My Three Beautiful Vampire Wives can hear my Inner Thoughts-Chapter 44: Signs

The blood mist mana rising from their bodies glimmered faintly under the moonlight, like thin veils of red fog reflecting silver light.

To the untrained eye, it looked beautiful, almost ceremonial, as if the Moonshade camp itself was blessing its warriors. But Cain stared at it with growing dread, his pupils narrowing as his senses peeled back layer after layer of what was really happening.

No. No no no. Shit! Shit! Shit! This is bad. This is bad. Really really bad!

On the side where William’s troopers stood, especially among the newer recruits, the blood mist was thicker. Denser. It clung to their skin longer, swirling with an unhealthy eagerness. It was subtle, so subtle that even veteran Blood Knights would miss it unless they knew exactly what to look for.

Cain knew.

Damn it.

Those idiots. Those absolute idiots.

I fed them blood. Not even thinking. Human Emperor blood subordinates, diluted but still potent for them to improve any vampire’s mana mastery. Of course their bodies reacted. Of course they broke through like fireworks. I should have drained them dry afterward. I should have—

His jaw tightened.

Enough talk!

If Cornelia notices this pattern, she’ll put it together. She’s not stupid. She never was.

His gaze flicked to her instinctively.

Cornelia stood at the center of the camp, calm and composed, her posture straight despite the chaos around her. Her eyes swept across the soldiers, taking everything in. Too much, Cain realized. Far too much.

I need to erase the signs. Now.

Cain stepped his foot down slightly, just enough to look like a man struggling to stay upright. Beneath the dirt and stone, blood responded to his will.

A thin line seeped out from the ground near his heel, almost invisible, crawling like a shadow. It thickened, twisting into a narrow, snake-like form, its surface rippling as if alive.

Not single one of them noticed.

The cheers were too loud.

The excitement too overwhelming.

Good. Stay loud. Stay distracted.

Cain nodded.

The blood snake slithered forward, hugging the ground, weaving between boots and discarded weapons. Cain guided it carefully, his focus split between the soldiers jumping in celebration and the delicate task of siphoning excess blood mist without alerting anyone.

Alright. You first. Stop moving, damn it.

The snake reared up slightly near a laughing recruit, its mouth opening silently. The blood mist around the man trembled, then was pulled downward in a thin stream, swallowed cleanly.

Yes. Good. That’s it.

The snake recoiled and darted away, already heading for the next target.

Why are they all jumping? Stop celebrating like idiots. You’re making this harder than killing an Emperor.

He clenched his teeth as the snake missed another soldier who suddenly spun around to hug

his companion.

Move one more time and I swear I’ll knock you unconscious myself.

The blood snake adjusted, lunging again, catching the mist midair and draining it before it could stabilize.

One by one, Cain worked, sweat forming at his temples. This wasn’t brute force. Every soldier had a different threshold. Take too much and they’d collapse. Take too little and the residue would remain.

And there were too many of them.

Tch. I knew reviving them all at once was a bad idea. Look at this mess.

Inside his head, curses piled up, sharp and relentless, as he fought to keep control. His stomach was still empty. His body still punished.

Every movement strained him.

Meanwhile, Cornelia listened.

At first, she hadn’t understood what she was hearing. Cain’s thoughts was made convinced her, always chaotic, usually filled with insults and complaints. But this time, beneath the curses, there was urgency. Calculation. Fear.

She followed his gaze, then looked more closely.

She saw it.

The difference in the blood mist. The way it gathered more densely around certain soldiers.

The way it responded unnaturally, as if it remembered something about them.

Human blood, she realized.

Not just any human blood.

Her heart thumped.

Memories surfaced.

The roar.

The hunger.

Cain’s blood dripping into her mouth.

The way reality itself had bent around him.

An Overgod.

The word no longer felt absurd. It felt obvious.

So he’s been cleaning up after them, she thought slowly. Erasing the evidence... to protect them. Or to protect himself. After all, they are his pawns to make us sisters hate him.

And then another thought followed, colder and sharper.

Overgod... then letting him leave would be disastrous.

Not just for the Moonshade Family.

For the world.

That’s why she must block all his path to not make him hate me.

She clenched her fingers slightly, grounding herself.

I don’t know how to bind a god, she admitted silently. I’m not clever with seduction. I’m not gentle with words.

Her eyes flicked to Cain again, watching him struggle to look weak while secretly manipulating the battlefield.

So I must keep him here.

And then, despite herself, a small warmth bloomed in her chest.

Although... most of the time, he really is ridiculous.

The way he complains. The way he panics over the smallest things. The way he pretends to be pathetic while moving the world behind everyone’s back.

Cute, she thought, immediately annoyed with herself for thinking it.

Meanwhile, before Cain could finish draining the last cluster of suspicious blood mist, Cornelia stepped forward.

"Wait," she said clearly.

The camp froze.

"All of you," she continued, her voice firm. "Stand at attention."

Cedrick stiffened instantly. Zed and Hall followed without question. William snapped his troops into formation by reflex.

Cain’s heart dropped.

What are you doing? What are you doing? What are you doing?

Cornelia walked slowly through the camp, her boots crunching softly against the ground. Every eye followed her. The cheers faded into uneasy silence.

"Lower your blood mana," she ordered.

One by one, the soldiers obeyed. The red mist thinned, settling closer to their skin.

Cain swallowed.

That makes it easier to see, damn it.

She stopped near the line of newer recruits and raised a hand.

"You," she said, pointing to one soldier. "Step forward. To my left." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

The recruit hesitated, then hurried over.

"And you," Cornelia added, pointing to another. "And you. Over here."

Murmurs spread.

Cain’s mind raced.

No no no no. This is bad. This is very bad. Don’t tell me she found out! I am almost there! Removing the signs!

She continued calmly, selecting soldiers one by one. Some from William’s troops. Some from the Blood Knights. She spaced them out deliberately, forming two distinct lines.

Cedrick frowned. "Madam, what is the meaning of this?"

"Observe," Cornelia replied simply.

Cain watched in horror as the pattern became clear. Even without blood mist flaring, the chosen soldiers radiated a faint difference. Their presence was heavier. Their pulses steadier.

I didn’t finish in time.

He clenched his fists.

Damn it. Damn it all.

Cornelia turned back to the formation, her voice carrying easily.

"Those I called forward," she said, "maintain your stance."

She faced the rest. "The rest of you, remain where you are."

The tension was thick enough to choke on.

Cain’s thoughts spiraled.

She knows. She has to know. If she accuses them now, everything collapses. The lie about traitors. The fragile balance. She’ll start interrogations. Investigations. And then—

And then she’ll look at me.

Cornelia inhaled slowly.

"Now," she said, her gaze sweeping across the camp, "can you show me your blood mana and blood aura as you broke through?"

The words landed like a hammer.

Cain’s stomach sank.

She really found out!