Stepping out of the carriage his new butler prepared for him, the guards opened the gates to the mansion after meticulously checking his invitation. The noblewomen stared at Callisto, peeping at the space beside him. Of course, they would. Despite a decade, he had never found a wife to replace his former one. In a modern society, as fickle as vampires were, no one would abstain themselves from drinking blood nor remain faithful to a woman as he had.
As noble as they were, they let their imagination run wild, making several ridiculous speculations about his case - some of them being correct, others were plain ludicrous. They referenced their speculations to a few vampire ancestors, who were depressed for not being able to stay in the same world as his loved one, eventually went mad from hysteria and killed themselves serenely. Once, the duke overheard their talks. The noble ladies thought they were doomed while the servants closed their eyes for the bloodshed, but he left them perfectly intact. They wondered if it was because their assumptions were true.
Nonetheless, with his wife gone, many unmarried women were aiming for this position because it offered a great life of lazy luxury. The duke's face was a just bonus that came with the main benefits. Duke Callisto, who knew of their greed, kept away from all the ladies and hid away from their discerning glances to a private lounge. The situation was good. Lately, his new butler had been bugging him to remarry. Should he come up with another fake scheme?
Just as he was pondering solutions on the couch he was comfortably lying on, an ash eyed, tall man with long blue hair rushed into the room as if chased by someone, with the scent of lilac and lavender trailing behind. Upon making eye contact with his eyes, whose color resembled 'that' person, Callisto frowned, taking in this unusual but familiar scent. Was it purely a coincidence?
Soon, three guards barged into the room, flipping the room upside down to look for something. He reached out to them, asking if they needed anything. One of the guards responded to him. "We are searching for someone. Did you see a blue-haired man passing by?"
The duke thought he should help that little boy out since he seemed harmless. The most he could do was faking his identification to get in. Most of all, the boy reminded him of 'that' person who left years ago. "I don't know. I was sleeping soundly until I heard you guards barge into the room." The imperial guards didn't react.
After the lounge was thoroughly searched, the knight apologized for his team's rude behavior and the disturbance they caused. Hearing guards walking away, Callisto took this chance to return to the banquet for the royal purebloods were soon making a grand entrance for their speech. He stopped, a few steps away from the door. "When you have the chance, get out of the lounge. And don't make any trouble." Shutting the door, he left.
The blue-haired man got rid of his mirage, which served as a camouflage, blending into part of this room. "What a scary man." The duke's power was definitely not ordinary. Besides sensing his presence, the duke added a triple layer to his spell to make sure no one could see him. He was pretty certain the guards couldn't see him though.
Never mind. The duke probably didn't think much of him since they hadn't seen each other for 10 years. He scratched his head, trying to come up with the next step to dispel the guards' extensive misunderstanding. "Should I just bring my sponsor over?" Brewing solutions, he left the lounge prudently, just in time for the appearance of the three imperial members.
This banquet was a joint collaboration from the three royals - Damian al Vladimir, Estella de Athanasia, and Kieran al Lazarius - to celebrate the founders freeing vampires from the hands of their enemies and their independence. It is held once every three years on the same day with each event taking place in distinguishable, various locations, mostly taking place in one of the royal pureblood's palaces.
Unlike the werewolves' simple celebration with enormous feasts and a simple speech from alphas, banquets hosted by vampires are known to be elegant and sophisticated, but hidden underneath were complicated power struggles within families.
Getting an invitation for the imperial banquet was something to be proud of within commoners as it represented the extent of their connections and hard work being recognized. For a select few, their dream was within reach with the support of their client. For others, it was a dreadful place for them to be mocked by nobles who didn't acknowledge their efforts. A step they took, with trivial mistakes, might earn them banishment from the alliance they worked hard to fit in.
Aside from the dirty nobles, the royals were fairly simple. They just wanted the commoners to be able to take a day off from work and spend time with their family, roaming around the bustling markets. Moreover, they also wanted to use this time to observe the nobles and their relationships. If there were any corrupt vampires, they would immediately execute them right where they were standing. It wouldn't put a damper on the party, instead, people would flatter the three royals that their decision was remarkable.
Ever since Callisto's return to the otherworld, word had been spreading around that he was abusing his power, killing all vampires in his sight. This was because he'd been busy executing aristocratic households who were embezzling, raising taxes or committing atrocious deeds either with the influence of drugs or their own will, showing no repentance. Naturally, these rumors proved to be useful, particularly on ladies who were vying for a position beside him that allowed them power. He was bewildered as to why it wouldn't work on the ladies in the imperial ball. Were the capital ladies just stronger in mentality than ladies in the countryside?
Sticking close to his associates, he listened to all three of their speeches, comparing which one was better as he was waiting for his turn. Seeing the first duke, Aleister von Diablo, finish his little talk with the royals, Callisto went over to where they were. The ball's atmosphere became frosty and tense as he diligently responded to the royal member's impending questions. He had to endure it, after all, he had nothing to do during the week this banquet was held.
After they finished warming up, he asked them directly. "Can I leave early?"
Damian and Kieran all had the same shocked expression, their mouth agape, their eyes widening. They knew how much Callisto disliked social events, but they weren't aware he hated the act of forming relationships to this extent.
Estella spoke up, bringing the blade to his neck. "This is an insult to us."
Even seeing the blade come at him, Callisto didn't flinch. Disgruntled, he muttered. "I knew it would be like this."
Damian panicked. Touching the blade cautiously, he brought it away from the duke's neck. First, he persuaded Estella. "Sister, you know how much this guy dislikes banquets like these. It was only because of his wife that he came." Looking at Callisto's sullen expression, Damian couldn't take a hint. "By the way, where's your wife?"
Kieran almost wanted to slap his hand on his forehead for Damian was an insensitive fool with love problems. He just stepped on a landmine. Callisto responded appropriately. "Wherever you look, she won't be here. While we are on this subject of my former wife, when on earth are you going to marry? You are already past your 100s, the prime time to marry."
Those two sentences left Damian speechless. His sensitive heart feebly retorted. "You are too much!" Saying that, he pulled out of this conversation, leaving for the food and drink buffet. Callisto waved him goodbye, thinking he should send Damian a gift to heal his heart.
Estella, who sheathed her blade, decided it was better if he wasn't interested in staying and wandered around to talk with other nobles.
Kieran spoke up. "If you aren't interested in staying, you are welcome to leave. Actually, you can guard the banquet halls if you don't want to converse with a person." Kieran spotted a person, talking with quite a high rank aristocrat. "Oh..." The long blue hair was certainly standing out because he was the only one in this banquet who had it.
The duke, baffled by Kieran's sudden pause in his sentence, turned to look in his direction. Distinguishing the same beautiful ocean blue color he saw in the lounge, he asked, curious about that man's identity. "Who's the man you were looking at?"
"Ah, the blue mermaid." Kieran immediately responded, flustered by what he had said. Seeing the duke's lackluster reaction, Callisto most likely didn't hear of the rumors surrounding that boy. "People say he's a blue mermaid with enchanting features, attracting people regardless of men and women to him. He looks blind because of his ash eyes, but at a closer look, he can actually see."
"Obviously. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to avoid the guards."
"My guards?" Although it was a joint collaboration, the palace used for this banquet this year was Kieran von Lazarius, the sole host of the event. He provided sufficient luxury to display his dominance and taught a lesson on how wasteful the nobles were that even his imperial robes were less expensive than theirs despite him having a higher status. Most nobles could only see their king's look of contempt towards them if they made mistakes , but to his guards, he was quite soft on them.
Unlike the usual royal guards, his knights weren't the prideful sons of the aristocrats, but rather they were fledglings, who were considered useless and easily replaceable. Their lives changed when Kieran, noticing the cruel reality, trained them under his trustworthy aids, to secure them a stable job. After his coronation, he was made aware of their undying loyalty towards him and their oath to keep the kingdom secure for the commoners.
The only thing difficult to handle was their straightforward personality, which compelled them to detain anyone suspicious. Kieran always had to clean up the aftermath for them. Although it was an absurd idea, someday, he wondered if the nobles would rebel solely because of his knights. He sighed, questioning what outrageous things they had done this time.
Callisto's explanation interrupted his wandering thoughts. "Without an explanation, because of his ash eyes, he was deemed as an intruder. They thought someone with such a low rank couldn't possibly have connections. And to add to their suspicions, he lost his invitation. So the only way to prove his validity to enter the banquet was to search for his partner or client who had already set foot into the banquet."
As a dignified royal, he almost carried out an action unbecoming of him. Those fools. In order to avoid the awkwardness, he resumed his explanation. "His name is Val Asmodeus. For 2 years, he's been in the position of the fashion director of a newly emerged company supported by Estella. From his alluring visage, I wouldn't say his intimidating surname suits him."
"I agree with you."
Kieran didn't believe his words for the duke didn't seem enchanted, rather he remained indifferent to such a gorgeous face. He wondered if the duke was possessed by a veteran monk who let go of their mortal desires. Without the hunter's blood, it must be hard to keep his unsatisfiable urges for blood at bay. Did his abstinence assist him in developing more power?
He paid it no mind, continuing his elucidation. "Some say he rose through the ranks from the support of women, however, his recent designs proved them wrong. Although his products were as expensive as a normal suit, all his customers feel his designs are worth even more than the offered price."
Kieran knew that fashion mattered to vampires, particularly the nobles because they wanted comfortable and chic clothes that suited their tastes. While ready made clothes were available to low rank vampires, custom clothes were trendy with nobles. If the designer's work wasn't good enough, they would get fired from the exclusive designer position. Even if the designer tried to protect their position, their employers weren't ones to repeat their orders a second time.
But to think they would go crazy over a designer, Callisto found it unbelievable. "Those crazy people." Callisto murmured.
"Yeah, not as insane as you who killed more people than anyone else here. Bloodthirsty hound."
"Don't call me that." Bloodthirsty hound. In contrast to his tidied and brilliant appearance right now, this nickname was used to refer to Callisto. From the rumors, most nobles presumed that he loved to kill people because with the absence of his wife, he wanted to quench his thirst for the blood. "It was the right time to purge all evil."
"But some were doing it for the sake of survival."
"Doesn't matter." Callisto shook his head, as he watched Val talking enthusiastically. "The mastermind behind the distribution of drugs is still lurking in the empire, seeing that the homicide cases in the human world haven't ended yet."
"Yeah, what are you going to do?" Kieran asked, not expecting him to answer.
"Nothing. I have already probed around to check whether vampires were behind this. It seemed more likely the werewolves or humans were the mastermind."
"Are you going to chase them down?"
"No. Not until I have gathered evidence, which I hadn't done because I was busy preparing for your banquet." Callisto retorted, still dissatisfied that he had to attend.
Kieran attempted to change the subject. "Speaking of which, I hadn't gone out into the human world for 35 years."
"35 years? I thought you were busy traveling in the human world."
"Yeah." Kieran pondered. "It was certainly strange. When we were traveling to a new city, the police, the human called it, would make us stop and check our cars. When the results after searching turned out to be nothing, they looked at me doubtfully, but still let me go."
"Probably because the homicide cases have risen." The innocent vampire villagers living outskirts were also frequently assaulted by werewolves in small numbers. They probably thought the royal pure bloods wouldn't notice them. Perhaps, the two cases were related? "Maybe the werewolves helped the humans sell the drugs while the researchers were focusing on developing the material."
After all, humans were more advanced in the area of science compared to the monsters, who took interest in blood and fashion. "Calm before the storm, I say."
"In the empire, only royal pure bloods can punish nobles unconditionally. When these drugs slowly root their foundation into the empire once again, you will have to eliminate it along with some people who misuse them. After all, royals have the duty to watch over the nobles."
Kieran laughed heartily. "Are you telling me to keep an eye on my own people?"
"I wouldn't dare, but it would be wise to do so."
Not bothered by the advice, he probed around. "Do you think they would dare?"
"They will. If Your Majesty goes soft on them, they'd think you would forgive them when showing you a bit of repentance. If the leash is looser, the dog will one day run wild without anyone to make them realize their standing."
"I see." Sensing Kieran's insecurities, Callisto proposed a great deal. In exchange for training his knights for a few months, he hoped Kieran could do him a favor regarding Estella's company. Kieran immediately agreed. No matter how much he hated Estella, there was no way he would miss this opportunity for his knights. Callisto was the greatest swordsman his knights could learn and improve their skills from.
This deal's only disadvantage was persuading Estella, who was a hard nut to read. In the first place, why was the duke Callisto interested in the blue mermaid?!! As expected, was it his face? No. He definitely wouldn't make such a bizarre decision for such a superficial reason. But, why did it have to be him?!!! If it were Damian's or his own business, he could've granted the position of a major shareholder so easily!!!
He could have requested other favors that was in his power to do so!!
Duke Callisto paid no heed to Kieran's various countenance that was altering from one expression to another and his frustrations.
Kieran calmed down after a while. "How do I even do this?"
Callisto didn't bother to answer him.
Estella wasn't a scary person, but she wasn't necessarily nice either. The only thing she did when they were living together was eat, sleep and slay monsters. Besides, when she set her sights on something, it wasn't easy to dissuade her from doing it. Kieran hoped she wasn't intent on being the only shareholder of the house.