"Elder Sister, I don't understand . You should be in immense pain . I saw some of the reports on formal rejection between the true mates . It was extremely painful for both of them . The first few months were torturous . When the worst was over, they were " 

Huang Qiuyan rubs her chest . The dull ache in her soul must be due to the formal rejection . But it's not overwhelmingly painful . She recalls how she suddenly felt a sharp pain after she pushed him away . It lasted barely for a second, but it felt like her soul was breaking apart . Fu Sheng ran away right at that moment . Did he feel the pain too? Is that why he ran away? Is it related to close proximity? Now, they will repel each other? 

Xiao Chun Dan shakes his head . "Whether you are far apart or sitting closer, both of you must feel the pain . But, I am not sure either . The study was done on a handful of cases . Usually, true mates don't reject each other . Then, Elder Sister, you are also not the usual person . It could be that the bond was not strong enough between you . It's not painful because you rejected him early in your relations.h.i.+p . "

That's one possibility . She's not a usual vampire . She's a new type of vampire and Fu Sheng is a pureblood . What does she know? Things have turned out for the best . This dull ache in her soul is better than having s.e.x with someone whom she doesn't like . She will seek the bond breaker and get rid of the bond anyway . She doesn't want to die when he dies .

"It could be that the pain would come later . " Xiao Chun Dan looks afraid . "We should find the other party . Maybe he can clarify . "

Huang Qiuyan agrees . She should find Fu Sheng . The vampire king told her that he would explain to her the way of the vampire . Why didn't he tell her about the formal rejection? What if the things went wrong and she felt the writing pain in her soul? Thankfully, it only lasted for a second . That small moment of pain was enough to cause him to run away .

His sorrowful eyes emerge in her mind again .

"Tch!" She climbs off the bed . "I will check on that guy . I don't feel pain when I get stabbed by the enchanted wood, but he can feel it . I should see if he's in pain due to the formal rejection . "

Xiao Chun Dan sighs .  "As long as you don't suffer from it, Elder Sister, I don't care what happens to him . If you are in pain, I won't feel happy .

Why is this system so caring suddenly? She raises her brow sharply . "Why won't you be happy?"

"I read in a book that family members shouldn't be happy when one of the family members is suffering . Being a family means sharing both pain and happiness . I can't feel your pain because I am not a human . " Xiao Chun Dan answers her with an innocent tone, "But you are my host and you are my family . Your well-being and survival is my priority . "

She smiles at him . The system isn't that bad . He's just a little guy who only thinks of her survival . She rubs his head . His hair is soft . She can't stop herself . She pinches those chubby cheeks mercilessly .  

"Ow!" He cries out in pain . "Elder Sister, what are you doing? It hurts . "

She laughs and pinches him harder until it's crimson due to her a.s.saults .

"My king, are you feeling okay?" Aiken looks at the closed door with a creased forehead .

A while ago, the other eight vampires felt a sharp stabbing pain before it vanished from their souls . Though the young vampires didn't understand the cause, Aiken and Han could guess what must have happened . They came to seek the king, but his presence wasn't felt near the king's bedroom . When they followed the scent, they ended up here .  

The king has locked himself inside the cold room . He has never done this before -- not even when his family and the other purebloods were killed by the council during the purge .

When he doesn't get any response, he turns to Han .  "Brother Han, do you think the queen rejected our king?" 

Han, who is quiet usually, reveals distress in his eyes .  He is the only one who had a mate before the purge conducted by the council . His mate wasn't a true mate . She was another pureblood vampire . They chose each other and completed the formal mating ceremony . When she died, he felt immense pain in his chest . Even now, he can't get over the emptiness that she left inside him .

The vampires often feel the emotions strongly even if they don't show it easily .  

"We should wait here . " That's all Han can say .

"He blocked us . " Aiken knows Fu Sheng well . Though the vampire king is not weak, he doesn't like sharing his pain with others . He was the only son of the previous king .  He was trained to be their king since young .  

'The true king is the s.h.i.+eld of his people -- not the other way around . '

Those were Fu Sheng's words when Aiken told him to use him as his s.h.i.+eld after the purge .

"Why the ancestors are also dead? They were the only ones who can explain this true bond . "

If the ancestors were alive, Fu Sheng wouldn't be suffering . "We should give him time . He won't stay there for long . Fu Mian would seek him out after she wakes up . "

Aiken nods . The princess is tired . She's still sleeping . When she wakes up, she will look for Fu Sheng first . Their king will come out . He will never leave them alone, especially when the world is in this state .