Even though there were some complications on the road, because he left the academy early, Norton arrived home earlier than usual. On the way back, he chatted with Annie. With her armor removed, the young knight no longer had the fierce demeanor she’d shown when they first met. Instead, she was as docile as Norton’s pet cat, Fiora, answering any question he asked, which Norton found satisfactory.
"Great timing, since my sister has been away for a while. With you moving in, the house will feel livelier," Norton said to her. Annie seemed pleased to gain Norton’s approval, and the earlier unpleasantness was quickly forgotten.
When they arrived at the castle's entrance, Norton was the first to jump out of the carriage, then helped Annie down, taking the opportunity to keep holding her hand. This made Maya, who was waiting at the door for Norton after school, quite uncomfortable.
"Master, you’re back."
As Norton and Annie chatted while walking into the castle, seemingly ignoring her presence, Maya called out with a slight hint of reluctance. Norton casually acknowledged her with an "Mm," then continued without further comment, nearly bringing the overlooked maid to tears.
As the master, Norton could ignore the maid’s inner turmoil. In fact, he did just that. A vampire peer close to Norton’s age was far more significant than an outsider girl.
Though Norton had heard of human men wiping out billions of their kind for busty elven maidens, he wasn’t that kind of person. Norton was a noble, idealistic, cultured, and capable new vampire, so he continued to disregard the teary-eyed, pitiful maid as he led Annie on a tour of the castle. He listened as Annie pointed to an empty guest room on the second floor, declaring, "This is my room," and they went in to sit for a while.
Annie’s room was simply furnished—just a hard bed, a solid wood chair, a table, and a wardrobe. There was nothing else. Someone unfamiliar might think the von Carstein family was neglecting their guests, but Norton knew that the Averell Rasin family was like that—a group of austere, martial monks. He asked if she wanted any additional furniture, but Annie declined, so he didn’t press.
Unlike Annie’s minimalistic room, her collection of armor and weapons was impressive and high quality. Besides her blood dragon knight armor, lance, sword, and shield, the outer room had many armors: mithril chain and scale mail made by high elves, a full plate in the style of the Sigma Empire, pure iron black knight armor, and more. Her weapons filled four racks: infantry halberds, long pikes, imperial style two-handed swords, elf-style blades and shields, dwarf axes and war hammers, crossbows, bows, long-barreled rifles, and shotguns.
There were also models of large war machines, such as Sylvannia’s howling skull chariots, Sigma Empire, and dwarf kingdom cannons, even the legendary dwarf helicopters and steam tanks. Her room could almost serve as a small military museum.
Listening to Annie proudly introduce these items, Norton nodded repeatedly, understanding this tomboy’s interests. After viewing her collection, they returned to the hall. Norton offered her a favorite fruit-juice blend, and they engaged in a conversation mainly about martial arts.
Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.
Annie seemed very excited. She mentioned that in the Averell Rasin family, she had no peers at her level and thus nobody to discuss with. Meeting someone like Norton was a rare joy, so she was thrilled.
Through this casual conversation, Norton discovered that Annie was not only skilled in martial arts but was also interested in military strategy. Despite her age, which led to gaps in her theory and some naive ideas, her enthusiasm was precious.
"If given more time and some wartime experience, this girl could likely become a capable commander," Norton mused after their discussion. Meanwhile, Annie similarly evaluated Norton:
"A good personality, excellent manners, impressive skills, and amazingly handsome…" Annie had already formed a high opinion of Norton.
Both were pleased with the interaction. Norton felt he had done what was expected. However, just because he thought so didn’t mean everyone else did. Maya, following them, viewed Norton’s actions as shameless flattery and fickleness, even shedding a tear in secret.
As they chatted, time slipped away. When they noticed, the clock was chiming seven; it was time for dinner. Norton invited Annie to dine with him, instructing the head maid to assign two maids to help with Annie’s daily needs.
Later in the evening, Norton’s mother, Lady Windsor, returned. Annie thanked her, and the three chatted briefly before retiring to their rooms. It was a beautiful and peaceful day—or so it seemed.
"What did you say?!"
Late at night in Lady Windsor’s room, Norton’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Even though I have a good impression of Annie and admit she’s a rare beauty, getting engaged at this age seems too hasty!"
"No, it’s not marriage, just an engagement," Lady Windsor said with a cheerful smile, unfazed by Norton’s shock.
"That’s not the point—the point is I'm only thirteen, and Annie is about the same age. Don’t you think this is absurd?!" Norton continued to protest, unwilling to accept it.
"Indeed, from an emotional and ethical standpoint, it’s slightly hasty. However, considering responsibilities and the perspective of Sylvannia and the vampire race, this outcome is very fitting. Procreation is one of your key responsibilities to Sylvannia, the vampire race, and the von Carstein family. It’s quite crucial. Besides Annie, the Nihlakochi and Lamia families will also send a girl soon."
Norton sighed, his tone softening. "Just what is going on?!"
"The nobles of Sylvannia intermarry. Von Carstein, Nihlakochi, and Averell Rasin, with Lamia being matriarchal, differ. Each generation's Count usually marries direct female heirs from the other families to ensure Sylvannia’s stability and unity," Lady Windsor explained to Norton.
"Introducing the groom to the bride early also helps cultivate feelings for a smoother marital life. I see you and Annie get along well, so continue to do your best."
"Get along well, my foot! On the way back, she blocked me on a bridge and nearly killed me!" Norton complained loudly. "Besides, didn’t Father have only one wife—Mother, you?"
"There were indeed three, but mysteriously, I became the only one left," Lady Windsor maintained her smile, but Norton sensed something ominous in her expression.
"Uh… Mother, I never asked, what is your family’s…?"
"Lamia."
The Lamia family, the only matriarchal count family in Sylvannia for thousands of years, was renowned, and the Lamia Countess was known as the Night Queen. The family was famed for poisons, assassination, and mind control, praised for beauty but reputed as heartless. This metaphor perfectly captured the essence of the Lamia family.
Norton inhaled sharply, pausing to silently mourn his late father for three seconds.
Seeing she had startled her son, Lady Windsor softly chuckled and reassured him, "Do not worry about that. I will assist you. But you still need to work hard."
Her stance on her son having multiple women seemed positive, possibly because most women hope for their children to have numerous offspring while preferring to be their husband’s only wife. This mindset seemed odd but made sense when considering her roles as a wife and a mother.