06. Breakfast

Rosella didn't want to wake up. Not at all.

She ignored the knocks on the door and Lorien's voice calling for her to join the others for breakfast.

Usually, Lorien would bring her breakfast to her room, and she would listen to his endless chatter while eating. But not today.

The embarrassing memory of last night was still painfully vivid. Worse, she recalled Lorien mentioning that they were seven brothers—not by blood, but they had grown up together in this castle.

Rosella had already met six of them. She even counted Kian, the man who had saved her and was the reason she was trapped here in the first place. Even though she had never seen his face, it still counted as meeting him, right?

But that wasn't the issue at hand.

Rosella was curious about this Kian, but she absolutely did not want to meet him.

The shame was too much—especially after she had whined like a child, afraid his ice would pierce through her body. If she joined them for breakfast, she would have to see him, wouldn't she?

"Rose, come have breakfast. You'll love Ryuu's cooking."

Lorien didn't wait for her response; he simply pushed the door open.

With his usual wide smile, he approached her bed. Rosella groaned and pulled the blanket over her head, only to peek out moments later with pleading eyes.

"I'll eat later."

"Why? Are you feeling unwell? Do humans get sick easily?"

The way Lorien phrased it was strange—almost as if he wasn't human himself—but Rosella didn't dwell on it.

"I just want to lie down a little longer."

Lorien's shoulders slumped. "I was really looking forward to it," he said, sounding genuinely disappointed.

Rosella felt a pang of guilt, but the thought of facing him again made her stomach churn. She watched as Lorien walked toward the door, looking utterly dejected.

Just as she was about to lie back down, he suddenly turned around.

"By the way, you haven't met Zale yet, right? Be careful—he doesn't like strangers."

Too late. She had already met that terrifying man.

The moment Lorien disappeared behind the door, Rosella collapsed onto her bed, groaning.

"How am I supposed to survive here?"

---

Lorien pulled out a chair and sat beside Rein with a sulky expression.

"Why are you alone? Where's Rose?"

Rein looked around as if expecting the dark-haired girl to suddenly appear. "She seems to be sick."

Zale, who had been silent, let out a low grunt. Meanwhile, Ryuu was busy in the kitchen, with Lucian helping—though he seemed more interested in watching than actually assisting.

Elio, on the other hand, was practically drooling at the scent of roasting meat.

"How did she get sick?" he asked, his voice muffled as he licked his lips.

Lorien shrugged indifferently. "No idea."

"Speaking of which, shouldn't we be getting rid of her?"

All eyes turned to Zale.

"Why?" Rein asked, looking confused.

"She can't leave. She's cursed too," Elio replied, leaning back in his chair.

"Besides, even if she could leave, I would never let her," Lorien added.

This time, all eyes shifted to the pink-haired man.

"What are you talking about? She's human. I don't want to breathe the same air as her," Zale sneered, his tone sharp.

Rein raised a hand. "I wouldn't let her leave either."

"Why?" Zale asked again, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Don't you think she's similar to us? When I'm near Rose, I feel this strange urge to protect her… to keep her happy," Lorien said with a gentle smile, his eyes narrowing playfully.

Elio let out an exaggerated laugh. "That's funny, considering what you just said a minute ago."

Lorien ignored him. "What about you, Elio?"

Elio grinned. "Same."

Zale scoffed. "Am I the only one who wants to drain her blood— ugh!"

Everyone turned toward him—or more accurately, toward the man standing behind him.

"Why did you hit my head, Kian?" Zale growled, rubbing the sore spot.

Kian let out a slow exhale, pulled out a chair, and sat down. "Watch your mouth. You never know when she might overhear you."

"Speaking of which, where have you been all this time? Rose has been looking for you," Lucian asked, setting down their breakfast. Ryuu followed, carrying more plates.

Kian sighed again. "Taking care of something."

Ryuu shot him a sharp look. "You didn't do anything reckless again, did you?"

Kian met his gaze. "I didn't. Don't worry." He gave a small, almost tired smile.

Ryuu didn't press further and took his seat. "Anyway, who is this girl you saved? Why was she in the Forbidden Forest?"

"Yeah, isn't it strange for a human to wander into that place alone? It's crawling with low-ranked vampires… and filthy dogs," Rein emphasized the last two words with obvious disdain.

Kian remained silent, gripping his fork tightly. The words felt heavy in his throat.

"She's… a vampire hunter."

Choke!

Elio nearly spat out his food, grabbing Zale's drink without hesitation. Zale glared at him.

"A vampire hunter? That means she's dangerous to us," Elio said after gulping down the drink.

"See? I told you we should get rid of her. If we can't throw her out, we should just kill her," Zale insisted.

Lorien pouted. "Why? I like Rose. She won't hurt us as long as we hide the fact that we're not human."

Zale reached for his glass, only to realize it was empty—thanks to Elio.

"Lorien's right," the youngest sibling added. "As long as we don't reveal our true nature or our powers, she won't have a reason to harm us."

Lorien beamed at him. "See? At least someone understands."

He then looked around at the others, gauging their reactions. No one seemed to object—except for Zale, who remained oddly quiet.

Ryuu, having finished his meal, stood up. "I'll make some porridge for her."

"I'll take it to her," Lorien volunteered eagerly.

"Haven't you spent enough time with her?" Rein interjected.

"Yeah, let's take turns. I'll deliver it," Elio added.

Lucian opened his mouth to say something but hesitated, deciding against it.

"No way! I want to see her too," Lorien protested.

"Don't hog her all to yourself. I want to meet her as well," Elio argued.

"Then let's go together," Lorien suggested. The others nodded in agreement.

"I think Kian should go," Lucian suddenly proposed.

Kian blinked. "Why me?"

"Shouldn't you be the one to speak to the person you saved?" Lucian asked, raising a brow.

Kian's expression hardened. He slowly shook his head. "I can't."

"Why?" Lorien leaned forward, clearly intrigued.

But Kian said nothing. Instead, he vanished from the room.

Lorien scowled. "What's his problem?"

Ryuu returned with a tray of porridge. "I'll take it to her. If I let any of you do it, I doubt it will be just about delivering food."

The brothers exchanged dissatisfied looks, but no one argued.