Chapter 59: The Legacy of Remedies, Echoes in the Night

Seeing An Ran's guarded expression, Richard decided to drop the line of questioning. After all, that wasn't the reason he had come. Though An Ran wasn't a descendant of the ** family, her knowledge of protective wards suggested some connection to them. However, this detail was of little importance to him.

Noticing her limp, Richard frowned slightly. "Why are you still limping? And why do you smell… strange?"

*Strange smell?* An Ran sniffed herself, then replied with a hint of irritation, "It's just the medicinal tincture from my family's secret recipe. It's not strange. And I only hurt my foot yesterday—it's not going to heal overnight."

Humans were such fragile creatures, their healing abilities paling in comparison to vampires.

Richard knelt down, his eyes fixed on her ankle. Without warning, he reached out and touched the swollen area. An Ran flinched in surprise, instinctively pulling her foot back, but his cold hand firmly gripped it. The contrast between the icy touch of his hand and the ** warmth of the medicinal tincture created a strangely soothing sensation.

Still, the sensation of him holding her ankle made her blush deeply. She tugged again, but he didn't let go. "Wh-what are you doing?" she stammered.

Ignoring her question, Richard focused on the swelling. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small box. "Don't move," he said, his deep violet eyes locking with hers.

An Ran froze, unsure of what to do. As another cool sensation spread across her injury, she realized he was applying a salve to her ankle. The ointment was refreshing, lacking the ** sting of the tincture. Whether it was the salve or the placebo effect, her ankle seemed to hurt less already.

"What is this?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.

Richard raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. "A family remedy. Works better than yours, doesn't it?"

An Ran blinked, her lips parting but no words coming out.

Richard's fingers, still coated in the ointment, moved upward along her skin, brushing over two small wounds—scrapes from the splinters the day before that had already scabbed over.

The icy touch of his fingers lingered on the scars, and An Ran, now fully aware of his proximity, pulled her foot away, her guard up once more.

Richard's expression darkened as he stared at the faint scars on her foot. The lingering warmth of her skin—a warmth vampires could never possess—triggered a realization. *This is why I've had no appetite today.* 

An Ran exhaled in relief. "Richard, that's enough…"

But Richard's gaze was fixed on her lips, the way they parted and closed as she spoke. He found himself inexplicably drawn to them, even more so than the pulse on her neck. For a fleeting moment, he felt an overwhelming urge to…

Abruptly, he stood up, his demeanor cold and distant. "I should go."

The sudden shift in his mood sent a chill through An Ran. His volatility left her unsettled. She could only watch in silence as his solitary figure disappeared from view.

When she noticed the small box of ointment left on the floor, a thought crossed her mind—one she couldn't quite articulate or fully believe. The idea lingered even as her grandfather returned home, boasting about his fishing exploits, and eventually, she drifted into a restless sleep.

In the quiet of the night, the roar of motorcycles broke the silence, one wave after another. An Ran stirred but, too exhausted to get up, fell back into a deep slumber. As she slipped into dreams, she made a mental note: *If my foot feels better tomorrow, I'll go find the 'Night Clan' and ask them what's going on.*

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When she woke the next day, it was already past noon.

An Ran swung her legs off the bed and was stunned to find that her right ankle had healed completely—no swelling, no pain. She stared at the small box of ointment on her nightstand, baffled. Whatever magical remedy it was, it had worked wonders overnight. 

Her mind raced with questions, but for now, she was just grateful to be back on her feet.