An Act Of Friendship!

Zhu Ming Yue was taken aback by Sharon Blaze's words. Looking at her lost and confused, she said, “ You’d like to be friends with me? Why would you want that? “

“ Because I want to. Besides, since when do you need a reason to befriend someone? “ She added simply, rendering Ming Yue with even more questions.

Seeing Ming Yue wasn’t reacting as expected, she asked, “ What? Wouldn’t you want to be friends with me? “ She fainted her expression for a moment, giving way to Ming Yue to retort and saying, “ It’s not that. It’s just that I can’t seem to understand why, out of all the people out there, you want to befriend me especially. “

“ Because you give off more than you let on. “ She answered warmly as she held her hands and added, “ The vibe you give off isn't your true self and I hope your true self would come up in my company, so what do you say, Ming Yue? Do you want to give it a try? “

—

Seeing the sincerity and honesty she was harboring, Zhu Ming Yue held her hands firmly, which consented to give Sharon Blaze a response to her question.

Delighted, she said eagerly to Zhu Ming Yue, breathing heavily, “ Now that we’ve officiated our relationship, please accept my blood as a token of friendship! “

Looking on, Zhu Ming Yue sat up straight, grabbed Sharon’s right hand, and then looked at her. Encouraging her, she said, “ Don’t worry, Ming Yue! I’m going to be alright, so go on! “

Still hesitating, she glanced at her for the last time before finally biting her slightly. Feeling a sharp pain going through her spine, she grinned and relaxed. After nearly five minutes, she released her and while looking at her, she noticed Sharon was starting to feel dizzy and feared the worst.

“ Are you alright? “ She asked out of concern. Glancing at her, Sharon retorted and said, “ There’s nothing to be concerned about aside from the dizziness, but you must already be aware of that, right? “

?

Surprisingly, Zhu Ming Yue stared at her confusingly, which alerted Sharon to ask her a question. “ Ming Yue, don’t tell me you’ve never drank before today! “

—

Not giving off an answer, the question was answered by itself. Staying silent for a moment, Zhu Ming Yue finally spoke and said, “ I’ve seen the way Zhi Rong has been sucking blood, and each time, her victims would either be dead or on the brink of death, or even completely drained. “

“ I didn't want anyone to get hurt just because of my thirst, so I never consumed any blood. I've always stayed cloistered in my room, so I wouldn’t be tempted. The only type of blood I had was animal blood that my butler would feed me from time to time. That was what made me last until this very moment. “

Explaining to Sharon how she’d been living her life for all those centuries, she blamed Zhu Zhi Rong for Zhu Ming Yue’s isolation. Taking a firm stand, Sharon made her a promise such as, “ From now on, you may count on me for whatever you may need. I’m your friend and as such, I’ll always be there, standing by you in moments of hardships and wellness. “

Touched by Sharon’s words, Zhu Ming Yue hugged her and said, “ Thanks, Sharon, for sharing a bit of your blood with me and for that friendship you’re giving me from the bottom of your heart. “

“ There’s no need for you to thank me like this, Ming Yue! “ She patted her back gently.

Hours later, as Zhu Ming Yue was back at her household, she was grinning to her ears for the very first time. Thomas, the butler, was surprised to see her current ray of joy and as he approached her, he asked, “ What made you so happy, my lady? Did something pleasant happen at the tea party? “

Still grinning, she asked Thomas to accompany her to her chambers, which he gladly did. Once there, Zhu Ming Yue told her butler everything that happened at the Blaze manor, not forgetting to mention her newfound friendship with the hostess, Sharon Blaze.

“ Congratulations on making your first friend, my lady! “

“ Thanks, Thomas! I wanted you to be the first to know, as you’ve always been like a father to me. “ She grinned warmly.

“ I’m flattered, my lady, that you view me that way, even though I’ve never truly done anything for you. “ He uttered, faintly sad, as his sentence concluded.

“ Thomas, stop blaming yourself for all that I had to go through because none of it was your fault. I’m already more than grateful that you didn’t abandon me and stood by my side. “ She uttered genuinely to Thomas, who was touched by her words.

As an oath to Ming Yue, he said, “ You’ll never lose me, my lady, as I’ll always stand by your side as I’m doing now. “

“ Thanks, Thomas! “

Moments later, when Shun came to bring Zhu Ming Yue’s food, he found her to be radiating. Even without asking, he could tell just how happy she looked. As he served her food and turned to leave, Zhu Ming Yue uttered out of the blue, “ I’ve heard some rumors while I was at the tea party. “

Stopping momentarily, he asked, “ What kind of rumors? “

“ Like I’ve been going to raids. Would you care to explain to me what that’s supposed to mean? “

Keeping silent, Shun didn’t know how to get himself out of the current situation. Noticing Zhu Ming Yue’s constant stares in his direction, he finally said after a while, “ I’ve been going on raids when you were unconscious on your behalf. Someone must have mistaken me for you by mistake. I’m so sorry. “

“ Are you sure you’re telling me the truth? “

Sensing doubt in Zhu Ming Yue’s tone, Shun asked, “ Don’t you believe me? “

The moment he said those words, Zhu Ming Yue recalled all that Shun had done for her so far without requesting anything in return.

“ You may leave! “

Saying just that, Shun could feel as if Zhu Ming Yue was doubting him. When he was back in his chamber, Mia, his guide confirmed to him what he already suspected.

“ What do you think I should do, Mia? “

Asking for genuine advice from his guide, she uttered, [ There’s nothing better than the truth, Master, wouldn’t you agree? If you want someone to trust you, then the only way out is to be honest with them and not hide anything from them. That’s the best option, especially in this case.]

Hearing his guide’s advice for him, Shun uttered, “ You’re right, Mia. Honesty is the best policy, but it’s not time yet. She still feels guarded against me, so if I were to tell her the truth, she would think of me as having ulterior motives for all that I’ve done for her so far. “

“ Until she truly trusts me and feels relaxed around me, I can’t tell her the truth, especially not about the monster raids. “ Shun uttered with confidence to Mia who remained quiet.

Several days went by during which Zhu Ming Yue and Sharon exchanged couriers back and forth. Filled with joy every time she received Sharon’s responses, Ming Yue was able to feel true happiness for the very first time. Seeing her smiling more often, Shun was delighted and hoped from the bottom of his heart that her smile would never vanish.

One day, while outside shopping with Sharon, Zhu Ming Yue vomited blood on the street. Those who were passing by at the time got terrified and ran off, looking at her weirdly.

“ Ming Yue, you’re vomiting blood! “

Worried about her state, Ming Yue calmed her by saying, “ Don’t freak out, Sharon! This has been the routine for the past century. “

Glancing at her bloody state, Sharon offered Zhu Ming Yue her blood as she did last time, but she declined.

“ Why are you declining to suck my blood? “ Sharon couldn’t help but ask to which Zhu Ming Yue responded as follows, “ Sucking your blood won’t change anything about my state, Sharon. “

“ There must be a way out of this, isn’t there? “

Showing concern for Zhu Ming Yue, the latter was touched while feeling saddened at the same time. Eagerly waiting for a reply that never came, Sharon said, “ Your silence says it all, Ming Yue. “

At the sound of those words, Zhu Ming Yue wiped off the blood from her mouth and said, “ The cure to my current state is way too risky, Sharon. “ She uttered sternly before adding the following, “ I was fine last time because you’re a full-fledged vampire. Even though I knew there wasn’t any need for concern, I was still worried something could go wrong in the process, so knowing the risk, how could I consider— “

Not giving an end to her words, Sharon concluded her statement by saying, “ Does that mean your cure is a human? “

!

“ Is that why you’re declining to consider it because you’re scared he might not be able to withstand your powers? “

—

“ I cannot hide it from you, Sharon. My cure is indeed a human and just as you’ve implied, I’m scared of anything happening to him. “ She admitted without hesitation.

Observing her closely, Sharon asked, “ Is he the special someone you were speaking of last time? Is he the one? “

Nodding to ascertain her response, Sharon forwarded, “ You’re scared and that’s normal, but have you considered his feelings? “

—

“ You fear for his life because he’s a human, but have you ever thought as to why he’s so eager to aid you despite the consequences it might have on him? “

Retorting to Sharon’s question, she uttered the following, “ He stated as a reason that he cared for me, but I doubt that’s the case. There must be something else that’s driving him and that must be the true reason behind his actions. “

—

“ It might be so, but you need to get treated regardless. You can’t remain like this, Ming Yue. We’ve only just become friends and I’d like for our friendship to last forever more, so won’t you consider it for the sake of this newfound relationship? “

“ Sharon, I—---- I don’t know what I should do. Sharon, I’m so lost. “

“ It’s okay, Ming Yue. I’m here for you and I’ll help you figure this out. “ She uttered confidently to Ming Yue who asked, “ How? How are you planning to help me figure things out? “

Retorting to her words, Sharon uttered sternly, “ For starters, why don’t you introduce me to that special someone of yours? “

“ What? “

Shun on the other hand was inside the study diligently working when he felt Zhu Ming Yue’s presence from a mile away and walked out of the room.

Heading to the kitchen to make tea, Thomas, the butler asked him, “ Who are you making tea for? “

The response he received to that question stunned him. “ Lady Ming Yue is back, so I’m making tea for her. “

Following his words, Thomas headed to the hall to check and just as Shun had predicted, Zhu Ming Yue made her way to the living hall alongside her friend, Sharon Blaze.

Thomas was stunned and simply stood there as a statue. It was only when Zhu Ming Yue introduced her friend to him that he finally reacted.

“ What’s wrong, Thomas? You seem lost. “ She asked him, concerned to which he retorted with the following, “ It’s nothing, my lady. I was just surprised to see you back this early, that’s all. “

Gazing at Zhu Ming Yue’s friend, Thomas politely said, “ It’s an immense pleasure to make your acquaintance, Lady Sharon Blaze. Thanks for hanging out with my lady and for being such a good friend to her. “

“ You must be, Thomas Clover, the loyal butler she’s been telling me so much about. “ The two shook hands as a greeting. “ I’m delighted to finally meet you in person, Sir Clover. I don’t know why but I have the feeling we’ll make a pretty good team. “

“ Same here! “

The two laughed it off when at long last Shun showed up with a tray. Serving her tea, he welcomed her back with a grin.

“ So. you must be that special someone she’s been telling me so much about. We finally met! “

?

Staring at the person beside Zhu Ming Yue, Shun couldn’t help but wonder who that was.

“ Let me introduce myself! I’m Sharon Blaze, Ming Yue’s friend. I’m delighted to finally meet you. “

—