Ch 8: The Cursed Countess - Part 2

"Open your mouth wide and let my blood enter your body. You will start to feel better soon. Just let yourself feel the pressure of my blood hitting your mouth and swallow."

Fenrir's blood was special, and the pressure it created inside the countess made her gasp and cough. 

The body that was once dead suddenly moved and clutched at its throat before unseen eyes began to move around and take notice of the surroundings.

For the first time since Fenrir had been reborn into a human body, he created a doll using his blood as a source of his magic. It made the doll in front of him become extremely durable and powerful.

At the same time, Countess Ann's body gained a consciousness that could act as an autonomous personality as long as Fenrir commanded her to and paid attention to what she was doing.

"Good girl. It seems like my blood managed to cure your broken wrist as well. Can you stand up for me and show me how you are doing without my support?"

Fenrir asked, and Ann pulled back before she walked around and gave an elegant twirl. Her steps contained a grace she had not shown in years, and her face also regained some color.

She no longer looked like a dead ghoul that attacked Fenrir but rather like a human who was just having a couple of rough days.

"Countess Ann, I shall be counting on you to support me. Will you give me your hand and lead me inside?"

Fenrir asked, and the puppet did as he asked it to.

The dead lady reached out to grab Fenrir's arm before she pulled him inside, and they did not return. The guards, who were tasked to check up on Fenrir and the Countess, could not report anything since there was no dead body for them to check up on.

The next day, they came out once more to check up on Fenrir and what became of them. They had bet on how long it would take for a scream to escape the Countess's manor, but the dead body they had been looking for was nowhere to be seen.

That made the guards flinch, and they quickly walked toward the abandoned mansion with their hearts in their throats.

"H-Hey, do you think that man died? E-Even if he was a cripple, he did not deserve to die such a death. I feel sorry for him."

One of the guards spoke with a sorry tone as he pushed the door open to take a look inside. He dreaded to see what he would find inside. He was ready to face a dead body or even a pile of bones and blood as he previously had.

But the scene that was burned into his eyes belonged to none of those scenarios.

Instead of the countess angrily trying to kill someone, she sat quietly at her seat and sipped her tea. On her side stood (well, sat on the wheelchair) the crippled commoner whom they had brought here as a sacrifice.

The young boy poured the countess her tea, and his face had a gentle and unharmed smile on it.

Not only did the scene look domestic, but it also looked romantic. The pair looked like a couple (if you ignored their age) who were spending time together. 

It was as heart-warming as it was horrifying, and the guards took a sharp breath before they stepped inside. Each step they took was filled with caution since no one knew when the countess would change her color and attack them. They all needed to be careful about it…

Or that was what the guards intended to do. 

But no sooner had they stepped into the mansion than Fenrir turned to flash a smile their way as he finished pouring the Countess her tea.

"Welcome, esteemed guests of Countess Ann. It is my pleasure to welcome you to the Ann Mary Manor. Please, have a seat and enjoy some tea. Countess, you don't mind if we entertain a few 'guests' today, right?"

Fenrir asked in a gentle voice, and the guards turned to look at their 'madam' as if they were one.

They felt afraid of her and caution colored their actions as they tried, they took a step closer to the countess. 

To their eyes, the female countess looked like a regular human and not her usual self, who snapped at anyone who came close to her. But no matter how harmless she looked; these guards were not willing to take any chances.

"It has been some time since I entertained any guests. It is my pleasure to welcome you all to this mansion. Ah, the human company is the best. Fenrir, pour these gentlemen some tea and snacks."

The countess looked happy and excited as she extended her pleasantries to her guests. No one had heard her speak before, and the guards got so stiff that they looked like statues now. 

But beauty was something that had the power to melt the strongest hearts and cause them to relax. Fenrir was on such beauty and one smile from him was enough to make these guards let their guard down and sit.

A cup was placed in front of them, and Fenrir quickly poured all of the tea and snacks into them.

His moments were fluid, and there was no fault in his manners. Even a noble ethics teacher won't be able to tell what mistakes he made during his ceremony.

But these guards were no nobles. They were mere people who had never even sat across a Nobel before. 

Sitting across the countess made them forget whatever they knew and did not know about the nobility and their hands shook as they tried to maintain their dignity.

The countess picked up her cup first, and then the guards picked up their cup as well. They waited for the countess to take the first sip before these people took a sip as well.

But unlike the Countess, the others spat out the tea as soon as it touched their lips.

To say that the tea was tasteless would be an underestimation. It would be more accurate to say that the tea tasted like nothing. 

Despite it having no flavor, something about it was so strong that it forced their bodies to reject it.

Had this been another place and another time, the guards would have listened to their bodies and thrown up to empty their stomachs. But because they were sitting in front of the countess, who could turn violent any second, they gulped the tasteless liquid down.

"Looks like our guests are very thirsty. Madam, would you mind if I give them another serving of this precious tea?"

Fenrir asked, and his smile felt like a death sentence to the guards who heard him. 

"N-No, it's fine. Please enjoy your drink and free time. I-If you need us, we are just outside."

The leader of these guards made a quick retreat, followed by the others behind him. 

Neither he, nor the other guards dared to turn their head back and take a look at the countess and her servant they were leaving behind. 

After all, they were afraid that they would become the victim of trick pulled by the countess and her servant.

But while they could not keep the tea inside their stomach as it made them sick, the secret of the countess's recovered mental health was one more they ended up spilling.

It only took a few hours, but the whole village knew that the countess had regained her wits and she was ready for business once more.

This news was great for most people but dreadful for those who were using the Countess's name to carry out their acts.

As for the countess, who caused this? She was busy relaxing in her coffin. Her body lay stiff under Fenrir's hands as he checked her condition. 

He might have given the doll he created enough freedom, but that did not mean he could use it to do whatever he wanted. Human bodies had limitations to what they could and could not do, and the countess possessed a dead body.

"My dear Countess, shall we get you some life force as well? Your face looks like it is suffering, and I can feel your thrust as well. Shall we head out and hunt?"

Fenrir extended his hand toward the countess, and the struggling body reached for his hand before it got dropped before it could touch Fenrir's hand.

The countess's flesh had started to rot only after a single day. Her body had been in a bad condition to begin with, so it was a given that she would start to show signs soon.

*Sigh*

"I wanted to stay here for some time and hunt since this place has a bigger population, but it seems as if that won't be possible. But I shall use the time you give me wisely and take care to fill myself up well.

My dear countess, you should sleep now. I need to go and host a ball in your name this weekend. And as the host and the star of this ball, I need you to look your best."

Fenrir's hand looked even more delicate as it pressed against the Countess's white face. His body's fragile state made it hard for him to do much, but that did not mean he was powerless.

"I should go and get the preparations done. I doubt getting maids and guards to come up to this manor would be an easy task to accomplish. I would also need to consider the temple and 'his' followers crashing my party."