"If it weren't for the fact that I'm pleased to see how the dress fits you well, I might have lacerated your tongue for speaking out of turn once more."

It annoyed me to have a Seer, which was a shame since most were not exactly as meddlesome as she–it was power-hungry individuals that sought after them the most and often paid for their wishes to look into the future.

Rare was the Seer that tormented individuals with prophecies, unless they were Doomspeakers or it was in their characters to be sadistic–Seers’ attitudes were all varied, if not all bordering to some degree of lunacy on the burden of their ability–but as I gazed at her and Rose… their appearances were enough to soothe my soul.

Wasn’t that biased of me?

I killed those knights from before and yet I chose to let these two live.

It truly was but as my gaze took in the sight of the innocent and charming appearance of them both in maid outfits, I relented to holding back my anger.

While I could gag her or impair her speech through a great number of mutilations, it didn’t change one thing.

What she said was true.

People only got upset when there was a hint of truth in another person’s words or it slipped past one’s carefully made defenses and the individual felt like they were wronged.

As someone of my stature, it was far better to remain unruffled by whatever she said. To be affected by them was unbecoming, especially when she was merely stating something that I already knew.

My past did affect my future and the very image was stuck in the corridor I left behind. I sighed inwardly and closed my eyes.

Of the time where I wished to become a proper Lord and restore the Blackwell glory.

Better days?

... Not entirely sold on that idea.

But I had been more driven then, more focused on my goals as conflict and enemies afflicted me and drove me to move and into action.

Whereas now, I may have claimed to them that I wished to restore Blackwell Manor to it's former glory, even far better than before–but the thought of crawling back into the coffin and not giving an absolute fuck was far more tempting than you'd think.

That was the problem with immortality. You lived long enough and then you stopped caring, because what happened before might... no, it will happen again. An endless cycle, a rat race without end until it was time for you to give up.

I could give in to the apathy and just kill the two, drain them of their blood and yet where would that take me?

At least with the two of them here, there was a certain direction I could set myself into.

I could dictate the path that I wish to take, and this story and life was mine for the taking.

"Lord Blackwell?" Rose called out.

My gaze fell on the brown haired girl, her eyes weren't the same shade–but they might as well have been the same as hers.

"What is it?" I raised a brow.

"...Are you pleased?"

For a moment, I looked at her and noticed the way she averted her gaze shyly. What a strange way of saying things–did she not know the effect of it?

Surely, she must have since she acted that way.

Any other man might have had a direct heart attack then and there.

Even without the title 'Master', the mere fact she wondered if it pleased me… Unfortunately, there wasn't much of a second to relish that.

Eleanor's heavy gaze was on me, a telling sign as if she had waited for this.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

She told me that if I had problems with how I treated Rose, to personally desist it. And now Rose was being similar to a flower.

I sighed inwardly. What a cunning bitch. Was that an appropriate term to use for a princess–it didn't matter.

I couldn't figure out why Rose switched between harshness and then such provoking words–perhaps the nature of her upbringing might clue me in?

"Lord Blackwell? Are you happy that we wore them and came back to see you, just as you asked?" Rose asked, more serious this time. "Because if you're not, I'd like to get changed."

Ah, now that explained things. If only a little bit.

I shrugged and eyed her idly.

"Satisfiable? You could grow some more here." I motioned and pretended to increase my chest size–which I technically could under the power of transformations and manipulations, but I neglected to do it.

I wasn't necessarily agreeable to the idea that if there were no hot women–you had to turn yourself into the hot one… which was once again another particular idea that appeared in my mind as if I had heard or seen it somewhere.

Ah, there was that god who often changed forms as they willed it.

Some trickster.

Rose's face burned in what may have been anger and shame as she watched me and then pointed a finger. "You!"

"I what?" I chuckled. "I almost expected a Mage to be a well-learned and scholarly individual, but you seem to lack the vocabulary for it."

The expression of anger vanished and instead now I finally saw a shamed face… as if I had slapped her with my words.

"... Not all Mages need to learn from an Academy," Rose quietly said.

"She is far more talented than you think, Lord Blackwell." Eleanor finally interrupted at last. Her expression changed to one of actual disappointment. "It might be far better if you do not say such words without knowing the full story–but I suppose you can say as you please since you are our Master."

Master didn't have the nice connotation it had in Eleanor's tone, it was used in what seemed to be spite and I frowned in response.

Out of all the things that might have triggered Rose to actually be hurt–ranging from sexual innuendos, to threats about hurting the princess… she drew a line at being called an unlearned Mage.

It was a strange line to be upset about.

Then again, it must have been a still hurtful line–questioning one's intelligence was after all offensive… and more than that, despite my nature of being a Vampire–it did not avail me the right of being a thoughtless and insensitive brute.

Of all things–it gave me more purchase and expectations to be far more elegant and gallant than humans who bickered constantly.

Being better than them did take a certain amount of effort.

I sighed inwardly and looked at Rose. She did look rather wilted by what I had said and so I chose to amend my words.

"If I were to be frank, you seething in anger and barely being able to say a word whenever I say something trivially or even extremely upsetting is far more pleasant than your maudlin mood now."

Rose's gaze was now on mine. Prickly. And even in slight disbelief.

"...You enjoy my emotional outbursts?"

"Yes."

For a moment she stayed silent and then spoke again.

"... You're a terrible bastard, do you know that?" Rose said. "What kind of freak enjoys it when someone else is angry?"

"This one. You're looking at this freak," I said with a hint of a smile. "I simply find you more becoming that way–unrestrained. You do not hold back your emotions, which is definitely far more attractive and engaging than Your Highness."

Eleanor raised a brow, an amused smile on her face. "There is a time for restraint–"

"I like it more when you don't speak." I told her.

"How wonderful." Eleanor rolled her eyes–I didn't think she could, which was stupid, but she did.

"You shouldn't talk to Her Highness like that," Rose said slowly. As if she was getting back into the rhythm of speaking what was on her mind.

I smiled. "I can talk however I please–more than that, I don't think she has any issues with it. Though, I admit it makes me curious to see what might make her cry."

"You," Eleanor said after her eyes flickered once. "You could and did make me cry before in one reiteration."

"... What a shame then," I said and smirked. “Perhaps I could let it happen again here. So, don’t spoil yourself in advance.”

It was always a terrible thing whenever I watched ____ and got spoiled midway–the mage’ voice drew me out quickly.

“Spoil?” Rose asked.

“What I mean by that is to not keep looking into the possibilities of what may occur,” I said. “The princess is spoiling herself of the chance to experience life at the forefront–is what I could have said. But surely, doing too much of that [Foresight] must be straining, right?”

Silence answered me.

“Please do not tell me that all of these visions come unprompted for her. Those types are the worst,” I said and rubbed my face. I paced about the hallway and sighed. “We haven’t even discussed where that ability came from or from whom rather.”

“From whom…?”

“Is it Divine?” I asked. “If it’s Divine then I suppose there’s less strain, but then she would have been at a temple and more of an Oracle–with some protection from her patron. The two of you wouldn't have needed to run in the first place. So it might not be the case…”

Rose looked at me a bit confused.

I bit back from making a retort, and finally looked back at Eleanor.

And there she went–disappointing me yet again.