The Viscount Albusell Manor, A Few Days Later, Afternoon
"Oh, Your Grace... Why are you here so suddenly?"
Viscountess Albusell was flustered by Eugene's sudden visit.
"Isn't Lady Brennan's nineteenth birthday? We are not strangers, and we couldn't possibly miss such an important day," Hector said, observing the servants carrying in the gifts, in response to the Viscountess's shocked appearance.
"No, if only you had given us some advance notice, arriving so abruptly..."
"We wanted to surprise you," Hector replied with a kindly smile.
As he stepped across the threshold, the Viscountess reluctantly moved aside to allow the Alberesque brothers to enter. She couldn't very well turn away the noble, high-ranking brothers.
Eugene stepped inside, looking around. "Where is Lady Brennan?"
His question ceased as he spotted Leah descending the stairs, carrying a mop and a bucket. Leah, looking tired, also froze upon seeing the two brothers.
'Good heavens, why is the Duke here?'
Flustered by Eugene's sudden appearance, she quickly bowed her head, hurried down the stairs, and swiftly walked in the opposite direction.
'Of all times, why did he have to see me like this...?'
Leah felt her cheeks burn as she recalled her disheveled appearance from her household chores. She quickened her steps towards the kitchen, eager to get as far away from him as possible.
As Leah hastily disappeared, Eugene's expression hardened. Seeing his brother's visibly angry face, Hector quickly cleared his throat.
"Ah... well..."
Immediately after Hector's interjection, Eugene swiftly pursued Leah.
"Your Grace, wait...!"
"Ahem! Viscountess, where should these gifts be placed?" Hector quickly intercepted the Viscountess as she attempted to call out to Eugene.
"Oh, yes, Place them over there," the Viscountess replied, glancing momentarily down the corridor where Eugene had vanished before reluctantly turning her attention back to the continuous stream of incoming gifts, compelled by the Marquis Hector's question.
She was utterly astonished by the sheer volume of presents.
Hector gave the Viscountess, whose eyes were alight with wonder at the sight of the gifts, a gentle smile and directed the servants on where to place the items. He then darted a glance towards the direction Eugene had taken.
'The one day that she is coming of age, and she is still doing house chores. My brother is not going to tolerate this,' he thought.
It was Hector who had returned to Eugene's manor after a satisfying hunt. He had been staying at his brother's castle recently due to his brother's condition.
A few days earlier, he had learned that Eugene had not fed during the full moon. Since tasting Leah's exquisitely sweet blood, Eugene had been unable to tolerate the blood of others. Thinking of the coppery, thick blood of animals, Hector felt an involuntary surge of madness. Thus, he understood his brother's torment. For a vampire who has tasted the highest quality of blood, inferior blood is nothing but repulsive refuse.
Yet, enduring the craving for blood on a full moon, when the desire is strongest, was unthinkable—the agony of a parched throat, throbbing fangs, and every vein in the body screaming for blood.
It was Hector who had forcibly made his brother, who had been lying like a living corpse, drink some blood, enabling him to move as he was now. Hector wanted his brother to drink the woman's blood again and change his mind about wanting to live as a human. That's why he had brought his brother along today, using her birthday as an excuse, hoping that the sight of the woman might make the craving for her blood too powerful to resist.
However, he worried that seeing her still dressed as a maid and doing chores, even on her birthday, might evoke pity in his brother.
Hector, who did not entertain feelings for human women, knew that if his brother fell for her, things would become complicated. He wanted his brother to remain a vampire and be with him forever. Now, he feared his brother's resolve might be shaken by compassion for the poor woman. Hector internally clicked his tongue as he watched the Viscountess's eyes glitter at the sight of the presents.
'Viscountess Albusell, if you keep this up, I won't stand idly by. Please, be good to your niece,' he thought. Hector looked at the Viscountess with disapproval before shifting his gaze towards the corridor.
The Viscount's Kitchen
Leah rushed into the kitchen, hastily dropping the bucket and the mop. The maids glanced at her, puzzled by her heavy breathing. Leah pushed back a lock of hair and was at a loss for what to do, confused by the sudden encounter with Eugene.
"Why, of all people, did I have to run into him again?"
She bit her nails, restless and agitated.
"Lady Brennan!"
Just then, a heavy, decisive low voice filled the kitchen. Leah froze in surprise. Slowly, she turned her head, and there was Eugene, standing at the kitchen entrance. A nobleman—and a Duke, no less, a man of such high standing—was walking into the kitchen. The maids were flustered, unsure of what to do.
'How could His Grace come all the way here...?'
In her embarrassment, Leah tidied her disheveled hair. She then tried not to show her confusion, forcing an awkward smile.
"Your Grace, if you would wait in the drawing-room, I will soon prepare refreshments. So, please..."
"Refreshments?" Eugene's voice was sharp, laced with displeasure. "Do you think I came all the way here because I wanted refreshments?"
Leah flinched as Eugene asked, as if utterly taken aback. She looked around the kitchen and met the eyes of the maids. They were awkwardly looking at each other, not understanding the situation.
"Then why did you come all the way here...?" Leah asked uncomfortably.
Eugene looked coldly at the maids. Startled, the maids quickly left the kitchen. Now that they were suddenly alone, Leah tightly clasped her trembling hands.
"Lady Brennan," Eugene's voice quietly resonated in the kitchen. Leah's shoulders gave a small, nervous tremble.
She liked his heavy, deep voice. Listening to his calm, ringing tone always gave her a strange feeling of languor throughout her body. As a result, every time he opened his mouth, all her attention involuntarily focused on him. Leah squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. This was no time to be admiring his voice.
Eugene's cold blue eyes swept over her. Her messy red hair, her sweat-dampened forehead, and her shabby maid's dress. Everywhere his gaze lingered, Leah's skin felt hot. Her green eyes wavered. She didn't want him to see her in such a pathetic state. She tried to lift the corners of her mouth to smile, but her lips trembled slightly.
Eugene didn't miss that tremor.
"Lady," he said, his voice imbued with frustration.
He had solved the issue of the marriage with Count Montclair, which had involved Leah on ridiculous grounds. And today, on her coming-of-age day, he had come to celebrate her birthday and help her live a better life moving forward. Yet, the fact that on this important day—her coming-of-age—she was still wearing a maid's dress and scrubbing floors made a fire surge in his chest.
'You do not deserve this kind of treatment.'
Losing her parents at a young age was not her fault. It was only natural for family members to look after their young nieces and nephews. But the Viscountess, far from fulfilling her duty to her nieces, was exploiting them. He was convinced he had to pull Leah out of this hellish place immediately. Eugene's jaw tightened.
Suppressing his anger, Eugene sighed softly.
"Today is your birthday, is it not, Lady Brennan? Why are you in such a state?"
Leah's cheeks flushed at Eugene's question. It was painful to be in front of him; she felt ashamed and humiliated.
"Y-Your Grace. Did you, by chance, come because it is my birthday?"
"Yes, it is the day you come of age, is it not? I came to congratulate you."
Eugene tried to speak as kindly as possible. However, he was unaware of how stiff his expression made him look. To Leah, his face, as he offered his congratulations, seemed more like he wanted to quickly finish an unpleasant task and leave.
Therefore, she wasn't happy that he had come to congratulate her. She didn't want him to see her in her wretched state, and she was uncertain if he had genuinely come with sincere joy to celebrate.
"Why... did you come?"
Eugene's brow furrowed at the hint of resentment in Leah's voice. "Lady Brennan, what do you mean? I just told you I came to celebrate your birthday..."
"Exactly. What relationship do you and I have that warrants you coming to celebrate?"
"Lady—"
"Your title, 'Lady,' keeps grating on me. My family is already ruined. Are you perhaps mocking me?" Leah snapped, feeling unjustly treated. She hated that he kept calling her 'Lady, Lady.' Her current situation was already enough to make her stomach churn, and his constant reference to her past felt like a burden.
Eugene's jaw tightened. "Lady Brennan, what are you saying? Because you were the daughter of a Count, I naturally..."
"Precisely, I am no longer a Count's daughter. My parents... passed away a long time ago. So, please stop calling me 'Lady.' It is unpleasant."
Eugene, sensing rejection in Leah's manner, felt annoyed. "Why lower your own status? You were the daughter of Count Brennan, and your existence doesn't vanish as long as you are alive."
Leah was dumbfounded by Eugene's words. She, who had nothing and was living as a maid in her aunt's house, could not possibly still be a Count's daughter. What could she possibly do, dressed in rags and forced to obey her aunt's every word? His words only felt like daggers to her heart.
Leah ran a hand through her messy hair and glared at Eugene. "Duke Alberesque."
"Call me Eugene."
Leah was incredulous. Call a Duke, a man of such high rank, by his first name? That was only something lovers or spouses did. Leah was even more provoked, feeling he was mocking her.
"D-u-k-e. Al-ber-esque," Leah stressed his title clearly, syllable by syllable.
Eugene's brow slightly furrowed. He couldn't understand why she looked displeased rather than grateful for him coming to celebrate her birthday.
"As you can see, I am a maid working in my aunt's house. I cannot understand why you are showing me such interest. Are you perhaps doing this out of pity?"
Pity... Eugene knew Leah was grossly misunderstanding him. "It is not pity."
"Then I fail to see why you are doing this. I have nothing. I also know that you are not so poor as to demand money or goods from me. What exactly do you want from me?"
'I want your blood,' Eugene's gaze drifted to Leah's neck. The sound of her vigorously beating heart, which had been loudly ringing in his ears, was disrupting his concentration. Eugene wanted to embrace the sweet woman, sink his teeth into her neck, and powerfully suck her blood. Knowing how exquisitely sweet and enchanting her blood was, the thought of it made his mouth water.
As his fangs began to protrude slightly, he quickly turned his body away. He couldn't let her see his teeth.
"There is nothing... I want from you." Eugene's voice became rougher and lower.
Leah was angry that he had suddenly turned his back on her. "Your Grace, are you mocking me?"
Not only did she not understand why he would turn his back during a conversation, but she also felt offended, wondering if he was looking down on her. The angry Leah took a step forward to approach him.
"Don't move!"
Leah froze at Eugene's abrupt rejection. She felt puzzled by the sudden change in his voice.
"Your Grace, are you feeling unwell?"
"No... I am not."
Despite his denial, Leah felt she absolutely had to see his face. "Your Grace..."
Leah reached out her hand toward Eugene's broad back. Just then, the door burst open.
"Oh! My apologies, I seem to have entered the wrong room."
At the smooth, gentle voice, Leah's hand, which was reaching toward Eugene, dropped, and her gaze turned to the door. Leah was startled to see the man standing there.