The Price of the Red Drop

Ethan reached out with a trembling hand, wiping the drop of blood from Iris's finger. Before he could stop himself, he licked it.

Instantly, a flash of fierce, glowing crimson consumed his eyes.

Iris stared at him, terror paralyzing her limbs. She let out a sharp scream. "Ethan! What are you doing?!"

As quickly as it had arrived, the strange madness vanished. Ethan's eyes faded back to normal, but his vision began to spin violently. He looked at Iris, his voice weak and slurred, as if he were on the very edge of blacking out. "Iris... what... what just happened?"

Before she could answer, his knees buckled. Ethan collapsed heavily onto the floor, losing consciousness.

Iris completely panicked. Tears welled up in her eyes as she rushed to his side, shaking his shoulders. "Ethan! No, no, no... what should I do? I can't call for help... I can't let anyone find us here!"

From the depths of his faint, Ethan let out a barely audible whisper. "S-save... me..."

Desperate, Iris made a split-second decision to use her forbidden power. Channeling her hidden light magic, she enveloped them both in a soft glow. In a flash of light, they vanished from the underground library and reappeared directly inside Ethan's dark bedroom.

She carefully laid his small body onto the soft mattress. Hurrying to the table, she poured a glass of water and gently raised his head to help him drink. Iris closed her eyes, placing her hands over his chest to chant a healing spell.

But the moment her magic touched his skin, a violent, suffocating wave of dark energy surged from inside Ethan's body, shattering her spell instantly.

Iris snapped her eyes open, gasping for breath as she staggered backward. "This dark energy..." she muttered in absolute shock. "Where on earth did it come from?"

On the bed, Ethan's eyes slowly fluttered open. Still trapped in a daze, he whispered a single word. "Mom...?"

Iris rushed back to his side, her voice trembling. "Ethan! Are you alright? Can you hear me?"

Ethan blinked, focus returning to his eyes as he looked up at her. "Iris... why are you crying?"

She quickly wiped her face, forcing a breath. "You fainted so suddenly. It terrified me."

Ethan stared at her, a hollow, sinking feeling opening up in his chest. "Did I... did I taste blood?"

Iris froze. She stared back at him, her lips locked tight, unable to speak.

Ethan sat up, his shoulders slumping under a mountain of sudden guilt. He looked down at his trembling hands. "Tell me the truth, Iris. I am a monster, aren't I? It... it felt like someone else completely took over my body for a moment."

Iris leaned forward, gently wiping away a small tear from his cheek. She forced a warm, reassuring smile. "Go back to sleep, Ethan. Goodnight. I'm leaving now."

With a soft flicker of her magic, she vanished into thin air.

Ethan lay completely paralyzed on the bed, staring blankly up at the dark ceiling. His heart ached with confusion. Why... why doesn't she hate me after what I did?

---

The Next Morning

A polite knock sounded at Ethan's door. It was Solin's voice calling out from the hallway. "Young Master, His Grace is calling you downstairs for breakfast."

Ethan rubbed his eyes, yawning heavily as he sat up. "Yes... swap... Father, I'm coming," he mumbled sleepily.

"Very well, Young Master," Solin replied, her footsteps fading away.

Ethan dragged himself to the bathroom, washed his face, and put on the outfit that had been laid out for him. When he looked at his reflection in the grand mirror, he blinked in surprise. He was wearing a small, perfectly tailored black suit. He looked incredibly sharp.

A small smile finally broke across his face. "Ah... I actually look really good."

Suddenly, the heavy door swung open. The Grand Duke strode into the room. Without a word of warning, he scooped Ethan up into his powerful arms, lifting him into the air.

"Oh, look at that! My little prince is finally ready," the Duke boomed, a wide smile spreading across his face. "Let's go."

Ethan looked closely at his adoptive father's face. The smile looked incredibly odd and forced, but the boy remained quiet, too intimidated to speak.

When they arrived at the grand dining room, the Duke didn't place Ethan in a separate chair. Instead, he sat the boy directly onto his lap. Picking up a fork, the Duke held a piece of food to the boy's lips. "Open your mouth, dear."

Sitting on the opposite side of the long table was a beautiful, elegantly dressed woman—the Duchess, Bety.

She watched the scene with a cold, disgusted expression. Turning her sharp gaze to her husband, she sneered, "And who exactly is this, Duke?"

"He is our son," the Duke replied smoothly, his tone even and pleasant.

Bety let out a bitter, mocking laugh. "Oh, wonderful. Just one more game for your collection."

The Duke's pleasant expression didn't fade, but his eyes turned completely pitch-black as he stared her down. "Be quiet. The child is listening."

Bety slammed her hands on the table, standing up as a powerful, menacing aura erupted from her body. "Stop using children in your twisted little plays! We all know the truth anyway. You'll just throw this child away the exact second you get bored of him!"

Hearing those cruel, cutting words, a sudden wave of primal fear washed over Ethan. His throat tightened, and a heavy wave of nausea hit his stomach. He clutched his neck, his face turning pale. "I... I feel sick..."

The Duke looked down at him, his voice returning to a soothing purr. "Ethan, go back to your room. I will have the maids feed you later."

"I am feeling sick!" Ethan cried out, his voice cracking.

Solin rushed forward immediately, bowing to the Duke. "Your Grace, please let me take the Young Master back to his quarters."

The Duke looked satisfied with her quick response and nodded lazily. "Take him."

The moment Solin carried Ethan out of the room and closed the heavy oak doors, the atmosphere inside the dining hall turned lethal.

The Duke stood up slowly. In a fraction of a second, he materialized right in front of Bety. He reached out, grabbing her tightly by the collar of her expensive dress and lifting her off her feet. Unleashing a terrifying surge of dark magic, the spell wrapped around her like crushing chains.

A malicious, chilling smirk spread across the Duke's face as he whispered directly into his wife's ear. "Dear... don't you ever dare to interfere when I am doing something."

With a sharp, warning glare, the Duke released his grip and casually walked out of the dining room. Left completely drained and broken by his dark magic, Bety collapsed helplessly onto the cold marble floor.

---

Meanwhile, Solin carried Ethan safely back into his bedroom. She was breathing heavily, her face pale with fear from the scene she had just witnessed. She gently placed Ethan down onto the soft mattress.

Ethan looked up at her, his wide eyes full of anxiety. "Miss Solin... please tell me the truth. What that lady was saying... was it true? Am I just a game?"

Solin swallowed hard, forcing a tight, nervous smile onto her face. "No, no... of course not, Young Master. She was just joking around. Don't pay any attention to it."

Ethan didn't believe her. The stress brought back the heavy, burning ache in his stomach, and he tightly clutched his midsection.

Seeing him in pain, Solin leaned down anxiously. "Young Master, are you feeling sick again? Should I fetch some medicine?"

Ethan shook his head, looking past her toward the door. "Miss Solin... where is Iris?"

Solin blinked, surprised by the question. "Why do you ask, Young Master?"

Ethan offered her a small, genuine smile, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Because... because she is my friend."

A look of pure warmth and relief washed over Solin's tired face. "That is wonderful to hear, Young Master. Truly. But... Iris has been deeply sick since early this morning."

Ethan's smile vanished instantly. A heavy wave of worry crashed over him as he sat up straight. "What? How is she feeling right now?"

"She isn't getting any better," Solin sighed, her shoulders slumping. "She has an incredibly high fever that simply refuses to go down. Right now, she is completely unconscious."

Panic surged through Ethan's veins. "Where is she right now?!"

"She is downstairs, working in the kitchen to prepare the next meal," Solin answered quietly.

Ethan completely forgot about his status, accidentally screaming at the top of his lungs in pure anger. "How can you let her be in the kitchen?! In such a terrible, hot place when she's that sick?!"

Suddenly, the heavy bedroom door creaked open.

The Grand Duke stood in the doorway, a fake, sinister smirk plastered across his handsome face as his eyes locked onto the panicked boy.

"Who exactly are we talking about, dear?"

---

[Chapter 4 Ended - To Be Continued]