"Pff...ahahahahaha. Ha...., you are as amusing as usual, butler."
The old man with a rough grizzly beard bowed. "I am pleased that young master has found my little charade amusing."
"No, no. Just...your way of phrasing things is too hilarious." The smiles Joseph had earlier on his face vanished, with no sign of cheerfulness he had before. "You say my father has sent men to help me, butler?"
"Of course." The butler calmly nodded.
Joseph scoffed. "You sure he's there to help or just to ensure my plans fall apart?"
"My master trusts you more than anyone else in this household. You know that he wouldn't do anything to benefit himself."
"True. Father had always been this way. Greedy for the knowledge of the portal, and more profits, what else in the world does he want to obtain? The fact that he could see ambitious desires in my blood siblings meant that they were similar. Because they were similar, he could see through their intentions to use him as a stepping stone. Am I right?"
"..."
So cold.
Even after all the insults towards his master, the butler didn't lose his patience, as if he was incapable of feeling emotion. Joseph sighed in exasperation. "And, what are you doing here?"
"I am just here to inform you, the plan Duke Lecter made is in fast progress. The target you obtain will soon be in your hands. Congratulations."
"Whatever do you mean?" Joseph played dumb.
"Then I have just one question to ask you young master, if you may allow my impertinence."
"Allowed."
"If that person lost the redeeming quality you took a shine to, what would you do, young master?" Afterwards, the butler smiled mysteriously, leaving Joseph alone in his office.
"What did that old man mean?"
Callisto was an individual who never flinched even if a person close to him lost his life. He was one to never keep weaknesses nor bend down easily to carry out things out of his beliefs. No, there was one before. That woman beside him. There was no way he would suddenly change.
This plan was sure to work out since he assigned his strongest two to handle this. "An average human or werewolf wouldn't be able to defeat those two unless they gave in willingly."
He considered that option. It was simply impossible that they would choose to abandon their comrades whom he took as the hostages.
"No one can stop me." Joseph sighed in exhilaration, his eyes lighting up at the thought of obtaining Callisto for himself, looking foward to the process of thoroughly taming him.
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At Duke Lecter's mansion, Callisto, while knowing of the chaos Duke Lecter was going to cause, was speaking leisurely with the royals.
Damian patted his shoulders, laughing after hearing his proposal to the blue mermaid. He toned down his voice to a whisper. "But, are you okay with divulging it out in the open?"
"It's okay. Val put an illusion barrier around me, which acts according to my will. Right now, the nobles are shown an illusion of us discussing royal affairs. It's all right."
"I've heard of illusion barriers but never heard of a power that could transfer the ownership of a barrier to a different person."
"Val is an exceptional one." He believed Val was still hiding some of his abilities, which he didn't mention to the royals. It wasn't necessary for them to know everything about what was his.
"I see, I see." Damian nodded, bursting out into laughter once again reminded of what Duke Callisto was saying earlier. "You are so reckless! What if he turned it down?"
Damian was only kidding since he thought Callisto wouldn't respond to his jokes as usual. He didn't take into account that Val might be more important to Callisto than he thought he was.
Callisto smiled softly. "He would never turn away this chance. I made sure to provide him with the right conditions, after all."
Damian thought at this moment how manipulative he sounded. "Cal…Kid, are you in love with him?"
"Do you think I am in love? With him?"
"Is that not it?" Estella, who was busy sipping various kinds of wine, spoke up, surprisingly sober from the large amount of glasses she drank. "I would say you are. Trying to become a shareholder of my company, coming up with such a proposal to him, and allowing him to come into your personal space. Although we've known you for years, you've never welcomed us into your home just like how you've allowed your former wife to come in easily."
"It sounds like you three want to barge into my house and make a mess of it in the guise of some kind of party thrown for me."
Estella gave up trying to persuade him. He knew the three far too well to fall for her tricks.
"Anyways, I just want to keep him close where I can see him so that he won't go away."
"You sound like one of those obsessed characters in a fantasy romance manhwa." Estella commented.
"Do I…? Then I guess I should hide my emotions better." His eyes weren't smiling. "Rather than focusing on me, I am more curious about your matters. Tell me a piece of interesting events in your recent adventures."
Putting down his plate of delicacies on the white, cotton clothed table, Kieran took this chance to speak up about himself.
"I have recently found out something interesting in my mansion. There was actually a secret pathway to a locked room. I hired a locksmith and managed to open the dusty room, where I discovered a study desk, shelves lined with all kinds of books, a dusty mattress on top of a bed and finally sofas for guests. I didn't dare ruin such a masterpiece, so I cleaned it myself."
"A shut-in nerd." Damian commented. "Besides, what's so splendid about a basement that has been there for years? Is that normal?"
"Shut up. You don't know the beauty of antiques, you dumbass."
"What did you say….?!" Callisto knew Damian's hot temper was about to erupt when Estella glared at the two.
She was definitely the older sister in their relationship.
"You…" Estella was about to speak up when she felt something burning her throat. Blood trickled down her mouth from the corrosion reaching her internal organs. This blazing feeling, which rushed from the throat to her stomach, was familiar. She wanted something to cool her down immediately when she remembered why she found these symptoms occurring so familiar.
A book aimed for vampires described the exact symptoms of a particular poison named Red Spider Lily. The records were so detailed from the sensations the patient felt up to the doctor's remedy. In contrast to the patient's constantly appearing conditions, the doctor's solution was so simple. She kept the book in mind due to how unique its author's writing structure was.
What a torture.
She knew of the solution, but won't be able to find it in this banquet where only pure blood filled the room. Cursing the one who poisoned her, she felt her body growing weak.
Duke Callisto remained unfazed as Estella collapsed right in front of him. Damian rushed to her, lifting her from the floor. "Kieran, what…what do I do? Sister….Estella is …."
Kieran stood by Damian's side, feeling the pulse to hear how much damage her body had taken.
He reassured Damian. Only at important times was he acting like a reliable older brother. "It's fine, Damian. She just lost consciousness, no longer in pain."
"…sister…." Damian was this close to bursting into tears.
"If she stayed conscious, would you have liked her to face a lot more pain?"
"No.." Damian shook his head adorably, almost bursting into tears. His resolute and cheerful demeanor from before disappeared.
"Now, take her back to my chambers and search for an antidote there." In a commanding tone, Callisto could sound out Kieran's worry for her. He pointed this fact out to Damian, who was hesitant, leaving the two to handle the nobles, who watched the spectacle amusingly gossipping, by themselves.
It wasn't that he was afraid of the nobles' influence. In fact, it was the opposite. As a third person, he trusted Callisto to handle this matter well, but Kieran, on the other hand, was….
Their roles were now reversed. Damian now had to be a mature one. "…" Damian had no intention of moving from his spot.
"Go." Kieran was visibly angry. His eyes, turning bloody crimson, were holding back his desire to murder the culprit and shred them to pieces. His hands were clenched so tight that his nails were digging into his palm, leaving a bloody mess within his fists. "While I am still asking you nicely, Damian." His kind voice had turned darker.
Unlike earlier, he didn't bother to persuade Damian.
This made him find Kieran all the more terrifying. Picking Estella up carefully with his quivering hands, Damian rushed out of the room, back into the chamber.
Once the creaking doors closed, Kieran let loose his murderous intent into the room. It was clear by poisoning Estella, they had crossed Kieran's bottom line. It wasn't exactly a pleasant feeling to see someone he cared for deeply in anguish.
With one leap, he immediately closed the large distance between them. Grabbing Duke Lecter's neck, he hoisted him just a bit above the floor to slowly suffocate him.
It was obvious why Kieran's sole target was Duke Lecter. As a host, all incidents that occurred in this room were his responsibilities. And the vampires acknowledged this rule, therefore, no one interfered with Kieran's actions.
Duke Lecter struggled to breathe, instinctively trying to tear Kieran's firm grip off his neck. However, his futile attempt made Kieran irritated, only to tighten his clutch.
Duke Lecter felt at this moment how his small his existence was that Kieran wouldn't blink an eye killing him as if he was an insect. In spite of the humiliation he felt within Kieran's crimson gaze, he gave in to Kieran.
Retreating was also a type of strategy in order to survive. There will always be an opportunity for another attack.
Only after his anger subsided, did he release Duke Lecter, who fell to the ground helplessly, gasping desperately for breath. Beads of persperation dropped down his forehead to his neck, where the bruised marks of Kieran's large hands were left.
He hated the fact that he was reliving the moment he was going to die a few times in his head like a weakling, who was afraid of dying.
And the fact that he couldn't even fight back not because of their status but because of the difference in their raw strength made him feel worse.
Kieran didn't give him a moment's rest. "I'll give you a chance. Speak. What kind of farce is this? You said there might be an interesting event, but I didn't know…." Kieran glared at Duke Lecter. "my sister getting poisoned is the show you were talking about."
Taken aback that Kieran heard their conversation from such a distance, Lecter realized he had greatly underestimated the royals. Rushing to explain himself, he coughed to ease the suffocating feeling in his throat. "…I will take responsibility and…" Before he could finish his statement, four guards rushed in, dragging in two servants, both restrained with steel handcuffs.
The nobles turned their heads, their eyes diverting from the establishing conversation between Kieran and Duke Lecter to observe closely every move they made.
A servant came up to Duke Lecter, reporting to their direct master. After getting all the facts straight, Duke Lecter announced his servants had caught someone suspicious endeavoring to escape right after this incident in the ball took place.
"Ha!" Kieran scoffed. "How quick you are, Duke Lecter."
"What do you mean?" Duke Lecter feigned ignorance.
"You caught that 'suspicious' individual too quickly. Couldn't you have dragged anyone in the crowd to take the blame for your actions?"
"To prove that this is the truth, this gentleman can tell us what he was ordered by a little truth serum I've developed lately."
Duke Lecter was obviously bluffing since the 'serum' was the drug circulated was only limited to the werewolves. With Callisto's watch, there was no way he could have brought it in. Seeing some nobles not react, it seemed a few were introduced to the product before.
Callisto kept in mind to investigate it later.
Anyways, it was amusing to see how in contrast to the reports he received, Duke Lecter was acting like a reasonable individual. Speaking of which…
Right now, there were three conditions that led to this situation. Someone must be controlling his actions, the drug was affecting his decision. A highly impossible theory was that he was someone sane from the start to the end and wanted to frame Callisto for a higher position.
The servants, who were captured, now kneeling on the floor, kept their heads down and refused to talk when they heard of his plan. Duke Lecter, not wanting to dirty his hands, handed over the serum over to the guard who just conveyed him the news.
"Derius, you take care of it."
"Yes, master." Yanking the head of the servant on the left, he forcefully opened his mouth. He glanced at Duke Callisto, asking for help.
Superb acting. The servant, who was getting fed the serum, even paid attention to act out the micro details a few would notice. Just how much money did they bribe the servant for him to be this dedicated to his temporary job?
After the serum was poured down his throat, the servant attempted to get rid of the serum with his fingers.
Derius frowned at his foolish act. "It's no use. Say it! Who ordered you to do it!? Spill everything you know!"
"...." The first few seconds, he struggled against the drug's temptations.
Callisto was impressed by how realistic how it looked. The servant was holding himself tight so that his body stopped shivering uncontrollably. He was dying to speak out loud, nonetheless, he bit his lips in an attempt to shut himself. Half a minute later, he yielded to the drug. "Duke Callisto told us to watch over Duke Lecter's mansion, but the unit leader told the group that it was okay to infiltrate because the duke signaled it."
Lowering his head, Duke Lecter couldn't help smile. It was his victory. For a while, he wondered how Callisto could keep calm before he became confident in himself once again. His plans were all going on track. The box was entrusted in safe hands, the servant was doing his job and finally, his servants wouldn't dare disobey him.
Callisto could see what exactly was running through Duke Lecter's head. As always, Lecter's inferiority complex had limited his potential and kept him from observing his surroundings. He hadn't changed. Back then. Or now.
Too bad.
Things wouldn't go quite the way he had it planned.
Perceiving Callisto's gaze, the servant turned his head towards Callisto, whose aura was pressuring him to spill everything truthfully, unlike the easygoing him before.
"Keep going. What else did I tell you to do?" His tone was calm and commanding, leading the conversation.
The servant compelled himself to think. After a long pause, the servant's eyes widened in surprise, saying the truth. "I don't remember." He himself seemed puzzled as to the reason why. "Why?" He frowned, scratching his head. "Why can't I remember?"
Receiving the servant's answer, the nobles were baffled. In the end after all this fiasco, they hadn't the slightest idea of who the culprit was, leaving the poisoning case unsolved. It was only a matter of whom they choose to believe or just choose not to get involved in this mess.
The general audience decided to stay neutral, mostly intrigued about Kieran's response to this turn of events.
Kieran asked. "Callisto, was it you?" Despite his voice not wavering, believing that he was innocent, his eyes were telling the nobles something different.
After denying Kieran's accusations, Callisto obviously didn't want to explain himself. However, it might pose trouble for Val if rumors were exaggerated and embroiled Val into this mess.
"I would never kill you for the crown or power. Managing my territory is already too much work. If I had to rule over a country, it would be just too much responsibility to bear. It's such a hassle to do so much work for the people who wouldn't take the time to appreciate it."
Kieran subtly sighed in relief. 'I know you would never' was what his face seemed to be saying. Regaining his composure, he promised a vow. "I swear on my name, Kieran al Lazerius, to punish the fool who decided to assassinate my sister within three days."
The nobles thought it was finally over when Kieran spoke up once again. "Detain Duke Callisto. He is our prime suspect until investigations have made further progress."
The nobles were taken aback. They thought at least Kieran would have tried to not bring the topic up or at least defend Callisto. He concluded his statement with a kind declaration. "I just hope the sinner is not one of you who was here at the banquet today."
As he smiled sweetly after deftly threatening them, the nobles took note, some visibly growing nervous. The atmosphere was tense, with glances of suspicion switching back and forth in the room. Kieran decided the banquet could no longer go on, not after his sister was poisoned in this venue. He ordered Duke Lecter to escort Callisto and treat him kindly.
Duke Lecter, who was late to respond to Kieran's command, was still recovering from the shock of his plans going awry. The servant who had been here was supposed to die after he spoke the truth…!? Why did the servant….?
"Lecter?" As Kieran commanded him once again, he regained his senses.
"Ah, yes. Your Highness" Duke Lecter heeded to his command, taking Callisto away from the room cautiously in front of the nobles. Callisto didn't resist, obediently following him.
Walking past the noble's doubtful glances and gossiping mouths, they exited the ball and strode through the long wide corridor of paintings for the guests to enjoy after the banquet.
"I don't know how it came to this, but I am sure your name will surely be cleared." Duke Lecter endeavored to break this icy atmosphere since the guards weren't speaking because of their duty and Duke Callisto was…being himself.
"I believe so too." After Callisto bluntly replied, their conversation reached a dead end. Turning left at the end of the corridor, Callisto was then led downstairs to a special carriage used for transporting criminals. Originally, Kieran arranged for a grander carriage to treat him as a guest comfortably, however, Duke Lecter decided to change the carriage of his own violation.
After he was blindfolded securely, the doors closed shut as the carriage made its way to the royal palace. Other than a few bumps along the way, the journey was very smooth.
The carriage came to a halt as the driver notified him they had arrived. The guards guided him out of the carriage in front of the basement, where his blindfold was taken off.
The steps echoed as he descended down the stairs enclosed by the guards, who led him into his designated prison cell at the far end of the corridor. As the guard pushed Callisto inside the cell, the humid air enveloped the room. The pungent stench sticking onto his clothes wasn't too bad that he could bear with it for a few days, but…..
Callisto glanced to the corner of the prison then moved to look at the dusty doors.
The most infuriating thing was that while the other cells looked fairly new and cleaned, his cell remained messy. The stone floors were splattered with puddles of mud around the prison cell. It was apparent the cleaners didn't do their jobs for a few months, who were probably acting on Duke Lecter's orders.
Little droplets, leaking from the stone ceiling, piled up into a bucket below and a large light bulb was hung in the middle of the ceiling. Some things that kept him company in this jail, 10 times smaller than his mansion, were the simple toiletries, the mini wooden shelf filled with books and some other intricate inexpensive furniture.
After checking his condition, the guards closed the doors tight with a key and went back to their posts. Out of the four guards, one of them stayed behind, standing in front of the prison cell as if he had something to say. After sliding a plate of bacon with scrambled eggs inside the prison, he fidgeted, trying to muster his courage to say something.
"What are you doing here, Weicht?"
Weicht was a baron ranked vampire whom he saved once in the battlefield and a junior he always looked out for until he left the division knights for the prison management.
"I am very sorry, Duke." He bowed. His eyes twitched nervously, as his palms sweated profusely. He must have felt guilty about not being able to stop the duke from being dragged away. The whole time he could do nothing but watch.
"What are you bowing for? This was all accounted for in his plan. I won't blame anyone who didn't take part in his schemes."
"I didn't even know about it." Weicht lowered his voice. "I will try to get you out sooner or later!"
"Don't." Callisto sighed, propping his hand onto his knee, leaning on the wall. "Just stay away."
"But…"
"If I tell you to stay away, then just obey me." Callisto glared at him. "It's an order."
Weicht gave him a puppy look, in hopes that he would rescind his decision. Seeing how unaffected Callisto was, he whimpered like a golden retriever before backing down. "Got it."
After handing Callisto a candy from one of the meal sets each guard was given a choice to select from, he paid his farewells after having a small talk to catch up on things.
Callisto wasn't in the mood to eat anything, only gulping down the grape candy he had just received. In front of him, the cold, soft bacon and the bland scrambled eggs didn't really stir his appetite unlike the home cooked meals he had at home with Val and the kids.
This was bad. A painful ache swelled in his chest, longing for the warmth he felt at home and the casual conversations they had.
Fortunately, the cold breeze in the cell helped him stay sober, regaining his rational senses since an unwelcome guest would soon make her way there.
A fair skinned female vampire with stunning features and eyes as black as the night sky appeared before him. "Well, are you happy with the present we gave you, Your Grace?"
It wasn't Weicht.
"Don't look so disappointed, Duke." Unlike the grand catwalk entrance she had earlier, this time, she played the role of a black lotus mistress. "I have quite the fragile heart so please don't...."
Callisto, who was about to barf at her pretentious act, cut in. "Who are you?"