Baigarten’s eagerness to remove Alberich from Sarka’s line of sight was blatantly obvious, but that tension was rather like waving a toy in front of a cat to stimulate it.
Sarka skillfully drew Alberich into the cafe.
Baigarten attempted several times to check Sarka rather sharply, but it was already like trying to forcibly pry open the jaws of a cat that had caught its prey.
The more they tried to take it away, the more viciously Sarka sank his fangs in.
Sarka’s voice became chillingly affectionate and friendly as he whined like a petulant child that he wanted to have tea time with his younger brother, pestering Baigarten. Malicious delight sparkled in his green eyes. He seemed to finally be starting to enjoy this outing.
Baigarten bitterly resigned himself, realizing that if he continued to stubbornly insist on separating them here, it would only pique Sarka’s interest further.
He looked at Sarka’s smile as if calculating something, then accepted that detestable whining with a rather nonchalant attitude, as if not wanting to give him any ammunition.
As Baigarten had said, the cafe with its small room format completely blocked the four of them from the view of people around them with walls on all sides.
Sarka was listening to Alberich’s stories with fascination, as if he couldn’t bear how delightful it was.
Ruslan was utterly astounded watching Sarka win the child’s favor surprisingly quickly.
He knew that even when Sarka was with friends, he always acted out a kind and gentle-looking boy, but when sitting face to face with a stranger, his mask was like watching an exquisite work of art.
Sarka’s expression displayed with great detail things like the unconscious goodwill one has when meeting the family of someone very close, a subtle sense of familiarity, and harmless curiosity.
He even skillfully reproduced the clumsy and wistful feeling of when someone who is very shy awkwardly approaches someone they desperately want to become close with, and when that attitude combined with his delicate and beautiful features, it was devastatingly charming.
That attitude had the effect of fatally stimulating particularly good-natured and cheerful people.
It made them feel pressured that this very timid person was making an effort to overcome their embarrassment to become friends with them, and that they must respond to that goodwill with enthusiasm.
Regrettably, Alberich was truly an exceedingly good-natured and cheerful boy.
Alberich began to explosively chatter so that this handsome, shy hyung wouldn’t feel awkward.
Sarka was responding to each and every word the child poured out with gentle concentration.
The faintly smiling lips and the green eyes that moved slightly following along each time Alberich made an exaggerated gesture were truly filled with pure pleasure.
He seemed to find it hard to contain his delight from the mere fact of sitting in a room with a blood relative that Baigarten treasured dearly, rather than from Alberich’s story itself.
The corners of his eyes crinkled prettily as he occasionally burst into laughter at Alberich’s jokes and glanced up to look at Baigarten.
Though Baigarten appeared slightly tense, he too knew that what Sarka wanted was not Alberich himself but his own anxiety.
With a modest attitude and very carefully, he showed just the calculated amount of anxiety that Sarka wanted.
Sarka merely smiled faintly as if he knew exactly what was on Baigarten’s mind.
Ruslan felt suffocated by the silent battle of wills between the two men.
Baigarten was enduring with admirable composure. He was a keeper who knew well that if he carelessly tried to pry open that cat’s mouth, it would crush the prey.
He seemed to have decided to calmly wait until the cat’s interest waned, until it realized the toy in its mouth wasn’t worth swallowing and spat it out.
Sarka also knew he couldn’t actually swallow this prey anyway. He simply wanted to play with it, rolling it around in his mouth for as long as possible, on as precarious a line as possible.
Sarka, who had been interestedly listening to Alberich’s long and pleasant chatter, finally asked in a gentle voice.
“……At fourteen years old, you’ll be entering Esteban School as a Middle Class first year next year, won’t you?”
“That’s right, sunbae-nim! Starting next year, won’t we be breathing the same air on the same campus? Meeting like this in advance is truly a blessing from God!”
Alberich answered cheerfully, snapping his fingers.
Sarka looked up at Baigarten with a hurt expression, as if he couldn’t stand how amusing this was, and whispered.
“……To think you never once told me such important news. You’re too much, Baigarten.
I thought we were at least the kind of relationship that had nothing to hide……I guess I was mistaken?”
Sarka’s green eyes sparkled with pleasure as he mimicked Baigarten’s mischievous tone and returned it right back to him.
Baigarten skillfully concealed his rather bitter expression and smiled back.
Ruslan soon realized that the reason Baigarten had obediently introduced Alberich despite his distaste was because they would have to encounter each other at school next year anyway. It seemed he had judged that if it was unavoidable anyway, there was nothing good about excessively stimulating Sarka’s interest now.
Sarka gazed at the boy with eyes full of anticipation, then suddenly narrowed his eyes and asked in a suggestive voice.
“……Since you’re also of the <Jung> bloodline……you must have received <Guardian> education, right?”
Startled by that word, Ruslan flinched and watched Baigarten’s reaction. Baigarten merely frowned slightly around his eyes but didn’t stop Sarka.
On the other hand, Alberich looked very surprised. He appeared flustered at encountering a very secret word in an unexpected situation.
A faint suspicion arose on the boy’s face as he hesitated. As if he had realized something, Alberich’s reaction of intently observing Sarka’s face brought faint interest to Sarka’s green eyes.
After observing Alberich’s gaze as if gauging something, Sarka smiled slightly and nodded obediently.
“That’s right. I’m <Sarka Hütivras>.”
“……!! Sunbae-nim is that very……!!”
Alberich’s mouth fell open. Admiration and excitement arose on the boy’s face.
Alberich didn’t know what to do, as if meeting a celebrity he had only heard about in words for a long time. The boy’s voice began to grow agitated.
“I-It’s an honor to meet you! I’ve heard so much about sunbae-nim!!”
“……Really?”
Sarka asked gently, raising one eyebrow.
Baigarten suddenly flinched.
Alberich chattered in a voice overflowing with joy.
“Yes! We consider being matched with sunbae-nim an honor for our family! Next year I’ll also advance to Middle Class and I’m eagerly looking forward to the day when I can serve sunbae-nim together with hyung-nim!”
“……Is that so?”
Sarka exclaimed in admiration, mixing in a bit of surprise and shyness. Ruslan felt his mind working rapidly.
……The <family’s> honor?
Alberich was still smiling brightly, unable to hide his excitement.
“Of course! Becoming a guardian for a <Perfect Pureblood> grade like sunbae-nim is the highest honor for a guardian, isn’t it? Our father said so too! To have such a high-grade vampire at Esteban School……”
“Alberich. You need to watch your words.”
Suddenly, Baigarten’s voice mixed with faint tension heavily pressed down on that excitement.
Alberich, who snapped to attention at the stern admonishment, suddenly made an ‘oops’ expression.
The moment Alberich tensed up while briefly stealing a glance at Ruslan, Sarka quickly drew Alberich’s gaze toward himself.
“It’s fine. Everyone here is involved. That hyung knows everything too. Don’t worry.”
Sarka’s coaxing voice was very affectionate. At the reassuring attitude, Alberich blinked blankly.
But Ruslan noticed Baigarten’s jaw stiffen subtly. His fingers gripped the cane handle again in a movement close to unconscious.
As if not wanting to give Alberich time to collect himself, Sarka asked again in a voice tinged with amusement.
“……Did your parents say that? That there had been no precedent of a vampire of such a <high grade> being sent to Esteban School?”
“Sarka.”
Baigarten’s rigidly stiff voice cut across their conversation.
With his jaw and shoulders slightly tensed, Baigarten spoke quietly as if making an excuse.
“……That child hasn’t been educated as your guardian yet. What he knows about you is just what he overheard from conversations between his parents and me.”
Sarka looked up at Baigarten intently, then made an expression that was bizarrely amused.
“……Why are you speaking in such a worried voice?”
Ruslan swallowed.
While smiling with gently folded eyes, Sarka languidly tilted his head and looked up at Baigarten’s eyes obliquely.
“Are you afraid I might devour him?”
Though he looked like he wanted to answer exactly that, Baigarten didn’t open his mouth.
Sarka gazed at Baigarten with eyes like a shark that had caught the scent of blood, and asked quietly in a voice tinged with a faint smile.
“……Would it be better if I went to find your younger brother separately later to hear it?”
A sense of dismay began to flow through Baigarten’s eyes. Ruslan tensed up.
Though he didn’t know what it was, Ruslan could tell from Baigarten’s expression that something among the words Alberich had brought up had touched Sarka’s nerves.
Alberich seemed to sense that the atmosphere was becoming somewhat strange, but Sarka soothed Alberich with an attitude so caring it was impossible to suspect.
As if worried that Alberich might feel embarrassed, Sarka met the clear hazel eyes directly and went along accommodatingly.
“Your parents are right, Alberich.
Usually the vampires sent to Esteban School are the lowest grades like <Muddled Blood> or <Human Blood>.
The vampire sent from the Hütivras family when your father was attending as a guardian was probably around Muddled Blood level too. I believe it was my uncle. His name was probably……?”
Sarka hesitated with a troubled expression over a name that suddenly wouldn’t come to him.
Alberich, as if instinctively helping someone in difficulty, stammered out a name he knew.
“Peter……Hütivras-nim?”
“That’s right, <Peter>! He’s still very close friends with your father, isn’t he?”
Sarka’s expression brightened. At the gaze filled with the excitement and curiosity of discovering a mutual acquaintance with a stranger, Alberich was immediately drawn in.
“Of course! Uncle Peter still often comes to visit our mansion. He’s my favorite guest!”
“I like him too. He’s such a pleasant person. And modest too.”
Sarka replied, smiling with folded eyes. His attitude showed he couldn’t bear how delightful this was.
Through the conversation going back and forth, Ruslan was now certain of several things.
First. That Sarka was not the first vampire sent to <Esteban School>.
Second. That the <Hütivras> family had been sending vampires of low blood grades to Esteban School for generations, and the <Jung> family had been playing the role of their <Guardian> for generations.
Third. That <Sarka> had been sent to <Esteban School> despite being a vampire of an unprecedentedly high blood grade.
And lastly……
That <Sarka’s> mood was becoming increasingly twisted.
Sarka asked gently while gazing at Alberich with interested eyes.
“……You know quite a lot, Alberich. What else did your parents teach you?”
