"I'm telling you, the Valmor's new servant is such a crude man! Who knows from which sewer Theodore dug him out from?! He dared to chase me away!" Alfred complained ceaselessly to the man sitting in front of him. The firewood cracked, its flame flickering and illuminating the man's murky red eyes.
Vampire. And moreover, a low bred who were either turned by a pureblood or born from another vampire.
He chuckled. "It's just a servant. Why are you so agitated?"
"That's the main point! He's only a servant but he has such huge guts to go against me!" Alfred slammed his fist on the armchair, his face reddened due to anger. "How can I stomach it? That Theodore...hah! He must have been laughing at me now. All these times, he could only endure silently as I snatched the servants on his side but now, I can't do it anymore because of that damn servant." He bit his nails, eyes flashed with cruelty. "What's his name again? Raphael?"
The vampire flinched visibly at the name.
"What's wrong?" Alfred asked who noticed the vampire's pale complexion suddenly turned blue.
"That name…" The vampire hissed as if he had just been scalded by holy water. "Don't say it with your mouth."
Alfred frowned. "What's wrong with you, Lancelot? What's with that name?"
"That…" Lancelot gulped uncomfortably. "That's a name that's taboo for us vampires. Just do as I say otherwise I won't go through with this deal." Seeing Alfred's face twisted in displeasure, Lancelot sighed and offered. "How about we get rid of that human for you?"
Alfred blinked, surprised.
"What's so difficult about that?" Lancelot smirked with a shrug. "We are here for this reason. I need as many humans as possible to make this business happen. You know, a lot of vampires have been dying to get a human slave. We will share the profit together— fifty fifty, how about it?"
Thrill coursed through Alfred's veins and he grinned. Damn it... that's a lot of money. So did the consequences that came along. If someone were to find out that he colluded with a vampire to do this illegal business, he would certainly receive a death penalty. However, this huge amount of money was something that he could only dream of obtaining with his meager salary. Alfred contemplated deeply but in fact, he had already been swayed by the temptation of wealth…
Knowing his mind, Lancelot added one last push. "You can get rid of that eyesore servant—ugh don't force me to say his name—and you can even obtain gold from that." He leaned forward, his voice containing allure that Alfred couldn't resist. His eyes glinted in an inhuman red color as he licked his lips, fangs peeking out of his mouth. "Isn't that like throwing two birds with one stone? You don't even need to do anything. I can do all of the dirty jobs for you."
"Oh?" A sudden deep voice interrupted their conversation. "Do you mind telling me more about that?"
Alfred gasped and stood up, shocked. Since—Since when did he get there?! That ill-mannered servant, Raphael, was leaning against the wall beside the fireplace, arms crossing in front of his chest as he raised his brows. "You...You...how did you get in?!" This was the third floor for God's sake!
Raphael didn't bother to look at him and instead, turned his gaze toward the vampire who was scared shitless to the point where he couldn't even move. "You talk."
Alfred's face twisted in anger. "What are you—"
"M—M—My Lord!!!" Lancelot scrambled forward and prostrated himself under Raphael's feet, tears and mucus running down his face. "My Lord, it's my fault! I have been blinded by riches and gold!"
Alfred's jaws dropped open and his body quaked violently, chill rising from the soles of his feet. "My...Lord?"
What was Lancelot talking about...? Who was the Lord? What kind of title was that? Suddenly, a notion popped up in his mind. A few while back, he had heard a rumor saying that the vampires had crowned someone as their king, a pureblood with the strongest abilities among all, one that had lived for centuries and could be considered as a God. The Vampire King...if he didn't remember wrongly, his name was—
"My Lord, if you tell me to go east, I won't go west! My life is solely dedicated to serve our King!" Lancelot blurted out in a desperate burst of survival. "That human! He's the one who approached me to make a deal! He wanted to get rid of a human servant named—" As if a bolt of thunder had struck Lancelot's head, his face paled further. "It can't be...the servant he wants to get rid of…"
Lu Yizhou raised a brow and finished his sentence. "It seems like you're talking about me."
"No, no! T—That's not possible!" Alfred stumbled backward, his eyes bulged out in horror. "You... You're the Vampire King?" It was ridiculous! How could a Vampire King become a human's servant?! No—Alfred couldn't bring himself to believe it!
Lu Yizhou shut his eyes and when he opened them again, the silver pupils had changed into an intense crimson color. It was different from Lancelot's eyes which looked like they were covered by a layer of dust. This was a pure, brilliant red that resembled radiant rubies. Black veins spread around his eyes, throbbing under the exceedingly pale skin. The corner of his lips curled upward into a frosty smile, glint of sharp canines poking out. "So what if I am?"
Alfred's breath hitched on his throat and his knees weakened. His eyes reflected nothing but those crimson eyes which carried the shadow of death. It was as if he was faced with the Grim Reaper himself. He fell on his butt, trembling and a pungent odor wafted out of his leaking pants. "D—Don't... Don't kill me!"
Lu Yizhou grimaced, disgusted. No matter how hungry he was, he still wouldn't feast upon a plate of shit. Turning his gaze toward the petrified Lancelot, he asked softly. "Do you want to be forgiven?"
Lancelot snapped out of his senses and nodded desperately, tears streaming down his face.
Lu Yizhou reached out and pointed his black nail toward Alfred. "Then kill him."
Lancelot didn't even need to hesitate. The King's order was absolute! Moreover, this damned human had offended his Lord and the only ending befitting him was death! He stood up with trembling legs and stalked toward Alfred whose eyes widened in terror. "No...No... don't—arghh!!!"
***
[666: Host is soo coollll!!! *squeal* 666 just falls in love with you all over again! You got rid of Alfred, the one who plundered Theodore's inheritance and sold him, successfully changing his course of fate! Host is also so cool when you get rid of Lancelot! It's a pity that 666's screen is mosaicked. 666 can't see anything at all…]
Lu Yizhou flicked his hand that was stained with Alfred's blood. He had made sure to snap Lancelot's neck cleanly but the shocked vampire who didn't expect that Lu Yizhou would act against him started to struggle and got some blood onto his arm. He glanced at his torn and bloodied sleeves, sighing. [I can't use these clothes anymore.]
From the start, he had never promised to let go of Lancelot. Who could guess what kind of wicked idea he would come up with in the future if Lu Yizhou let him go now? It was better to nip the buds before it started to bloom.
He jumped through the Valmor Residence's gate and dashed toward Theodore's private building. His speed was so fast and adding to the veil of the night, he practically turned into a blur.
Hurry, he had to change out of his clothes as soon as possible.
The scent of Alfred's blood wafted into his nose and the corner of his mouth twitched. No matter how repulsed he was by that man, his blood smelled like freshly fried chicken drumsticks. To Lu Yizhou who had been starved to the point where he dreamed of eating everyday, it was a fatal temptation. His Adam's apple bobbed and his stomach growled painfully. He wanted to drink blood so badly that he had difficulty hiding his fangs. He was sure that his eyes were still bloody red too.
He walked down the hallway toward his own room with large strides when a voice sounded behind his back, airy and cautious. "Raphael…?"
Lu Yizhou froze. [Shit.]
[666: AHHH IT'S THEODORE!!! Host, your fangs! Your nails!! Your eyes!!!]
[Do you think I don't want to hide them? I fucking can't!]
Lu Yizhou's back stiffened as he curled his fingers to hide the nails. He should be grateful that the dim hallways rendered Theodore unable to see him clearly. "Is there something wrong, Young Master? Why aren't you asleep yet?"
"I can't sleep…" Theodore mumbled and shuffled closer. "I was going to search for you. Where have you been this late at night?"
Lu Yizhou swallowed, still not turning around. "I forgot that I left something in the kitchen. If you can't sleep, do you want this servant to heat up a glass of milk for you?" He could clearly hear Theodore's soft footsteps approaching followed by a tug on the back of his shirt.
"I don't want that." Theodore commanded with a soft grumble. "Turn around. How dare you show your back to me." Then his sight inadvertently fell on Lu Yizhou's torn sleeve and the obvious patches of blood that stained his sleeves. His eyes flew open, shocked. "You—"