A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 287: I Am Not A Boy

Chapter 287: I Am Not A Boy

To avoid making things more awkward than they already were, Valentine attempted a smile, his eyes unintentionally meeting Olive’s gray orbs. They stared at each other for a few moments, and he reluctantly looked away from Olive.

Ava, who was intently gazing at him, smiled widely and approached him in the blink of an eye. He cupped his cheeks in her palms, startling him.

"Oh my, you are so pretty for a boy!" She chortled, her eyes sparkling in awe.

Valentine, who was obviously uncomfortable, smiled awkwardly and tried to get her hands off. "I-I am not a boy, haha." He laughed nervously.

"You are not?" Ava was surprised. "You look so young! Haha." She went ahead, grabbing Valentine’s lean waist, which caused him to flinch away from her.

"P-please don’t touch me." Valentine tried to be as polite as possible. He shifted closer to Draven and instinctively grabbed the hem of his coat as though seeking help from him.

Draven glanced at him. He let out a soft breath and looked at Ava.

"It would be nice if you could refrain from touching him randomly, Ava."

"Huh? Why?" Ava was genuinely curious.

Draven replied, "Just don’t touch him, okay?"

Ava fluttered her eyes, taking a step back. "Understood."

Valentine looked away, inwardly embarrassed and uncomfortable. Suddenly, he no longer wanted to be there and wished to turn around and return home.

Draven, who noticed due to his body language, grabbed hold of his hand, walking him further into the living room. He went ahead to introduce him to all of them.

All the while, Olive was quiet, while Pierre, on the other hand, held a vigilant, suspicious look. Loui and Lucien were the only outgoing ones who were trying to make small talk with Valentine, smiling at him every so often.

Prince was simply neutral, like he’d always been, and Ava was being cautious due to Draven’s words.

"He will be staying with you all for the whole of today until you are done," Draven said. "Take care of him."

He stood up from the sofa and began to exit the living room. Valentine immediately followed after him, confusing them as they could not understand why he followed Draven out.

"Draven! Draven, wait!" He hurried over to stand in front of Draven, spreading his arms out to prevent him from leaving.

Draven came to a halt, his expression one of perplexity. "What’s wrong?"

Valentine asked, "Do you have to leave? Can’t you stay here with me? I don’t really know them, and it’s a bit too...uncomfortable."

He wasn’t an introvert or anything of the sort, but being among those people, especially the females, was one hell of an uncomfortable situation for him. Now that he thought about it, he hadn’t really been around people, strangers specifically. It was either his family or the restaurant he visits ever so often to eat.

Draven furrowed his brows at him. "I cannot stay back with you, Valentine. I must return to my wife."

"What’s wrong? Are you scared?"

"No, of course not! I’m not scared! It’s just..." Valentine paused, seeming embarrassed. "...uncomfortable."

"Oh?" Draven blinked, as though pondering.

"Well, if you do not want to stay here, you don’t have to. You can go back with me and I’ll just let them do it, no matter—"

"No, no, it’s fine!" Valentine shook his head, interrupting him.

He said, "I did agree to help you."

Regardless of how uncomfortable it might be, he did want to help Draven, so he wasn’t going to back down. After all, it would be a miracle if Draven and Avelina could possibly realize they loved each other through this. It was his intention when he’d introduced it to Draven, so hopefully it would work. He can’t have anything ruining it.

He smiled, taking a deep breath. "It’s alright. I’ll be fine."

"Are you...sure?" Draven asked.

Valentine nodded.

"Well then, I will get go—" Before Draven could finish his words, Valentine took a step closer to him, hugging him abruptly.

Draven came to a standstill, his eyes flickering in confusion. "What...are you doing?" he asked, his tone filled with perplexity.

Valentine shrugged. "Nothing. Just one hug before you leave. It has been a long time since I hugged you. Years, actually."

"You are not a child, Valentine. Let go!" Draven broke his hands off and began to walk off.

Valentine smirked, waving at him. "See you tomorrow!"

Draven did not give him a response. He walked to his car, unlocked it, and opened the door. A soft breath fled his nose, and he turned his head, glancing at the building.

His red pupils were filled with nothing but worry. He could not help but wonder if Valentine would be alright, especially with Lucien and Ava there.

Hopefully, they wouldn’t go too far with him, after all, they do not have any idea of his trauma.

He pinched between his brows and pulled his phone out of the pocket of his pants. He dialed Olive’s number.

The callee picked up almost immediately.

[Don?]

"Olive, please take care of my little brother. I am sure you must be aware, so see to it that Lucien or Ava do not go too far, okay?" Draven implored.

Olive was quiet for a few moments, but he eventually responded. [Understood, Don]

Draven hung up the call and boarded his car, driving off onto the road. He returned to the royal mansion and parked his car.

He proceeded to the entrance of the mansion, and the second he stepped in through the general foyer, the first person he came face-to-face with was Edward, who was walking with Aldéric.

He came to an immediate stop, confused.

"Young master." With his hand to his chest, Aldéric bowed to Draven. Edward did the same as well, but his face was filled with annoyance.

Even though Draven was curious to know why Edward was at the royal mansion, he did not bother to ask. There was no point in asking because whatever the reason, it definitely had to do with his father. Plus, even if he asked, Aldéric surely would not tell him the truth, therefore, he would have to find out on his own.