Nat led Allen around for a while until they arrived at the front of an ancient castle.
"This is my home," Nat pointed out to the castle.
"How old is it?" Allen asked him, he was amazed at the structure of the whole building.
"I don't know exactly. Probably many years before the birth of my great grandparents," Nat replied, he was also amazed because according to his parents, this castle is the oldest thing in history. "Let's go in, we'll have much time to walk around the whole place but first, I must say hi to my parents," he said and led Allen inside the castle following the dwarf entrance.
As they went in, all the maids and servants close by stopped what they were doing to look at Nat. It was like a habit of theirs to stare at him until he was out of sight but then, the moment their eyes fell on Allen, that habit disappeared. There was a mixed expression of shock and marvel in their faces and Allen couldn't help but notice it.
He was beginning to feel uncomfortable which Nat noticed and increased his pace. "Hurry up," He whispered to him as he increased his pace.
"But why are they staring at me that way?" Allen asked him. He needed to know why he was gazed at like that because he wasn't finding it funny at all.
"Because you are a vampire," Nat replied, and as soon as he did, they walked into a throne room with two couples sitting on the throne. "Mother, Father," he called to them but they simply ignored him because they had their eyes fixed on the newcomer.
"Nat! Have you gone mad?" The man yelled in obvious anger.
"Father, what are you talking about?" Nat asked him, seeming surprised because his parents have never yelled at him.
"How can you bring a vampire into my kingdom? Not just my kingdom but into this palace. Have you become unwise since you became friends with humans?" The man was furious as he gazed at his son.
"But father, this is my friend and I am heir to the throne, I have every right to bring in whoever I want. What does it have to be with him being a vampire?" Nat was also upset that his father was angry at him, he has never yelled at him before so why today?
"My child, your father is greatly worried about you. There is a conflict between us demons and the vampires, we can't walk on the same path. This is something that is known throughout the world because this conflict was since the time of your great parents, it's not something we can overlook and it's not as easy as you may think it is," the woman said to Nat in a motherly tone. Unlike her husband, she was calmer and had a smile on her face. She then let out a sigh seeing the complex look on her son's face. "You are still young to understand a thing but I hope you respect your father's decision and take the kid back to wherever you got him from."
Nat was silent as he was yet to get over what his mother had said about the conflict between the two races. While he was growing up, he heard rumors about the malice between vampires and demons but whenever he asks about it, they'll wave the topic as if it were nothing. So, he was left with no choice but to forget about it. Why then did they bring it up before his face? His mother is still seeing him as a child which is why they do not want to tell him anything about it. Since it was like that, he'll simply take it as nothing and live his life however he wanted. He had made up his mind to befriend Allen and to him, nothing can change his mind about it because, for many years, he had sought someone who has a similar personality to him, and Allen just happen to fit into the criteria.
Since the whole time, Allen had been quiet but he could no longer continue to be silent. Nat's silence was eating him up and he didn't like it one bit. He hated seeing a family in a dispute, this was the same reason he had agreed to help Rain solve her family issue. Perhaps it was because of how he was treated back then in his previous world, the whole thing made him yearn for a family's love and so seeing a happy family falling apart was something he didn't like. The worst of it all now is the fact that he is the cause of it.
"Hey, I think you should listen to your parents. They are only worried about you," he suddenly looked up and said to Nat who turned to look at him.
"What are you saying?" He asked Allen. Staring at Allen, he could see the hopelessness in them — He wasn't joking when he said that Allen was not good at hiding his expressions.
"I know the importance of a family, especially when the parents care and worry for their children. You are lucky to have one so I think you should cherish them. I am nothing when compared to them, so don't mind me. Just do me the favor of returning me to the school and about the reward, find something else to give to me," Allen replied.
For a moment, Nat stood transfixed. He could swear that Allen wasn't the kind of person to say meaningful words as the ones he had spoken... Or unless something happened to him or his family. He was going to find out from him sooner or later, but the important thing now is to try to persuade his parents to accept him.
"I promised to bring you here so I'm not planning to take you back without showing you around," Nat said to Allen and then turned to face his parents. "Mother, father, I'm sorry but I don't care to know the conflict between the two races. This vampire here is already my friend and you both can't do anything to stop us from becoming friends. By the way, I didn't tell you earlier but this same vampire is the one who helped us break the marriage contract with the Silvers, don't you think you should reward him?"
Hearing that Allen was the one who helped them break the marriage contract, the man's eyes softened a bit but that still wasn't enough to accept him.
"About the reward, I'll leave that to you," he said to Nat who scoffed.
"I was expecting this," he whispered to Allen who looked at him. "Let's go, I'll take you somewhere that you'll like," he said aloud and dragged Allen out of the throne room.