The Past Will Always Come Back to Haunt You

"Master, show some dignity. Why are you eating like a homeless person who had been starving for days?" Mina looked at Vincent devouring the food like a madman and spoke.

Vincent chewed busily and replied to his maid without even redirecting his line of sight. "You should be respecting me no matter how I eat. And are you saying that homeless and hungry people aren't worthy of respect?"

"It's not that they aren't worthy of respect. People just don't respect people who don't have wealth and power."

"I can't argue with that. But then, if you really think that way, shouldn't you be showing me even more respect. I will be super rich in the future you know."

"Yes, yes. Your brother will inherit the fief and your sister will be married off to someone influential. You on the other hand, will have to settle for some small estate somewhere. Who knows how long that will last you with your spending habits."

Vincent put a stop to his eating for the first time. Squinting his eyes at Mina, he placed his fork down. "I will have you know that I am set to inherit the Vermillion estate from aunt Vivian. I am even taking her name on my fifteenth birthday."

"That's impressive and all but you never know when she might remarry. She is still young and beautiful after all. And even if she doesn't have a child of her own, she is sure to outlive you, she is a gold ranker after all." Mina ignored the stupid look on her master's face and let out her true thoughts.

"You.... you are really looking for trouble, aren't you?" Vincent pointed at Mina and continued. "Just you wait, once I make it big, I won't let you mooch off me even if you begged and hugged my legs."

"Sure sure, you can dream all you want." The maid brushed off his remark and went back to her chores.

Vincent sat there looking at Mina's back in shock. He was praised as a prodigy since young and had a bright future ahead of him. Usually, she would butter him up. Even if she did get a little carried away most of the time when interacting with him alone, she had never been so dismissive about his future.

As he began pondering what might have caused such a drastic change in her behavior, Nora spoke in his mind. "The salmon. I want to taste the salmon next."

"Yes, yes. I heard you earlier. No need to repeat yourself." Vincent replied softly and continued appeasing the ghost girl's cravings.

She had been awfully excited about eating ever since they got back last night. Vincent had snuck into the kitchen to deal with the insatiable hunger he was feeling. Looking at her salivating while watching him eat, he reluctantly allowed her to possess him.

Though the tingling sensation behind his neck made him slightly ticklish every time she spoke, he endured it for the girl's sake. The duo went to bed after Vincent finally managed to fill his belly to the brim.

And as soon as he woke up, the girl pestered him about breakfast.

"Waah. That felt good. I can't wait for lunch." Nora remarked as she patted her translucent stomach.

"You glutton. How much do I have to eat before you are satisfied huh?"

The girl hmphed and turned away, unwilling to be provoked by him. "What are you going to do now?"

"I need to study the wooden pieces I got from Bell. I am sure this will prove to be crucial for me as a mad scientist."

"But that's so boring. Why don't you play with me instead?"

Vincent put on a smug expression and answered, "Hehe. You are still a child after all. An adult needs to be able to set aside his wants and focus on what matters."

"If you won't play with me, can I go look around the place? I promise I won't go outside."

"Sure. But make sure no one sees you."

"Alright." The girl replied happily and went away.

Looking at her passing through the wall, Vincent got a little jealous of that ability. Just thinking about how cool it would look if he could phase through things put a smile on his face. Straightening his thoughts, he locked himself in his room and began studying the wooden sticks.

He was completely engrossed in it and didn't notice the time passing by. It was only after Nora called out to him multiple times that he snapped out of his stupor.

"What happened?"

Nora looked at him and spoke with dazzling eyes. "Lunch. Lunch. It's lunch time. Let's go."

"You fool. How could you disturb a mad scientist during his work for a thing as mundane as food."

"Ehhh? What's a mad scientist? Anyways, hurry up. I saw the cook making spicy sauce. It will run out if we don't get there quick."

"There's no way that will happen. I am the viscount's son you know. Everybody respects me." Vincent bragged while puffing his chest.

"Don't lie. I saw the servants poking fun at you as they watched a recording if you losing to a girl on a duel."

"What.. Where did you see such a thing?"

The girl pouted in defiance. "I am not telling you. I also saw some maids making fun of the girl from earlier. Apparently, she used to brag about your strength. Now, they are all using you losing to a single strike as a joke."

"These good for nothings. To have the audacity to make fun of me..... I am going to....." Vincent gnashed his teeth in anger and connected why Mina had been so cold to him earlier.

*****

"Ooooh... you look much better now." A woman with wavy hair commented as she tapped her smoking pipe with her finger.

Robert looked at himself in the mirror. Seeing a handsome man with soft features looking back, he asked without expecting a reply. "Are you sure this is good? Doesn't this face look a bit too sissy?"

"What nonsense. I chose this body personally you know. The redeeming feature is the face. Don't complain and be grateful."

"Still, this face isn't to my taste at all." Robert straightened the creases on his cloth and continued. "Anyways, miss Loraine, what is this mission that I am being assigned?"

"Call me Ren. This work is right up your alley. Don't worry about your remuneration. Our lord can fulfill any wishes you might have." Saying so, she let out a tantalizing smile.