#Episode 44
“I said no.”
Vasha struggled to hold down Todd, who was squirming like a goby fish freshly caught from the water under her palm.
There was too much to explain, so Vasha decided to summarize the key points for now, postponing the full explanation for later.
“It’s not for nothing. I had to grant a favor, and to do that, the ownership of this villa needed to be transferred…”
“Is it about that annex?”
Todd interrupted abruptly. Even though he didn’t fully understand the situation, the fact that he hit the mark showed how perceptive he was, whether through intuition or something else. Vasha nodded, impressed.
“Something like that.”
Laurus, who had been quietly observing the situation, finally stepped forward and intervened.
“I understand your concerns. Bringing new blood into the clan is always a sensitive matter. If you’re really worried, I can promise, with my true name on the line, that I will not become a vampire.”
“……….”
Only after Laurus vowed with his true name did Todd finally close his mouth.
Vasha, feeling a bit guilty, pulled at her eyebrow and turned to Laurus.
“Sorry, Todd can be a bit arrogant.”
“No need to apologize. It’s understandable. After all, he’s a Familiar. A Familiar stands on equal footing with the blood of the night who contracts with them, meaning Todd deserves the same respect as you, Lady Vasha.”
Laurus, with eyes brimming with admiration, looked at Vasha and offered words of comfort. Then, casting a glance at Todd, who was like a great-grandson to him, he sighed in jealousy.
“I’m truly envious. If only my master had made me his Familiar…”
If you kept calling her your master, that vampire never would’ve made you her Familiar.
Todd shot back sharply. Although young, his tongue, sharpened like a blade, cut deep into the old Laurus.
“A Familiar is an equal soul contract. A human enslaved as a subordinate isn’t worthy of becoming a Familiar.”
“Is that so?”
But Laurus wasn’t one to be easily bested. Though he was a naive artist when it came to politics, he had spent his life enduring the criticism and judgment of others. Rather than twisting his face in anger at Todd’s harsh words, Laurus flashed a bright smile and countered.
“But Lady Vasha has taken someone who calls her by a demeaning title as her Familiar, so how could I possibly guess at the whims of such noble beings?”
When Laurus openly criticized Todd for calling Vasha a vampire and fired back at him, a vein bulged on Todd’s smooth, youthful forehead.
“You…!”
Vasha could hear curses swirling in Todd’s mouth, disappearing before they could escape.
‘What’s this about familiars? Who deserves to be treated equally to a vampire? You don’t even believe that! How utterly hypocritical!’
If he had truly treated Todd the way he treated Vasha, he wouldn’t have criticized him like that. Instead, he would have found a way to praise him somehow.
But what really infuriated Todd wasn’t just Laurus’s sly attitude.
After all, what meaning was there in receiving polite treatment from a vampire’s follower?
The reason Todd was so upset was that Laurus’s words had hit a nerve.
Though Vasha never mentioned it, Todd knew she was an exception—other vampires were deeply concerned with titles, even the smallest ones
The reason followers referred to vampires as ‘blood of the night’ and ‘noble ones’ was due to such concerns.
Still, unless it was Vasha herself, he didn’t want to be criticized by some old man who barely knew him!
As if he had any real connection to Vasha…
Todd’s pupils narrowed in agitation.
Laurus, catching a glimpse of Todd’s eyes, was taken aback.
Though such things were often forgotten nowadays, for someone of Laurus’s age, knowledge of the Van Drake traits was as good as common sense.
Especially as a follower of Menorah, it was only natural that he would know his master’s mortal enemy better than most.
Laurus stammered in disbelief.
“Van Drake? I heard their entire line was wiped out recently… Wait, does this mean Lady Vasha’s Familiar is a Van Drake?”
Laurus, realizing Todd’s true identity, gaped in shock. Even for someone like Laurus—or rather, especially for Laurus—grasping the situation was difficult.
Now there were two pairs of eyes silently asking Vasha for an explanation.
Since it wasn’t a situation that could be easily explained in just a few words, Vasha smiled and made a suggestion to the two of them.
“Hmm… It looks like our conversation might take a while, so how about we move into the room and talk?”
***
Just as Laurus was shocked to discover that Todd was a Van Drake, Todd himself couldn’t hide his surprise upon learning that his opponent was Laurus.
Even after Laurus had left, Todd muttered in a daze for a long time.
“That old man… was Laurus?”
Laurus was a famous painter. After being praised by the Church of Lamphas as having ‘light at the tip of his brush,’ he became known as the Painter of Light, famed for his delicate and lyrical style that seemed to capture light itself.
Both the Church of Lamphas and the royal family were desperate to commission Laurus for a painting.
The royal family offered him a title and a vast estate in exchange for a mural in the royal reception room.
The Church, determined to outdo the royal family, commissioned murals and ceiling paintings for their chapel. However, what the Church paid for the artwork remained a mystery.
Because of this, people often gathered to speculate on what Laurus might have received.
Laurus became so famous that he monopolized the attention of everyone. But it didn’t last long, as he soon turned his back on society and went into seclusion.
Time passed.
While Laurus’s name remained in art history along with his works, the small detail that he was the Count of Renfield gradually faded from public memory.
“Since it’s been twenty years since his last new work, I thought he was dead…”
“This happened before you were even born, and yet you know?”
“Laurus is the greatest artist of this century! It’s common knowledge!”
Todd wore a bewildered, almost incredulous expression. Vasha felt awkward but understood, thinking she would have been surprised too if someone didn’t know names like Picasso or Michelangelo.
After first bad-mouthing the count, Todd seemed to at least acknowledge Laurus’s paintings. But it wasn’t as though he was ready to recognize Laurus as a whole, as he immediately grumbled again.
“I don’t care if that old man is Laurus or not! You must never make him part of the clan, got it?”
His anxious gaze flickered up at Vasha. Vasha chuckled softly and ruffled Todd’s hair.
“I got it.”
“…But at least we have a hideout now. Since that old man is even preparing a coffin, that’s one less thing to worry about.”
Todd brushed away Vasha’s hand as he continued speaking.
Laurus, who seemed quite knowledgeable about vampires, had brought up the need for a coffin before either Todd or Vasha could even mention it, insisting that he would arrange for one himself.
Finding a coffin, especially in such a remote noble villa, was no easy task, even for someone as resourceful as Todd.
Though Todd disliked Laurus, he had to admit that Laurus was useful.
Unconsciously, Todd stared down at his still-immature hands.
When it was just him and Vasha, they had to solve all their problems on their own.
Whenever Todd solved something that Vasha found difficult, Vasha would hug him with a wide smile. Feeling awkward and uncomfortable, Todd would either squirm away or quickly escape before Vasha could wrap her arms around him.
But now Laurus had appeared. He easily solved the problems that lay before Vasha, and Vasha smiled brightly at him, expressing her gratitude.
For someone like Todd, who usually found Vasha’s hugs uncomfortable, Laurus’s presence should have been a relief.
So why did all he feel was displeasure?
