Ryo snapped his eyes open as he sat up and observed his surroundings. He was no longer viewing the memories of the original Ryo and was finally back to his senses. He noticed that he was in his bedroom, making him utterly confused.
'Last I remember is that I was by the manor's gate.'
"Master, you're finally awake!" Zilthai said emotionally as he rushed up to kneel by Ryo's bedside.
"What happened? Why am I here?"
"Earlier when master was talking with that fiend by the manor's gates, you suddenly passed out so we hurriedly brought you here and called for the healer but he said you were fine."
"Right, where's that little girl? And mother? Did they arrive already? Did they see her?" Ryo anxiously asked as he stood up and was about to go out but Zilthai stopped him.
"Master, wear your outer garments first. The little girl is in the dungeon and yes they saw her but they were too concerned about your health so they said they would deal with the little girl when you wake up. They are away at the moment to deal with something but they will be back now that you're awake." Zilthai explained as he helped Ryo put on his outer garments.
Upon hearing Zilthai's explanation, Ryo heaved a sigh of relief. He was glad that the situation hadn't escalated to an unsavable point yet. He could still change things and save his mother. Katsumi's death was one of the original Ryo's major griefs so he would save her at all costs. Also, because he already values the family he has now and he would never let them die when he's capable of saving them.
He doesn't want to lose his parents once more.
"Alright, that's good." Ryo said and checked himself out in the mirror and when he was satisfied, he went out of the room with Zilthai following behind him.
"Oh and Zilthai, I have a job for you."
"Yes, master."
…
Damien, Katsumi, and Kei were seated in Damien's office according to Ryo's request. Ryo said that they need to discuss something with regards to the little girl who appeared earlier. When Ryo entered the room, he was immediately greeted with concern by his family.
"How are you feeling now? I heard you passed out earlier." Kei asked as he led Ryo to sit beside him.
"I'm feeling better now, thank you for your concern." Ryo said and smiled at his parents.
"That's good then. Anyway, what's so important that we have to gather here because of that little girl?" Katsumi asked, confusion evident in her eyes.
"Ah yes well, she said something that utterly disturbed me so I wanted to discuss it with you as a family."
After Ryo said that, a servant knocked on the door and went inside with the little girl after getting permission to enter. The little girl looked at them nervously as she shifted from one foot to another to dispel some of her nervousness.
"What's your name?" Damien asked.
"I-I'm Fumiko…" The little girl named Fumiko, glanced at them with worry in her eyes as well as joy when she looked at Damien.
"Why are you here?" Katsumi asked, having a strong feeling that something bad is about to happen.
"I-I w-well…I… I'm the Duke's daughter." Fumiko said and glanced down to her feet, afraid that they would shout at her like what happened earlier.
This surprised the vampires in the room except Ryo since he had already known this. Fumiko anxiously held the small wooden box tighter after feeling the incredulous gazes casted upn her.
"How could that be? My parents are vampires and you claim to be my father's child when you do not even possess an ounce of dark attributes." Rei questioned with furrowed brows, not forgetting to check Ryo's expression.
Ryo looked oddly calm but it also relieved Rei and couldn't help but admire his sibling's self control.
"I'm telling y-you the truth! Mother said if you do not believe me I-I'll just have to hand this over to you." Fumiko stuttered as she handed the box carefully to Damien.
Damien examined the box and upon checking that it was safe, he took it and opened the box. His eyes snapped wide open like saucers as he looked at the item inside. His trembling hands retrieved the item inside and caressed it carefully.
It was a pocketwatch.
The same pocketwatch that Ryo saw in the original Ryo's memories.While Damien was still lost in his own thoughts, Ryo interrupted as the tension in the air gradually intensified. He also saw the unease and anxiety in his mother's eyes who stayed silent.
"And to prove whether it's true or not, I've called for the wizard to do a paternity test. I hope you wouldn't mind, father." Ryo said as he observed Damien's reactions.
"Ah yes, well done, Ryo. Let's start." Damien said as he held the pocket watch tighter on the other hand and held Kastumi's hand on his other free hand.
The wizard immediately finished setting up the tools needed and when he was done, he looked at Ryo who nodded at him then looked at the little girl to explain the process.
"Please place your hand on the orb. You will feel a little pain but please keep your hand on the orb until the process is done, otherwise you will have to do it all over again." The wizard said and led Fumiko in front of the orb.
Fumiko looked at the people in the room like a trapped little bunny. She cautiously placed her hand on the orb and it started glowing with red and blue light. She felt an intense pain on her hand as if she was pricked by a thousand needles, making her sweat buckets but still kept her hand on the orb. Her eyes were red from holding back her tears.
When it was done she weakly went back to her original position then it was Damien's turn. Damien still had an expressionless face but deep inside he was feeling nervous. He couldn't help but remember the things that happened when he visited the temple. He almost lost Katsumi back then but thankfully she still forgave him after committing an unforgivable sin.
The orb glowed a deep red light and it merged with the blue with red light. At first it repelled each other but after a few seconds, it completely harmonised with each other. Gasps were heard in the room and the vampire inside the office showed a shocked expression.
Kei couldn't help but clench his hands to a fist as the proof was presented right before them. He looked at his mother who wore a tragic expression. Her tears were moist from unshed tears and when her emotions overwhelmed her, she buried her head in her palms as she cried her heart out quietly.
Damien wore a defeated expression and after collecting himself a little bit, he looked at his wife who had been crying silently beside him. Her brokenhearted appearance reminded him of that time when he first broke her heart.
She didn't curse him. She didn't lashed out at him. She just stood there, looking at him in disbelief as she cried silently. Her hands covered her mouth as she prevented herself from making any noise, afraid that she might just break if she did so.
Her eyes contained disbelief, grief, and self-blame as her shoulders trembled from repressed emotions. That appearance of hers made him feel cold all over as if he was doused in a cold lake, cold enough to freeze his entire being. Her silent cries pained him so much. He'd rather see her blame him, hurt him, or curse him.
But what he couldn't take was the self-blame in her eyes.
It wasn't her fault but she blamed herself. She was such a strong woman, never bending to anything, but his infidelity reduced her into such a state. It made Damien realize just how deeply he had hurt her even if he didn't mean it. Even if he was so out of it he shouldn't have done that.
Although she forgave him, he knows that what happened back then was deeply engraved in her mind. A nightmare she won't be able to get rid of. She was able to suppress it but the appearance of the little girl surely magnified that nightmare. Damien was afraid that he'd definitely lose his wife this time.
His limbs felt numb and cold, he felt light headed as the dread inside him started growing bigger as he looked at his wife's appearance now. He weakly reached out to her but she slapped his hands away as she weakly stood up. Kei immediately supported his mother, holding her in his arms, hoping that such action could somehow comfort his brokenhearted mother.
"Let me explain. I-"
"You don't have to explain anything. I already know how this happened. It's that time with that… that Saintess. You…you betrayed me again after promising that that would be the last time."
"I didn't know—"
"You didn't know?! Ha! You should know better since you're the one who did it with her! Damien!
You promised me that you won't break my heart after that but this… this is the second time!" The trauma from the initial betrayal that she repressed for a very long time came bursting out more intensely.
She was angry and hurt but she still couldn't bring herself to hurt him. She loves him so much that's why the pain was just as much. Ryo observed this whole ordeal couldn't help but be agitated as well but he kept his rationality since his plans would be disrupted the moment he loses his cool.
"I'm…I'm sorry… I'm really really sorry…" Is all what Damien could say.
The feeling of losing his wife grew more intense, making him feel numb all over. He couldn't think straight. He reached out to her once more but she just deflected his hands, avoiding him as if he was a plague.
"I wish your apology could take away the pain I'm feeling right now…I… I need space and time to pull myself together. I don't want to interact with you until then." Kastumi said as she wiped her tears away, looking calm but her trembling shoulders gave her away.
Damien wanted to say something but the more he spoke, the more it'll only agitate his wife so he kept his mouth shut and stood deeply rooted to his place. He wanted to hold her and comfort her but he was the very source of her pain so he could only watch helplessly.
Katsumi looked at Ryo and forced herself to smile at him as she crouched down to match his level. She caressed the boy's face as she wiped away the tears that fell from his eyes.
"I will be away for a little while but I'll be back soon so until then, please be a good boy for me, will you?" Katsumi said as he gently caressed the boy's face for the last time.
"Mother… Please be careful on your way." Ryo said and hugged his mother tightly, his nerves taut from tension.
"I'll accompany mother, you stay here with Father." Rei said and gave a reassuring nod to his father.
"Take some of the knights with you…please." Damien pleaded to his wife.
Katsumi just gave him a look then left the room while Kei followed her. Ryo approached his father who slumped weakly on his chair and hugged him to comfort the old man.
"Take Fumiko in a guest room and take care of her. Keep her inside until further instructions are given." Ryo said calmly to a servant.
"Yes, young master."
The servant guided Fumiko out, who innocently looked at them all throughout the process. Ryo narrowed his eyes as he recalled the information from the game in his past life.
Fumiko Cassius…that was the default name of the female protagonist and the player's character in the game.
'I'm sorry but I don't have plans following the plot of that cursed game.'
(A/N: Not really cursed, in that sentence Ryo just used the word to express his displeasure.)
When Ryo went back to his room, he sat at the edge of his bed, biting his nails nervously as his eyes rolled all over the room, waiting for something. His feet tapped against the soft carpet repeatedly and maintained that posture for a long time.
He was already at his limit and was about to call out when he saw Zilthai emerging from his shadow.
"Master, I've done as you ordered." Zilthai said in a half-kneeling position, showing his deep respect for the young master before him.
"Tell me the details." Ryo said as he heaved a sigh in relief and finally relaxed on his bed.
"As you have ordered me, when I arrived at the place you mentioned, I saw a handful of mercenaries laying out traps and some of them had their arrows coated with silver. I have disposed of half of them including all the mercenaries who have their weapons coated with silver. Also, I saw a woman that was likely the mastermind, trying to sneak away like a rat so I knocked her out. I estimate that she'll wake up not long before the battle ends."
"Well done, Zilthai." Ryo said with a smirk, the heavy emotions he had been feeling finally dispersed.
…
The teleportation array glowed, there appeared a luxurious carriage along with a hundred knights that emitted cold aura. As if telling anyone who looks at them to back away or they'll hack them to death. Since magic wasn't allowed further ahead, the carriage drove ahead while the knights followed closely behind, not breaking their formation.
As the carriage passed by a lump of soil, that lump of soil suddenly exploded, shaking the carriage making it stop. The knights were alarmed and quickly surrounded the carriage in a defensive stance.
"Protect the Duchess and the young master at all costs!"
"Yes!"
The sounds of battle rang out. The mercenaries who had their plans disrupted for unknown reasons had no choice but to fight the knights head on. Although they were physically strong, more so than average men and some members were beastmen and other creatures, they were still pitifully suppressed by the knights that were vampires.
"Where are the archers?! Damnit!"
"Ah!!!"
"The swords!"
"Boss! Half of our men were found missing, including all those who were dealing with weapons coated in silver!"
"What?!"
"AHHHH!!!"
"We're done for!"
"Retreat! Retreat!"
"The teleportation array is gone!"
"How the hell is that possible!"
Sounds of flesh tearing and blood spurting were heard, making the figure covered with cloak, shiver. Their hands were trembling as they slowly backed away from the one-sided hellish battle. Just as they were slowly moving away, a sword was suddenly drawn to their neck, making them stop their attempt to escape.
"Where the hell do you think you're going?" A cold voice was heard behind them, sending shivers down their spine.
"I… I-I have n-nothing to do with t-them…" The person said as they trembled in fear.
"I don't believe you." The man then smashed the sword's handle at the back of that person's neck, knocking them out.
Kei sheathed his sword as he looked at the knights behind him.
"Take this person with you and catch the remaining culprits alive. Especially the leader. Take them to the Duke's dungeon since father would know how to deal with them."
"Yes, young master!"