#Episode 57
Somehow, feeling mentally exhausted, Vasha discreetly lifted the 【Charm】.
‘…Wait? What did I just say in front of the young lady?’
Realizing a bit late that the 【Charm】 had been removed, Melina wished she could slap herself for saying things she should and shouldn’t have said.
Melina immediately bent over, bowing to Vasha in apology.
“I-I apologies, my lady! How could I have dared to comment on your face…!”
Usually, it is not well-received for a servant to assess their master’s appearance. What a master expects from their servant is obedience, not individuality.
Melina’s mother had also repeatedly told her that it wasn’t proper to comment on the young master’s face, emphasizing how another noble would have harshly reprimanded her.
Although most of her mother’s opinions on the young master were exaggerated, Melina agreed with her mother on one thing: that the young master was kind.
Unaware of Melina’s inner turmoil, Vasha sighed lightly.
Melina seemed more coltish than he expected. Although she acted reserved in front of Vasha, her actions, like running away from home and immediately turning her back on Albert, indicated that she was far from timid or compliant.
‘Well, at least now I know she has no ulterior motives, so Todd can be at ease.’
Meanwhile, Melina was feeling increasingly embarrassed. Seeing this, Vasha chuckled and tried to reassure her.
“It’s fine, Melina. I was just a bit startled because I’m not used to compliments.”
“Huh? You, my lady?”
“Well, I haven’t exactly been in an environment where I meet people often.”
Vasha gave a faint smile, shaking her head.
Such words from a delicate young lady inevitably spark many imaginations. Inspired by Vasha’s words, Melina, with tears welling up, made a determined vow.
“Then, I’ll praise your beauty every single day like a lark!”
“That’s enough. Would you fly off to someone prettier if they came along?”
“Where would I go?! Of course, I’d stay right by your side!”
Even as Vasha playfully teased her, Melina clenched her fist and responded resolutely.
“I’m going to stick right by your side, so I wouldn’t have time to meet anyone else!”
“Okay, alright.”
“That would never happen!”
Melina, feeling frustrated that Vasha clearly didn’t believe her sincerity and was merely humoring her as if she were a child, couldn’t help but raise her voice.
“Honestly, just being by your side is reward enough for me, my lady. I swear, I’m truly loyal to you. I’d even make an oath to the holy dragon of Lamphas.”
“That’s a bit much.”
Vasha burst out laughing and shook her head at Melina’s fervent declaration. Swearing loyalty to a vampire by invoking the holy dragon was bound to incite the dragon’s wrath.
Vasha’s continued skepticism and rejection left Melina visibly crestfallen.
Seeing Melina’s normally pretty face turn comically sullen made Vasha chuckle without realizing it.
Deciding there was no point in teasing her further, Vasha reached out and playfully tapped the tip of Melina’s nose with her slender fingers, adding a light-hearted remark.
“If you really want to make an oath, why not make it to me?”
Thump!
After persistently pushing her away, Vasha suddenly drew her in, causing Melina’s heart to race wildly.
‘Is this… the classic ‘carrot and stick’ approach?’
At that moment, Melina realized she was entirely captivated by the young lady standing before her.
And she didn’t want to resist. In fact, she felt an overwhelming urge to bare her soul to the young lady, who kept doubting her sincerity.
She felt she had to do something to prove her devotion.
In a daze, Melina stumbled to the floor, placing her hands on Vasha’s knees, and with firm resolve, she declared,
“Alright! I, Melina, will follow Miss Vasha for the rest of my life. For-ev-er!”
Watching Melina’s serious reaction to what had been a casual joke, Vasha’s eyes widened in surprise.
Unaware of how deeply she had influenced Melina, Vasha felt increasingly taken aback.
In truth, Vasha didn’t fully believe Melina’s declaration that she would follow only her.
Melina’s attraction to her stemmed from the nature of vampires—beautiful, mysterious, alluring…
However, the form that Melina found beautiful in Vasha was ultimately just a disguise, an appearance crafted to mimic human traits.
Though vampires and humans may resemble each other outwardly, they are fundamentally different beings.
When people recognize this difference, any prior goodwill often transforms into hostility or aversion.
In Melina’s case, due to her potential as a follower, she might be slower to sense this disparity, or she might not notice it at all.
But if she were to confront Vasha’s inhuman features, like long fangs and elongated pupils, how would she react?
This goes beyond simply resisting magical influence.
That’s why typical lesser vampires use brainwashing to create followers, though it’s more effective on younger minds.
Additionally, brainwashing works by slipping through unconscious gaps and overlaying one’s own beliefs onto the subject’s mind. Therefore, the more significant a concept is to the subject, the harder it becomes to impose new ideas.
Since Melina places an extreme value on appearance, if she were to decide that Vasha wasn’t beautiful, she would break free from any spell Vasha cast, no matter how strong.
Thus, if Melina were to suddenly change her attitude upon realizing Vasha’s true nature as a vampire, there would be nothing Vasha could do about it.
That alone would be a psychological blow.
And if Todd were to react violently towards Melina in response, it would be an additional psychological impact.
For a delicate and moderate vampire like Vasha, it was too much of a shock.
As a result, instead of fully believing Melina’s words, Vasha thought it best to keep a certain emotional distance, with a bit of doubt about Melina’s sincerity.
However, explaining all of this in detail wasn’t an option, so Vasha tried to brush it off lightly…
But she never expected that Melina would genuinely swear an oath, especially one involving her true name.
Swearing on one’s true name is a sacred and binding act, foundational to contracts. Even for ordinary people, mentioning their true name alongside an oath wasn’t done lightly.
While Vasha still couldn’t bring herself to believe that Melina’s sincerity would be eternal, at least in this moment, she trusted her.
When Vasha hesitated to speak, Melina, interpreting the silence as further doubt about her loyalty, cried out once more.
“No matter if someone more beautiful appears! For me, Melina, there will only ever be you, my lady!”
Words have power.
Speak ill, and you are cursed; speak earnestly, and the words may reach the gods.
Though the effect varies depending on the speaker’s strength, at the very least, words create a pathway that the listener can engage with.
‘Wait, if that’s the case…’
Recalling something, Vasha extended her pinky finger toward Melina and asked meaningfully,
“Are you really… willing to make that promise?”
“Yes!”
Without hesitation, Melina wrapped her pinky finger around Vasha’s.
As their fingers intertwined, a pattern resembling a thorny ring briefly appeared on Melina’s pinky before quickly vanishing.
‘Just as I thought!’
With the power she had accumulated from acquiring 【hallucination】, Basha had attempted to initiate a 【Master-Servant Contract】, and to her surprise, it actually worked.
The 【Master-Servant Contract】is a one-sided agreement that binds the other party as a follower, ensuring loyalty and obedience to the master.
Under this contract, the servant is unable to act against the master and is compelled to follow their commands.
‘This is all thanks to Melina’s oath.’
Without Melina’s vow, the contract would not have been possible.
Though it might not have been Melina’s intention, she had essentially proven her loyalty.
Of course, since the contract was enacted informally through her vow, it didn’t possess the full control of a true spell.
But it was more than enough to shorten the time needed for Melina to become a follower.
‘With her qualities as a follower… it might take about a year.’
A year might seem like a long time to humans, but for an immortal vampire, it was nothing.
Considering that lesser vampires often spent several years cultivating followers due to their limited charm, a year was actually quite fast.
Once Melina became her follower, there would be no need to worry about betrayal, nor would Vasha have to deal with issues surrounding a dedicated servant.
Furthermore, Todd would no longer suggest killing Melina to keep things quiet.
Thinking about all of this, waiting a year felt like no trouble at all.
