SSS Awakening: Rebirth of the Strongest Vampire God-Chapter 89: You said what?

Damon stilled.

The contact was brief, soft, uncertain, like she was testing a boundary she hadn’t meant to cross. Lirae lingered for a second longer than she needed to, then slowly pulled back, her pale cheeks now dusted with the faintest rose hue.

Damon didn’t move. Didn’t speak. Just let the silence settle between them, warm and strange. Blood Reign, predictably, was screaming with glee in his mind.

"She kissed you! She kissed you! Oh, how scandalous! She wants to offer more blood, I can taste it—"

"You are not feeling too weak now, huh? Maybe I should ask you about some important things. Hey, little red, how about you tell me how to stabilize my bloodline?" Damon shot back to the weapon spirit mentally.

Instant silence. Damon sighed inwardly. He looked at Lirae again. The half elf blushed as she looked down. Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to speak but couldn’t find the words.

What was he supposed to do now? Damon scratched his head. Sing more words of flattery? Kiss her again? Women would always be his weak point! At least he already had the drop of blood. Otherwise, he might get kicked out or something for mispeaking in this situation.

"Thank you." He smiled awkwardly. "I have received a bigger reward than I expected." He threw some more flattery in just to be safe.

Lirae’s blush deepened at his words, and she looked away, the corners of her lips twitching into a half-smile that she couldn’t quite suppress. "Don’t say things like that," she murmured, voice quiet but steady. "Not unless you mean them."

Damon winced internally. Crap. Had he laid it on too thick? His flattery reflex was strong, but this wasn’t a tavern flirtation with a random NPC. This was a named character, an event chain trigger. Possibly even a future faction leader. He needed to tread carefully.

In order to get the next quest or possibly even a follower recruitment quest, he needed to think before speaking each and every single word.

Just as he was rummaging his brain to think about what to say next, the elf unexpectedly made the next move again. As she was fidgeting with her fingers nervously, she suddenly turned to look at him and blurted out.

"I wish to be your betrothed."

Damon froze.

His mind, already running tactical simulations for quest triggers and reputation flags, crashed completely at this unexpected development.

Did she just say what I think she said?

Blood Reign didn’t scream this time. She howled. "YES! YESSSS! MARRY HER! CLAIM HER! A blood save and a sex slave all rolled into one! Also, think of the quest chain. A royal wedding, a forbidden love, the political fallout—ugh, it’s delicious!"

Damon blinked. His mouth opened. Then closed. Then opened again, as if trying to reboot his social protocol systems.

Lirae, to her credit, looked just as shocked by her own words. Her eyes widened in horror the moment the sentence escaped her, like it had bypassed every filter between brain and mouth. "I—I didn’t mean to... I mean I did, but not like that, not right now, I just—" She looked like she wanted to sink through the floor.

Damon raised a hand gently to stop her. "Wait. Just... wait. You said betrothed?"

She nodded slowly, face crimson, voice barely audible. "I know how it sounds. But I’m not... not saying it as a romantic fool. It’s not about love. It’s about loyalty. I owe you a life-debt. And my family, what remains of it, still honors the old customs. If a Sylvaris swears themselves to someone who saves them, especially in a time of death... we don’t take that lightly."

At the same time, Damon’s system pinged.

[Ding! Trigger Event Detected: Royal Oath of Blood and Sunfire.]

[Ding! You have received a unique marriage proposal.]

[Ding! Accepting will bind Lirae Sylvaris as a Companion-Class NPC. You are allowed to have multiple Companion-Class NPCs.]

[Ding! Bonus: +Fame in Elven Territories, +New Questline Unlocked, +Title Opportunity]

[Ding! Warning: Refusal will affect future Elenthil political alignment.]

Damon was shocked. He had never heard of a quest like this before even in his last life. No one had managed to unlock something like this even though another guild had attempted this same Elenthil outpost defense quest.

Was it because Lirae was too young and inexperienced now? Was it because he had tapped into this quest before several other things could happen? He had no idea. But this was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity that he couldn’t afford to miss.

Lirae took his silence as a rejection. She quickly stood, her hands clenched tightly. "I’m sorry. That was foolish. Please forget I said anything."

Damon stood too. "No. Don’t apologize. I was just surprised that you would speak the thoughts in my mind." He continued with a smile. "I didn’t think you would feel this way about a blood drinker."

Lirae stood frozen, lips parted slightly, her flushed cheeks still glowing in the dim light. "Are you... do you mean it?"

Damon had seen enough movies to know what to do next. Without wasting any time, he got down on one knee and took out a ring from his storage space.

He had no clue which light faction player had dropped it but it looked beautiful without any special added effects. Probably some idiot spent money on it for its looks and purchased it from an NPC. Thanks to that idiot, he now had a wedding engagement ring.

Damon held the ring up toward her, silver band glinting faintly in the lanternlight, its gem a soft amber that mirrored the dying sunlight outside. "Lirae Sylvaris, would you please do me the honor of binding your fate to mine?"

Lirae’s breath hitched. Slowly, she reached out, her fingers trembling as they brushed his.

"Yes," she whispered. "I would."

The system reacted instantly.

[Ding! Quest Updated: Royal Oath of Blood and Sunfire – Stage Complete]

[Ding! Lirae Sylvaris has been officially bound to you as a Companion-Class NPC (Fiancée)]

[Ding! New Title Acquired: Bound by Fire and Blood]

[Ding! Unique Trait Unlocked: Elven Court Influence]

[Ding! Relationship Status: Betrothed – Affection Rating: High]