#Episode 46
As Vasha pondered for quite some time, an excuse suddenly popped into her mind.
“Decision!”
“Decision?”
“Yes. I made the decision and cut my palm with your jagged, rusty dagger. It seems that Rasa was particularly bothered by that.”
Vasha said this as she looked at Todd with a composed face. However, Vasha’s heart was pounding heavily.
‘Todd mistakenly believes that Rasa is my servant, so this excuse should work. No, please let it work…’
While Vasha clung desperately to her hope, Todd furrowed his brow. Yet, seeing no rebuttal from him, it seemed Todd couldn’t find anything to nitpick. Sensing that things were going well, Vasha seized the momentum and changed the subject.
“Hmm, hmm. Now that I think about it, Laurus, can you get Todd a decent dagger? Even if I tell him not to carry a weapon, he won’t listen, so I might as well give him something good.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
“I don’t trust that.”
Todd grumbled. But seeing that he didn’t outright refuse, it was clear he was secretly looking forward to getting a new weapon.
Vasha clapped her hands in satisfaction and continued to shift the conversation.
“Alright, let’s do it like that! Now that we’ve secured a hideout, let’s seriously think about what to do with Albert!”
“Shouldn’t we just kill him? The old man said we could kill him, right? After all, Renfield will be mine.”
Todd shrugged his shoulders and pointed his chin towards Laurus. It was as if it were the most natural thing in the world for him to inherit Renfield.
The funny thing was, even Laurus, who should have been offended, didn’t seem to find Todd’s words particularly strange.
Vasha, faced with the reality that the two humans were less human than the one vampire, couldn’t help but lament. She hurriedly tried to stop Todd.
“No, but we can’t just kill him when he hasn’t done anything yet…!”
“You’re too soft. With that weak heart of yours, how will you ever rise in ranks?”
Todd sighed deeply. Vasha was dumbfounded at Todd’s condescending tone, as if he were scolding a child left by the river.
‘But I’m a… vampire…!’
At least she was thankful that Todd, out of consideration for Laurus, didn’t outright call her a lower vampire.
How did Todd end up with such a personality? Or was the Van Drake family always like this? Genetics?
Either way, Vasha was content that she had successfully diverted Todd’s attention away from the dagger of condemnation.
Having achieved her goal, Vasha smiled peacefully and continued to dissuade Todd from his extreme suggestions.
“I have a good idea. If Albert isn’t that bad, we can deal with him appropriately.”
Just in time, Vasha had learned a new spell, so she figured it was the perfect opportunity to try it out. Vasha’s eyes curved into a crescent shape as she looked at Laurus and Todd.
***
Albert, who had been on edge while keeping an eye on Vasha in the Count’s room, clenched his fist tightly when he heard that the Count had gone to the annex with Vasha.
It was clear that Vasha had won over the Count’s favor.
‘Good. At this rate, it won’t be long before I get the key to the annex.’
Everything was going according to his plan. Albert suppressed his anxious heart.
A shadow fell over Albert’s face, which had been hailed as a masterpiece, often compared to an angel or a divine sculpture.
Though Albert was famous in social circles for his handsome looks, he was also known by another nickname.
A flashy but useless plum.
While he may have looked great on the outside, he had abandoned his proper education as an heir and, despite the Count’s financial support being cut off, indulged in gambling.
Even after the support ceased, Albert lived by the saying, ‘If you don’t have teeth, use your gums.’ He borrowed money by leveraging Laurus’ name.
Though only a few people knew that Laurus was Count Renfield, Albert’s constant blabbing had made it common knowledge among the folks in Noctiluca.
Everything he earned was funneled into gambling.
But even leveraging Laurus’ name had its limits when it came to attracting attention and investment.
As Albert continued borrowing without repaying, eventually, no one in Noctiluca was willing to lend him money.
Albert’s funds were drying up, and his attention shifted to the annex that Laurus had been guarding so tightly.
‘That old man must be keeping treasures piled up in that annex.’
Thus, Albert snuck into the annex under the cover of night, only to be met by the portrait of a captivating woman with long purple hair.
As if pierced by the gaze of the woman in the portrait, Albert was frozen in place.
He stood there, entranced, until Count Renfield caught him.
The Count erupted in rage.
<I decided to pass down the Renfield family to you only because you’re my sole blood relative, not because you’re anything special! And yet, you dare to covet my painting? You overestimate yourself!>
<Ugh, great-uncle! Calm down!>
Smack!
The Count slapped Albert hard. Not satisfied, he then swung his cane and beat Albert.
<Calm down? As if I’d ever give you a reason to calm down!>
<Aaah! Ugh! Cough!>
Even now, Albert’s body ached when he remembered that moment. The pain and humiliation of being beaten in front of all the household servants on that rainy day!
Security around the annex had been tightened since, and Albert was never able to set foot in there again.
However, the thought of Laurus’s paintings continued to haunt him. How much could those unpublished paintings be worth? Every day, Albert dreamed of the day he would become Count Renfield and sell off all the paintings.
‘I suppose I could leave that portrait behind. After all, the Renfield family produced Laurus, so having at least one impressive painting would look good to others.’
One day, during a social gathering, the topic of Laurus’s paintings came up.
Whenever Laurus’s artwork was mentioned, Albert always jumped into the conversation, pretending to know about it. One of the nobles, who had grown tired of Albert’s behavior, could no longer hold back and openly criticized him.
<Stop pretending to know things you don’t. There’s no need to push yourself so hard, Sir Albert. Everyone knows you don’t have a deep understanding of art. At most, the patterns on playing cards must excite you.>
Furious at being belittled, Albert lashed out.
<Don’t you accuse me of not knowing anything! You only know about the paintings that are circulating outside! Those are just commissions, mere works for hire, not real pieces of art!>
The seasoned members of the social circle quickly caught on to something strange in Albert’s words. They exchanged glances and started pouring him more drinks, coaxing him.
<So, are there paintings that weren’t commissioned?>
<Of course. My great-uncle’s most cherished, truly artistic works remain in the annex. Once I inherit the title, all those paintings will be mine.>
Having drunk too much, Albert, unaware of his slip of the tongue, continued boasting.
Hearing mention of the paintings in the annex, one of the nobles decided to provoke Albert.
<But how can we believe that? Isn’t this just another one of your boasts? Sir Albert’s exaggerations and Laurus’s temper are both well-known. You may act all high and mighty now, but later you’ll just claim that Count Renfield burned those so-called unpublished paintings, won’t you?>
<Boasting? The unpublished paintings of Laurus definitely exist!>
<Hah, I won’t believe it until I see them myself.>
<Fine. I’ll persuade my great-uncle! Surely, he would allow me to show at least one small painting. If I manage to bring it, what will you do?>
