#Episode 53
‘Melina told me that Todd, that brat, had taken over my room…. Damn it, that stupid girl couldn’t even give proper information!’
Albert cursed the unlucky Melina. Based solely on her words, he assumed Todd would be in this room, and he didn’t bother to investigate further.
Albert’s mind spun in confusion, unsure of what to do next in this situation, which had completely deviated from the plan.
‘Should I go out and find that brat? Or….’
As he looked at Vasha, who was sleeping deeply, Albert swallowed hard. The sight of her so peaceful made it difficult for him to tear his eyes away.
Frankly, Albert couldn’t believe that these people were really his great-uncle’s blood relatives. It seemed more plausible that an old man, confused by the appearance of someone who resembled his lover from his youth, had decided to hand over his wealth and everything else to a complete stranger in a senile delusion.
‘There’s no guarantee I’ll find that brat even if I go out. And if I don’t kill him, everything will be in vain…. Maybe I should take this opportunity to make her mine. Then I can spread rumors throughout the social circles.’
As he gazed at Vasha, an ambition flickered in Albert’s eyes.
It was Albert who had originally brought Vasha to be Count Renfield’s companion.
If he were to hint that they had some kind of prior relationship, no one would doubt it.
In the social circles that valued chastity before marriage, no noble would desire someone as a marriage partner if there were such scandal attached to them.
Of course, given Vasha’s striking beauty, a suitor might appear who wouldn’t care about the rumors.
But Vasha, with her weak body, would never be able to make appearances in society, so no such rivals would show up.
Even if Vasha were to deny the rumors later, he could hold something over her now to ensure she would ultimately admit to having a relationship with him.
In the end, Vasha would have no choice but to marry him.
‘Then I could return under the pretense of being in a relationship with her and watch things unfold at my own pace. As for Todd, I can take care of him slowly…. I’ll just arrange an accidental death.’
The plan was just a reversal of the original sequence. Albert cautiously lifted the blanket and climbed onto the bed.
Hovering over Vasha, he gently caressed her face.
“Damn it, she really is beautiful….”
In the end, Vasha would come to like him. After all, there weren’t many men as handsome as he was. Just as he was mesmerized by her, she too would fall for him.
Albert lowered himself, moving to kiss Vasha’s cheek.
At that moment, Vasha, who had been sound asleep, suddenly opened her eyes wide.
“Ugh!”
Meeting her gaze, Albert flinched and recoiled. As he stumbled backward, he fell off the bed, landing hard on the floor. When Vasha began to slowly rise, Albert, unable to help himself, continued to back away.
His hand reached out into the air—he had already reached the edge of the bed.
Just as Albert was about to fall to the floor, someone grabbed his shoulder and held him in place, preventing his head from hitting the ground.
But the sudden appearance of someone in a room he thought was empty shocked him. Albert leaped up with a scream.
“Ahhh!”
But the grip holding him was strong. The person had pinned him down with such force that Albert couldn’t move.
Albert craned his neck to see who it was.
However, the face was shrouded in shadow, leaving nothing visible.
Only the scent of heavy roses, as if someone had poured perfume over them, filled the air, and the pair of glowing red eyes gazed down at him from the darkness.
Those captivating eyes curved like a waning crescent moon. In a sweet voice, the person laughed and whispered,
“You’re really hopeless, aren’t you?”
It was a familiar voice. As the person lowered their head to look down at Albert, long purple hair dangled down like a curtain, brushing across Albert’s face.
“I almost regret leaving you a way out.”
Finally recognizing who it was, Albert’s eyes widened in shock.
“You—you…!”
Albert pointed frantically between Vasha, who had risen from the bed, and the person standing behind him.
“Wait a minute, then what was that lying over there…? Why are there two of the same person?!”
Albert screamed in terror, unsure if he was losing his mind or if the world had gone mad.
Meanwhile, Vasha, now awake, had approached Albert, standing just in front of him.
Soon, Albert found himself surrounded by two versions of Vasha.
The face that had looked so beautiful earlier now seemed terrifying, especially with this incomprehensible phenomenon.
Suddenly, there were two of the same person, appearing without a sound. Despite their slender arms, they were strong enough to overpower a grown man.
This kind of thing couldn’t possibly happen with a human.
At that moment, a conversation he had had with a servant before meeting Vasha resurfaced in his mind.
<Would such a woman even exist? Unless she’s a vampire…>
<Aren’t vampires supposed to be that beautiful? Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if one showed up, just as long as she met the conditions.>
<Goodness, why would you say something so ominous? What would you do if a vampire really did appear?!>
At the time, Albert had laughed off the servant’s words as nonsense. But now, given the situation, he had no choice but to accept it.
What he had brought wasn’t a person….
“A v-vampire!”
“Hahaha!”
“Hahaha!”
At Albert’s terrified shout, the two Vashas in front and behind him burst into laughter.
The Vasha standing behind Albert whispered into his ear,
“That’s right. I’m a vampire.”
With every word the Vashas spoke, the thick scent of roses grew more overwhelming.
“The name of your death sentence.”
The Vasha in front of Albert responded, then reached out her hand towards him.
Her pale, slender fingers touched the back of Albert’s sweat-drenched neck. The sensation was more chilling than if a skeleton had suddenly reached out and grabbed him.
Albert struggled desperately to escape. But it was as if something had bound him in place, and he couldn’t move an inch. All he could do was helplessly kick at the blankets.
Tears welled up in Albert’s eyes, gripped by the fear that he might really die.
“Hic, hiiiic…!”
He tried to call for help, but all that came out were strangled gasps as if his throat had been squeezed shut.
“Hiiiek! Hic! Huff!”
The two Vashas smiled mockingly at his futile attempts.
Tap, tap.
Terrified, Albert hadn’t noticed the strange sound at first, but now, forced into silence, he realized what it was.
Tap, tap, tap.
At first, the sound traveled through his jaw…. It didn’t take long for Albert to realize what it was. His own teeth chattering.
Tears spilled from his eyes.
If it had been just the sound from his own jaw, Albert might not have been so terrified.
Tap.
Tap, tap.
Tap, tap, tap.
Tap-tap-tap-tap-tap!
Underneath the sound of his teeth chattering, there was another, similar sound. It wasn’t just from his jaw; it was the sound of someone else’s teeth clicking together.
Like a swarm of piranhas attacking a piece of meat thrown into the ocean, the eerie sound continued to echo in the darkness.
Foreseeing the inevitable, Albert, even as his voice faltered, did not stop trying to scream for help.
Calling for someone was the only way he could escape this hell….
But his resistance was useless.
The sound, which had seemed far off, now grew louder, as if it were right in front of Albert’s face.
When the sound blended so completely with the noise Albert himself was making that he could no longer tell them apart, he let out a tortured scream.
But, of course, no part of his scream escaped the room. It was swallowed up, along with Albert, as if crushed by the shadows.
Before long, only silence and the two Vashas remained in the room.
The Vasha standing at the foot of the bed quietly murmured as she looked at the spot where Albert had disappeared.
“Goodbye, Albert. I’ll make good use of everything you left behind.”
