Survival Guide After Accidentally Kissing a Demon - chapter 10

Consciousness cried out and struggled in the dark currents of a nightmare.

She tried hard to open her eyes; her eyelids felt as heavy as lead.

Dim light filtered through ornate curtains, spilling into her vision.

Where is this place?

Memories surged like a tide. She recalled that Demon-like boy, and his cold-blooded ruthlessness.

“You’re awake, Miss Bartholomew.”

A gentle voice reached her ears.

Beili turned her gaze and saw a handsome man dressed in a white robe.

His golden hair shone like sunlight, neatly combed back to reveal a smooth, unblemished forehead.

His right eye was adorned with a single gold-rimmed monocle. His emerald green eyes were as calm and serene as a lake.

A fine gold chain hung from the monocle, trailing down and disappearing into the fair skin of his neck.

She moved her parched throat, wanting to speak, but her voice caught as if her throat were glued shut.

“Don’t speak,” the man said gently. “Your body is still very weak. You need to rest for a while.”

Beili stared at him in a daze.

The man leaned over, gently lifted the bandage on her neck, and carefully examined the wound.

“Miss Bartholomew’s injury will heal with some treatment. There’s no need to worry.”

His fair fingers brushed over the wound, and a warm power began to ease her pain.

But his fingers were too cold, as if they had been soaked in snowmelt, lacking any human warmth.

Someone took her hand.

Beili snapped back to herself and turned her gaze to see a kindly middle-aged woman sitting at her bedside, her palm warm, her eyes full of concern.

Beside the woman stood a stern-looking gentleman. Seeing Beili staring blankly at the doctor, he explained, “You suffered greatly in the Thorn Game, but we invited Doctor Cassius here. He’s an expert in healing.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the woman shot him a reproachful look. “Don’t mention the Thorn Game again.”

“Alright… That was careless of me…” The man coughed awkwardly.

Cassius… Doctor?

Meeting Cassius’s gaze, Beili felt a hint of surprise in her heart.

Doctor Cassius Alfredo, with his blond hair and emerald eyes-wasn’t he the vampire second male lead from the original story?

Unlike Ashera, whose bloodthirsty violence was hidden beneath a harmless exterior, this vampire second male lead was gentle both in appearance and in heart-kind through and through.

In the original story, the second male lead often visited the slums, treating and healing powerless, penniless commoners for free-a living… Bodhisattva.

Though his vampire identity was the embodiment of evil power, the story detailed that he only consumed animal blood…

In short, Doctor Cassius was a kind vampire.

In terms of character, there were quite a few readers who shipped Cassius and the heroine as a couple. Aside from the original male lead, he was widely recognized by readers as the most charming supporting male character.

While Beili was still recalling the details about this second male lead from the original story, Cassius, having finished his examination, rewrapped the bandage on her neck and then smiled as he invited the Duke and Duchess out of the room.

Once everyone had left, Beili emptied her mind.

Having skirted the edge of death, her thoughts gradually cleared in this new environment.

She recalled every detail of the past few days spent with Ashera, convinced that nothing in her words or actions could have crossed his forbidden line to make him suddenly turn on her so ruthlessly.

Beili felt both confused and dejected, and a certain thought even crept into her mind-

Perhaps that person really is a madman, not someone who can be easily saved by anyone.

The place most suitable for him might just be the Madhouse.

If she could turn back time, she would never have written that long review to say another good word for that little madman.
Images flashed through Beili’s mind-the strange smile on the young man’s face as he gripped her throat, and the coldness of his knuckles.

Beili was furious.

The more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

She closed her eyes, feeling utterly hopeless.

Right now, she desperately wanted to leave this wretched place and return to her original world.

As for the villainous fifth male lead, whoever wants to save him can go ahead!

While she was brooding, the sound of footsteps reached her ears.

Duke Constance and the Duchess had returned to the bedroom once more.

Beili glanced at them, her eyes shifting to look behind them. Not seeing Doctor Cassius, she figured he must have left.

An awkward atmosphere began to fill the air.

Beili sensed it and struggled with how to speak to these two.

After all, although it was their first meeting, they were now her parents.

Fortunately, the original Bartholomew hadn’t been close to her parents either, so even if Beili stared at them with a stiff expression, it wouldn’t seem out of place.

On the other side, as their biological daughter who had been lost for years, the Duke and Duchess wanted to get close to Bartholomew, but feared that too much emotion might frighten her.

“Bartholomew…” The Duchess spoke first, asking softly, “Dear, are you feeling any better?”

Beili opened her mouth to reply, but the sore muscles around her throat made it impossible to speak.

She frowned slightly, then nodded to indicate she was fine.

The Duchess noticed her expression and said remorsefully, “It’s my fault as your mother-I forgot your neck is still injured…”

Beili shook her head.

Silence fell again.

Standing to the side, the Duke looked at her and changed the subject: “Susanna is your sister. She’s usually quite lively, but today she was suddenly afraid to see you and hid herself.”

She might need some time to accept this sudden older sister.

Beili replied silently in her heart.

After all, Susanna was the adopted daughter, while Bartholomew was the true blood of the Constance Family.

So the attention and affection that originally belonged to Susanna would be taken back by the real heiress upon her return-this was only natural.

According to the original story, after Bartholomew returned to the Constance Family, Susanna’s life became increasingly miserable.

Not only did her sister ignore her, but even the servants who used to care for her began to treat her coldly.

Susanna gradually became Bartholomew’s maid-always at her beck and call, and if she was late, she’d be whipped.

To avoid the fate of a villainess, Beili certainly wouldn’t do such things.

She gently shook her head.

At that moment, a servant thoughtfully brought her parchment and a quill. She took them and, with shaky handwriting, wrote a sentence:

“Don’t worry about it. I don’t want to trouble you either.”

When the Duke and Duchess read this, their guilt nearly overwhelmed their rationality.

They couldn’t even imagine what kind of life the girl had endured all these years, lost and alone.

She must have already decided in her heart that she had no family in this world.

She was so lonely and helpless…

Looking at the girl’s thin, pale face, the Duchess couldn’t hold back her tears, while the Duke gripped his wife’s hand tightly, his voice choked with emotion.

“Bartholomew, you will never be a burden. You are our daughter, and you will always be our daughter.”

Watching these two strangers-her parents-embrace and weep, Beili grew anxious, completely at a loss for what to do.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass came from outside, startling all three inside the room.

It seemed they could hear footsteps and crying fading into the distance.

“Arnold, what happened?” the Duke asked.