Chapter 167: Chapter 167: A Vessel For The Emblem

When he entered the drawing room, everyone’s eyes followed him until he sat on the couch.

The woman at the head of the table introduces herself as Bianca and Seamus tells all the people in the room about Madeline and X.

Then immediately after that Bianca cleared her throat.

"Since you are the Emblem of Enigma of Corvane, you should stay here and focus on finding the other part of the Crest."

"I agree," Dylan said. "You are the one who owns it. Shouldn’t you be able to sense where the rest is?"

X lifted a cup of hot chocolate and took a slow sip, savoring it like he had all the time in the world.

"I need a new vessel. I know Seamus cannot stay here."

Seamus frowned. "A vessel? I am not your vessel. Why do you even need one?"

"You actually are," X replied casually. "That is why I am residing inside you. Look."

He raised his hand toward the lamp. Under the warm light, his skin turned thin and translucent, almost like drifting smoke trying to hold a shape.

"See? I am unstable without the full Crest," X explained. "And I have no vampires of my own anymore. The only one left is Lulu, and she is basically Velstrath now."

"What? You can be weakened by that?" Seamus stared at him, genuinely shocked.

"Of course. My purpose was to take care of Corvane, but Corvane is gone. Creatures without purpose eventually disappear. The Crest knows this, so it is trying to spread its influence. That way it can survive."

"I see..." Seamus murmured.

His voice was small, almost unsure. The idea of something ancient slowly fading away made him uneasy.

Silence filled the room, heavy and uncomfortable. No one dared breathe too loudly.

Then X clapped his hands lightly, almost cheerfully. "Don’t look so depressed. I know the perfect vessel."

He pointed directly at Seamus.

"I think your father can become one."

"What?!" Seamus shot to his feet. "He is dying and you want to burden his body even more?"

He rubbed his temple and let out a long breath. "We don’t even know if he will survive the night."

"He will!" Maria suddenly snapped. She glared at Seamus with sharp, burning eyes. "You are his son. Believe in him a little more."

He was stunned. A small ache bloomed in his chest because, first, she was right, and second, she had rarely raised her voice at him before.

The sudden burst of emotion from her hit him harder than he expected, leaving him speechless for a moment.

"Calm down, both of you. My existence in his body might actually help him. I can give him more..." X paused as if searching for the right word. "Time to live."

"What do you mean by that?" Maria and Seamus asked at the same moment.

Even with their complicated relationship, they shared the same desperate goal. Both of them wanted Andrew to live as long as possible.

"It is a little hard to explain," X said while tapping a finger on his cup. "But I can share my power with him. Think of it like a Vitalis Core inside his heart. The difference is that I will not drain his blood or worsen his condition. It will be the opposite."

Everyone knew the choice rested on Seamus as the room turned silent once more. He turned toward Madeline instead, looking for the truth behind X’s words.

Madeline nodded slowly. "It is possible. Our existence is different from vampires. We are pure. You saw the difference between the corrupted Crest and us."

She paused and added, "But it is temporary."

Her gaze told him everything. Andrew would not stay alive for long. No matter how much power they used, the end was coming.

But Seamus chose not to believe it. Maybe Maria felt the same. X once said that not all fate was carved in stone. Some flowed like water.

Maybe Andrew could survive longer. Maybe he deserved to suffer longer for abandoning his son. Not just die quietly from cancer.

Seamus closed his eyes and let out a long breath. "Fine. You can do it. Use my father as a vessel. But you need to promise me..." He hesitated. "There will be no side effects."

"There will not," X said with a lazy grin.

"Relax. I will make sure he gets back to his prime. Maybe not fully, but enough to destroy enemies if he needs to."

Bianca placed a bottle of red liquor on the table and folded her arms, clearly wanting to change the topic.

"Since we are clear on this, let us move on. Where is the other half of the Crest?"

X straightened his posture. His playful expression faded as he stared out the window behind Bianca, his eyes focusing on some distant, unseen place.

"Beyond the wall," he said quietly. "Far from peace. There are brute bears hiding in the snow and conflict. That is where our enemy waits with the other half of the Crest."

Bianca’s eyes widened. She understood instantly. She stood up fast enough to shake the table.

"I will call Lady Isolde. We need more personnel. If what you say is true, our enemy is the Bjoren House."

Without explaining anything to the rest of them, she rushed out of the room, leaving an awkward silence behind.

Seamus rubbed his forehead. "Should we go to my dad’s room so you can enter temporarily?"

He looked at X, who nodded with a knowing grin that practically whispered, ’I know you just want to avoid them.’

Dylan and Maria followed anyway. Seamus could not escape them if he tried.

They opened the infirmary door and saw Matthew already awake. He sat on his bed, staring blankly out the window. None of them spoke to him. They simply moved past him to Andrew’s bed.

Even though it was only an infirmary, the room looked like a private hospital. The equipment around Andrew made it obvious that Bianca had bought everything she could find.

Velstrath’s wealth at its finest.

"He is all yours," Seamus said quietly.

X stepped forward. His hand hovered over Andrew’s chest. A gentle light spread from his palm and flowed into Andrew’s body.

Color returned to Andrew’s face, and a tattoo of wings appeared across his chest. A moment later, his eyes fluttered open.

"Huh? What is happening?" he murmured.

Maria approached immediately. She held his hand and asked, "Are you alright? You don’t feel any pain, do you?"

"No. Strangely, I don’t..."

Andrew tried to sit up. He grew even more confused when he saw Seamus and Madeline.

"Why are you two here? What is going on?"

Seamus crossed his arms and frowned deeply. "I think you need to explain that first. Why did you hide your illness from me? Why did you pretend everything was fine?"

Andrew blinked, staying quiet. Maria was the one who spoke first.

"I don’t think this is the right time to question a sick patient. Let him rest," she said sharply.

Seamus scoffed. "Oh, so you are acting like his daughter now? Step back, Maria. Don’t get involved in family matters."

He knew it was rude, but Maria hadn’t been gentle with him either. And regardless of whose fault everything was, this had to be addressed before he returned to Rowani or before his father simply died without answers.

"I am better than a daughter, Seamus. I am his responsibility. That means I will be the one who treats him right."

"Oh? So you want to be my mother now?" He stepped closer until they stood almost chest to chest, both glaring.

"That is disgusting. Why would you think that way? Is it because you sleep with your stepmother?" Maria snapped.

Seamus froze. Dylan’s mouth dropped open.

"You go, girl," Dylan muttered from behind them.

Maria continued without looking away from Seamus. "If you knew he was sick, you should have been kinder. Act like a son, not an enemy." She pushed his chest with her finger.

Seamus laughed coldly. "A son? He never once felt like a father."

"So why did you bother asking those questions to him? You already know the answer."

Seamus opened his mouth, then closed it again. He had nothing. Her words hit exactly where he was weakest.

"Stop it, both of you." Andrew exhaled and dragged a hand through his hair. "Leave me alone with Seamus."

Maria looked ready to argue, but swallowed it down. She turned and left with Dylan and the others, closing the door behind them.

"Seamus," Andrew said softly.

"It is fine, Dad. You don’t have to explain." Seamus sank into the chair beside the bed. His shoulders lowered.

"Maria was right. I should be more mature." His smile turned bitter. "And it is fair that you didn’t tell me. We have never been close."

"That is not the reason." Andrew leaned back against the headboard. "I didn’t want to make you worry. And yes, I was planning to go quietly. I assume you won’t miss me much."

"I won’t," Seamus said bluntly. "I am used to being alone without you."