The bodies of the three clergymen and the left knight had already shriveled, and although Ethan Clark's body was still relatively intact, he was no longer breathing, his whole body cold and stiff, looking as if he had been dead for two or three days.

When Grace Bennett saw Ethan Clark's corpse lying before her, she fainted once again. It was only after several priests cast spells of clarity on her that she finally woke up, but her beautiful eyes were already red and sore, and tears quickly soaked her long lashes.

Originally, the clergymen suggested cremating Ethan Clark, but Grace Bennett disagreed. When she discovered that Ethan Clark had used her hairpin to commit suicide, Grace Bennett was so overcome with grief that she could barely speak, cursing and wailing at Ethan Clark's corpse, completely unlike a noble lady of high status.

"Preserve him in a stone coffin, bury him in the town's cemetery for now, and when I return from the Academy of Warlocks next year, I'll bring him back to the family..." No matter how much she cried and raged, Grace Bennett knew that this troublesome fellow could not possibly come back to life. After a week of adjustment, once Grace Bennett finally managed to compose herself, she instructed her subordinates to handle Ethan Clark's funeral arrangements.

Although Ethan Clark was in a deep sleep, he could still hear people speaking beside his ear. If he could control his body now, he would have sprung up and planted a few kisses on Grace Bennett's rosy cheeks. After listening to Grace Bennett's week-long confessions, curses, and sobbing, Ethan Clark finally heard the most wonderful words.

At first, Ethan Clark was worried that Grace Bennett would simply have his corpse sent back to the family. If that happened, it would be easy for some learned people to discover that he was in the process of transforming into a vampire.

The process of transforming into a vampire is extremely fragile. Fortunately, the most senior clergyman in this small town had already been killed by the female vampire. If he were still alive, he would surely have discovered Ethan Clark's transformation, and with a single divine spell, Ethan Clark would have been utterly destroyed.

Instead, Grace Bennett had Ethan Clark placed in an ice coffin that could preserve the body, and buried directly in the town's cemetery. With a stone coffin and a grave, Ethan Clark now had a quiet resting place, allowing him to transform into a vampire without any interference. At that point, he would truly be resurrected!

On the day Ethan Clark was buried, Grace Bennett, dressed in a black ceremonial gown, stood beside Ethan Clark's ice coffin, hesitating over whether or not to pull out the hairpin she cherished most from Ethan Clark's body.

In the end, she gave up. Leaving that precious hairpin in Ethan Clark's body was actually Grace Bennett's way of expressing her gratitude to Ethan Clark, as well as her respect for the death of this childhood companion.

In fact, when Ethan Clark died, he kept his hands folded over his heart the whole time. This was simply because Ethan Clark was afraid someone might drive a wooden stake into his heart, preventing him from becoming a vampire.

But Grace Bennett thought Ethan Clark was treasuring the hairpin, and was so moved that she cried the whole night.

As the ice coffin was about to be sealed, Grace Bennett took one last look at the man who was about to sleep forever, held back her tears as they slid down her cheeks, and softly said to Ethan Clark, "Take good care of that hairpin for me... Next year, I'll bring you back to the family..."

After saying this, Grace Bennett's tears still fell, but she stubbornly wiped them from her cheeks with her hand, then had the ice coffin sealed, allowing Ethan Clark to rest in peace.

"Don't worry, my lovely Xiner, I will definitely take good care of this token of our love. When you come to see me next year, I'll return it to you myself." Ethan Clark replied in his heart to Grace Bennett's earlier words.

After keeping vigil at Ethan Clark's tomb for a night, Grace Bennett set out for the Academy of Warlocks the next day after reuniting with the right knight. After all, her studies as a warlock were crucial to Grace Bennett's future, so she dared not delay.

The noble and beautiful Grace Bennett departed in elegance, continuing her brilliant path as a warlock, while Ethan Clark lay quietly in the cold stone coffin, waiting for a certain dark and windy night to awaken from the ice coffin...

Chapter 012: The Cheating Lady

The small town of Blackwood is a rather independent little city, nestled among the surrounding mountains, with several small towns and villages nearby. If it weren't for a road frequently traveled by merchants and travelers passing through the city and boosting the local economy, this place would be utterly impoverished.

At night, the town is always silent. Occasionally, a few drunken drunks wander near the taverns that still glow with dim lights. Even if they have no money to keep drinking, just smelling the aroma of wine is enough to make them feel comfortable all over.

"Hey, that's Mrs. Clark. Look at her ass about to burst out of her skirt, and the way her hips swing—I'm telling you, this widow who's been alone for years is starving for it and needs the two of us to comfort her." The bearded drunk leaned against the tavern door, looking thoroughly intoxicated, his greedy eyes fixed on the young married woman who had just walked by.

Beside him was a rather skinny drunk, who kept sniffing deeply, savoring the animalistic scent left behind by the woman, his gaze burning as he stared at her back, like a lurking beast ready to pounce on that voluptuous, alluring figure at any moment.