Chapter 23: An Unconventional Candlelit Dinner

This dining table looked so eerie, yet Lionel Albert was the one I had long-awaited to have dinner with.

Dene's expression grew even colder than before. "Dene William, pleased to meet you."

"Likewise, Lionel Albert. Margie likes to call me that," the baron introduced himself politely, his tone slow and languid, as if it were a habit formed over millennia—after all, he had an abundance of time to spare.

As he spoke, he glanced at me with a teasing smile, adding, "Actually, she just can't remember my lengthy middle name."

Did I just detect a hint of fondness in his tone?!

His icy hand quietly grasped mine on my knee. It was so cold, so freezing. The temperature reminded me that we belonged to two different worlds. I couldn't help but frown before saying, "I... just have a bad memory."

"Mhm, I understand," he replied, sounding like an old friend. "Margie, did you bring an extra coat? The wind is picking up outside. It might get cold."

The wind outside probably wasn't as cold as his body.

I pulled my hand away. "I have a cloak. I won't be cold. I'll go back with Dene later."

He raised an eyebrow. "Dene... do you live together?"

He casually signaled the waiter and ordered another bottle of red wine. For a vampire, red wine could stimulate appetite, and that bottle reminded me of how foolishly I had been enchanted earlier.

"Yes," I said quickly. "Dene is my boyfriend. We've been together for three years. Hehe... Dene?" I shot Dene a meaningful look.

He suddenly became very cooperative. "Yes, I've been working in Paris. May I ask what line of work you're in, Mr. Albert?"

"Biological research."

"Biological research?" I looked at him skeptically.

Oh, right! Sucking human blood, sucking elf blood, and digesting it in his body—that's what a vampire's "biological research" is. How advanced, intelligent, and fully automated.

"Darling, you never mentioned this Mr. Albert to me. You two seem quite close," Dene said, reaching across the table to take my hand. "Well, we've eaten enough. Let's go home."

"Uh... okay," I replied, feeling a bit disappointed. I hadn't even said much. Why was he in such a hurry to leave?!

What a letdown. A perfectly good candlelit dinner had been ruined.

I glanced at the baron, feeling a sudden reluctance to leave. "Lionel, are you going to stay here for a while?"

"Yes, I think I'll stay a bit longer," he said, narrowing his eyes and gazing at me thoughtfully. "Goodnight, Margie."

His tone was so intimate, as if it were something whispered in the quiet of the night, though it lacked a tender goodnight kiss.

A goodnight kiss.

Damn it, what's wrong with my brain?

Why do I keep thinking about things I shouldn't?

Just as I was thinking this, he suddenly leaned in, embraced me, and lightly kissed my cheek.

The closeness was so ambiguous, making me both excited and nervous. A fresh scent from him wafted over me, and I couldn't help but sigh inwardly, feeling an inexplicable sense of relief, as if I had drunk from a clear mountain spring.

After he sat back, he smiled at Dene. Clearly, in France, this was just a polite farewell kiss.

Dene also shook his hand courteously.

My ears burned, and my heart trembled violently. I stared at him blankly for a moment before looking away, pulling my cloak tighter, and not daring to meet his captivating eyes again.

Dene stood up, adjusted my cloak, and, shedding his earlier cold demeanor, wrapped his arm around my waist as we settled the bill and left.

Five minutes after leaving the restaurant, he suddenly said, "Margie, that vampire has his eyes on you. He's actually following us."

"What?" I looked back but didn't see any suspicious vehicles trailing us. "There's no car following us!"

Dene replied, "He's 2,000 feet above us. Focus and manipulate the water molecules in the air to warn him off."

"I've never tried that!" The precision of 2,000 feet was too exact. How did he figure that out?

Dene warned sternly, "You'd better create an ice barrier to block him, or we'll be driving around Paris all night until sunrise. If his companions show up, we'll just be two elf blood bags, helping them enhance their powers."

"Fine," I said, closing my eyes and concentrating. A slow but powerful force gradually gathered, and the water vapor 2,000 feet above the car condensed into ice, forming a thick ice wall.

I could feel the weight of the ice wall and even sense Lionel's flight path through the changes in the water vapor.

"After dealing with it, don't forget to melt the ice. Otherwise, it'll fall and kill someone," Dene reminded coldly.

"I've already suspended it in the air. It'll sublimate into water vapor when the sun rises."

He pursed his lips. "Not bad."

"Was that a compliment?"

"I never compliment people. Consider it a special reward."

"Don't forget, you're my boyfriend tonight. Could you show a little kindness? I dressed up so nicely to please you. At the very least, you should reward me with a romantic French kiss!" Even though I didn't really care for his kiss.

"You still dare to ask for a French kiss? Who flirts with a vampire right in front of their boyfriend? Don't you realize you've been completely enchanted by him?"