Joseph and Charlotte. Two bastard twins of Count Henry Merrow. He was a nobleman in his mid-thirties who lived on the outskirts of the southwestern side of the kingdom. He had an affair with one of the maids after learning that his wife, the late countess, had lost her life and their unborn child in an accident.

The maid, who learned about her pregnancy whilst getting a health checkup, ran away to not inconvenience the count. She gave birth to two healthy twins: a boy and a girl. She raised them well while still alive but eventually died of an incurable disease. The children were eventually found and taken to an orphanage.

The count eventually stumbled upon the children after contemplating an heir. He decides to adopt the now eleven-year-old children so that his family title would not be lost.

...

The two children stood there in Count Merrow's office, motionless. Just as the count observed them, so did they. Although they had enough willpower to look at the count, they did not have such as to not shake in fear for their lives.

"Names."

Count Merrow lifted his finger to point at the young boy on the right, who shivered greatly from his point.

"J-joseph, sir!"

Hearing the name, he pointed to the delicate-looking girl to the left.

"C-charlotte, sir!

Both bowed as they said their names. The count seemed uninterested as he motioned for the two to look up.

"From this day forward, you are both heirs to the family title. As such, you are both hereby named Joseph Merrow and Charlotte Merrow, respectively. Do not bring shame to the Merrow name."

"Yes, sir!"

Both yelled out as they looked at the older man in front of them. The count moved on to the next topic at hand.

"I two can explore and rest for today. Tomorrow, you'll start your duties as my heirs."

The two of them were guided around the large house by the head butler. As they explored and rested, the next day dawned, and they were called back into the count's office.

"Today starts your official duties. As such, I am giving you two a butler to share. He is a new hire, but he has a lot of experience and is of high prestige. He should be useful to you."

The butler had a certain air to him. He looked nothing special with his brown hair and eyes, but he had a certain allure that captured one's attention. He wore star cufflinks on his sleeves, which represent the founder of the kingdom. The two children quickly caught their gazes and bowed to the count as a form of pleasantry.

"Thank you, Father."

This was also the day their lessons officially began. The count first pointed to Joseph.

"You will be starting swordsmanship lessons starting tomorrow."

He then pointed to Charlotte.

"You will be learning embroidery. You will both be taking etiquette lessons as well as other standard education classes. Do well."

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The two siblings looked at each other before turning and bowing once again.

"Yes, father."

...

Sweat dripped down off Joseph's forehead as he gripped the wooden sword. A younger man stood across from him. He wore a nice suit, and his hair and eyes were a brownish color. His voice was soothing, and his speech refined.

"That is all for today, young master. It's about time for your dinner with the count."

Joseph slowly released his grip on the wooden hilt, and it fell to the floor. The man walked over to Joseph and handed him a clean towel to wipe the sweat off his body.

"Thanks, Harold."

Harold, the butler, sword teacher, and etiquette teacher, looked at Joseph with a large smile. He suddenly bowed with his hand to his chest.

"My pleasure."

He straightened himself before beginning his walk toward the house.

"Young master, I'll heat your bath water, so take your time getting up the stairs."

It had already been three months since they were brought to the count's residence. In that time, their lessons started, and they learned how truly talented their butler was. The only thing he didn't teach was embroidery, and that seemed to only be because there wasn't enough time in the day.

After a quick bath, Joseph joined his father and sister in the dining room.

"So, how was practice."

"Fine. Same as usual."

"Embroidery?"

"Same."

After the quick conversation ended, silence filled the dining hall. It was only with the sounds of the plates and silverware leaving the room that sound had finally been restored, but by that point, all persons had left the illustrious hall.

...

Night soon fell upon the Merrow Estate. Silence surrounded the large house. Charlotte sat on the couch in their shared bedroom as she read a romantical novel, whilst Joseph lay on his bed, looking at the ceiling above. The two siblings used to be able to talk without filter, but as they spent more time under Count Henry Merrow, their affection for each other dwindled.

Joseph began to think about such things, and so he decided to sit up and look at his sister. Just as he began to speak, a loud bang resounded throughout the house, followed by a screech that pierced the two children's ears. Both immediately jumped from their resting position.

Joseph grabbed the lit candle by his bedside. He slowly pushed open the door, which creaked as it moved. Beyond the door was pitch black. There was nothing but the candlelight to fill the void in front of them. As Joseph walked through the hallway, Charlotte followed close behind to ensure her brother's safety as well as her own.

The darkness eventually started to brighten, and a tall, lanky person's body began to enter full view. As his body came into view, his appearance became even more clear. His hair was black, and his attire was that of a butler, to which there were only two in the household. On his sleeves sat two star-shaped cufflinks.

The man, whose air seemed very familiar to the two children, soon turned around, revealing a golden glow in his eyes. Beneath such glow lay a heightened amount of bloodlust surrounded by a pile of dead bodies. Looking around, the siblings could see the once-lively staff now lying there lifelessly on the ground.

As the golden-eyed man looked at the two children, a smile began to profuse across his face. The children wanted to ask questions, but the smile stopped them from even moving. All they could do now was watch.

The man dressed in the butler outfit, whose tailcoat seemed to flutter in a place with no wind, began to move his hand up to his mouth. His index finger touched his lips before a gushing sound came out from underneath. He brought the finger away from his lips so that he could properly speak.

"Go back to bed and wait till morning. Okay?"

The children started for a moment before an overwhelming will forced itself onto the children. They began to move without trying. They headed toward their bed chambers completely against their thoughts. As they walked in, the door closed shut and didn't seem to budge an inch.

Only after a few hours did the door open once more. All the bodies that lay the night before had gone missing. In hopes of confiding in childlike comforts, the two children ran to the office of their father. They knocked on his door at a rapid pace in hopes of having some reassurance that what they saw was not real.

No response came from the other side of the door. It was not as if the count had still been asleep, as he slept in his office so as to keep himself away from his grief. Still, nothing no sounds other than the banging on the door could be heard.

After enough pounding, the door suddenly jerked open. The room was dark. There was not an ounce of light in the room with many windows. Sitting at the desk was a figure. The attire was that of the count, but there was no such resemblance. There was nothing left of the now-dead count to show that he was such a man. His head, hands, feet, and all forms of exposed skin had been removed.

He was nothing more than a mannequin showing off the worn clothes of a once grief-stricken man.