MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL VAMPIRE

"How long do the effects of those injections last?" Blake finally asked in a murmur against her hair. "When will you be able to move freely again?"

"Since I haven't received any doses for a day or so now, the paralysis should wear off relatively soon," Rose replied, sounding more at ease than she had since he'd returned. "I can already feel hints of mobility and sensation beginning to return."

Blake pulled back just enough to grace her with a warm, relieved smile. "That's wonderful news. Which means..." he trailed off, a teasing lilt entering his tone. "We really need to get down to the matter of naming our daughter, don't you think?"

Rose's eyes danced with affectionate amusement at his playful rejoinder amidst such heavy topics. "Is that so? Well, I've waited this long for you – I wouldn't dream of making any unilateral decisions now." She arched one shapely brow in faux-challenge. "I believe that task falls to you, good sir."

"Me?" Blake chuckled low in his throat. "Is that your way of admitting you're hopelessly indecisive on the matter, my lady?"

Rose swatted him lightly on the chest, unable to contain the grin tugging at her lips. "Watch yourself, vampire – I'm in a delicate condition, remember?" Her voice adopted a lofty, faux-haughty air as she tossed her head in exaggerated disdain. "No, I'm simply allowing you the honor of christening our daughter since you'll be the doting father."

"A fathers' honor it shall be then," Blake acquiesced with a dramatic flourish and exaggerated wink. He tapped his chin theatrically as he feigned deep contemplation.

"Let's see...we could go with something classical like Sophia or Ariadne?" He shot Rose a sidelong glance, only to find her nose crinkling with distaste, clearly unimpressed.

"Too grandiose? Fair enough...how about Lily? Or Willow?"

Rose merely shook her head with a soft tsk of her tongue. Blake threw up his hands in overblown exasperation.

"By the fates, woman! You're an impossible critic, do you know that?" Blake exclaimed with an exaggerated roll of his eyes, though his tone remained warm and teasing.

Rose simply shrugged one delicate shoulder, the hint of a smirk playing about her lips. "What can I say? You'll have to dig deeper than that if you want to impress me."

Blake snapped his fingers melodramatically. "Ah, I've got it then – we'll name her after the most beautiful, fearsome creature to grace this earth!" He puffed out his chest with an air of self-importance. "Our little Draculla will strike terror into the hearts of all who cross her path!"

The sound of Rose's peal of laughter was like precious, uplifting music to Blake's ears after so much darkness and turmoil. He grinned unabashedly, relishing her mirth and the way it seemed to rekindle the spark of life in her emerald eyes.

"Oh you're absolutely incorrigible," she managed between ebbing giggles, lightly swatting his chest again in faux-admonishment. "Draculla? Really? I fear our daughter would be doomed to a life of merciless teasing if you insist on that particular moniker."

Blake adopted a look of melodramatic hurt, hand clutched to his chest as if struck. "You wound me, love! And after I spent many minutes carefully deliberating potential names."

"Clearly your 'careful deliberations' still require some work," Rose shot back with an arched brow, though she was grinning broadly.

It felt so wondrously, achingly familiar – their playful banter, the way effortless affection and understanding flowed between them. For that brief, shining moment, the horrors of the past could have been a civilization away, merely shades in the night to be banished by the light of their love.

Gradually, their shared laughter tapered off into comfortable quiet, though the lingering warmth of shared joy still shone in each other's gazes. Blake's expression sobered somewhat as he regarded Rose with tender adoration.

"You're right, I haven't put enough thought into this all-important decision," he admitted with an inclination of his head. "Our little girl deserves a name befitting her noble heritage and sacred place in our hearts."

Rose's teasing smirk softened into an affectionate smile as she reached out to gently touch his face. "Then I suppose you'll simply have to keep putting that remarkable mind of yours to work, won't you?" Her eyes sparkled with a mixture of love and challenge. "I have every faith you'll realize the perfect name for our daughter by the day's end."

Blake leaned into her tender caress like a man reuniting with his heart's most precious desire after an eon's absence. His fingers entwined with hers, bringing her hand to his lips in a reverent kiss.

"Your faith is my inspiration, my love," he murmured ardently. "I will dedicate every faculty to this singular purpose – to christen our child in a manner worthy of her immortal parents."

Rose laughed softly, wholly captivated by his grandiose sincerity. "Lucky her to have such a doting, dramatic father," she teased lightly.

Affection swelled in Blake's chest until he thought his newly-immortal heart might burst from the intensity of it all. He simply gazed at Rose in worshipful silence for long, luxuriant moments – drinking in her ethereal beauty, reveling in her presence and the profound sense of everything being somehow...right in the world once more.

********

*Author's note*

First of all, Thank you @ dirty beast for the magic castle! I really appreciate.

Secondly, I'd like to announce that the new book is now out.

Please go check it out.

"MY SUGAR MUMMY IS A BEAUTIFUL WITCH"

Thirdly, what the hell are we gonna name this baby?! Help me out here...I'm begging y'all.

And finally, I have a mission for us all.

I want us to try and enter top ten trending books on webnovel.

How can we do that? Simple actually.

Trending rankings is based on number of coins spent on a book.

That means, unlocking chapters, gifting the book will catapult it higher.

But of course nothing goes for nothing. So here's my proposal.

If we can hit top ten trending books for a week, I'll release 10 chapters every weekend. I've got exams right now otherwise I'd have said twice a day.

So, if I get a magic castle, a spaceship or a gachapon, or batch unlocks, I should hit the top ten trending in no time.

Thank you all.

Anticipating your participation.