When I reached the western courtyard, my lady was asleep on my table. Her hair covered most of her face, and a frown lingered on her lips. I pulled her hair aside softly and tucked them behind her ears. The slight movement woke her up, but her eyelids collapsed just as fast, too heavy for her to keep them open for a tad longer.

“Rudolf…” she wrapped her hands around me and kept her eyes closed. “Couldn’t… wait longer.”

The words were muffled and unclear, but I got their gist. I lifted her off the chair and held her in my hands. The petite body reminded me of that bastard’s words, but I kept to my task and carried her to her room. I tucked her under the sheets and draped her with the blanket.

“Rudolf… Are you hurt?” She cupped my cheek with her frail hands, her eyes struggling to stay open.

“I’m fine, my lady,” I replied, reassuring her with a pat on her head.

She kissed my forehead with her last ounce of strength and collapsed on the bed. I stood rooted for a while before making my way out with a sigh.

I cleaned my room for a long time and settled down on my table with my journal.

Quite an unsettling day. Saw Inkala today, a name worth to be remembered for ages to come.

I paused, running my fingers over my hair before I turned to the journal.

I don’t want to lose

I tore the page and burned it with [Blast].

Pathetic mortal! He deserved torture!

–

The darkness of the night had almost faded when I visited Terian. I entered through the balcony again, the sliding window open, and I saw Terian seated straight against his table, busy writing some documents. His nimble feet quickly brought him in front of me in seconds, and I took a cautious step back, the proximity too much for me to handle.

“Did you get it?” he asked, his voice modulated. There was no anticipation nor excitement in his voice.

I tossed him the straw doll and briefly flashed the amulet before covering it with my overcoat.

“I appreciate it,” he said, already biting his thumb, ignoring my little antique.

I did the same, and the black light dissipated around our thumbs as soon as our blood touched the other.

“Did you meet His Majesty?” he asked, pointing to my coat. “I don’t think you stole it.”

“What is your plan?” I leaned against the balcony window.

“If you mean concerning the kingdom,” he paused, studying me before continuing, “I don’t want the crown prince to ascend the throne. Instead, I would like an entourage of ministers to rule over the kingdom. This way, we can keep an eye over the wrongdoings of one another and govern with efficiency.”

I was quite surprised at this man’s hindsight. Was he trying to bring forth political reforms?

“The crown prince committed patricide, so his majesty handed me his amulet. Wants me to rule over the kingdom, perhaps,” I said with a grin.

That earned me a laugh. “You don’t seem like a man interested in politics.”

“Try me,” I shrugged. “I don’t give a shit about your ideas for the kingdom. If you are making a party of political leaders, do it. But they should unconditionally obey our family’s wishes. Include the Heroeder and Imbero families to the mix.”

“Is that different from the current system of governance?” he asked with an edge in his voice, though faint. “We’ll just be serving your interests instead of one monarch’s.”

“Who said I wanted to topple monarchy?” I smiled. “Volch and Cainur should anyway form a part of the ministry. They are blossoming talents from Heroeder and Imbero families, respectively, so you don’t have to worry much about meeting their wishes. The whole point is my lady’s well-being should be your focus. If you have to slaughter a few hundred commoners for the cause, so be it-”

“Rudolf, it doesn’t work that way,” he said, coldly interrupting me. His voice was brimming with fervor unheard before. “I will personally meet your lady and talk about this matter. You are just a brute man with little talent for strategic planning. Do you think other houses will silently acquiesce to your conditions? How do you think I should convince them?”

I tapped my fingers against the windows, lost in thought. His words held no lie for me to exploit. I was indeed a brute because there was never a need for strategies. They were reserved for weaklings, for those who had little confidence in themselves.

Mortals spent pointless time devising stratagems for their exploits. Instead, if they spent half of that improving their baking skills, maybe an undead could help them do their bidding.

“All right,” I nodded with a sigh. “You can discuss it with my lady. But,” my cruel smile took him by surprise, “the Maquis wasn’t wrong about me. I am indeed a crazy demon in the guise of a human. So, think twice before you try to do anything that would harm my lady.”

I didn’t wait for his reply before disappearing. I had to prepare my lady’s graduation gown before she woke up, and I was running short on time. This undead had wasted too much time cleaning and journaling, that pathetic mortal giving me too many things to think of. The sun had already scattered the darkness of the dusk, and the duties I had to attend hadn’t decreased despite all the good things I did for the realm. A bath was my first task, and I rushed back to my room as soon as I was clean and sparkly.

With the blitheness of a butler, I opened my cupboard and carefully took the gown her mother had specially prepared for the occasion. Cautiously opening my lady’s door wasn’t significant since she was awake and… waiting.

“My lady, sorry for keeping you waiting,” I gave her my most sincere smile, which earned me a cold glare in return.

“When I sleep, you are fighting some evil guys; when I am awake, you talk to random hobos. Where is my time, Rudolf?! You are supposed to be at my beck and call every damn second!”

She bit her lower lip, trying to stop herself from talking. After a brief silence, she clenched her white nightgown and continued, “I didn’t mean that… I just want to see you safe every morning and night…”

I laughed and walked toward her. “I can handle your vicious tongue, so don’t have to hold yourself back.”

Letitia pouted in response. “I don’t care! Help me dress up! I’ve already had a bath!”

I handed her the gown and walked out of the room despite her resistance. Igan dropped by the western courtyard, her bow shallow as she handed me some bread and soup in a tray.

“Is the bread mine?” I asked in anticipation.

“Ask your woman,” Igan chuckled and walked away to cater to the plants on the lawn.

“She is not my woman,” I sighed.

“I can hear you, Rudolf,” Letitia’s amused tone meant she wasn’t angry anymore. Which meant the bread was mine.

When she opened the door, I was taken aback by the sheer difference an attire could make. The base of her gown was crafted from flowing fabric in a black hue, and it shimmered subtly in the faint light of the morning. The bodice was pale white adorned with hand-woven embroidery, tracing intricate symbols of some crappy mortal knowledge. The black sleeves cascaded down her arms, starting from her shoulders and tapering to a point just above her wrists, making eating soup without staining her sleeves not a hard task. Gossamer lace overlay extended from her waist to her feet, completing an attire befitting a villainess.

“My mother’s taste is amazing,” she folded her hands and nodded. There was repressed anguish in her voice which I decided to ignore for the cleaver undead I was. “Wish she was here to witness this day,” she paused, nudging me with her elbow. “But I got you, my undead. Say, have you seen such ethereal beauty in your many many years?”

“You indeed look beautiful, my lady,” I said, bobbing my head in appreciation. “Mortal men will be unable to keep their eyes to themselves.”

“The point is,” she walked toward me, forcing me to step back one step at a time until my back was against the wall. She placed her hand on my right, straining her toes to reach my eyes. “Are you able to keep your eyes to yourself?”

She leaned and bit my lower lip, her eyes seductively holding me in place. I held her softly and flipped our positions, leaning over her as she innocently glanced at me, her back against the wall.

Wait. How come I am the wolf now?

Before I could step back, she wrapped her hands around my waist and raised her brows. “Don’t leave things undone, my undead.”

“Oh! Should we continue?” My breathing was against her neck, and I saw her ears turning red. I kissed her pale neck softly, her hands clawing my back as she raised her head with a whimper.

“Get ready,” I stepped back with a grin and pointed to breakfast in my hand. Master butler, indeed.

She nodded, her cheeks red, and grabbed the tray. Of course, not forgetting to hand me the bread.

I chuckled and patted her head. “I’ll wait for you by the entrance. The carriage should be ready by now. Arabell and Meisie will be accompanying us.”

Letitia nodded again and silently drank her soup. With another chuckle, much to my lady’s displeasure, I walked out of the room, greeting Igan on my way out of the western courtyard.

How come she is so proactive when she initiates and meek otherwise? Another unanswered question in my undead life.

“Rudolf!” Arabell shouted from the gates. “Hurry up. We’ll be late for the ceremony!”

The behavior certainly wasn’t befitting a noble lady of her standing. Not that any of us minded either, so she was using Beth as her role model, trying to break free of all the shackles of noblewomen.

I waited at the manor entrance for Letitia. The decorative shrubs around the central stony path were cut clean, and the manor lawn appeared vacant, if not for a few wooden benches. We spared every ounce of effort to save money. Wasteful embellishments? We didn’t need any as long as we had bread.

My lady walked up to me with her usual stern face, the expression flickering slightly at my sight. I patted her head and held her hand as she descended the stairs. She clasped it all the way to the gate with a smile, her previous frown disappearing amidst idle chatter.

“You look beautiful, sister!” Arabell held her hand over her mouth, eyes wide open. “Even a starry sky won't be able to match your ethereal appearance!".

Meisie herself was sneaking peeks at my lady, and I didn’t sense any jealousy in her eyes. Since the small episode at the engagement, Meisie’s glances toward my lady held more than contempt. There was confusion that was grated by her sneaking around the mansion following my lady often. Letitia didn’t mind the minion as long as she didn’t bring her trouble.

Of all the things she could learn from me, she learned not to hold grudges. A terrible teacher I was, indeed.

“Don’t you think so, Meisie?” Arabell placed her hand over the little one’s shoulder and pulled her closer.

Meisie looked away, her hands clasped into fists. After an eternity, she turned to me and replied. “Yes.”

“They already went inside,” I shrugged, suppressing a laugh, and a glare was her reply.

“Aren’t you coming, Rudolf?” My lady leaned out of the carriage. “And you too, Meisie. Get inside the other carriage before I decide you leave you here.”

I walked toward the ride with a smile.

Perhaps, they were about to become the harmonious family my lady never had, and their demise would be ultimately tied together with little hope for walking out of this world alive.

I didn’t care what happened in the future. If this world were to take my lady away, I would destroy it.