If Atlas needed to select anyone in this place who he could feel safe with, he knew it was this woman.

He started to step toward the woman. Unfortunately, before he could take a few steps, the other woman noticed him and approached him.

“Welcome, Young Sir. I haven’t seen you here before. It must be your first time. Come, let me serve you.” One of the women held Atlas’s hands with her soft hands.

The other women also started trying to engage in a conversation with him. Unfortunately, Atlas wasn’t interested. He freed his hands. “I’m sorry, but I’ve already selected someone.”

The women noticed him looking in the direction of the dark-haired woman in the distance. Her hazel eyes didn’t seem interested in anything in this place. She didn’t even look at any men. She was more interested in her wine. Her deep dark hair was the darkest that Atlas had ever seen. They came down to her waist, perfectly straight.

She was donning a beautiful red dress that came up to her thighs.

“Lia? Don’t tell me you selected Lia?” One of the women exclaimed in surprise.

“So that’s her name.” Atlas nodded. “That’s right. I’ve selected her.”

“Ah, Great Sir. You’re new here, so you might not know, but don’t you wonder why no man here has approached her?”

“Why? Is there a reason?” Atlas asked.

“Of course. She just came here a few days ago. She is new here, but as soon as she came, all the men flocked around her. Ultimately one man was selected to take her to the room, the highest payer.”

“And?” Atlas frowned. “What of it?”

It wasn’t as if he was planning to do anything. He was just here to get some shelter. He didn’t care if she slept with another man? It’s not like anyone here hadn’t? He wasn’t here looking for a girlfriend after all.

“That’s not all. It was in the morning when the man left the Club; he died in an accident before he could even reach home,” the woman explained. “The next day, another man selected her, but he also died before he could get home, this time suffering a heart attack on his way back home.”

“Since then, no man has selected her! She is bad luck for men. Don’t even try to go into a room with her. Select any other woman amongst us, but not her,” she added, but as she noticed the stern gaze of an old woman in the back, she stopped. “I’m not allowed to talk about this since it affects the reputation of this club, so that’s all I’ll say. Just make a wise decision. If you change your mind, we’ll be right there.”

The woman left along with the rest, going back to the sofa.

Atlas didn’t approach the dark-haired woman after hearing the warnings. He was also slightly scared. He rubbed his lips, hiding his mouth as he spoke, “Lilith, do you trust the story? There are many supernatural beings in this world, so I can’t deny things like bad luck either. You are more experienced. Is there any logic behind it?”

Lilith didn’t respond for quite some time as if she was lost in some thoughts, which prompted Atlas to ask again.

“Select her. Don’t listen to others.” After a long time, Lilith exclaimed.

Atlas agreed. If anyone knew more about these supernatural things, it was Lilith, and if she said it was safe, he was going to trust her.

Against the advice of all the girls, he went to the dark-haired lady in the back.

“Hi.” Atlas stopped before the woman. The waiter served a glass of wine to Atlas, which was included in the entrance fee. The first glass was complimentary. However, Atlas didn’t know it. He brought out the second silver coin and gave it to the waiter.

The waiter was shocked. He thought it was a tip. A silver coin wasn’t cheap. This guy was giving it as a tip so easily? Just who was this rich man?

The old lady who had her focus on Atlas had her eyes lit up as well. With this single gesture of Atlas, she was sure that Atlas was a wealthy individual who probably was new to the city.

Atlas kept his hand on the wine glass, looking at Lia.

Lia lazily glanced back at him as she took another sip. “Did they not tell you what happens to the ones who come with me?”

“They did,” Atlas responded. “But I don’t trust in superstitions. I don’t care about that.”

“So you’ve decided you’ll select me?” Lia let out as a tiny bit of disgust flashed in her eyes momentarily, which she hid herself.

“You’re right. If I have to select one person here, I want it to be you.” Atlas placed a gold coin on the table.

He kept the wine in his hands, but he still hadn’t taken a sip.

Lia glanced at the golden coin before looking back at Atlas. “You certainly love throwing money around, don’t you?”

Atlas didn’t react and just waited for her answer.

“Fine. If you want to come with me, then so be it.” Lia held Atlas’s hands as she picked up the gold coin. She started escorting him towards a room in the back. “Don’t blame me for what happens.”

All the ladies looked at Atlas with pity in their eyes. He was a handsome man, and he was also rich. However, he was just too stupid, according to them. Despite their warnings, he still selected her.”

Lia took Atlas to the stairs before she finally freed her hands and started climbing. Atlas climbed the stairs behind her with a weird look on his face as he looked at his wrist, which was held by Lia.

He didn’t know what it was, but when she held his hands, he felt a strange sensation. He didn’t know what that sensation was. All he knew was that it wasn’t a romantic feeling. It was a feeling of danger that he received from that sensation.

He wanted to tell Lilith about this, but he was sure she already knew about it. She was connected to him, after all.

Reaching the end of the stairs, Atlas ended up in a long corridor. There were around fifty rooms on this floor and only half of them were occupied at the moment.

The corridor had a light pinkish shade and many suggestive paintings hanging on the walls of lewd nature.

Atlas tried to keep his eyes off the paintings and focused on Lia, who walked ahead.

Lia kept walking and only stopped after she reached the end of the hallway. She turned to her left, facing a door.

She twisted the doorknob and pushed the door open.

The door opened with a strange squeaky noise as if it was a really old door, even though it looked new.

Atlas took a step ahead to enter the room, but as soon as he attempted, he felt an electric current course through his body. There was something akin to an invisible wall where the door used to be, which electrocuted him.

He stepped back in haste, looking at the room in shock.

“What are you doing there? Come on inside,” the woman inside the room let out. The room started regaining some lights as the candles were lit by Lia.

Atlas still hesitated in entering. That current… Just what was it?

“Don’t worry. It won’t happen again,” Lilith informed Atlas, breaking her silence after a long time. “She has invited you in. You can enter.”

“Invited me in? What do you mean?” Atlas muttered under his breath.

“I still need more evidence to be sure if what I’m thinking is correct. Just enter the room. I’ll tell you later when I’m sure that I’m right,” Lilith answered.

Atlas rubbed the back of his neck, letting out a tired sigh. He attempted once again on her words. It went exactly as Lilith had said. He was able to enter without any trouble this time. He didn’t feel the current this time.”

Even as he entered the room, he looked back, wondering what the current last time was. It seemed like Lilith knew something about it, but she wasn’t saying. He was really frustrated with Lilith. So what if she wasn’t sure? She could’ve just said.

For some reason, he felt like he was being used as a guinea pig by Lilith to confirm her theory. However, on second thought, he realized that she loved her master. No matter who he was now, she still wasn’t going to put her Master’s body in harm’s way.

Taking his mind off Lilith, he observed the surroundings, getting even more surprised. There were candles all around the room, filling this place with light.

‘How did she light so many candles in such a short time?’

Other than the candles, the room also had a king-sized bed with a really fluff mattress. Atlas’s eyes went straight to the mattress. It looked so comfortable. No wonder this place was expensive. He hadn’t slept in something so soft in a long time.

Ever since he left the Severis Mansion, he only camped in the forest or slept in moving carriages. After a long time, he finally had a chance to sleep on a proper bed.

His eyes had just as much curiosity as they had excitement as Atlas stepped towards the bed. He sat on the bed. “This is good.”

“You like it? I thought someone rich like you would hate something like this. You must have better beds at your mansion after all,” came the response of Lia, who was standing before a table, pouring wine into two glasses.

Lilith took the wine glasses, holding one in each hand as she walked back to Atlas. She gave one glass to him and gulped down another glass.

“Sorry, I don’t drink alcohol,” Atlas explained and returned the glass to Lia.

Lia bit her lips as she was given the glass back. She seemed a bit nervous suddenly, but she quickly hid it.

“I’ve never seen a man who doesn’t drink wine,” she let out, but she didn’t drink from the second glass. “Don’t worry; it’s not wine. It just looks like wine. It’s apple juice. You can drink it.”

She once again extended the glass towards Atlas.

“Apple Juice?” Atlas muttered, frowning. He was sure that this was wine. He was a Vampire. He could smell more things than normal humans. He was getting the smell of wine from the glass, which was the same as what he was served downstairs.

‘Why is she lying about this wine? Something doesn’t seem right.’ He just observed the glass but didn’t take it.

The atmosphere had become really tense somehow, and he could feel it.

“Atlas, whatever you do, don’t drink from that Glass.” Finally, Lilith spoke, confining the suspicions of Atlas. Something was seriously wrong with the wine, and it wasn’t poisonous.

If it were just poison, Lilith wouldn’t have warned him. Most human poisons didn’t work on the Vampires after all. If she warned him, there was just something else about this wine that he couldn’t put a finger on.

Lia stayed standing before Atlas, just looking at him. She placed her empty glass on the ground.

“Go ahead, drink it. It’s just apple juice. It’ll give you strength for the long night ahead,” she let out, placing her left hand on the shoulders of Atlas.

Atlas once again received that strange feeling which he felt when Lia had touched him previously, but this time, the feeling was even more intense. He didn’t know why but he felt his head getting a bit jumbled as well.

He swiftly took her hand off his shoulder as he stood up.

He placed his hand around Lilith’s hand on the glass and raised the glass, bringing it up. The glass rested between his lips.

He slowly opened his lips.