With all scrutiny, Nicolai was watching every movement on Akila's unusually rich face. From the moment he saw her coming, he was skeptical. But, the approach she used to start the conversation gave him a glimpse of hope that he still has a possibility together to support, of course, if he plays his cards correctly.

However, he wasn’t in a place where he can give anything in return, and Akila knew this.

Then what was the major concern that brought her?

This question was in Nicolai's head, still without an answer for the moment.

Inevitably, Lady Akila wasn’t intending to ask about Bi-an. She must have already predicted her sorrowful fate when she didn’t see her throughout the period since her arrival. Maybe she was sending hints by using his maid.

For a brief moment, Nicolai considered the albino doctor who had infiltrated the farm. When he was monitoring his movement, Nicolai concluded the level of his intelligence. It was without objection, very high compared to Bi-an. He was even better at performing complex tasks without a need for direct order, as if he had free will. But his perception of reality was largely distorted, infused with devious details. His sense of surroundings was foggy by design. Even so, he kept some principles and kept the crucial regulations. Maybe that was all Akila doing, so he could perform his task.

Honestly speaking, Nicolai thought he was a masterpiece...

For what a price Akila will sell this masterpiece, Nicolai pondered to himself. Though, it seemed that she has already given it to Savannah. And perhaps it was why Savannah didn't show any remorse when he told her about Bi-an's fate.

A little smile forced itself onto Nicolai's lips at the thought of himself fighting Savannah again to get one of Akila’s priceless creations.

He was always unsuccessful in provoking Savannah. She was one of these kinds of people whom he never managed to get what he desired from her unless she will get something in return from him, much like her mother Akila.

Now, the task of acquiring that albino doctor service to replace Bi-an is becoming farther and farther desire. Since how he could forget the bloody clash with Savannah over Bi-an. That time he only achieved his desire because he succeeded in convincing Akila that Savannah will be extra lazy in doing her daily chores.

He might just use the same old strategies. After all, Savannah is an expert in generating her mother's anger. And she was the kind of person who couldn't tolerate breaking the rules for so long. He only needed to find which rule she was breaking now.

Nicolai closed his eyes to lessen the soreness and dryness from them, as well as to bring his concentration to the present moment.

Akila talked about a second chance. It’s not in her habits, to be frank when she wants to give someone a second chance, and certainly, it isn’t for free.

Both of them paused at the entrance of the cemetery, and Nicolai took the opportunity to test his eyesight in an open space. He gazed at all the graves that could get in his visual field. The scene was somehow blurred without much of the details, worse than the last time.

From the corner of his eyes, he glanced at Akila as she was attempting to cover her nose. Like someone who wanted to stop smelling an unpleasant odor.

From where came this theatrical frankness. She never uses this gesture to show her revulsion toward scents that she didn’t fancy.

Nicolai relaxed a part of his weight on the cane and took a deep breath, yet he didn't smell anything aberrant except the halo of death which he felt more than he has smelled it.

He looked straight back into her face while questioning the possible relationship between the second chance she was going to give him, the cemetery, and the halo of death.

But Akila's eyes weren’t looking back at him, they were fixated toward the two isolated graves with the flashy headstones molten in signs of not long ago exhumation around their soil.

He couldn’t restrain his face while the grimace of resentment controlled it and stood up, silently waiting for her statement.

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He watched her approaching the two headstones, one by one, then she shook her head when she read what was written on them in Aramaic and Latin. After she delivered to Nicolai a few obscure glances, he failed to translate.

Walking back near him, her mind pondered about the state of the second grave owner. Was it a Rebirth like Nicolai or an Awakening?

Nicolai felt the pressure of seriousness in her demeanor as she pointed with her right hand to the cemetery and at last declared,

However, before uttering a word, Nicolai, like an instant miracle of prophecy that brought the light to the illuminated. He finally connected the dots. He launched a torrent of railing directed at his person and his short sight.

Why he didn’t discern Francis' actual intention of moving the cemetery behind the manor earlier, how could this minor yet crucial Intel escape his attention? It seemed that his fight with the butler took the sum of his focus more than he liked to admit.

The last word that he heard from Akila, she asked about his opinion. He asked, avoiding giving an answer and pretending to be yet clueless.

“If you know about what is lurking in the cemetery, why you didn’t move it in the contract?”

This is the second chance Akila had mentioned.

Such a craftiness and deceit. What she planted was the embodiment of the idiom, killing two birds with one stone while adding a small flavor to the mixture.

The first hit, she had avoided a confrontation with the crimson lord, and by doing so; she preserved the farm livestock and spared it from an immense material loss.

The second one. By pretending that she didn’t notice the purpose of the cemetery, she gave her enemy a false sense of security and control while keeping a gap in the contract to use it at the appropriate time.

The last flavor that she had added to the cake marking her signature; she will hide in shadow while collecting the information about to what extent the capacities of a pure Hématophage from the red Jasmine bloodline can get using Nicolai as a bait.

After a deep analysis of the situation, Nicolai manifested his initial consent: “Do you know that sapiens Hématophage or vampires as you prefer to call them, consider the Necromancy as shameful and only practiced by those who fail to perform or complete a sir bond.”

“So, that’s why you got yourself into his trap.” Akila's sobriety was explicit. She was in working mode. Then she added: “Do not underestimate him. The truth, I was walking on eggshells all those past days. If I have failed to distinguish between the smell of natural death and the undead odor, I would never notice it. Do you know how hard it is to distinguish between them?”

She paused for a second before she asked him: "Do you know about it?"

"I just figured it now. I doubt I will figure it if I didn't have prior knowledge about his ability of Necromancy…

Akila looked angry and Nicolai felt that she was accusing him of not telling her, so he declared as a way to prove his innocence: "He has a backyard cemetery in his main residence. But only now I figured why he likes to have a cemetery in his backyard."

"Main residence? Then you were close friends? Why then he is torturing you?"

"More like a business associate, he was also one of my clients," Nicolai said, avoiding giving a clear answer.

Previously, Akila told herself that she didn’t care about Nicolai's other activities if it didn’t hamper her interest. But at present, the situation has changed. Perhaps she didn’t suffer a direct loss since she only transferred what was Nicolai shared to a new owner. Yet there is always possible future damage she needed to prevent.

She wished to dig deeper. However, this wasn't the best time to interrogate Nicolai, especially when she was in the process of recruiting his services.

“You must have memorized the contract close by now since you have figured out the gap I have placed there,” she said, changing the subject.

"What is that expected of me?"

"Since he controls your life from the resent, try to provide me with information about the social construction and the internal affair of Jasmine's bloodline."

" Asking me to be your insider? It's a very hard job within a society full of mind control games and tricks."

Akila pondered: "That's why I found it very hard to get information from them, but a man like you, I am sure that he will find the way."

"What’s there for me in return?"

"You will get back all your shares."

Nicolai felt that he was a small pawn played by, however, had the power to move him around. How much he hated the feeling of being not the master of his fate.

She intended to use him as bait. And that's why he will try to get the most from this bargain: "That's not enough."

Akila smiled before she said: "I will search the world for a method to liberate you from this... What you call it... Limiting chains... Or whatever you want to call it."

He reflected weighing the pros and cons, then he decided to go with Akila's offer. But not without some kind of prior compensation. Thus he stated: "I will see what I can do, though there is a favor I want to ask from you, I wish that you can grant it."

"Of course, if I can. What it is?"

"At the present, I am more physically impotent than I ever was, therefore I wish that you grant me a replacement for Bi-an."

Akila’s eyebrows curved upward, the whites of her eyes got wider. She inquired: "Do you have one in mind?"

"Yes."

“Who could it be?” Akila asked as if she wasn’t so sure about where this was going on but didn’t want to interrupt him.

Her face was in a fidget state when she heard him say the informer that she had sent inside to the farm. She was taken aback and didn’t want that to appear on her face. She held some kind of ambiguous, understanding smile. Because she didn’t send any informer.