Chapter 1101: If Only You Had Come A Little Sooner
Inside William's Villa, the different Patriarchs of the Clans that had decided to side with him had gathered in his conference room.
"So, are there any problems with your new homes?" William asked with a smile. "If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to tell me, or Charmaine when I'm not around. I will try to accommodate your requests if it is possible."
"In regard to that, Lord William, the One-Horned Clan has no complaints whatsoever," Polox the Patriarch of the One-Horned Clan replied. "We are very satisfied with the accommodations that you have given us."
Karath, the Patriarch of the NIghtshade Clan, nodded his head in agreement. "We were prepared to endure any harsh living conditions, but compared to what we imagined, this place is simply paradise."
"I agree with Karath," Merton, the Patriarch of the Steel Fist Clan, commented. "Our living conditions are really great, also the Dungeon of Atlantis gives us the opportunity to train our warriors, so that they don't lose their battle instincts. In fact, some of them even improved after challenging the lower floors."
Cassey, who had reverted to her male form, Caspian, also voiced out his satisfaction to the accommodations that he received from William.
"I wish I had a portable Domain just like this," Caspian said as he rubbed his chin with a smile. "This makes living very convenient for everyone."
Zeph and Lorcan also nodded their heads in agreement. They had been used to the harsh conditions of living in the desert, William's Thousand Beast Domain was paradise compared to that dry and unforgiving place.
"That's good to hear," William stated. "However, as you know, I am currently at war with Felix and the God of Demons. There will come a time when I will need your assistance to fight against him. Of course, I won't force any of you to do battle.
If any of you didn't want to be dragged into this conflict. They may stay on the 51st Floor of the Tower of Babylon. The Floor of Asgard will safeguard all of you."
All the Patriarchs thanked Wiliam for his grace and benevolence. After making small talk for a while, Polox lightly cleared his throat as he looked at the black-haired teenager with a serious expression on his face.
"Lord William, we have held meetings these past few days and thought of ways we can help you fight against the Heir of Darkness," Polox stated. "Aside from sending our warriors to battle, we also thought that we could do more for you by helping you deal with your bloodthirst.
"My granddaughter, Ahn, had told me that she would be willing to let you drink her blood whenever you wished for it. I hope that you won't turn down her offer, Lord William. Several of the young ladies in our clan also know of your condition, and asked me to tell you that all you need to do is ask, and they will willingly offer their blood to you."
"My Clan is also willing to serve you in this manner, Lord William."
"As is our Clan."
"Even if it is only a small matter, we wish that you rely on us more, Lord William."
The Patriarchs all voiced their concern to help William with his need to drink blood on a regular basis. Even Cassey teased him that she would be more than willing to spend the night with him if he wished.
William chuckled because he didn't mind accepting this kind of proposal. In truth, his need for blood was just a part of what his body needed right now. Aside from the rich blood of others, he also needed to absorb Life Magic and Life Essence.
While he could take the blood and Life Essence of others at the same time, it would weaken them terribly and it might cause them to get sick if he took both of them from their bodies.
This was why having a steady supply of ladies who were willing to give him blood and Life Essence would certainly help him stabilize his soul, which still needed some time to adapt.
As for Life Magic…
'I promised to have a talk with Aila later,' William thought. 'I hope she agrees to help me replenish my Life Magic by allowing me to absorb some of hers everyday.'
William's musings were broken when he once again heard Polox's voice, who was seated in front of him.
"Lord William, what do you think of our proposal?" Polox asked.
"I will gladly accept your proposals," William replied. "Truth be told, I really need all the help I can get. So, allow me to be shameless and ask the young ladies of your clans to help me reach my peak strength as soon as possible."
""As you wish, Our Lord.""
—---
When the meeting ended, William went to Princess Aila's room, where the latter was waiting for him. He didn't knock and simply opened the door, and saw the angelic princess looking outside the window as if lost in thought.
The Half-Elf felt that it would be bad if he snuck up behind her, so he decided to knock on the opened door to catch her attention.
"I'm sorry," Princess Aila said as she snapped out of her daze. "I was just thinking of a few things."
"It's fine," William replied as he closed the door and walked towards her.
When William was only a meter away from the angelic beauty, he stopped walking and placed his hands behind his back.
"I came here to talk about what you wanted from me," William replied. "After careful consideration, I decided that what happened in our past lives shouldn't bind us in our current lives. Of course, I will admit that one of the reasons I decided to do this was due to the fact that you… gave up on me."
"T-That…" Princess Aila wanted to reply, but she couldn't think of anything good to say about what happened in the past.
In the end, she lowered her head and bit her lip because she understood what William was trying to tell her.
"You're too kind," Princess Aila said after a minute had passed. "Instead of saying I betrayed you, you only used the phrase 'gave up on you'. You're right. Someone like me who betrays others doesn't deserve to be taken seriously."
"You think too much, Aila," William said as he rested his hands on her shoulders. "Raise your head, and look at me."
"I can't look at you right now."
"If you don't look at me, I will kiss you."
"Huh?!" Princess Aila abruptly raised her head because she didn't expect William to tell her of such a thing.
That is when she came face to face with William's smiling face, which made her heart skip a beat. Her gaze landed on his lips, which had been cold when she first kissed him, but later grew warm the more she pressed her lips over them, as she took his memories away from him.
His golden eyes that looked at her were free of lust, but there was a trace of mischievousness in them that made Aila feel that William was about to really kiss her if she didn't take him seriously.
"First, I think you're making a very big misunderstanding," William said as he looked straight into her eyes. "It's not that I don't like you, Aila. In fact, I like you very much. Because of this, if ever the two of us really do become lovers, I don't want to use the reason that we were lovers in the past, so we should become lovers again in this lifetime.
"If we are going to do this, let's do it right. Let's start as friends, and slowly build our relationship to that level. What do you say?"
Princess Aila's gaze never left William's eyes and from what she could tell, the Half-Elf didn't have any falsehood in his words.
"Are you not mad that I betrayed your trust in our past lifetime?" Princess Aila asked.
"I would be lying if I said no. But, remember this, Aila…" William lightly caressed the side of the angelic Princess' face, that would make any man want to lay down their lives in order to protect her smile. "I will not forgive you a second time. If you betray me in this lifetime, I will make sure that you regret it."
Although William's words were soft, gentle even, Princess Aila felt a chill run down her spine as she stared at his golden eyes that seemed to see through her soul.
"I will not betray you, I promise," Princess Aila said as she held William's gaze.
"I hope you don't," William said as he placed his hands on the Princess' waist. "Aila, in truth, there is something that I need from you, and I need it badly."
"It's my Life Magic and Life Essence, right?"
"Um? How did you know?"
Princess Aila bitterly smiled because it seemed that William had forgotten that he had kissed her to gain some of her Life Magic. In the end, she nodded her head, and pulled William towards the couch.
"Don't take too much, okay?" Princess Aila said as the two of them sat down on the couch. "Although I have abundant Life Essence and Life Magic, I might fall into a coma if you take too much of it."
"I know." William nodded his head in understanding. "I will do things in modedation."
"Do you mean, moderation?"
"Yes. Modedation."
Princess Aila giggled because of William's silliness. She didn't know if the Half-Elf was doing it on purpose to make her less nervous, or not. However, it still worked and she was now feeling more at ease as he stared at the man whose face plagued her sweetest dreams.
William lowered her head and kissed the angelic beauty's lips. The kiss was sweet, and made him want to ravage her, but he held back. He knew that the Princess would suffer a lot if he took more than he needed, so he took his time to give her tender kisses.
Aila, on the other hand, was feeling a little light-headed due to Wiliam's continuous absorption of her powers. Even so, she didn't back down and allowed him to take as much as he needed.
When their kissing session ended, the Princess weakly leaned on William's body as she panted for breath.
The Half-Elf had taken less than she anticipated, which proved that he was holding back.
"Take a nap for now, Aila," William whispered as he cast a dream magic on the Princess who had accepted his one-sided request.
Soon, Princess Aila breathed softly as William carried her towards her bedroom. In her dreams, she once again found herself in her villa where the silver-haired William was waiting for her.
There, they made love under the starry sky as they held each other in a passionate embrace.
William tucked her in her bed, and wiped the single tear that fell at the corner of her eye.
"I wish you a wonderful dream," William said softly. "Thank you, Aila."
The Half-Elf left the room and closed the door behind him. He didn't know if he and Aila would really become lovers in this lifetime, but he still decided to give it a chance. Although he didn't want to admit it, Aila's memories of him made him long for that memory that he had lost long ago.
Although he couldn't see it in his dreams, the proof that she still dreamed of him meant that her feelings, which had lain dormant for thousands of years, were still as strong as the first time they fell in love.
For that reason, William was willing to give her a chance. However, even he didn't know if his current state was capable of loving her.
In fact, he didn't know if he was capable of loving anyone, aside from Chloee and Charmaine, who truly made him feel loved, before he became the Prince of Darkness.