The Burden of Warmth

The night had deepened. No chirping insects, no singing birds—the Krieg Manor was utterly silent, save for the sound of your own breathing. Or, perhaps, someone else’s.

Feeling the warm breath ghosting over her neck from behind, Seraphina had never imagined that sharing a bed could make sleep so elusive. The reason was simple: she was scorching hot.

“Ugh… ah…”

Stretching her neck with considerable effort, Seraphina struggled for a long moment, finally freeing her head from the tight embrace of Claire’s arm.

‘That was close… I nearly suffocated.’

“Good heavens…” Unable to suppress her inner exasperation, Seraphina muttered softly, “This isn’t sleeping together; she’s clearly treating me like a body pillow.”

Indeed, a body pillow.

Beneath the covers, Claire nestled tightly against Seraphina, who was half a head shorter than her. Claire’s hands rested on Seraphina’s chest, and her legs pressed down on Seraphina’s knees, effectively encasing Seraphina completely with her own body.

“Ugh…”

Enduring the crushing weight, the suffocating closeness, and the oppressive heat, poor Seraphina couldn’t help but yearn for her time in the [Blood Manor].

Though she had lived two full lives, Seraphina had only ever shared a bed with one other person before tonight: Iqiyah.

A few days prior, after their moment of intimacy, Seraphina had wrapped herself in a blanket and returned to her own room to sleep; they hadn’t actually shared a bed together.

Admittedly, Iqiyah also enjoyed clinging to Seraphina like an octopus while sleeping, and her embrace always felt wonderfully warm.

However, unlike this oppressive heat, Iqiyah’s warmth was an internalized glow, emanating from within. Her skin, in contrast, remained silky and cool, perfectly suited to the pale complexion of a vampire, never becoming uncomfortably hot like a blanket.

Consequently, Seraphina had always slept soundly at the [Blood Manor].

With Claire, however, it was an entirely different story.

Perhaps due to her youth, Claire, a vibrant young woman, radiated a fervent, youthful heat. She was like a blazing sun, scorching everything within the confines of the bed.

Moreover, unlike the eight-meter-wide bed with red and blue velvet satin covers in Claire’s own bedroom, the staff dormitory was furnished with small single beds, akin to those found in university dorms. The blankets provided were thick, white linen, designed for year-round use.

While the material was coarse and comfort incomparable, the heavy bedding offered excellent warmth during winter. For this reason, most people were quite satisfied with their sleeping arrangements.

However, that satisfaction only applied when one enjoyed the bed alone.

As things stood, sleeping together was proving to be incredibly difficult.

The blanket, once thought to be a source of warmth, had instead become an instrument of torture, trapping her in a waking nightmare. What was meant to provide comfort had transformed into a furnace, and the mattress, which usually offered a sense of security, had become a hellish repository of heat.

‘Good heavens… if this continues, I’ll be the first person to die of heatstroke under a blanket in the dead of winter.’

Struggling, Seraphina managed to reach out from Claire’s tight embrace, intending to tear the blanket away.

Yet, as soon as she lifted a corner, a soft hum emanated from behind her.

“Mm…”

Claire trembled slightly, and sensing the change in temperature, she instinctively drew her neck back, then wrapped herself even more tightly around Seraphina.

‘Alas… despite her robust physical strength, is she truly so sensitive to the cold?’

Turning her head, the vampire gazed at the human girl who shared her pillow.

Observing Claire’s furrowed brow and her apparent aversion to the cold, Seraphina shook her head helplessly.

‘I suppose I should cover her properly.’

****

Minutes later.

Like an overheated puppy, Seraphina panted heavily, her tongue lolling out, desperately trying to expel the heat and cool her body.

But it was all in vain.

On the contrary, the rhythmic movement of her lungs only caused her body to enter a state of exertion.

As her muscles subtly flexed, Seraphina not only failed to cool down but began to perspire.

The rising sweat drenched the sheets beneath her, and the saturated fabric clung to Seraphina’s skin, exacerbating her already stifling discomfort.

‘Damn it… if this keeps up, I’m going to become a human barbecue.’

Squinting and gasping for breath, her head swimming, Seraphina glanced at the peacefully sleeping Claire beside her.

‘Forgive me, Claire. Have mercy on this frail vampire. You’re high-ranked; a little heat or cold surely won’t bother you.’

‘But I truly must…’

Her body utterly limp, Seraphina turned over, reaching for the sheet covering them both.

Just then.

“Seraphina…”

“Hiss!”

In an instant, Seraphina’s hot sweat turned to cold, and the oppressive heat vanished completely from her body.

“Claire? You’re awake?”

“Mhm.”

Smiling faintly, Claire slowly opened her eyes, gazing at Seraphina with a sleepy expression.

“You woke me up, you restless sleeper~”

“Hey…”

Seraphina could only offer a wry smile in response.

“It’s all because of you, clinging to me like an octopus.”

“Mhm… that’s because…”

Rolling over, Claire leaned towards Seraphina’s pointed ear, exhaling a moist, warm breath.

“Seraphina’s body… it’s just too cold, too cold. I was worried.”

“So… I wanted to share my warmth with you, Seraphina.”

“What!?”

The moment those words left Claire’s lips, something warm suddenly crawled onto Seraphina’s auricle. Then, it relentlessly tormented the space between Seraphina’s ear bones, its sticky surface invading every inch of her ear’s skin.

“Claire?”

A vampire’s ears, much like an elf’s, were pointed and triangular, though slightly shorter. Aside from this minor difference in length, all other functions and uses mirrored those of elven ears—including their sensitive areas.

“Stop, stop it!” Trembling, Seraphina continuously tried to evade Claire’s playful assault. “Don’t tease my ears anymore! It’s really… very…”

But why would Claire release the prey in her arms?

She tightened her legs further, and her scorching breath immediately followed.

“Seraphina… you really are, truly cold…”

“It’s just how I am!”

“But you’ll get cold…”

“No, I won’t!”

However, perhaps her body had cooled considerably after the shock, or perhaps it was an emergency response to the situation. Seraphina’s previously muddled, heat-addled brain suddenly became remarkably clear.

Then, quite naturally, she uncovered a massive blind spot right before her.

“Cl-Claire… how did you… become so bold?”

At her words, Claire’s tongue instantly froze.

“Just yesterday… you were still so socially anxious, yet now you’re acting… so intensely…”

As she continued speaking, Seraphina recalled what she had just said about her custom hotkey, which should have activated on the third consecutive poke. Coupled with several contradictory moments that had occurred during the day, Seraphina’s internal confusion mounted, finally reaching a breaking point.

“Claire… I need to ask you something…”

Slowing her pace, Seraphina tried her best to make her words sound gentle, careful not to provoke the ‘unknown’ blonde girl before her.

“Have you… been deceiving me all this time?”

“In truth, you were never socially anxious, were you?”

Staring blankly at Seraphina, Claire offered no response to her question.

“Please… tell me.”

A torrent of pressure and emotions surged through Seraphina in that instant, urging her to compel Claire to answer.

“Tell me… give me an answer.”

Yet, no matter what, she was met only with silence… and those emotionless green eyes.

In silence, the two girls stared at each other. It was less a meeting of gazes and more a knightly duel.

Their eyes had become their swords, held firmly in their respective hands, each waiting for the other to falter.

Time ticked by, second by agonizing second.

****

…

No one spoke.

…

An unknown stretch of time passed once more.

‘Damn it, I must have gotten it wrong.’

Though her gaze remained unchanged, Seraphina’s mind was a swirling mess of confusion.

‘I should apologize. I hope she can forgive me.’

With a short sigh, and having braced herself for the possibility of unforgiveness and the loss of their bond, Seraphina opened her mouth.

“Clai—”

“Seraphina…”

Almost immediately, Claire interrupted Seraphina.

However, it wasn’t Claire’s words that cut her off, but rather… the two streams of pearlescent tears welling at the corners of her eyes.

And just as poignant as her tears, her tone was equally sorrowful.

“Please… tell me.”

Her words, too, were filled with grief.

“Do you… love me?”