Lionel kept his eyes closed, squinting slightly. "Add a bit of everything. I am indeed hungry."
"Yes!" Lisa responded respectfully, then shot me a cold, disdainful glance before turning to leave.
I shook my head with a wry smile, not lingering or glancing back at Lionel. It was indeed not the time for me to watch them feed, lest I become their meal. Better to focus on my own business!
Walking down the corridor toward the banquet hall entrance, a group of bodyguards swiveled their heads mechanically, eyes fixed on me. This time, however, I was no longer afraid. My steps became light and steady, and I flicked my ponytail, curling my lips into a smile as I greeted them, "Good morning, handsome!"
Silence was the only response.
I muttered in mock annoyance, "So ungentlemanly. You should be more enthusiastic when greeting a beauty!"
Click, click—they turned their heads back to their original positions.
At the banquet hall entrance, I quickly spotted the frost shards on the ground—formed from condensed water vapor in the air. When I had escorted Elder Benson of the Western European region out, I had tampered with him slightly, manipulating the water vapor along his path to form frost shards that would sublimate and disappear after I found them.
Following the trail, the frost shards led directly to the elevator of the Rose Baron Hotel above ground.
Once inside the elevator, I realized this method wasn't particularly clever—the elevator had seventy or eighty buttons, meaning there were as many floors, so I couldn't tell which floor he had gotten off on.
I pressed the button for the first floor, and the elevator ascended. When the doors opened, I found no frost shards. The lobby was bustling with people, but it was clear they were all vampire kin, urgently seeking a place to rest before the sun rose.
Peeking out, I noticed there were eight elevators in total: six for guests, one for staff, and one for VIPs, which I was using. Ordinary guests were prohibited from using it.
No frost shards on the second floor either.
On the third floor, as soon as the elevator doors opened, a man stepped in. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with a strikingly handsome, pale face, eerie emerald-green eyes, and thin, bloodless lips. Dressed in black, he exuded a cold, oppressive aura, like Death himself emerging from hell. I hadn't seen him at the banquet.
He raised an eyebrow, glancing at me, then pressed the button for the 15th floor. I noticed a skull-shaped ring on his middle finger—he must be someone important among the vampire clan.
When he saw that I had pressed buttons for floors 4, 5, 6, and so on, he looked at me in surprise. "Miss, which floor are you actually going to?"
"Uh... I'm just looking around!"
He suddenly smiled, and in an instant, he had me cornered in the elevator. He greedily inhaled the scent of my cheek. "Ah—such sweet elven blood..." He looked as if he had just savored a glass of the finest champagne.
I blinked, noting his impressive stance—arms braced against the walls like he was doing a vertical push-up. With a slight thought, I smiled politely. "Don't worry, I'm just freezing you temporarily. In five minutes, you'll thaw naturally. Since you're quite handsome, I won't harm you! Hehe... I've always known how to cherish beauty."
I patted his already frost-covered, handsome dead face and slipped out from under his arm, continuing to search for frost shards floor by floor.
Just as I was growing anxious, the elevator reached the 53rd floor. On the dark gray carpet outside the elevator, I finally spotted tiny frost shards.
I let out a long sigh of relief and said to the frozen man in the elevator, "I'm here. I pressed the 15th floor for you. You'll be back to normal soon!"
Stepping out of the elevator, I carefully observed the ground. The corridor was eerily quiet. As I followed the scattered frost shards, I found myself standing in front of room 5303. Just then, a service elevator opened, and an attendant pushing a cart stepped out. "Miss, do you need any help?"
"No, thank you!" I replied, noticing his pale face and cold eyes—clearly, he was also a vampire.
"Miss, you're not a vampire, are you?" His gaze suddenly turned sharp.
"Is that important? Doesn't this hotel have non-vampire guests too?"
He coldly reminded me, "Non-vampire guests stay in Block A. There are signs at the entrance, and professional guards are stationed there. This area is exclusively for vampire kin, and the floor you're on is off-limits to guests. The lobby has detailed signage."
"Signage?" I chuckled. Lionel's hotel was quite organized, probably to prevent innocent guests from getting hurt.
"The sign reads, 'Non-vampire guests are prohibited from entering Block B. Violators will bear the consequences. Additionally, floors 50-60 in Block B are reserved for high-ranking vampire kin. Unauthorized guests are strictly forbidden.' The guest elevators don't even have buttons for floors 50-60. So, miss... where did you come from?" His expression turned dark and menacing.
I plastered on a smile, quickly thinking of an excuse. "Uh... well, it's like this. I'm Lionel Albert's newly hired personal assistant, handling some daytime tasks for him. I'm actually here to find Elder Benson. I took the VIP elevator on the baron's orders."
He eyed me suspiciously, but his attitude did a complete turnaround, suddenly becoming respectful and polite. "Elder Benson is in this room. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to ask!"
I smiled, marveling inwardly at how the mere title of 'baron' could command such respect from vampires.
Just as I breathed a sigh of relief, the attendant stepped closer, circling me once before knocking on the door—room 5303!
What on earth was he planning?
I wasn't mentally prepared yet, and he was already knocking for me.
"Hey, you're being too enthusiastic, I—"
Before I could finish, he interrupted, "I'm here to deliver the blood Elder Benson ordered. He likes to have a little before sleeping."
The door swung open to reveal a voluptuous woman in a deep purple silk nightgown, leaning provocatively against the doorframe. "Who are you looking for?"
"The meal Elder Benson ordered," the attendant replied.
What immediately caught my eye were the two bloody puncture marks on her neck, barely concealed by her golden hair.