“I’m telling you, Chris, they were huge!”

“Really? How big?”

Christopher sat next to Arthur in the balcony, the two enjoying the chilly nocturnal breeze, their faces a bit red due to slight intoxication.

Arthur moved his hands slowly as he tried to describe the scene to his doubtful friend,

“Like… they were bigger than real, actual watermelons! Hah! And she says they’re natural.”

“She could have been blessed by God. I mean… yeah, it’s rare, but there are women born with unnaturally big boobs.”

“Fuck you! I’m telling you they’re fake!”

Arthur grumbled and stubbornly glared at Christopher, who snickered and shrugged his shoulders.

“What I find more ridiculous is the fact that, amidst your crippling depression, a pair of big boobs caught your attention. I feel like I’m having a nightmarish dream…”

Arthur chugged down his beer before wiping his lips, hiccuping, and then rebuking,

“How can I not see them? She jumped on me, asking for a hug! She even tried to kiss me in public. If it were the other way around, I’d be in jail!”

“Sancha lost her sugar daddy so she was looking for a new one. I’m troubled, though…”

Arthur furrowed his brows, a bit confused, “About what?”

Christopher, looking downcast, pointed at his friend and, with a mocking tone, stated,

“In terms of looks, I’m vastly superior to you. I have a sense of fashion and I’m no less than a gentleman. If she came to me, I wouldn’t have rejected her.”

“You? Handsome? We’re a pair of average-looking motherfuckers. If it weren’t for our money, we would be non-existent to all those models and celebrities.”

Christopher, seemingly out of nowhere, burst out in laughter while holding his belly.

Arthur was startled by this as he leaned back and covered his face, feeling embarrassed.

“I just remembered a hilarious joke! Wanna hear it?”

“If it’s as lame as your 80s haircut, then no…”

“It goes like this… ahem…”

20th of the Golden Star

In front of the Lernon Estate manor, more than 20 knights clad in thick silver armor and holding reinforced swords and spears were aligned behind the current Baron, Julie Lernon.

Razim, the elderly butler who had served a total of three Barons during his lifetime, was next to his master, his hands behind his back a deep frown plastered on his wrinkled face.

His old age notwithstanding, he too, was a capable fighter. Maybe not as powerful as Lexander Biax, but he was no pushover either.

It was unfortunate that, during the Blood Purge, he had been busy helping the aristocrats evacuate and couldn't save Julie’s father.

Near the large gate leading into the estate, a haggard-looking Feylord was glaring back at his sister, a sneer escaping his lips.

“Come on, little sis, is this how you treat your only family member?”

“Family member? Hah! You, who committed patricide and fled for your life right after? You are a disgraceful and selfish person, O’brother.”

“Father refused to listen to reason. Seeing you defend him after all the things he’s done is genuinely ridiculous. Also, I’ve never done anything to you.”

“...”

“Think about it, Julie. Can you really manage this whole territory by yourself? You’re far too young and inexperienced. With my assistance, you’ll-”

Before he could finish, Razim loudly cleared his throat and interrupted him,

“Our Master’s capabilities have been approved by all the servants of the family, including myself. She’s a capable and respected Baron.”

“Capable? Are you all even aware that she’s a vampire?”

Unfortunately, Feylord’s remark didn’t bother anyone, be it the knights or the servants. They just stared at him with an unwelcome and gloomy stares as if ushering him to leave whence he came.

“Judging by your appearance and your desperate attempts to reclaim what you do not deserve, it's the safe for me to assume that you screwed up and returned here to hide.”

Julie hit the nail on the head, however, Feylord kept his composure and shrugged his shoulders.

Before the situation could escalate, a burst of vermilion flames came out of Feylord’s body and covered him instantly. With a low groan, he fell to the ground and kept trying to minimize the damage; The flames would become smaller for a bit of seconds before raging forth, swirling like a tornado and trying to overpower its host.

As they saw this unexpected and flashy spectacle, everyone stood there in disbelief. Even Julie was caught by surprise.

The Feather Phoenix was fiercely retaliating again, and without the parasite’s assistance, Feylord could only thrash and writhe on the ground as his body was literally being devoured by something overwhelmingly strong. He felt his insides being fried and his heart being continuously pierced by the flames.

…

A couple of hours later, in the gloomy and cold basement under the manor, Feylord woke up from his brief slumber.

His eyes fluttered then slowly opened, soon welcomed by the creepy darkness and the cold ground. He tried moving his hands but they were suspended on the wall with chains. His legs were no different either.

Still, a relieved laugh came out of his mouth as he realized he didn’t die. When he lifted his head, he saw his younger sister standing a couple of meters away, her eyes letting out red glow as she scrutinized him.

“What sweet irony is this? Our roles have been reversed, little sis.”

“You consumed a Phoenix Feather? Is that why you returned here?”

The young man clicked his tongue and didn’t bother to hide it,

“So what if I did? I’d stop at nothing to acquire power. Speaking of which, you won’t believe who I’ve met.”

“...”

With a pair of narrowed eyes and piercing glare, the girl looked down at him and impatiently waited for the revelation.

“Your new old friend, Leonis Sanguis. Guess what? He’s actually a parasite.”

Julie gasped, but she quickly regained her calm demeanor and did not deign to comment.

“He practically forced me to do many things. Still, thanks to him, I got what I wanted.”

A bit of flames ignited from Feylord’s hands, but he didn’t actively try to free himself.

“How did you contain the flames?”

“Turns out I’m more capable than you thought, brother.”

“So? Am I to be imprisoned here just like you were in the past?”

Julie snorted in response and, with a simple wave of her hand, a blood-red energy flew toward the chain locks and opened them all.

As he witnessed this display of unfamiliar magic, Feylord whistled in surprise.

“A fully-fledged vampire. It seems I was wrong, little sis. You’re just as stubborn as I am, always refusing to give up and die. If we work together, we would be-”

“Stop with your delusions. You have no authority here. I’ll let you stay, but you’ll be treated as a guest, nothing more.”

“...”

The blond-haired youth shook his head and sighed. Nevertheless, he didn’t keep pestering here and just rubbed his aching wrists while getting to his feet.