#Episode 33
“That’s…”
The servant hesitated, not seeming keen on the idea. Albert, exasperated, kicked the leg of the desk where the servant was sitting.
“Why? Don’t want to go? Should I go instead?”
“N-no, I’ll go. It’s my job…”
“How s5upid and lazy you’re!”
Insulted, the servant awkwardly got up and headed to the first floor.
Even though it was just a story about vampires, it felt strangely eerie, as if a real vampire had appeared. A chilling shiver ran down his spine, and his heart pounded. A weird breeze brushing past his ankles gave him goosebumps.
Honestly, the servant knew that the idea of a vampire at the door was ridiculous. But the chills wouldn’t go away.
At that moment, the candle lighting the stairs was suddenly blown out. The servant screamed involuntarily.
“Ahh!”
“Making such a fuss over chasing away a peddler!”
If it weren’t for Albert’s thunderous reprimand from the second floor, the servant would have run back upstairs.
As the servant descended the stairs, his legs trembled and his heart pounded. He were so scared that tears welled up.
Ding, ding, ding, ding….
The doorbell continued to ring, urging the servant on.
“D-damn it… Can’t they wait a bit after ringing the bell so much…”
The servant muttered curses to summon some courage, but all it did was make his jaw tremble more.
Leaning almost entirely on the banister, the servant finally reached the first floor.
Involuntarily, the servant looked up at the front door at the end of the hallway. Through the frosted glass, he could see the shadowy figure of someone standing there.
The figure was slim and appeared to be about the same height or shorter than the servant.
It’s just an ordinary peddler, the servant reassured himself as he walked down the hallway.
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound, which could have been his heartbeat or footsteps, echoed in the servant’s ears.
The servant took a deep breath and grabbed the door handle. After pausing for a moment, he flung the door open.
Standing there was a mysterious figure in a worn-out hood, whose gender was indeterminable.
‘What? Just a beggar?’
Only then did the servant breathe a sigh of relief. It was common for beggars to wander around begging for money.
Facing the person, the servant felt ridiculous for being so scared earlier.
‘I got scared just because of a beggar?’
Remembering Albert’s scolding only made him angrier. The servant pointed at the beggar and shouted.
“If you’re going to beg, do it quietly and respectfully! Do you know how much you’ve upset our young master with your noisy bell-ringing?”
“You seem to be mistaken…”
The voice coming from under the hood made the servant’s body stiffen involuntarily. The soft, almost singing voice of a woman had an enchanting quality.
“I’m here for an interview.”
It was then that the servant realized the person wasn’t a beggar but an interviewee.
However, she was still an uninvited guest.
“Who comes for an interview at this hour? And dressed like that! It’s no wonder you were mistaken for a beggar.”
Although the servant’s tone softened a bit, he still spoke with annoyance.
“Today’s interviews are over. Come back tomorrow.”
“I can only come now.”
With that, the stranger pushed back the hood covering her face.
Her smooth purple hair cascaded down like a bouquet of lilacs, and the strong scent of roses made the servant feel momentarily dazed.
Her porcelain-like white skin seemed to glow even in the darkness.
She exuded a vivid vitality combined with an intimidating aura that made her seem untouchable. At the same time, she also had a fragile, precarious air that made her seem like someone who needed care.
Mesmerized by her red eyes staring straight at him, the servant could only stand there with a foolish expression and his mouth agape.
Seeing this, the uninvited guest smiled with her red lips and asked,
“May I come in?”
“Of course!”
Unable to oppose this beautiful woman’s words, the servant bowed deeply and welcomed her in. The thought of kicking her out had long vanished.
An overwhelming sense of pressure and dominance made the servant feel he had to obey her every word. Instead of feeling unpleasant, he felt a sense of regret that he couldn’t do more for her.
“I’ll take you to the second floor. The young master is in the study.”
As the mansion was silent, the servant’s words echoed up the stairs to where Albert was.
Albert was astonished. Not only had the servant failed to chase away the uninvited guest, but he had also let her in and revealed where the master of the house was!
“Keeping someone like that around is ridiculous. He should be fired immediately!”
Unable to contain his anger, Albert jumped up from his seat and rushed out of the study.
“What do you think you’re doing…”
Just as Albert was about to shout, the uninvited guest arrived on the second floor.
Albert’s blue eyes filled with shock when he saw the uninvited guest.
With a faint smile, the guest tucked a strand of purple hair behind one ear and greeted Albert.
“Hello. I heard you are looking for a companion for the Count, so I came here.”
Albert stood in the hallway, unable to respond. It was as if his soul had been stolen, and his eyes lost focus, becoming dazed.
The uninvited guest took a step closer to Albert.
At that moment, a trivial conversation he had earlier with the servant came to mind.
<Unless they’re a vampire…>
‘Could such a beautiful woman really be human…’
Such thoughts crept into his mind.
Albert, who had been praised in social circles as an angel or a divine sculpture, found it hard to believe that the woman before him, with her enchanting smile, was human. Her irresistible charm felt almost violent.
His heart skipped a beat, and Albert instinctively touched the sacred object on his chest. It was still there.
Albert even lifted his jacket to check the pendant-shaped sacred object again. It looked just as it had the last time he checked.
If the person were a vampire, the sacred object would be tainted. Only then did Albert feel slightly relieved.
‘Right. She can’t be a vampire…’
Albert mocked himself.
Her initial impact had been so unexpected that it left him momentarily speechless, but as he continued to look at her, he slowly adapted.
Yes, this was exactly the kind of woman Albert had been seeking.
Seizing the opportunity, Albert quickly crossed the hallway and grabbed her hand.
His blue eyes burned with intense desire. Albert whispered,
“You are exactly the lady I’ve been looking for.”
The woman appeared surprised for a moment but then quietly smiled and whispered sweetly,
“I hope I haven’t caused any inconvenience by coming at this late hour.”
“Inconvenience? Not at all. Come, let’s go inside and have a conversation.”
Albert beamed and escorted the woman. His appearance, praised in social circles, shone even more brightly today.
Albert and the woman entered the drawing room, and the door closed behind them. Their cheerful laughter occasionally seeped through the door.
Meanwhile, the servant was left alone in the second-floor hallway. Coming to his senses, he shook his head in surprise.
It felt like he had been under a spell… the feeling of being desperate to be the carpet in the hallway for a person he had never met!
‘No matter how beautiful she is… or maybe if she’s that beautiful, it makes sense?’
The servant tilted his head, puzzled. All he remembered was her overwhelming beauty; he couldn’t recall her exact features anymore.
No matter how hard he tried to remember her face, a dark void seemed to replace it.
Strange things happen in this world.
The servant shook his head and returned to the study. Quietly, he moved files 47 and 72 back to their original places and muttered to himself.
‘Thank goodness I didn’t bet twenty silver coins on that…’
