Kaelan wasn't alone. Sylvia was with him.

The fragile human girl was leaning weakly against his arm, as if she might collapse at any moment.

But it was what they were holding that truly blinded me: shopping bags and a key.

The golden key to a luxury apartment glittered in the moonlight.

The bags were full of home goods—I saw pillows, blankets, and human toiletries.

They looked like a couple moving into their first home.

And the poison from the Silver Bells still burned inside me.

"Rosa?" Kaelan frowned, his eyes landing on the suitcase behind me. "Where are you going?"

I didn't answer.

The stench of Sylvia’s cheap human perfume drifted off him, so sweet it made me sick.

"What is the meaning of this?"

My Aunt Elara’s magical projection shimmered into existence to see me off, materializing right in the middle of the confrontation. I cut her off before she could demand answers.

“Aunt Elara, the gifts from Mother have arrived. Don’t just leave them in the collection room. Enjoy them.”

I never once looked at Kaelan, but this time, he actually tried to explain.

“Rosalie, don't get the wrong idea. The area Sylvia was living in wasn’t safe. I just found her a more suitable place. I didn't realize it was so close to your aunt's old manor."

I still didn't look at him.

"Aunt Elara, you know about the family's arrangements, right?"

"Of course. The lord of the Obsidian Throne. Pure-blooded, immensely powerful." My aunt shot a look at Kaelan. "A thousand times better than some ungrateful traitor."

"Kaelan," Sylvia whimpered, her voice trembling. "I'm so tired. Can we go inside and rest?"

The moment she spoke, Kaelan's attention snapped back to her.

"Of course." His voice instantly softened. "You've had a rough night."

He scooped Sylvia up into his arms and ordered the guards, "Clear a path!"

Then he vanished, reappearing inside the manor's private elevator with her.

I noticed his bags held more than just home goods. There was specialty food and a medical kit for humans.

He even had nutritional supplements for her.

So thoughtful.

The moment the elevator doors closed, I felt a wave of liberation.

"Rosalie," my aunt's voice was laced with pain. "Are you really not going to fight for him?"

I watched the elevator light ascend, floor by floor.

"You saw his choice, Aunt Elara."

"But a century together—"

"His silence was the only answer I needed," I cut her off. "If he truly cared, he would be down here explaining himself, not upstairs comforting his human assistant."

My aunt sighed. "Perhaps you're right. This Damien… I've heard of him. Ancient bloodline. Power beyond measure."

"At least he won't make me wait a century."

The driver of the armored car signaled that it was time to leave.

I dragged my suitcase to the car without a backward glance.

Kaelan never came back down. Not even as the car pulled out of the manor gates.

Out of basic courtesy, I sent him a single text.

"I'll be gone for a few days. Don't wait up."

My phone buzzed almost instantly.

It wasn't a reply from Kaelan.

It was a picture. Kaelan, standing in a beautifully furnished apartment, personally adjusting the UV-blocking blinds on a window.

His expression was focused, his movements gentle, as if performing a sacred rite.

I was about to turn my phone off when another text came through from her.

"Lady Rosalie, please don't get the wrong idea! Mr. Kaelan is just helping me with a few small things. I'm only human, you know, I don't know how to do any of this myself. I really need the help…"

My fury churned. I thought of how I’d been separated from my parents for centuries. How just two days ago, I had pulled strings with my family to guarantee Kaelan the elders' support.

And now, Kaelan—the great leader who was supposedly too busy to do anything but lead his Covenant to glory—was adjusting blinds for his human assistant. It was laughable.

And humans aren't afraid of the sun. Unless he planned on staying there.

Before I could process it, my phone rang again.

Kaelan.

“Rosalie, what the hell is your problem today?” His voice was low and impatient. “Sylvia is a fragile human. What’s wrong with me finding her a safe place to live? The Covenant hasn't assigned her permanent housing yet. As the leader, shouldn't I look after the weak?”

“And what was that attitude at the anniversary? You gave me a cold shoulder, said you were sick, and just left. I haven't even dealt with you about that! And now you're throwing another tantrum?”

I could hear Sylvia’s pitiful sobs in the background. I finally understood her game.

A perfect performance.

The innocent, helpless victim in front of Kaelan; a deliberate provocateur to me. She was a completely different person.

I took a breath. I saw her petty game.

But I couldn't be bothered to defend myself.

“You’re right. It was my fault. I was just asking. You’re busy. I’m already in the car. Don’t worry, I didn’t wait.”

After hanging up, I went back to my art studio.

My phone wouldn't stop vibrating.

I opened the Covenant's internal network, the "Night's Eye." Messages were flying.

The pinned post told me everything.

Posted by: Sylvia_Human

The photo showed Kaelan, intently installing a state-of-the-art anti-sunlight system in the apartment. Not just blinds—a high-tech defense grid worth hundreds of thousands.

Caption: “Thank you to our noble Lord for being so thoughtful! Humans are so lucky to have this kind of protection~ It's so moving to see our leader be so considerate!”

The comments were already over three hundred.

“Wow, the Lord is that nice to humans?”

“Lady Sylvia is so lucky!”

“Damn, that protection system is better than the one at my haven.”

“Is the Lord hiding his new pet?”

“I think Lady Sylvia is about to receive the Embrace! She'll be one of us soon!”

“Congratulations! Should we prepare for a wedding?”

Every comment was a dagger, aimed straight at my heart.

I kept scrolling.

More photos.

Kaelan, carrying her boxes of personal belongings.

Kaelan, calibrating the climate control system for her.

Kaelan, in her kitchen, preparing special food for humans.

Every photo, every detail, screamed one thing:

They were living together.

I thought of everything I had done for him over the century.

I used my family's ancient connections to fund his synthetic blood research.

I convinced my parents to recognize him as the leader of a fledgling Covenant.

I even vouched for him personally when the council of elders questioned his leadership.

But everything changed when Sylvia arrived.

Three months ago, Marcus, one of my family's elders, questioned why a human was involved in the Covenant’s core decisions.

Kaelan flew into a rage. He sentenced Marcus to a month of drinking only animal blood as punishment.

For us, animal blood is the ultimate humiliation. It weakens our power and dulls our minds.

I should have known then.

I let out a cold laugh and destroyed my network key.

From now on, their world had nothing to do with me.

Back in the vault, I started packing my personal things.

My eyes fell on a black ebony box on my desk.

I traced the intricate carvings on the lid before slowly opening it.

998 Stygian Roses lay inside, each one perfectly preserved, glowing with a faint, dark light.

The first was from 1925, when he was just a candidate for leadership.

The 998th was from last Christmas.

He had promised me that on the day he gathered 999, we would forge our eternal blood bond beneath the Blood Moon. The box was custom-made for this purpose, with exactly 999 slots.

But when I looked at the final space, it was still empty.

I stared at that empty slot for a long time, a self-mocking smile on my lips.

So it turned out, no matter how long I waited, it was all for nothing.

I carried the box out of the room and into the open grounds of the family cemetery. I took a silver match from my pocket and struck it.

The silver-kissed flame licked up the side of the box, devouring it. One by one, the magically preserved roses dissolved in the heat, turning to ash and then, to nothing.

These gifts were the testament to my century of youth. Now, the fire was their tomb.

Kaelan returned to find this scene.

His face was pale with shock and disbelief.

He shot toward me as a blur of black mist, shoved me aside, and tried to snatch the box from the flames.

But the fire was too strong. The flames, fueled by the silver match, drove him back.

Fire licked at his hands, searing his skin black. He hissed in pain and stumbled back, trying furiously to smother the blaze with his power.

It was useless.

He could only watch as the roses—the vessels of a hundred years of memories—vanished into the fire.

“Are you insane?!”

He finally spun on me, his eyes burning hotter than the flames. His voice was laced with outrage.

“You burned them? A century of work, an eternity of promises—and you just destroyed it all? Do you have any idea what you’ve just done?”

I pushed myself up from the ground, brushing the dust from my silk nightgown.

The fire cast a warm glow on my face, but my voice was ice.

“It’s fine. I opened it and thought I saw rot. So I burned it.”

Seeing my movement, he finally realized he had gone too far.

He took a deep breath.

“Are you okay? I’m sorry, I was just… frantic. We’ve been filling that box for a century. Weren't we going to display it for the whole Covenant at our blood bond ceremony? Why would you suddenly burn it?”

“If there was rot, you could have waited for me. Or sent me a message. I would have fixed it.”

This man was no longer the boy who had promised to protect me for all eternity.

I couldn't even stand to look at him.

“You haven’t been back in a long time. You must be busy. I didn’t want to bother you with something so small.”

“And Kaelan,” I said, my smile as cold as the grave, “none of it was ever for me. For a century, you hunted down every rose-related treasure in the world. But you never once stopped to ask…” I paused, letting the silence hang between us. “What I actually liked.”

His pupils shrank. “What do you mean?”

I looked him dead in the eye and said, word by word, “I hate Stygian Roses.”

He stood beside me, his gaze full of guilt.

The irony was suffocating.

He was playing the part of the devoted lover, yet he didn’t even know the favorite flower of the woman he’d been with for a century. But he knew every preference of a human assistant he’d met just months ago.

I turned to leave. He thought I was just throwing a fit. He grabbed my arm and pulled me into his embrace.

His cold presence surrounded me. It made my skin crawl.

He didn't let go. Instead, his voice filled with concern.

“Is your strength still not back? I’m sorry. I admit I’ve been busy lately, and I’ve neglected you. Once I get through the next couple of days, I’ll take you to pick out new gifts you actually like. How about that? I’ll get you double!”

Once, those words might have made me forgive him in a heartbeat.

But after being tortured to the brink by Silver Bells, I wanted nothing more to do with him.

He forgot my fatal poison for another woman. I couldn't lie to myself about this love any longer.

When he calmed down, I firmly pried his arms off me.

“Don’t apologize to me. If you’re really so sorry, then make it up to me with a proper centennial celebration.”

My centennial had been passed over because he was too busy building his Covenant.

But I was leaving in two days. I wanted one celebration with him there.

My request was so simple it seemed to make him nervous.

A flicker of unease crossed his face.

He nodded, then opened his mouth to ask something, but his phone rang.

He glanced at the caller ID and spoke rushedly.

“The elders’ meeting was moved up. I have to get back. Once we settle the synthetic blood distribution, and with your family’s support, my ‘Crimson Crown’ initiative will be stable. Don’t wait up for me tonight. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

The words tumbled out of his mouth as he was already backing away.

Before his sentence was even finished, he had dissolved into mist and vanished through the gate.

I stood there, listening to that unique ringtone fade into the night.

It was Sylvia’s ringtone. I knew it.

But I didn’t call him out on it.

The next evening, the manor's grand hall was gaudily decorated.

Sylvia appeared as the "celebration planning assistant."

She directed servants to hang cheap decorations.

Plastic flowers, tacky streamers, and cheap-looking balloons.

“Lady Rosalie, what do you think of the décor?” she asked with a sweet smile. “I chose the most passionate colors to match the century of love between you and Kaelan.”

I looked at the circus before me, and felt nothing.

“It has your style.”

Night fell, and the so-called “centennial celebration” began.

Only a handful of Covenant members showed up. Most were whispering amongst themselves.

I knew what they were talking about.

“Lord Kaelan has arrived!”

Kaelan finally appeared, dressed in a formal black suit.

He walked toward me, reaching for my hand.

I noticed Sylvia standing in the crowd, a necklace around her throat.

A moonstone necklace.

My family’s heirloom moonstone necklace.

I’d lost it three months ago. I’d searched everywhere.

So, she had it.

“Lady Rosalie,” Sylvia said, walking over when she saw me looking. “Are you satisfied with the celebration? I put a lot of effort into it.”

She toyed with the moonstone at her neck, her smile sweet and defiant.

“It’s lovely,” I said, my eyes cold. “Fakes always stand out the most.”

The words had barely left my mouth when Sylvia snatched a silver letter opener from a nearby table.

“I know you don’t like me!” she cried. “But I haven’t done anything wrong!”

The next second, she plunged the blade into her own arm.

“Ah—!”

Blood gushed from the wound. She collapsed to the floor, sobbing.

“Sylvia!”

Kaelan appeared in a flash, a wave of his power slamming into me and knocking me back several steps.

“Have you lost your mind?!” he snarled, his eyes blazing with crimson fire as he shielded her. “She’s a fragile human! Why would you attack her?!”

He swept the trembling Sylvia into his arms and vanished into the night without a second glance at me.

The guests in the hall exchanged uneasy looks, then began to leave.

In less than half an hour, I was the only one left in the vast, empty hall.

I sat there alone all night.

In the morning, a servant brought me a birthday cake.

Black Forest, with a single white candle.

I poured myself a glass of aged blood and raised it.

“To our century.”

I drained the glass and blew out the candle.

My personal countdown hit zero.

I dragged my suitcase out the manor's main gate.

Sitting in the private car on the way to the airport, I pulled out my phone and sent Kaelan one last text.

"Our century is over."

With that one sentence, I said goodbye to a hundred years of my youth, and to my obsession with Kaelan.

With a roar, the plane took off. My phone immediately blew up with his frantic calls.