Sarka, returning home, collapsed onto his bed as soon as he barely managed to change his clothes.
The cold—a side effect of the stimulant—still lingered. Sarka ordered Adam to light the fireplace and called Ember and Lily to his bed.
Thanks to the beasts, his body temperature gradually rose and sweat began to flow, yet he still felt cold.
Sarka pulled Lily and Ember’s bodies close and tried to fall asleep with his eyes closed.
Perhaps because he was exhausted to death, drowsiness came faster than usual. Sarka fell asleep almost like a fuse being cut.
It didn’t feel like he’d slept much, but when he opened his eyes, it was Sunday afternoon.
Still, perhaps because he was so tired, it seemed he’d slept without waking or dreaming for the first time in a while.
Though the effects of the stimulant still lingered faintly and his body felt sluggish, it was the day he had to return to school.
Sarka sighed and raised his body from the bed.
Only now did he notice a small box and letter placed on the table, likely brought by the servants while he was away from his room. It was that box Sara had tried so hard to give him recently.
Without even touching it, Sarka telekinetically flicked it into the trash bin.
Before leaving the house, it seemed he had about two hours left.
Sarka called Adam to check on Lily’s training progress.
Though Adam was a skilled trainer, Sarka was worried about how effective the training conducted in his absence would be.
Lily jumped with joy when Sarka showed interest in her.
While she performed each command from Adam splendidly, after each movement ended, she would run to Sarka seeking praise and acting affectionate.
Sarka tried to sternly send Lily back several times to check her training progress, but eventually ended up laughing at her persistent affection.
When the defeated Sarka stroked between her eyes, Lily closed her eyes and purred, rumbling her throat.
Watching Lily’s affectionate gestures as she wrapped around his legs, Sarka smiled faintly. As laughter came to his body that had been stiff with fatigue, he felt himself loosening.
Sarka eventually lifted Lily into his arms and kissed the top of her head.
Lily buried her face in Sarka’s chest and wrapped her tail around his arm. When he stroked her back and belly, Lily completely relaxed her whole body in Sarka’s embrace and rumbled her throat.
While playing with the clinging Lily, lunchtime arrived and food was brought up.
Sarka sighed and stood up to prepare his thralls’ meals.
Listening to the sounds of Ember and Lily eating, Sarka also finished his tedious meal.
After Adam finished eating and the servants cleared the table, Sarka began preparing to go out.
Lily, who had been staring intently as Sarka dressed, suddenly bared her teeth when Sarka picked up his cane.
Lily, who had become violent in an instant, lunged at Sarka’s bag. Sarka’s face hardened at Lily’s reaction as she planted herself in front of the bag and growled, as if trying to prevent Sarka from leaving.
Because carrying a cane when going out was a human custom, he didn’t bring a cane when going out within the vampire city. Sarka bringing his cane meant he was returning to the human school. The clever Lily seemed to have noticed this at some point.
Lily, who didn’t yet know the difference between the week-long end-of-term holiday and the weekend overnight stays, seemed to think that on days when Sarka stayed only two days before leaving, he was leaving even though he could stay longer.
She was angry, but Lily, already made to be loyal to Sarka through hypnosis and training, didn’t know how to express that anger.
It was impossible to bite Sarka’s belongings or attack Sarka. Lily was at a loss, faced with emotions that were forcibly blocked.
Growling as if angry at herself, Lily bristled her fur at innocent furniture and even bared her teeth sharply at the blameless Ember and Adam.
Deciding this wouldn’t do, Sarka scolded Lily with stern gestures.
Though it seemed like nothing now, if she developed a habit of treating Adam and Ember carelessly, it would become unmanageable in a few years when Lily’s size grew.
Being scolded by Sarka, Lily seemed to have her sorrow explode.
Howling with strange sounds, Lily finally climbed up onto the wardrobe, tears streaming down, and refused to come down.
Though Sarka, concerned about that unmoving back view, tried calling her and Adam tried tempting her with treats, Lily never looked back in the end.
After looking up at Lily’s back for a long while, Sarka eventually gave up and turned around.
He could forcibly move her body to make her turn around, or manipulate her emotions to eliminate her anger, but if such unnecessary manipulations became frequent, it would shorten Lily’s lifespan.
He knew he had to endure and leave her be, but thinking he had to return to school leaving an angry Lily there made him feel miserable.
If he went back like this, he wouldn’t see her for another month, and they’d have to part with their backs turned to each other as their last image.
Though he desperately wanted to pull her down and comfort her even now, Sarka forced himself to hold back.
Lily wasn’t a pet but Sarka’s guard thrall. If he kept developing the habit of comforting her, she would become a greedy and dependent thrall. Such a personality wasn’t suitable for a guard thrall.
Among the children Sarka had raised, there had occasionally been thralls he’d raised while pouring affection on them like this.
Because they’d shared too deep a connection with Sarka, they became excessively obsessed with him.
If anyone appeared who treated Sarka even slightly curtly, they would become extremely agitated, threatening them or being spiteful.
When they were young, the sight of his thralls being violent toward his cousins who disliked Sarka was cute and sometimes even satisfying, so he’d left them alone.
But not a single one of those children survived while fleeing to Hütivras.
Excessive affection became poison. They were affected by emotions whenever Sarka weakened, and when Sarka cried or struggled, they struggled together. If there was anything Sarka even slightly feared, they would step forward and try to resolve it to help Sarka.
Such behaviors quickly weakened them or put them in danger, and in the end, they were the first to die before Sarka’s eyes.
The reason Ember survived until the very end was because she was born with a blunt personality, had no affection, and was rather indifferent, so Sarka also didn’t give her much affection and treated her only as a thrall.
Because of this, Ember wasn’t swayed by Sarka’s emotions and handled all commands matter-of-factly, making cold and precise judgments in crisis situations.
Looking at who ultimately survived, it was clear how he should treat Lily.
Sarka shook off his regrets and called the butler.
Soon the butler came up to the room.
Sarka looked at Lily’s back as she still hadn’t come down from the wardrobe, then asked quietly.
“…Has there been any incidents of Lily attacking other thralls or servants while I was away?”
“She hasn’t attacked people. Among the household thralls, there are some with whom she doesn’t get along well. But she hasn’t shown dangerous levels of aggression yet.”
Sarka silently nodded. After a moment of silence, Sarka quietly instructed.
“…Still, keep watching Lily continuously, and restrain her immediately if she shows aggression.
I said to handle her as carefully as possible since she’s in an unstable state, but that doesn’t mean to indulge all her whims.
Pay special attention to ensure she doesn’t act aggressively toward other thralls, especially Father and Edmund’s thralls.
If we can’t properly establish discipline now, it will become difficult once we miss the timing.”
“Understood.”
The butler bowed and answered. Sarka exhaled lightly and added.
“Since she’s gotten older, I think we can change Lily’s food to something rougher. She’ll also need to practice crushing bones.
Since autumn is approaching, pay attention to keeping all three of their sleeping quarters warm. Especially Ember is weak to cold, so arrange her bedroom with the insulation used last year.
For bathing soap, look for completely unscented types again. If they’re not available in stores, even if you have to custom order it, have it ready before I come next month.”
“Yes, I’ll do so.”
Sarka stared at his thralls for a moment, then added in a low voice.
“…Adam has gotten thin. His joints have also weakened considerably. Pay attention to his movement to ensure he doesn’t lose muscle strength, but don’t make him move excessively. Be careful that he doesn’t consume too much salt.”
“Understood.”
Sarka looked at the butler who answered matter-of-factly. Her face was calm.
In this house, Alex the butler was the only subordinate Sarka could trust with his thralls.
She was someone with a calm and sincere personality who knew how to conduct herself appropriately.
After the discipline two years ago, the other servants noticeably feared Sarka, but though Alex no longer approached him intimately as before, she no longer treated Sarka like a young child and served him as a superior, strictly observing propriety.
Alex, who maintained distance with her master and was loyal like an employee should be, was the only subordinate in this house who didn’t go against Sarka’s mood.
He had no choice but to leave Lily in her care and depart.
Sarka looked up at Lily’s back as she still refused to look at him, then turned around with a heavy heart.
Alex picked up the bag and reported.
“The carriage is waiting.”
Sarka exhaled lightly and asked.
“Father?”
“He’s in the garden.”
Sarka silently nodded.
“I’ll pay my respects and leave immediately.”
In the garden, autumn flowers bloomed profusely.
The boy’s chattering and the servants’ laughter mixed together. It seemed Edmund was training a newly acquired thrall in the garden.
The sight of the colt and boy running around in the garden full of autumn flowers was like a painting.
Allend and Sara sat at the tea table, warmly watching their son.
When Edmund became dumbfounded at the colt jumping up comically, clear laughter burst from the tea table.
A servant who had been standing at the garden entrance watching inside and laughing together suddenly discovered Sarka and stopped, startled.
As the servant hurriedly tried to alert those inside, Sarka raised his hand to stop the servant.
The servant hesitated. Sarka waited silently, listening to the laughter.
After a moment, the laughter subsided.
Sarka, who had been standing expressionlessly, only then lowered his hand and tilted his chin.
The servant cleared their throat and reported inside.
“Young Master Sarka has arrived.”
At that moment, the faint laughter that remained was cut off as if sliced with a knife.
When Sarka entered, the air inside the garden instantly cooled.
Sara jumped up, looking at Sarka with a lost expression.
“Sarka, you’re leaving.”
Sara seemed to have something she wanted to say, but Sarka didn’t meet her eyes.
Sarka, who walked silently, took a formal stance before his father.
Allend faced his son without a word. Sarka spoke in an emotionless voice.
“I’ll be going.”
Allend gazed quietly at his son. Though he seemed displeased that his son ignored Sara’s words, father and son tacitly didn’t sharpen their edges toward each other in front of Sara and dealt with each other matter-of-factly.
Allend gripped his hand as if forcibly suppressing his emotions and spat out expressionlessly.
“Go.”
“May you be well.”
Sarka, who immediately replied, turned his body. Allend didn’t look back at his son.
Sara looked at Sarka with an expression wanting to say something, but Sarka didn’t look back at her.
He felt his half-brother’s glaring gaze.
From behind, not even a trace of laughter could be felt anymore.
Leaving the silenced garden, Sarka walked and boarded the carriage expressionlessly.
Around the time the carriage was about to depart, he could hear Edmund beginning to chatter as if trying to lighten the frozen atmosphere.
The servants’ laughter responding faintly mixed in.
The carriage began to move. The garden visible in one corner of the window quickly disappeared.
His father’s affectionate face lifting Edmund also disappeared together.
The faint laughter faded along with the flower fragrance.
Sarka shook off the afterimage of the garden full of autumn flowers and calmly turned his head to look straight ahead.
From the beginning, Sarka was born unable to be accepted into that world.
He was made from the start as a member of a completely different world from his younger brother.
Of a world where weakness is not tolerated.
Sarka thought of his siblings in Leogrante.
They resigned themselves and obeyed because they accepted their birth.
Sarka was loved by his mother for his innate bloodline, and his siblings were despised because they didn’t inherit that bloodline.
That was the predetermined course from birth, and a fate they could never escape.
Born as a “mixed-blood bastard,” Edmund Hütivras would have been in a position where he could never hope for love or recognition if he’d been born in Leogrante.
But he was born as the son of Allend and Sara.
That was his <bloodline>, and that child would never lose that foolishly blind protection and incomprehensibly enormous favor throughout his life.
He would enjoy that power and privilege without even knowing he possessed it.
Sarka thought of his half-brother’s gaze that expressed intense hostility, unlike his siblings in Leogrante.
Even knowing that his half-brother with far superior bloodline was physically stronger,
Even knowing his own weakness, Edmund wasn’t afraid to antagonize the strong.
Because he trusted his protectors.
Because he owned someone who accepted weakness and promised unconditional blind faith.
I was born as Camilla’s son and was given the name Leogrante.
Because that’s my <birthright>,
Father will never recognize, protect, or love me until he dies.
He will only trample, control, and treat me like a beast.
That will never change.
That is precisely <birthright>.
<Class>.
<Grade>.
Everyone lives and dies in the class they were born into.
His siblings did, and now Sarka would too.
There would never again be anyone promising love and protection until death.
Only a life of struggling to escape humiliation and shame remained.
By failing to protect his mother, Sarka failed to prove his ability as <bloodline>.
So it was only natural to now lose everything he’d obtained as <bloodline>.
<The defeated> lose everything. That was the rule of the world Sarka was born into.
All that remained for the defeated was humiliation and pain.
The more you struggled to escape, the more you’d only be hurt, exhausted, and trampled.
A life where only learning resignation and fear while dying was permitted.
Sarka was an assembled product produced with a purpose from the beginning,
Was returned for failing to prove that usefulness,
And was now being disposed of as defective.
He was born that way from the start, and was designed never to be able to escape from here.
…That’s what he thought.
So why do I keep thinking of that human?
