My Vampire Guy

The night was quiet, only a few howls of wolves echoed and sometimes the rustling of leaves because of the chilly wind blowing from time to time.

The full moon floated in the sky, gradually finding a rare space between the dark leaves to see a man with a beautiful face, like a statue lying on a branch of an old tree.

The gentle light from the sky touched the noble-style clothes embroidered with extremely eye-catching patterns with gold thread, making Samson even more outstanding in the dark background. What belongs to him has an almost unique beauty: eyes, lips, mouth, even hands, and feet.

"Throw her away, don't regret a few more dollars. We cannot escape with a child."

A voice interspersed with gasps from below startled Samson, his ruby eyes immediately looking down at the dense dwarf trees.

It's already ten o'clock at night. He didn't expect that there would be someone brave enough to venture into this place known as the "Haunted Forest".

With eyes capable of seeing through the dark, Samson easily recognized them as two men, one tall and one short.

On the man of short stature's shoulder was a little girl, who seemed to have lost consciousness because her arms were hanging loose and swaying with the short man's movements.

The tall man with a large, hairy face continued to persuade his companion when he saw the person opposite him lingered.

"Hurry, before we get discovered we need to go back and get the rest of the money."

"Then let's kill the girl."

The short man said as he threw the little girl into the dry leaves and quickly pulled out a sharp knife.

However, just as he raised the knife high, Samson removed the expensive diamond attached to the collar of his shirt and threw it so hard that the knife punctured a hole and fell into the bushes.

The two men immediately raised their frightened eyes to look up, but the four sides were just rustling leaves.

"The ghost... the ghost... the ghost..."

While the short man was still stammering because he saw those ruby eyes flashing in the dark, Samson quickly moved closer to the two men with a light jump like a feather.

He was still standing on a tall tree branch, crossed his arms, and looking down.

The howls of wolves calling for the pack suddenly resounded, breaking the silence. The wind was also getting stronger and stronger, blowing the carpet of dry leaves everywhere, revealing a bright red diamond.

No one told anyone. The two men simultaneously turned their backs and ran with both legs and arms, looking as if they were mimicking the movements of wolves.

The corner of Samson's lips curled up into a small smile and in a moment he jumped down next to the diamond and picked it up and put it back on his collar.

Although his movements were very agile, he exuded an elegant and polite look, not rushed or hasty.

"Girl, you're lucky. Let see."

Samson said as he approached the little girl and reached out to brush her messy blond hair that was hiding her dusty face and streaks of black smoke.

If he guessed correctly, this girl was only about eight or nine years old, and he didn't know how her parents took care of her and let her be taken away by traffickers.

"I will only take care of you until you wake up. Anyway, your blood is not of good quality."

He picked the girl up and glided quickly in the night wind and an instant, the two of them appeared in front of the ancient castle.

As soon as he reached out to push the gate, two blue rays of light suddenly swept through and a woman's voice sounded as if she was laughing.

"Your taste has changed, right? Did you go to the place where people live to catch prey?"

As soon as Maris finished speaking, she also stopped in front of Samson. She stared at the little girl in the arms of the owner of the gold-plated castle.

It had been a long time since Maris had seen a child because it had been twenty years since she had decided not to step foot in the place where humans lived.

"Sell this girl to me. I need someone to clean the house and yard so that I have time to take care of my beauty."

"How much are you going to pay me?" Samson narrowed his eyes and asked.

"How many bags of blood are enough? Because you need nothing more than blood." Maris shrugged and said.

"Come inside and help me change her clothes."

Maris shrugged again and followed the handsome vampire into the castle.

This was the second time she had seen Samson bring a human to the castle.

A hundred years ago, he also saved a girl with blonde hair, but in the end, his care and affection for the girl were in vain.

When she discovered his identity as a vampire, she tried to escape and was torn apart by wolves.

Although the tragedy had tormented Samson for many years, Maris felt it was a good thing because if the girl escaped the forest, there would be no certainty of his safety.

The group of vampire hunters is still hiding everywhere.

The existence of two castles deep in the murky forest and separated from human view by a thick fog has been a secret for a thousand years.

"These dresses were prepared by you in advance, right? Samson, are you planning to raise an adopted child?" Maris exclaimed in surprise when she saw a large closet filled with elaborate dresses of all sizes.

"I entrust her to you. Don't hurt her."

He laid the little girl down on the bed and looked at Maris's long, sharp claws.

She nodded slightly and in an instant her hand was back to normal, small and beautiful.

After Samson left, Maris immediately chose a simple dress and carried a basin of water to the bed to clean the little girl's body.

The speed of a female vampire was extremely agile, but because she was afraid that she would carelessly scratch the little girl, her movements were rather slow.

The human girl's face was as white as winter snow and her lips as red as lipstick and her long curled eyelashes made Maris admire her.

"If you stay here, I will be ranked second. Oh, this beauty does not seem to belong to the earth."

After Maris changed the new dress for the little girl, she quickly left the room.

She also did not forget to hold in her hand an old dress that was torn and burned in some places.

As Maris stepped out of the room, she saw Samson standing with his arms crossed and his back against the wall. From this angle, he looked even more prominent.

As soon as he heard Maris' clogs hit the precious wooden floor, he immediately turned to her.

"I just help her clean and change her clothes. When she wakes up, please wash her hair." Maris laughed and said.

"Thank you." Samson replied.

"I'm a little curious..."

"If it's not your business, don't ask."

Maris's lips stretched as her question was interrupted by the handsome vampire. She just helped him change the little girl's clothes and now he's saying she wasn't involved?

Maris gave the dress to Samson and quickly left the castle because it was time for her to feed the owls late at night.

As she passed the living room, she saw a bottle of dried blood on the table and took it because she understood it was her reward.

Samson was always so fair from the day she met and knew him. Every time he asked her to do something, he would repay her with dried blood.

The sour smell of the rumpled dress in his hand almost made him vomit down the hallway. He also didn't understand what was wrong with his nose just now that he couldn't sense the mixed smell and he could hold that human girl. Compared to Maris's owls, it was even more terrifying.

"Ah... ah... ah..."

The sound of a child's cry made Samson startle and rush into the room.

If he guessed correctly, the little girl must have woken up and realized she was in a strange place, so she was scared.

However, when the door opened, he saw the little girl was still closing her eyes, her hands were tightly clenched on the blanket and her mouth was constantly screaming, her forehead was wet with sweat even though the night air in the deep forest was extremely cold.

While Samson didn't know how to comfort the human girl, she grabbed his hand and held it tight.

In the end, he had to accept sitting next to her because he was worried that if he pulled his hand away, she would have nightmares again.

Under the golden candlelight, he noticed that on the little girl's neck was a gold chain with a star pendant.

His other hand was free, so he reached out and turned the star upside down.

Just as he thought, underneath was an extremely finely carved inscription.

"Lucasta? Is this your name, little girl?"

Samson's gentle smile was like a flickering fire in the middle of a winter night.

This room once imprinted the footprints of the girl he loved with all his heart and also the girl he hated the most.

If the victim was an adult girl, he would have scared the two men and run away and then he would have left her to the god of luck. However, this girl is still too young.

"Samson, did you catch any of my owls?" Maris's question came from the small window.

"No." He replied.

"Dammit. I just fed it half an hour late, and it left."

Maris sighed and continued walking around Samson's castle, her blue eyes constantly looking around.

After all, her neighbor was only him and he openly hated her owls.

He called them stinky and dirty, even though she cooked rose water and bathed them every day.

While Maris was depressed because she couldn't find the lost owl, it came back and sat on her shoulder.

The red water on the owl's beak startled her, and she quickly wiped it away with her hands and brought it back to her castle because she knew it had just eaten the vine that Samson loved most.

It was still dark, but Lucasta was awake and the first person she saw was a guy with his eyes closed, leaning back against the head of the bed.

She withdrew her hand from his warm one and sat up and looked around the unfamiliar room.

"Are you awake, Lucasta?"

Samson's voice startled Lucasta and turned her head, then she continued to look at him.

Everything in this luxurious room and Samson was not in her empty memory.

"Lucasta?" She pointed her finger at herself and raised her eyebrows.

"Right. Now, you tell me your home address. When night comes, I'll take you home."

"Home... home..."

The bewildered look on the girl's face made Samson realize she seemed to have a mental problem and she could only repeat the last words of his sentence.

He tried to explain to her that home was where her parents or even her siblings lived, where there was the bed she used to lie on and the table she used to sit at to eat meals...

Samson talked a lot, but all he got was Lucasta's constant head shakes.

She did not understand what he was trying to describe and why the house had so many complicated things.

"Lucasta, don't you remember anything?"

Samson's voice sounded strained because he was worried he would carry an extra burden.

He couldn't throw away this child who was sick and needed help. Nature is also ironic when giving her an almost perfect appearance, but her mind is not like an ordinary person.

Her frightened expression had inadvertently touched his heart. The intuition of a vampire who had lived for thousands of years told him she wasn't pretending.

"Ok. If so... Lucasta, remember this, you're my sister and I'm your brother. Please call my name Samson and this is our home. Remember, I'm Samson."

His words made Lucasta put a big question mark. However, she only thought in her heart and did not say it out loud.

The impact on the street, while she was carried away by two men, made her mind become like a three-year-old child and completely forgot about the past.

While Samson was folding the blanket, he heard Lucasta's stomach growl, and she reflexively put her hand on her stomach.

She was hungry, and she desperately wanted to make this feeling go away.

"Samson, I hurt."

"Wait a minute."

Before Lucasta could nod, Samson strode out of the room and when he knew he was out of her sight, he immediately walked at the speed of a vampire.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of the castle gate owned by Maris.

"Maris, are you at home?" Samson called out loudly.

Inside the castle, Maris yawned and jumped up.

Like the characteristic of any vampire, when the dawn is near, she sleeps and does not want to be disturbed by anyone, but Samson is an exception because he is also a vampire.

She knew when he knocked on the door at this hour he must have something urgent and he needed her help or worse, he'd discovered a bunch of Roman grapes was missing a few grapes.

The first thing before Maris opened the gate was to run around the castle to collect the owls and lock them in the basement.

The shadow of her red dress kept flying from left to right, from the ceiling to the floor.

In just a few seconds, the dark basement room suddenly sparkled with a thousand eyes, like the bright stars of the owls.

"Please come in, Mr. Samson." Maris leaned over and extended her hand to invite him like a noble.

"I want to borrow the kitchen to make some pies for Lucasta. She's hungry." Samson gave the bottle of dried blood to Maris and said.

"Okay, let's go."

The two of them hurried to the large kitchen.

Maris handed the apron to Samson and then showed him where the flour and spice jars were kept.

She and he only drank human blood to live, and they didn't need to eat anything, but the owls were different. They were taken care of like babies. When they were young, she fed them porridge, and when they were grown up; she gave them pies, that's why when a rat got lost in the castle, they would just look at it.

"Your cooking skills are still very good, right? Is the girl's name Lucasta?" Maris added more wood to the stove and asked.

"Right. A pure light." Samson replied while his skilled hand was still masterfully kneading the dough.

"What does Maris mean?"

"The star of the sea."

"And Samson?"

"Strong child of the sun."

Maris laughed when she heard the meaning of his name because it was what scared him and her the most.

She felt even more anxious as she watched him carefully knead the dough.

Perhaps the not-so-good memory was replaying in him. He used to make all kinds of cakes in all shapes and sizes for the girl of a hundred years ago.

Because he wanted her to eat delicious food, when night fell, he went around the forest to collect firewood and gather vegetables and fruits in the forest to cook for her.

After that tragic morning, he didn't light a fire to cook anymore.

"Was she scared when she saw you? When will she leave the forest?"

She took the raw pies from Samson's hand and put them in the oven.

He also did not hide Lucasta's condition and told Maris that Lucasta's mind was much smaller than hers and that she had no memory of her family or hometown. Even when she was hungry, she said it was a stomachache, as if the concepts were all jumbled up in her head.

"Samson, this place doesn't belong to humans, it's hard for us and them to live together." Maris said as she walked over to the edge of the table and pulled down the tablecloth to cover the remaining owl.

"I can't throw her out, she's defenseless."

He took four cakes from the oven, placed them on a plate, took off his apron, and returned it to Maris.

As he passed the dining table, he threw back a pie near the foot of the table.

Maris shook her head and followed the tall figure of the man and sighed.

Who said vampires are cold-blooded and cruel? Just because people don't know how to warm up and touch their hearts.

Now the owl flew up to Maris' shoulder and followed Samson with its fierce eyes.

She shook her head again when she saw its neck was bulging. Owls have no teeth and can only swallow. Samson didn't tear the cake into shreds and hurt the most voracious owl in the pack to turn into this ugly appearance.

While Maris went back to her bed and continued to sleep, Samson was teaching Lucasta how to use a fork and knife to cut pies. She looked like Maris' owl, her little mouth bulging because she stuffed so many pies inside.

"Eat slowly, Lucasta, or you will choke. Remember, you're feeling just now was hunger, no pain, and this is a pie. When we are hungry, we will eat it, you understand?"

Lucasta nodded and continued to cut the pies and eat them.

Her blonde hair was dirty and sticky, so Samson could only help her tie it up so that she could eat comfortably.

After Lucasta finished eating, he carried her to the bathroom and helped her wash her hair.

When his slender fingers stroked her blond hair like rays of sunlight, he suddenly noticed a large bump on her head. Maybe this was the reason she couldn't remember who she was because she didn't look like a child with a cognitive disability when she could easily cut a pie after she watched him do it just once.

"Samson, I'm in pain." She exclaimed when his hand accidentally touched the bump.

"Ah. I'm sorry, I'll be gentle." He coaxed her and rinsed her hair.

Because Samson couldn't bring Lucasta out to dry her hair, he could only use a towel and fan to help her.

Although the sunlight penetrating through the dense fog had lessened much, it still affected his skin, causing it to become red and painful.

The little girl obediently sat still and let the man untangle her tangled hair.

Every time he accidentally made a few blond hairs fall, he felt regret. Everything that belongs to this girl seems to be precious. She was like a vase crafted from crystal, fragile and beautiful.

When he had helped her hair become as smooth as it had been, he applied oil to the bump on her head and then took her shoes that matched the pink dress and carefully put them on her feet. Next, he told her to stay in the room and not go anywhere.

Since the day Eirlys died, he had also returned to the habit that is characteristic of vampires, which is to sleep during the day and stay up at night.

Today, because of her appearance, his activities were delayed, and he felt that his body was not very good.

"You can continue to sleep or play with these teddy bears. When I'm done, I'll come back to you."

Samson reached out and gently pinched Lucasta's chubby cheek, and then he picked up a small teddy bear and placed it in her arms.

She obediently lifted the blanket to crawl in and hugged the soft bear tightly and closed her eyes.

The feeling of fullness and cleanliness made her want to sleep and not want to run around.

"Good night, Lucasta."

After Samson wished Lucasta good night, he hurriedly returned to his room.

She was probably the most obedient child he had seen in thousands of years. However, he still hoped that she would remember everything because if she lived with an empty, hazy memory, it would be uncomfortable for her.

Perhaps from tomorrow, he had to change his routine if he didn't want Lucasta to feel alone. Her mind was like a blank sheet of paper, so he had to teach her everything if he didn't want to be bothered by her in the days to come.

Until she could return to her family, he should fulfill his responsibilities as an adult to a child.

When the rays of the sunset covered the castle, Lucasta also awoke from a long slumber. She happily yawned a few times and then hugged her hungry stomach and rubbed it.

She waited for a long time but Samson didn't show up, so she got up from the bed and went to open the door.

Her super excellent memory made her remember the route from her bedroom to the kitchen, and she just kept walking down the shiny stairs.

All the ancient objects and furniture inside the magnificent castle made her extremely excited but did not dare to touch it, but just look at it.

Fortunately, Lucasta only ate two pies for breakfast, so there was still one pie on the plate, enough to fill half of her stomach.

Even though Samson was not by her side, she still did exactly what he had taught her.

She took a knife and fork and cut the pie into small pieces before eating.

After she finished eating, she wiped her mouth, washed her hands, went back to her room, and closed the door.

For hours, she stayed in her room and played with stuffed animals and waited for Samson to return, but for a long time, she did not see him, so she took a risk and went around the castle to find him.

"Samson." Lucasta pushed open the door of a room and called.

The darkness that met her eyes scared her, and she immediately slammed the door shut and continued to go to other rooms along the corridor, then to a higher floor.

When her legs were tired, it was time for her to stop in the last room on the top floor of the castle.

Small hands pulled the door of the room and when she saw the light of the red diamond, she quickly entered because she knew he was there.

Like the other rooms, this room was also covered with a black color that made her feel like a diamond was floating in the air.

Because just now, Lucasta accidentally pulled the curtain of the window in her room and she realized that there was light coming in and illuminating everything, so she didn't wake him, but she strode to the window and pulled the curtain.

"Don't, Lucasta, put the curtain down." Samson immediately opened his eyes and said.

His sudden voice startled Lucasta, and she released her hand from the curtain.

When the curtain completely blocked the sun, the candles in the room were also lit almost simultaneously because of the vampire guy's movement speed.

Of course, Lucasta was not surprised because she was originally like a three-year-old child. When she turned her head and saw that the room was already lit, she was amused because she didn't have to squint to see clearly.

"Come here, Lucasta."

Samson waved his hand lightly to signal Lucasta to come closer to him.

She immediately ran to his side and sat down on the bed, her blue eyes wide and staring into his ruby eyes.

"You're hungry, aren't you? I'll make some pies for you." He stroked her hair and asked.

"I ate a pie."

She replied as she rubbed her stomach with her hand.

Samson smiled. He knew she went to the kitchen herself and took the remaining pie. That was the nature of the species. However, he didn't know how she could find him on this last floor. Unless she has opened all the rooms in the castle.

"Let's go to your room. I will help you tie your hair."

He stroked Lucasta's blond hair again and quickly picked her up because he knew that her little legs must be tired from the search for the person she thought was her brother.

Like many other children, she was delighted to smile because she was carried up by him.

The ivory comb in his hand combed through her hair.

She wouldn't have known that her voluntary entry into the room had ruined his happy dream.

Just now, he had dreamed that he was helping Eirlys comb her hair. Eirlys also has blonde hair and blue eyes, exactly like Lucasta.

After Lucasta's blonde hair was tied by Samson into two beautiful braids and tied with a pink bow, she looked like a little princess. She happily rocked her legs on the high chair in front of the dressing table.

"Let's go out in the yard and go for a walk, Lucasta. I will teach you all concepts about everything around." He spoke as the clock chimed a long chime, signaling that the last sunlight had gone out.

The moment Lucasta put her feet on the green grass and witnessed the flower garden of all colors blooming, she said "oh" and took her hand out of Samson's hand and ran up to them to have a closer look.

She didn't know what they were called, but their colorful appearance attracted her.

Samson stepped forward, plucked a rose and handed it to her, and told her the name of each flower, then he told her the names of the trees around the ancient castle that was a thousand years old.

Although this gilded castle has spent a thousand years standing between heaven and earth, it is still magnificently beautiful and shows no signs of deterioration despite the ravages of time.

Samson spent a huge amount of money to build the work that marked these artistic quintessences.

When the forest became dense and rumors of ghosts appeared, the castle was also forgotten by humankind.

While Lucasta was walking with Samson, she saw bunches of red grapes hanging from the tree, so she stopped and stared at them.

Samson felt like her eyes were about to turn into grapes.

Because Eirlys liked to eat grapes, he bought them and planted them for her to eat. This entire garden was cultivated and cared for by him and her.

After she died, every time the fruit ripened, no one would eat it anymore. The fruit fell and was buried in the ground as his first love had gone forever.

However, the tree can still bear fruit, but she cannot resurrect.

The ripe bunch of grapes was quickly picked by Samson and he carefully peeled off the outer skin and put it in her mouth. He felt she was like a baby bird and he was like a mother bird.

On the opposite side of the castle, Maris was sitting by the upper floor window, enjoying a glass of red blood. She sighed as she saw Samson taking care of the little girl.

Ever since that fateful night, she thought that the handsome vampire guy had turned into a cold-blooded man, but when she saw him pampering the human girl, she understood that his heart was still warm.

"This is a grape and when you eat it, you will feel the sweetness. Remember, it's called sweetness."

He tried to describe and teach Lucasta little by little.

She nodded vigorously and continued to open her mouth to let him feed her.

Next, he took her to other fruit trees and let her taste all the sour, bitter, spicy, and even pale flavors.

Poor little girl, when she tasted the mango, her face wrinkled, and when she tasted the chili, she cried loudly because it was too spicy.

Her lovely face was drenched in tears.

Lucasta's loud cry startled Maris and spilled a glass of blood, and the owl sitting in her hand was suddenly thrown against the wall.

In an instant, Maris appeared at the gate of Samson's castle.

Inside the courtyard, Samson was frantically coaxing Lucasta. He picked grapes and then picked plums for her to eat to soften the spicy taste of the chili, but the more he comforted her, the more she cried and kept shaking her head, making him not know what to do anymore.

"Samson, please invite me into your castle." Maris raised her neck and called out.

"Please come in."

Samson hurriedly responded to Maris' request and in less than half a second, the female vampire appeared beside the two of them.

Maris gasped when she saw the fruit scattered on the grass and Lucasta's red, swollen mouth. She immediately turned to Samson and widened her eyes.

"Oh my god, what have you done to Lucasta?"

"I was just teaching Lucasta about the names of fruits and their taste." Samson explained.

"And did you feed her chili? Do you think she's a parrot?"

Maris carried Lucasta in her arms and returned to her castle.

Samson also hurried to follow her.

He was surprised when he saw Lucasta stop crying after she drank a full glass of milk.

"Milk can make her less spicy, right?" He took a tissue to wipe Lucasta's mouth and asked.

"Right. Capsaicin in spicy foods is terminated with a long hydrocarbon tail and its characteristic is that it is a non-polar molecule as well as soluble in other non-polar substances. Milk is a non-polar molecule, so it will dissolve the capsaicin and the casein protein in the milk will attract the capsaicin, causing it to drift off the tongue and help her reduce the spicy sensation."

Samson's handsome face turned foolish as he listened to Maris's interpretation. The things she was saying weren't in his mind, and when he heard her talk about them, everything in his head was jumbled.

After all, who did she hear all that knowledge from? Could it be that she heard from the man who killed Vincent?

Maris continued to peel a chocolate candy and put it in Lucasta's mouth. The sweetness of the chocolate spread quickly in the mouth, making Lucasta amused and grinning while her clear eyes were still wet with tears.

"Chocolate candy is made from two principal ingredients that are sugar and milk..."

"In short, if she eats sweets, she won't be spicy, right?"

He interrupted Maris' words and bent down to carry Lucasta.

The little girl was not angry because her brother let her eat chili and made her mouth swell. She hugged his neck and put her head on it. Her eyes were closed and her mouth was still sipping chocolate candy.

Maris smiled and did not forget to put some chocolate candies in her hand.

"Thank you. Goodbye." Samson said.

"Nothing. Goodbye. Let me see you off."

As Samson carried Lucasta out of the castle, Maris's face suddenly turned sad. She turned her blue eyes to the painting depicting a handsome man hanging in the center of the castle.

Time passed faster than she could have imagined. Vincent had already been out of this world for twenty years.

Did Vincent know that the moment she saw him disappear into the sunlight, she no longer hated him?

Did Vincent know how much she regrets when she reminisces about the time she and he were together?

"Vincent, I'm sorry."