House Lerandal

"Evelyn, you don't need to stand so close to me. It's like having a ghost creeping behind me."

Arthur knew that she was doing it on purpose and although he tried to ignore it, he ultimately could not. He was supposed to be enjoying a good lunch but his personal maid was standing right behind him. He could feel her stinging gaze as he WAS cutting the meat and enjoying the meat.

"My apologies, master."

She took one step to the left, but that didn't make the situation any better. She was so close that his elbow was brushing against her outfit… one more step and she would be sitting on his lap.

"You're doing it on purpose, aren't you?"

Evelyn feigned ignorance and tilted her head in confusion, giving him an intense stare that conveyed her unsaid thoughts.

"If you're so hungry then you can sit down and eat. If you're not, then you can go about your business."

"Attending to my master is my one and only business, master."

"Well…"

Arthur put down the knife and fork, wiped his mouth and resumed talking,

"For such a brilliant maid, a behavior like this is inexcusable."

It was Evelyn's turn to be confused and startled as he abruptly stood up.

"I think a punishment is warranted."

She apologetically bowed her head, as is her wont. "If I wronged my master, I shall accept any and all punisvme-"

Before she could finish, Arthur's hands were already upon her cheeks, softly pulling them. Everything happened so quickly and by the time she processed what had happened, Arthur was already gone, only his echoing laugh could be heard.

Even the handful of maids present were chuckling at Evelyn's dumb expression.

Fortunately for her, she managed to swiftly collect her thoughts.

"Clean the table."

She spoke with a strict tone but that only made her colleagues more giggly.

***

That one funny occasion, which Arthur enjoyed more than he should have, had efficiently 'educated' his maid. Ever since then, she no longer stuck very close to him, perhaps fearing he would pull her cheeks one more time.

Still, it seemed as if Evelyn held a small and silent grudge over what happened. Of course, she did not dare directly show it, but her vicious and unfiltered words along with her subtle actions were clear proof, at least to Arthur.

Her behavior, which slightly became more brazen, would have enraged Leonis Sanguis, were he not dead. Arthur, on the other hand, enjoyed his interactions with the maid and welcomed anything she had to say, good or bad.

Excluding the time he spends reading, which was almost the entirety of his day, the rest was a bit boring so it did him good to spice things up and try to come up with things that might irritate Evelyn or cause her to display that comical dumbfounded expression of hers. It was like teasing an innocent child.

The day of the Birthday party, in the evening, Arthur wore the suit Evelyn had prepared for him. As he stood before a large mirror, he was pleased with his appearance, even though it was not actually his 'own'.

Leonis was leagues above Latif in terms of facial features and physique. Despite being over fifty years old, he had a healthy body with well-defined muscles, long dark red hair and a well-trimmed beard.

Back on Earth, Arthur had been confident in his looks, but even he had to admit that he lacked in comparison to Leonis.

"I look good, do I not, Evelyn?"

After looking at the mirror for more than necessary, Arthur turned around and performed a funny pose in front of the maid, who remained expressionless.

"You look fine, master."

"Fine? That's it? It's hurtful, even coming from you."

He clutched his chest and feigned being hurt, but that didn't seem to affect the maid's mood.

"Master, you have to restrain from clowning yourself like that in front of the aristocracy. It is demeaning and may affect your stature."

"Ah! By the way, anything new regarding the Baron's daughter?"

Evelyn broke into a faint, almost unnoticeable smile as she enthusiastically nodded her head two times.

"The rumors concerning Miss Julie El Lernon turned out to be false. Although she hasn't been seen in public for a while, it has been confirmed that she's in perfect health. As a matter of fact, she will be attending tonight's birthday party."

"So she wasn't bitten by a vampire?"

"No, fortunately not, master."

"Yes… very fortunately."

Arthur had a confusing lackluster reaction as he heard the unfavorable news. If Julie was healthy then his speculations were entirely false, meaning that the Baron was after Latif's experiment solely to impress the incoming Inspector. It kind of made sense, but that still did not explain his urgency.

Whatever the truth might be, Arthur was certain that tonight's celebratory party would uncover many secrets to him. He just needed one close look at the girl and he would be able to tell… or to be precise, the System would give him enough clues to figure out the rest.

If the girl had truly been transformed into a vampire then it could only work in his favor.

…

"What's up, Evelyn? You seem uncomfortable and nervous."

The maid, who was sitting across her master inside the carriage, turned her head and absent-mindedly looked at the passing street before saying,

"I don't like banquets and balls, master. But don't let my opinion affect your future decisions."

"That's expected. You do look like the anti-social type."

"Does it please you to mock your servants, master?"

"Only in certain situations, hahaha"

…

"Lord Leonis Sanguis has arrived!"

A middle-aged butler bowed before the approaching Arthur then, with a loud voice, declared his arrival.

Lord Christopher Lerandal was a noble lord with the status equal to Leonis Sanguis, though he was a bit older, almost reaching sixty years old.

Christopher was a chubby-looking man with a small beard, a mustache, and short greasy black hair hidden by a unique hat that had a lengthy white leather attached to its side.

Excluding Arthur and Christopher, there was only one more adult noble. The rest were all young ladies and young men happily chatting with each other and eagerly awaiting the appearance of tonight's star, Miss Aveline Lerandal.

As someone who rarely attends any kinds of parties, the sudden arrival of Lord Leonis Sanguis did garner a bit of attention, especially from the more knowledgeable youngsters.

"Leonis! You actually came!"

It hasn't been a minute since he stepped inside the manor and arrived at the spacious circular grand room only to be greeted by none other than the host himself.

Fortunately, Arthur had already investigated Leonis' relationship with Wilsden's nobles so, even though it was his first time meeting and interacting with Christopher, he knew what to say and how to act.

"It's a pleasure, Christopher."

"No no! The pleasure is all mine! Come come, let's sit down and chat."

As his personal maid, Evelyn followed Arthur wherever he went, but when her master and Christopher got seated and were brought wine and food, she politely excused herself and went to talk with the other maids to pass time.

"You skip grand events and come to my daughter's birthday party?! Hehehe, tell me the truth, do you have a hidden son you want to court my darling daughter?"

Christopher was an easy-going man who laughed at his lame jokes. Arthur acted the part and went along with everything Lerandal said, but, for the most part, he maintained silence.

"Your daughter is already sixteen, is it not time for her to find a husband?"

"No way! My darling is still young."

Lerandal glanced around him then leaned closer and whispered,

"She's got talent in using magic so I'm planning to send her to the Nemia Magic Academy."

"That's actually a good idea. Maybe she'll find a good suitor there."

"Yes yes! The kids here are stupid and are only good at partying and playing around. It would be best for her and the family if she finds the love of her life in the academy."

Now that the topic shifted to a more interesting one, Arthur became slightly more talkative. The Nemia Magic Academy was renowned across the whole human continent. It was an educational institution situated in the Northern Archipelago, a few hundred kilometers away from the Imperial Capital of the Global Empire of Azakin.

If one had a child talented enough in magic, they could spend an exorbitant amount of money to enroll them into the academy. There were also a handful of prodigious individuals with difficult backgrounds who got handpicked by the headmaster.

The two noble lords talked for half an hour or so before Christopher excused himself and went to the center of the room, excitedly welcoming his arriving daughter.

Meanwhile, Arthur inspected each and every one of the guests but he found no one resembling Julie's description.