#Episode 50
“You …!”
Anger flared up in Albert’s blue eyes. But that was all.
“Todd is right. Give it up. After all, you did bring back my grandchild, and considering the affection I’ve had for you as my successor until now, I’ll repay all the debt you’ve been carrying.”
“Great-uncle!”
With Laurus siding with Todd, there was nothing Albert could do.
Albert tried his best to persuade Laurus, but Laurus didn’t even give him a glance, only motioning to the butler.
“Damn it, great-uncle! Please listen to me. How can you change your mind so easily? Great-uncle!”
Albert struggled with all his might, but he couldn’t resist the butler’s strength. The butler, having overpowered Albert’s resistance, forcefully dragged him out.
Even as he was being dragged away, Albert continued shouting.
“He might not even be your blood relative! Who knows what kind of life he’s led outside? He doesn’t even look like you! Great-uncle!”
Before long, the door closed, and only the echoes of Albert’s accusations rang through the hallway. Soon, his shouting subsided, likely due to the butler’s intervention.
Todd dropped into the seat in front of Laurus’ sofa in a sprawling manner and sneered at Laurus as if it were amusing.
“An illegitimate child, huh? You really don’t care about your reputation. By the way, I wonder if Menorah knows that she’s being treated like a follower’s lover without even realizing it. I bet she wouldn’t be too pleased.”
“Lady Lucy doesn’t waste her energy on trivial matters like this. If anything, she would probably laugh. When else would she get to claim to have the same blood as the Van Drake lineage?”
“What?”
Todd squinted his eyes into a triangle shape. Laurus, without raising an eyebrow [suggests that Laurus remained calm and composed, showing no surprise or emotional reaction], poured tea into his cup.
It seemed unbelievable that they once appeared to have a close grandfather-grandson relationship when Albert was around.
‘Well, it was a lie….’
But if you looked closely, they didn’t seem to actually hate each other. Despite everything, the shared bond as family couldn’t be completely ignored.
‘Even though they bicker, there’s a certain fondness behind it, whether they like it or not.’
Vasha accepted the teacup Laurus handed her and sipped it through her veil-covered lips. The fragrant aroma of the tea tickled Vasha’s nose.
Meanwhile, the conversation between Todd and Laurus shifted to Albert.
Since Laurus had nothing more to say about Albert, unlike earlier when he had rebutted, he kept his mouth shut, silently enduring Todd’s criticisms.
Todd, now fully immersed, verbally attacked Laurus even more vigorously.
And as if that wasn’t enough, Todd also tried to involve Vasha, whom Laurus cared deeply for. Todd’s face was slightly flushed as he glanced at Vasha.
“Do you think he’ll just give up like that?”
“Let’s hope he does.”
Vasha, having emptied her teacup, mumbled as she poured herself another.
Todd pouted, dissatisfied with the answer.
“You don’t really believe that. If you truly thought he’d give up so easily, you wouldn’t have set up so many traps.”
“It’s not that I don’t believe it… I just want to make sure.”
Vasha smiled awkwardly as she murmured. Todd scoffed.
“If Albert wasn’t a bad guy, you said you could deal with him appropriately, but clearly, that was never your intention. At this rate, you could even corrupt a pious monk and drag him to hell.”
Todd recalled Vasha’s scheming. It was so cunning and persistent that even Todd couldn’t help but admire it.
What Vasha had done was simple. She didn’t lay a finger on Albert but merely enchanted a key with a [hallucination] spell and left.
Yet, even with that alone, Albert moved precisely as Vasha had expected and desired, like a marionette, all within the trap she had set.
As a result, most of the Noctiluca society had learned about the legitimacy of Albert’s expulsion, giving them a perfect justification to sever ties with him.
But what truly astonished Todd was the plan Vasha had in store for after Albert’s expulsion.
Vasha had prepared a false hope for the expelled Albert.
A single ray of hope shining down on Albert, who had fallen into darkness. Naturally, Albert would chase after that light.
Little did he know, it was the light of an anglerfish, luring its prey.
Albert, chasing after only hope, ultimately reached a place that was like a bottomless pit of hell, the destruction of his soul.
No matter how much Vasha pretended to expect something from Albert’s humanity, to Todd, it looked like nothing but pretense.
‘No matter how clumsy they appear, a vampire is still a vampire.’
Vampires are a species that enjoys sowing seeds of discord and destruction among humans by using their appearance.
Greedy fools, unaware of anything, would fall for the vampires, offering up both their body and soul. Whether it was a child, an elderly person, the same gender, or the opposite gender, they were all defenseless.
Todd clicked his tongue.
“That idiot among idiots has probably already grabbed that rope, not realizing it’s a trap.”
“It’s not a trap, just a test.”
Vasha coughed as if falsely accused.
“I’m just giving him chances to make choices, over and over again. If he steps back now, he’ll become a Viscount. If he steps back again after that, he’ll have enough wealth to live comfortably…. Wouldn’t Albert find a reasoned conclusion less regrettable than a random one? At least the result will be his own choice.”
“Do you think that guy will think, ‘This is my fault, and I must bear it’? He’ll probably be unable to accept it, wondering why this had to happen to him. It’d be easier just to kill him.”
“I can’t do that. Todd, you’re too extreme.”
Vasha shook her head firmly and laughed softly, lightly flicking Todd’s nose with her finger.
Todd, holding his nose, was speechless.
She might call his ideas extreme, but Vasha’s schemes were dark and persistent!
‘Still, it’s better than being naively straightforward.’
Todd sighed and raised both hands.
“Fine. I admit your method has its own logic. Sometimes it’s easier to leave the decision-making to someone else.”
Surprised that Todd acknowledged her approach, Vasha, behind her veil, paused for a moment. Then, with a lively voice, she suddenly hugged Todd tightly.
“I’m so glad Todd understands!”
“Let go of me! I can’t breathe!”
The hem of Vasha’s veil tickled Todd’s cheek.
Grimacing at the scent of roses emanating from Vasha, Todd tried to push her away, though not with much force.
“I said I can’t breathe!”
“Alright, alright.”
Todd continued grumbling and showing his irritation at Vasha’s half-hearted listening, but he couldn’t hide the fact that the tips of his ears, peeking through his disheveled black hair, were turning red.
***
“Ugh!”
Albert was roughly thrown out the front door by the butler’s harsh hand.
His shiny blonde hair, once styled to perfection with every curl in place, was now a tangled mess. The clothes he had always insisted fit perfectly were now ripped and rumpled, with buttons and seams torn apart, making him look utterly disgraceful.
Servants gathered at the commotion, whispering as they looked at Albert’s ruined appearance.
“What’s going on? What happened?”
“They say he tried to sell the Count’s painting while on drugs.”
“I knew he’d cause big trouble one day with his gambling addiction.”
“He’s no longer the young master, it seems. They say the real one has appeared.”
“He used to strut around claiming he’d be the future Count of Renfield… and now look at him.”
Albert’s face, usually full of confidence, turned red with humiliation as he noticed the people whispering around him.
