Codename Vestia - Chapter 11

“What is wrong with you?”

 

Doyeong asked sharply. Camar sighed. She had been so startled that she still looked pale.

 

“I like it here.”

 

“Don’t lie. If you simply don’t want to be found out that you live here, then there’s no reason to act so dramatically just because of a plane, right?”

 

Camar shut her mouth at his statement.

 

“Sure enough. You have no intention of saying anything.”

 

Doyeong was somewhat fed up with her now, so he stood up as he said that. He was able to get up pretty easily by holding onto the tree.

 

“Lieu…”

 

As she was trying to get up behind him, Camar suddenly stumbled and fell. Doyeong stopped and sighed, then he asked back.

 

“What’s the matter?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

She lifted her head and smiled, but her face was so white that it shone. Doyeong frowned.

 

“That’s not ‘nothing’.”

 

Then Camar confessed hesitatingly.

 

“It’s spinning…”

 

“Are you dizzy?”

 

Camar nodded her head slightly.

 

“Sit here.”

 

Doyeong helped her sit under the shade of the tree. Camar tilted her head and leaned against the tree.

 

Still, she was pale enough that the blue veins under her skin could be seen. She wasn’t just startled. And Doyeong seemed to know why Camar was like this.

 

“Is it because of the flowers?”

 

Camar closed her eyes and nodded her head.

 

As expected. Eating the flowers raw is not very effective. Although it has the effect of quenching thirst to some extent, only when the flowers are processed into Floss can they become food that replaces blood.

 

“I ate flowers. A lot. But I still get dizzy sometimes.”

 

Camar slowly opened her eyes. A glistening luster passed through the iris. Doyeong had that feeling again.

 

It feels like seeing a snake’s eyes, making his body stiffen with a chill.

 

“Blood is delicious.”

 

Camar said softly as she stared at Doyeong without blinking.

 

Then she pressed on his chest.

 

“Blood…”

 

The word was muttered in a tone as if she just recalled something she had forgotten as she kept staring at Doyeong’s neck.

 

Doyeong didn’t move. Because he knew he would be attacked if he moved carelessly. Tension ran down to his fingertips.

 

Suddenly, Camar turned her head away as if to shake off her impulses. And now she blinked as if she realized what she had done.

 

“Uh…”

 

Doyeong put on his crutches and got up.

 

“I’m taking a break.”

 

Then he turned and went away, leaving Camar to stand up and stumble by herself. He glanced back only to see Camar watching him with a clueless face.

 

Her pale face looked particularly pitiful.

 

***

 

“Lieutenant, eat this.”

 

Camar held out a roasted yam. Doyeong, who had been eating for a while, raised his eyes.

 

“I’m fine.”

 

Camar shook her head.

 

“Nope. Eat it, Lieutenant. I am full.”

 

“What are you talking about when you’re even capable of eating a whole cow in one sitting? Just eat it.”

 

Doyeong nagged and continued eating like a patriarchal husband. Camar cringed and just put the yam in her mouth.

 

No, just as she was about to put it in, Doyeong held out a bowl and said,

 

“Give it to me.”

 

Camar put the freshly roasted yam into the bowl. Doyeong looked at the yam and muttered,

 

“There will come a day when simple yam tastes delicious.”

 

Then, he lavishly put one yam in his mouth and chewed it.

 

After eating, he stood up from his seat and said,

 

“Now let’s go in.”

 

“Umm. Do you need help?”

 

Camar asked immediately. Doyeong glanced at Camar and answered,

 

“Sure.”

 

Doyeong got up with his arm wrapped around Camar’s shoulder. This movement is now familiar to both of them.

 

Then, while Camar did nothing more than support him, she did it with all her heart and soul, like a man handling a nuclear centrifuge.

 

She seemed to mind what happened during the day. Seeing her like that, Doyeong muttered as he wondered whether she was simply a nice or a naive vampire.

 

“What a weirdo.”

 

“Huh?”

 

Camar looked up and asked.

 

“Nothing.”

 

They entered the log cabin and sat down.

 

“Let’s just sleep.”

 

“Lieutenant.”

 

He turned to Camar’s faint call. Camar looked like she wanted to say something, but then swallowed her words and merely greeted him.

 

“Sleep well.”

 

“You too.”

 

Doyeong turned around and spoke casually,

 

“Don’t worry too much. Because I don’t care.”

 

It was a sentence without a subject, but Camar seemed to understand. She looked at this back and muttered a little.

 

“Thanks.”

 

Doyeong fell asleep. After a while, he woke up to find the warmth on his back that he was already accustomed to. It looked like Camar was sleeping on his back again.

 

‘How can a person who is so lonely live alone?’

 

Doyeong thought in his sleep. Then, suddenly, a small hand crept over his side when he was barely asleep.

 

‘What is this sneaky fellow doing?’

 

Doyeong only felt amazed. How familiar are you to grope a sleeping person?

 

Suuuu…

 

Her palms ran from his chest to his stomach. Doyeong flinched. This was quite a bold move.

 

Doyeong couldn’t admit it. Camar’s touch feels good…

 

At the moment he thought she wouldn’t go any further.

 

“Lieutenant.”

 

Camar sang softly as she noticed that Doyeong was awake. and muttered softly.

 

“Lieutenant smells delicious…”

 

His spine was shivering. Murderous intent erupted from Camar whose face was hidden in the darkness.

 

It felt like a tiger was hugging him. Doyeong wanted to shake her off and get up, but her arms were tightly wrapped around him, so he couldn’t escape.

 

Camar suddenly stood up. She seemed to have calmed down. When Doyeong finally turned around, Camar’s face was pale in a different way.

 

“I- I’m sorry.”

 

Then Camar ran out from her place not giving any a chance to stop her.

 

“Camar!”

 

Doyeong called, but Camar was no longer visible through the wide open door.

 

***

 

Camar didn’t come back last night.

 

Doyeong got up on his crutches and went outside. The sun-drenched vacant lot was quiet and there was no Camar in sight. Without Camar’s help, there was no way out of this place.

 

Thus, he sat on the beach while looking at one of the books from the log cabin, but Camar didn’t show up until noon.

 

At one point, Doyeong lifted his gaze from the book he was reading. The turquoise-colored water gently rushed onto the beach, the kind that usually appears in a travel agency ad that promises a perfect vacation.

 

“Camar.”

 

Doyeong suddenly said.

 

“I’m hungry.”

 

In an instant, the bushes rustled. And after a while, Camar appeared. If anything, she looked like a person that committed a crime.

 

It was difficult not to feel the gaze that was constantly watching him from beyond the bush, although he had no innately sensitive sense like the luas.

 

Doyeong nodded and pointed to the seat next to him.

 

“Sit down.”

 

Camar hesitated and sat down next to him. Then, Doyeong said out of nowhere,

 

“Don’t pull that expression. It’s your nature, so there’s nothing you can do about it.”

 

Camar’s face looked startled, as if the words had hit her.

 

“Lieutenant is the first person… to say that.”

 

“Because I’m used to vampires.”

 

He was past the stage of evaluating vampires through coloured glasses.

 

Doyeong even accepted the fact that vampires eat what vampires should eat just as dogs eat dog food and cats eat cat food.

 

In any case, the fact that vampires need blood, even though it is prohibited by law, has a special feeling itself.

 

Camar’s eyes were dark.

 

She may not have slept properly last night, but Doyeong didn’t think it was merely because of lack of sleep for one night. The lack of nutrients from the flowers may play a part in it. Still, she was already so thin, almost like someone who had problems eating.

 

Doyeong asked.

 

“You don’t only eat flowers, right?”

 

“No, I…”

 

“I’m just asking the truth.”

 

Because Doyeong was asking so calmly, Camar eventually nodded her head slightly.

 

“Sometimes when it’s too hard, I drink animal blood. But it smells…”

 

‘That’s why I said you can go out and drink Floss.’ Anyway, Camar wanted to be on this island even though she knew she could drink Floss outside. Therefore, it is meaningless to mention this matter where she preferred to live on the blood of disgusting animals.

 

Doyeong looked at her for a while and asked,

 

“Want to drink blood?”

 

Camar couldn’t answer.

 

“I want meat.”

 

Doyeong suddenly said, making Camar’s eyes widened.

 

“Huh?”

 

When Doyeong didn’t answer, Camar pointed behind her and mumbled,

 

“Uh… I go catch?”

 

The woman who asked immediately if he wanted her to catch some animals the moment he said he wanted meat was quite attractive, so Doyeong laughed.

 

“I can’t help but want to eat meat, because my body wants it.”

 

It was then that Camar realized why Doyeong had said such a thing.

 

“But I don’t want to drink from Lieutenant. Lieutenant is my friend.”

 

Water glistened in her red eyes. Camar bit her lip to hold back her tears.

 

“But I want to drink. I hate that.”

 

“Because you need it.”

 

Doyeong said quietly.

 

Camar shut her mouth and didn’t answer for a while. Then as she was about to answer…

 

“No, I…”

 

Doyeong raised his hand.

 

“It’s not about drinking as much as you want. It’s about filling only enough nutrients to not die. Since my leg is like this, if you die, I’ll be in trouble too.”

 

“But… isn’t it scary? If I can’t stop…”

 

Doyeong shrugged.

 

“If you overdo it, I will hit your head with a stone.”

 

No one is supposed to say ‘thank you’ to that statement, but Camar muttered in disbelief to the human who was about to share his blood,

 

“Thanks.”

 

“You said we were friends.”

 

Despite the harsh tone, Camar realized that Doyeong also considered her as a friend.

 

‘My heart feels strange.’

 

It felt like a small person was racing in her heart, running here and there.

 

“Just promise me that you’ll never drink blood without my permission.”

 

Camar shook her head violently.

 

“Absolutely not.”

 

Then Doyeong pointed to Camar’s back.

 

“Bring that.”

 

“That?”

 

Camar looked back. What Doyeong pointed to was a stone the size of a fist lying on the sand.

 

“The stone?”

 

“I told you I’ll hit you if I think you’re going out of your mind.”

 

“Ah, yes.”

 

Camar nodded as if it was natural, got up and took the stone Doyeong was pointing to. Camar was sitting in front of him, but Doyeong didn’t say anything. So, she started carefully.

 

“Should I…?”

 

“Sure.”

 

Doyeong nodded indifferently.

 

Camar approached Doyeong on her knees.