Past: The Vampire's Obsession
"My Lord, when are you planning to marry?"
"That's right. My Lord, the other four families already have children or familiars. If this continues, our family will fall behind in power over time..."
Lucia's mind was boring and tedious.
There was no vampire she liked, and no human that satisfied her.
But the family kept pressuring her.
It was really annoying.
"Your advice has been heard. Let's consider it positively."
"Haah... My Lord! You said that last time too!"
"But, there is no man I like, right?"
The vassals seated around the round table bowed their heads at Lucia's words.
Who could stop that stubborn woman?
"Or at least, please bring in a familiar!"
"Then show me a decent human."
"Every time I show you one, you kill them! They were all elites in the human realm!"
"I don't like it."
"Hah, really..."
One vassal clicked his tongue loudly, as if daring anyone to hear.
Balance of power was important.
In that sense, the existence of a political marriage or familiars weighed heavily.
If one could gain both friendship with another family and children, the benefits were immeasurable.
If that was difficult, one would bring in a familiar with the mindset of catching a pheasant instead of a quail.
That was why the vassals' arguments were perfectly reasonable.
"Then I will leave first because the laboratory work is busy."
"Haah..."
"...Understood."
When Lucia rose from her seat, the vassals of the Earl Grey family simply bowed their heads slightly, as if the conflict was familiar to them.
Though it would sound like an excuse to them, it was truly busy.
Today was the day a new assistant was coming.
* * *
"Come in."
A cold voice like ice echoed from beyond the office door.
Creak.
The door opened, and Yuria appeared, personally escorting the new hire.
The eyes were as cold as if the soul had been eroded.
Clear jawline.
Lips tightly closed.
To Yuria, the man was quite handsome.
"Come in. Ah, you may raise your head. After all, the face is covered by a face mask."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Yoon Seowoo, assigned as your direct assistant this time."
Lucia's eyes widened slightly at the fluent common language.
But it didn't stop there—the sweet scent brushed her head.
Appetite surged sharply from her lower abdomen.
Her limbs fidgeted restlessly, regardless of her will.
I've been eating enough lately, so it should be fine, but why all of a sudden...
While doubt arose, she desperately suppressed her reason to maintain rationality.
"Hah."
...It seemed oddly familiar, mixed with the scent she knew.
It was Yuria's scent, the one that had been like a useless arm.
"Is there something wrong?"
"No, nothing at all. I just remembered something unpleasant for a moment. Still, it wasn't like I was completely out of it. I left you behind."
Seowoo's eyebrows twitched slightly.
The heartbeat that had been maintaining composure slowly rose.
"What?"
"Ah, I was talking about Yuria. When I called you, I bragged about you like that."
"Ah..."
So excited that her usual blunt tone changed, making it sound like it wasn't Yuria speaking.
"Hehe... The expression was quite pitiful, as if she hadn't thought her own foolish self would be abandoned."
"...I see."
At Lucia's lascivious laughter, Seowoo's teeth trembled.
Insulting Yuria felt like mocking himself, making it even harder to endure.
"Shall we do a simple test?"
"Yes."
If it had been normal, Seowoo would have easily detected the change in his emotions.
But suppressing the appetite was a great ordeal, leaving no room to spare.
"Let's start with the easiest. What happens when the body swells grotesquely while turning into a bat-like shape?"
"Case 10. And it's the most common among the 97 types."
"What if you bleed out and die?"
"Case 38. Mostly people with allergies."
"All details are correct."
The pressure interview continued for nearly ten minutes.
After asking about twenty questions earlier,
"Then let me ask one last time. What if the skin melts and dies?"
"...There is no such case. The closest is case 69, where organs melt and die."
Clap clap clap clap!
Instead of an answer, pure admiration came with applause.
"Your name is Yoon Seowoo, right? This is the first time I've seen this. Even a smart human gets it wrong on the last question... but you are different."
Answering questions about death under pressure was bound to have mistakes, but even setting aside intelligence, the composure was unbelievable.
Lucia unconsciously clicked her tongue.
The more she looked, the more she liked him.
Especially since the demonstrated ability was impressive.
His somewhat worn face and atmosphere were also good.
Was it finally time to bring in a familiar as the vassals had advised?
"Hmm..."
Lucia seemed to be pondering something.
Soon, she decided in her heart and beckoned Seowoo to come closer.
"I'll give you the key. Come to my room tonight after washing up cleanly."
"...What is this?"
"You'll see when you come. It won't be a bad thing for you, so be sure to come."
"Understood."
Lucia handed over the key quickly to hide her trembling, then spun her chair around.
Humans naturally had no right to choose.
They were just toys that had to obey what they were told.
Clearly, this would fill her empty seat and soothe the vassals' hearts.
Yes, she had expected that.
Before bringing Yoon Seowoo into the room...
* * *
Thud!
The hand offered with goodwill was roughly pushed away.
"Eh...?"
Waves rippled in Lucia's eyes.
What on earth had just happened in front of her?
Her mind couldn't keep up as she blinked.
More than anything, she had rejected the seat of the most favored familiar among the five families' lords?
Others were in turmoil trying to get what they wanted?
Even a human dared to...
Though she was usually indifferent, something boiled inside her chest.
Was this anger?
No.
Surprisingly, the emotion she felt at this moment was not so simple.
As if unaware of Lucia's heart, Seowoo raised the stakes further.
"Don't touch me. It's unpleasant. And a familiar? You should have bitten your tongue instead."
Not only insulting the dead, but comparing himself and Yuria with vulgar words—what was the feeling?
He had said it was refreshing.
...Still, he endured it.
Because he had said to live for Yuria.
He had barely endured until the moment he wanted to tear out that three-inch tongue.
But.
A familiar?
He had crossed the line, and it was a real one.
The accumulated hatred reached its peak.
Anger that surpassed fear pierced the brain.
"Fu... Hahaha..."
Lucia's lascivious laughter began from a laugh.
Her sharp fangs and crimson eyes combined with her unique high tone created a chilling mad laughter.
Now she understood.
The true nature of this emotion.
Finally, the 'joy' of finding the human she had wanted.
The 'anger' at challenging her authority as a human.
The 'sadness' fearful that her outstretched hand would break him.
The 'fun' of how enjoyable it would be to make such a proud human submit.
It was a colorful emotion mixing joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
"...I don't like you, but I have already decided to do so."
Lucia's hand moved and Seowoo drew the sharp pen at nearly the same time.
Thud!
Clang!
"Jen... Ja..."
She stabbed the pen hard into his neck, but Lucia ignored the resistance and bit into Seowoo's nape.
With terrifying speed, the anesthetic substance dug into the veins, clouding his mind.
"You should have aimed for the neck, not here."
She tapped her left breast and whispered into Seowoo's ear.
The pen fell as the wound healed instantly.
She knew how to do such mischievous things.
After all, it was the right answer to make him a familiar.
Swallow.
Deep flavor flowing down the throat.
Rich scent filling the nose.
She pulled his collapsing body even tighter.
Had she ever felt such a taste in the vast world of delicacies?
Instead, the one being drunk was so sweet it made one lose consciousness.
"Hoo..."
Lucia filled her empty body with her blood and let out a deep breath.
Since it was in the realm of instinct, failure was not a concern even at first.
A short while later,
"Ugh..."
Seowoo woke up feeling extreme thirst.
"You woke up."
Turning at the familiar voice from beside him, Lucia smiled.
Her mockery was no different from that of a wicked woman.
His dazed mind cleared, and the memory of being bitten by Lucia resurfaced.
It had been a pen to try something even if it meant dying, but there was no physical impact.
At the same time, an inexplicably full power was felt.
"Haha..."
A hollow laugh escaped.
It was too bewildering that the being he hated so much had become one.
He felt sorry for abandoning his bond with Yuria.
"How is it? It's a gift from me."
"You damn bitch..."
The hand trying to strangle the demon woman's neck froze.
His hand trembled as if to say it in front of Lucia.
"Oh, if you bring a knife to the master, it's no use."
"...I'm sorry, but I will never become yours."
If you can't kill me,
Then you can't have me.
Thud!
Seowoo's opposite hand pierced his left chest.
"Eh...?"
Lucia's face, full of satisfaction, changed instantly to a stunned expression.
"Cough... Thanks for telling me..."
She hadn't forgotten the words about aiming for the heart.
Seowoo vomited thick blood but showed a satisfied smile as if mocking her in return,
Then closed his eyes.
I'll follow soon.
After all, if Yuria hadn't saved him, he would have ended his life as an experiment subject.
It wouldn't be too much to get angry for her.
If there was a next life,
He swore to live stubbornly for Yuria's wishes...
He lost consciousness.
"No, it's not allowed..."
It wasn't too late.
As a familiar of the vampire ruling the top of the world, his heart wouldn't stop him from dying.
Though he was recovering a little, he would soon face death.
But such an ending could never be allowed.
Not only had she abandoned the favor, but she had also backhanded him twice.
Dying with such a peaceful expression?
"...I will make you regret it."
Her proud heart.
Her arrogant attitude.
All would be torn apart and fixed.
No matter how long it took.
Even if it's just for a day, I'll make sure you can't live without me.
If it was the only way,
She had no choice but to replace his heart with part of her body.
Since all his body's power would be used for regeneration, he would return to human, but it didn't matter.
After several months and the body stabilized,
He wouldn't be able to die even if he wanted to be human.
Every time he crossed the line, he would gradually regain the power of the vampire.
One step like that.
Two steps.
Gradually getting used to becoming a vampire,
The master-servant relationship that had been faintly connected would become much deeper.
And when he gradually became addicted to the strengthening power and relied on it,
...That would be the climax.
"Ah, I need to manipulate his memories a little for that time."
The overwhelming despair to be shown when all memories are restored and the truth is known.
"I look forward to it."
After the work was done, she looked at Seowoo sleeping deeply and muttered softly.
* * *
She closed the terrace door and entered the room.
Three years ago, she had been reminiscing about the day she missed, not realizing time was passing.
All memories with Yuria and that day had been erased from Seowoo's memories.
She had placed a 'fake Seowoo' containing strangely similar symptoms in the library,
And confirmed that he had borrowed that book.
Originally, there was no rare blood called 'Aptitude Blood' in Nectar.
It was all a long-term experiment made for him.
"...You are using the power you hated so well."
All was going smoothly.
If it continued like this, Yoon Seowoo would be completed within a year.
She should be happy.
...It should have been.
What was this emptiness in her chest?
"..."
If Lucia herself hadn't expected it,
The result of being with Seowoo for a very long time.
At first, the strange feeling had gradually changed to love.
The warmth shared while breathing in his scent and tasting his blood.
His eyes.
Soft lips.
His pained appearance.
"...I miss him."
A short while ago, she had lain on the spot where Seowoo had been lying while borrowing an outing permit.
If she did this, it felt like being in his arms, making the lonely feeling a little less.
She had decided that even for a day, she would make sure he couldn't live without her.
But it had become the opposite.
Even with memories erased, Seowoo was Seowoo.
Lucia, who knew his true appearance, did not believe in Seowoo's loyalty.
She knew there was a hidden blade even if he always bowed his head and lowered his attitude.
But that was why she was drawn more.
That longing that was close but not quite there.
Although his personality seemed blunter than before,
The essence was the same.
She knew better than anyone that he could never be taken without magic or command.
"...Who is the scent of that human woman..."
It was outrageous for a human to try to take the seat she couldn't have.
An impudent bitch needed to be investigated.