoarse voice, but definitely feminine, and the order matched the person he needed to meet.


    ''This means I should put a menu in my hand and signal her when she looks my way.''


    Niki took a menu from a nearby table and opened it, pretending to read while glueing his eyes to her behind. He was still far away from the counter, but when he looked at her face, he couldn''t help but feel surprised. "A beauty!"


    Although the woman looked pale, like a ghost, her soft ck eyebrows and wide, sharp gaze gave her a cold look.


    She was a beauty in every way possible.


    Her lips were plump, her nose looked soft, and a pair of dimples showed on each cheek. Her beauty was undeniable... even the waitress behind the counter looked a bit stunned as she stared back.


    The sound of boiling milk and frothing machines filled the room, along with the deep, roasted scent of coffee.


    While the barista was busy, the woman turned and nced at the entire cafe, her eyes passing by the menu he was holding and meeting his own. The woman''s eyes widened for a moment before her gaze flickered to the barista. She took her drink and walked toward him slowly.


    A low ck echoed in her red heels. Her skirt fluttered, revealing her long, slender thighs and ck stockings, which gave her an aura of cold sexiness simultaneously.


    As she got closer, Niki felt a sense of power—her aura, despite not controlling it, was definitely beyond an elder.


    "Niki Volkov?"


    She observed his face for a moment, her actions a little snappy and dyed. "You look like your mother." Herment seemed strange, but then she sat at the table. "We will talk business in another ce; for now, enjoy this. You like the iced mhiato right?"


    ''It''s true...''


    ''Oh? This woman... is she showing how deep Alucards information gathering ability is?''


    Niki extended his hand and took the drink while gazing at the woman''s face with a curious thought.


    [Oh god... it''s Mika!]


    ''Mother, you know her?''


    However, before he could hear her response, the woman, like a corpse, gave an awkward smile.


    "My name is Mika Nosferatu, the wife of Alucard. I was a close friend of your aunt Anastasia and mother before she met Ivan."


    Niki''s eyes widened, his gaze turning to a re.


    He didn''t expect her to have a rtion to his mother or that someone so close to Alucard would meet him. A feeling of confusion filled him until his mother''s gentle voice sounded.


    [She''s not lying; back in those days, it was before I met your dad, and she was a close friend of mine. A girl from the noble family of Szar]


    She smiled again, but her gaze looked sad. "Yes, I knew you wouldn''t be pleased to hear me speak of your mother, sorry about that."


    "Ahem... you just looked at me with those youthful eyes like a hungry lion, and I wanted to tease you a little. Huhu."


    Niki''s face turned red as he heard her say this before his re lightened. "So, where do we need to go?"


    Mika blinked her eyes andughed. "Haha... it has been a long time since I left the castle, can we enjoy our drinks first?"


    ''She''s strange...''


    It was nothing like he expected! To be able to control such a vast amount of energy required a level of control that he couldn''t begin to imagine. But she seemed so awkward and normal, like a regr mother or aunt. "Alright," Niki said, trying his best to maintain eye contact.


    ''What is she thinking?''


    Mika sipped her coffee while tapping her feet on the floor. "Mmm~ I can taste the coffee but the heat, I don''t feel it anymore. A shame..."


    Niki didn''t know why, but he felt curious about the woman opposite him. Despite looking so young, she was at least a thousand years old... ording to his mother.


    "Howe?" He asked.


    Mika ced her cup on the table and then pointed to her plump yet blue lips.


    "Because I''m an undead, I lost most feelings in my nerves. Though before that, there was the effect of giving birth to a Nosferatu child. I have lost many of my feelings and sensations." She spoke about such horrible things with a straight face. Yet she didn''t seem unhappy.


    "Though I can still taste it, so I didn''t beat him to death."


    Niki shuddered at her words, wondering if this woman could beat Alucard to death. "So... what are we waiting for?" He asked while looking at her face. She didn''t look at his eyes, but her gaze flickered from his lips to his chest and arms.


    "You seem very strong for such a young blood... already an Adult? Amazing, no wonder my dear husband wanted to seek your council."


    Though her voice sometimes felt eerie, Niki could feel there was no mockery in her tone. It was pure honesty. "Ahem... yes, I am an adult. I need to thank my parents, who have given me everything they had to help me."


    Mika smiled as warmly as she could, taking another sip of her coffee. "Mm... I miss being an adult... once you surpass Great Elder... the world gets boring. Your mother... I miss her, she made the best tea."


    [Mika... I miss your horrible cooking and baking.]


    [Niki, this woman, you must never let her cook for you. It is deadly!]


    Her voice sounded, but Mika''s ears twitched. She looked up and around as if she had heard something. "What? Did someone speak"


    [Ah?! Is it because she''s also dead? Can she maybe hear my voice?]


    "Ah... nothing." Niki coughed, clearing his throat and looking at the woman. "So, are we going to meet Alucard soon?"


    "Hmmm, it sounded again... that voice, I am sure it''s Eliza..."


    [Hehe~ can I speak to her if I keep trying... ah, the soul force is growing weak, no!]


    ''No, I can understand... why he sought me out and wanted to meet.''


    Because of his mother''s strange attitude, Niki stopped rushing and calmed down. He realised that although it might not be safe. Alucard seemed to have someone dear to him in a simr situation and likely wanted to reach the same goal as him for his wife.


    At least, that''s what Niki theorised.