TIME passed quickly after their unexpected arrival. Two maids appeared several seconds after Azusa’s shout and invited them inside the manor. They led her to a separate room and abruptly helped her change clothes. Unable to keep up with the sudden development, she let them do whatever they wanted to her and by the time she realized it—
“Is this a kimono? It looks like a pricey one,” she commented.
“Yes, it is! You look splendid in it!” complimented one of the maids who had helped her change into a peach-colored kimono.
The golden phoenix design started at her ankles and looked as if it were about to soar off the clothes, giving every impression she was wearing a very expensive kimono.
Azusa was disheartened. In her imagined scenario, she was supposed to barge in on the secretly held court of inquiry, lay out her terms, and rescue her father.
But reality had her warmly welcomed at the front door and changed into a gorgeous and expensive kimono. She would understand if Kouya was warmly welcomed by the household servants, since he was none other than the son of their master. But she couldn’t fathom why they would welcome some girl they didn’t know.
“However, I must say it is a dream come true to learn Master Kouya is finally establishing a contract with someone! I have had the honor of caring for him since he was a wee little thing and this is a first for him! What happened to his dear mother and older brother is unfortunate, but I am overjoyed to see he has decided to live despite it. This humble maid Kuki is Master Kouya’s ally no matter what others may say about him!” exclaimed the fifty-something year old woman who had helped Azusa change.
Her hair was beautifully done up with a traditional Japanese cloth. Her characteristically dignified beauty must have made her quite popular in her youth, but her personality seemed flawed. She placed both hands on her cheeks and leaned back with a jovial look on her face. Azusa couldn’t help being curious about why the woman named Kuki was so happy. She got the sense some sort of grave misunderstanding was going on.
“Excuse me, Ms. Kuki? Where is Kouya?”
“Oh, how horrible of me! Of course you want to show off to him right away, I see! I shall go call for him now!” Kuki exclaimed and slipped out of the room.
Kouya came into the room several minutes later.
“What do you think, Master Kouya? Isn’t Miss Azusa most beautiful?”
“…Yeah, she is.” Kouya winced a little from Kuki’s overwhelming excitement. She snatched up Kouya’s hand and forcefully pulled him to stand beside Azusa.
“You look adorable together!”
“……”
“Kouya! What is the meaning of this? Why am I being welcomed with open arms?” Azusa asked in such a quiet whisper, she wondered if he heard her. He titled his head in contemplation too. Apparently, he hadn’t caught onto what was going on yet either.
“I was stunned when Master Kouya suddenly declared, ‘I’m going to introduce her to Dad,’ but seeing as you came to introduce your partner before establishing a contract, the gap between you and Master Akashi must be gradually closing! Your humble maid Kuki is deeply moved!”
Kouya frowned in confusion. Azusa didn’t know what Kuki meant by contract and asked him about it in a whisper, but he ignored her entirely.
“…Contract?”
“Oh dear, I thought that was the case because Master Kouya brought a woman to the manor. Was I mistaken?”
“……”
“Master Kouya?”
“…You’re right.”
Hey! You just agreed because it’s too much of a pain to tell the truth! You thought it was too annoying to turn down so you’re going with the flow! Get a grip on the situation, Kouya! Azusa watched their exchange while panicking internally.
However, Kuki gave Azusa such a warm reception because she misunderstood her to be Kouya’s contract partner. If Azusa was honest with herself, being misunderstood was better than being chased out of the manor.
“That is how it should be! I knew it was true! In that case, Master Kouya, Miss Azusa, please wait here while I prepare Master Akashi for your arrival.” Kuki left the room in high spirits, thoroughly satisfied by Kouya’s response.
Once Kuki left the room, Azusa grabbed Kouya by the collar. “Kouya! What is a contract?! Why am I being welcomed with open arms?! And why did you keep quiet about being the Patriarch’s son?! Please give me an explanation I can accept!”
“Calm down.”
“If there is someone who can be calm in this situation, I’d like to meet them!”
“Pipe down. Others can hear you.”
“…Geh.” Azusa grudgingly let go of his shirt collar. It must have hurt a little, because Kouya pulled his shirt away from his throat and cleared it.
“Contract refers to the contract we make when we agree to drink each other’s blood as equals. It’s an arrangement established so vampires won’t carelessly attack people. Those in a contract are forbidden from drinking anyone other than their partner’s blood. It’s fundamentally a contract exchanged between two vampires. Although there are exceptions.”
“Does that mean Ms. Kuki thought you came to report your contract with me to your father…Mr. Akashi?”
“Yeah.”
“Is contracting with someone a serious thing you formally report to your parents? Is there a problem with both parties just agreeing to drink each other’s blood and casually mentioning it?”
“……” Kouya stayed silent with an awkward look on his face, as if he were contemplating whether he should explain or not. And then he dropped a bombshell, “A vampire contract has the same connotations as marriage. Well, the ability to contract with several people at once makes it different from marriage.”
“Huh? Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!” Azusa’s shocked scream echoed through the manor.