#Episode 86
To Vasha, the design seemed quite ordinary. However, since Todd had high standards, he might find it lacking.
But for Vasha, the design wasn’t the important part. As long as the pendant’s functionality passed the test, the design could always be adjusted.
Despite Todd’s sharp words, Vasha remained cheerful and tried to appease him.
“You don’t like the design? Should I ask Oliver to refine it?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it! I just said it looked old-fashioned!”
Todd shouted, hastily clutching the pendant and tucking it into his chest.
‘Isn’t calling it old-fashioned the same as saying it’s bad?’
Vasha tilted her head, confused. Todd’s words were hard for her to understand.
‘Still, seeing Todd react this way must mean he actually likes it. Maybe I did a good job making it… Do I have a talent for this?’
Feeling proud of her work, Vasha’s heart swelled with satisfaction. She spoke to Todd in a reassuring tone.
“Are you worried I won’t finish it by tomorrow? The engraving took a long time, but the crafting itself won’t take much longer. Any fixes should be quick too.”
“Ah, forget it!”
Todd clutched the pendant tightly as if Vasha was about to snatch it away, then shoved it deep into his pocket.
Only after feeling the weight of the pendant in his pocket did Todd’s expression finally relax.
Seeing this, Vasha muttered in disbelief,
“But you just said you didn’t like it….”
Todd ignored Vasha’s remark and scoffed, shooting her a sharp glance.
That dismissive attitude—this was the Todd she knew.
Vasha sighed in relief. Todd’s usual sharp and sarcastic self was much better than when he sat in silence, lost in thought.
Todd then flashed a mischievous grin, clearly up to something, and said,
“Alright, since you spent the past few days ignoring me while working on that tacky pendant, you owe me.”
“Owe you what?”
Vasha tilted her head, clueless. Her innocent reaction made a vein pop on Todd’s forehead.
“What do you mean, ‘what’? A chess match! Every time we start playing, you always find a way to escape after a few rounds! This time, I’m not stopping until I win.”
At Todd’s bold declaration, Vasha’s face paled.
No matter how she looked at it, Todd had no intention of letting her sleep tonight.
Sure enough, Vasha ended up stuck at the chessboard, forced to play match after match.
In the meantime, Todd had been playing chess with Laurus from time to time, and his skills had improved significantly.
Vasha could tell that if she let her guard down, she would be caught off guard. She tensed up and carefully moved her pieces.
However, after days of crafting Todd’s pendant, Vasha was mentally exhausted.
On the ever-changing battlefield of the chessboard, she made several mistakes.
Still, she somehow managed to fend off Todd’s attacks and continued to secure victories.
They had played several rounds when—
“Ah!”
Vasha placed her piece down, only to realize her mistake too late.
This mistake was critical. She tried to think of a way out, but in her current state, no solution came to mind.
‘There’s no way I can lose like this!’
When she first taught Todd how to play chess, it was simply meant to be a fun game.
But at some point, that intention had disappeared, and all that remained was her competitive spirit against Todd.
Perhaps if she had a clearer mind, she could come up with a way to escape this situation.
In a panic, Vasha abruptly stood up and declared,
“That’s it for today! It’s too late! If we’re going to the auction, we need to be well-rested.”
“You—!”
Todd tried to grab Vasha, but Vasha was already one step ahead, slipping away.
Todd shouted in frustration,
“You’re running away because you’re about to lose, aren’t you?”
“Of course not. If you want to beat me, you’ll need another ten years of practice.”
Lying effortlessly, Vasha bolted out of the room.
Behind her, Todd’s indignant voice echoed.
“Then why are you running?! The game isn’t even over!”
“We can continue after the auction. The chessboard isn’t going anywhere.”
“You’re the one running away!”
But by then, Vasha was already out of Todd’s room, leaving Todd’s frustrated protests unanswered.
Her footsteps grew more distant as she returned to her own room. But soon, she came back.
Vasha peeked her head through the doorway, grinning brightly.
“Goodnight, Todd!”
Before Todd could say anything, Vasha vanished again like the wind.
“Ha!….”
Left alone in his room, Todd let out a dumbfounded laugh.
At this rate, even his anger faded away.
“I’ll let you off this time.”
Todd furrowed his brow, trying to look serious, but the image of Vasha’s mischievous smile as she peeked through the door played in his mind.
He couldn’t help but chuckle.
Absentmindedly, he reached into his pocket.
Had he known Vasha was making this for him, he wouldn’t have been so irritated….
“You should’ve just told me earlier. Such an idiot.”
His fingers brushed against the pendant, feeling its faint coldness—like a vampire’s skin….
The thought made Todd instinctively pull his hand away, his heart pounding wildly.
It was just a pendant, but touching it made him feel strangely guilty.
Alone in his room, Todd found himself blushing over and over again.
The frustration he had felt earlier, before Vasha appeared, had long since disappeared.
Chapter 7. The Eve of the Lantern Festival
The day before the Lantern Festival had arrived.
The auction was held at night, but they had to reach the venue before sunset.
Todd had been preparing for the auction since midday, eager for what was to come.
Since this would be Todd’s first official appearance as the heir of the Renfield family, every detail of his appearance had to be meticulously arranged from head to toe.
However, considering that his outfit had already been pre-selected, there was no need to start preparations this early—
That is, if Todd hadn’t suddenly insisted on changing his attire the day before the auction.
“No matter how I look at it, I don’t look like the heir of the Renfield family—I look like a servant. It’s an auction, and everyone will be dressed extravagantly. Do you want me to be mocked for showing up in this?”
‘Just the other day, he was complaining that wearing too many jewels and furs was a hassle, saying I was just showing off how rich the family is….’
Now, Todd had flipped his opinion like turning over a hand, throwing the maids into a frenzy.
Still, no matter how fickle Todd was, he was far more composed compared to Albert. At the very least, he didn’t greet them while sprawled out drunk on the day of an important event.
The maids rushed to prepare a new outfit for Todd, busying themselves to make him look presentable.
Watching the commotion from a corner of the room, Vasha clicked her tongue.
“The outfit you originally had wasn’t bad.”
“Hmph. That’s just your opinion.”
Todd grumbled as the maids adjusted his collar.
At first, he had at least pretended to call Vasha ‘sister,’ but the longer he stayed at the mansion, the less effort he put into maintaining that act.
Now, even in front of others, he simply called her ‘hey, hey’ instead.
As a result, all the servants of the Renfield estate had become quite accustomed to Todd’s disrespectful attitude toward his older sister.
After much fuss, they barely managed to finish preparations right before it was time to depart.
Vasha admired Todd’s appearance in his newly adorned outfit.
“Wow….”
His polished calf-leather shoes had jeweled buttons, and his silk vest was embroidered with gold thread.
In the capital, boys had recently taken to wearing shirts with layered lace sleeves and frilled cuffs, adding volume.
Todd’s shirt followed this trend, perfectly styled.
Over his lace cravat, he wore the pendant Vasha had gifted him—the large red gemstone blended seamlessly into his outfit, standing out yet feeling like a natural part of the ensemble.
Without a doubt, he was dressed like the heir of a prestigious noble family.
If anything, the outfit was so extravagant that there was a risk of the clothes overshadowing the wearer.
However, when Todd wore it, even such luxurious attire seemed… strangely subdued.
