“Y-yes…,” I said. “I didn’t mean to break down like that in front of you…”
I squeezed my eyes shut, hoping to keep any more tears from spilling out.
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. I’m the one who forced it out of you. I’m sorry…” She bowed deeply.
“P-please, don’t! You haven’t done anything wrong!” I stammered, urging her to stand up straight.
“B-but…I was so insensitive, asking you a question like that…”
“Not at all! You had every right not to trust me. Besides…”
“…Besides?”
“I hate to admit it…but I’m glad you asked…”
Yes… I was happy she had heard me out and overjoyed that she was willing to believe me.
“…Hearing you say that sets my heart at ease.”
While I stayed down on one knee, Meltreza carefully rose to her feet.
“Master Hugo… I, Meltreza of Woodstock, will grant your wish.”
“…Th-thank you!” I quivered with joy at her bold declaration.
And yet…I felt unsure. Just what was I so happy about? Was it the prospect of taking revenge on my family—on my father, my stepmother, my half siblings, and all of House Grenville? Or was it because Meltreza had seen me for who I truly was…and believed me?
“Ho-ho… In that case, Master Hugo, I believe we should start by announcing our engagement.”
“Ah…”
Right… I came here hoping to be married into House Woodstock, so naturally, I would be wed to Meltreza.
That meant I would be sacrificing her in my quest for revenge…
With that thought, a sudden pain shot through my chest.
I swore after my sixth death that I would dedicate myself to vengeance and nothing else, and yet…
“…Rest assured. We will not have to get married for real,” Meltreza said with a sad smile.
Uh-oh, I’ve given her the wrong idea.
“Th-that’s not what I meant…!” I pleaded, desperately trying to keep her from misunderstanding. “I genuinely want to be with you, even putting aside what I said about revenge. I’m just worried I’d be using you for my own ends…”
To be perfectly honest, Meltreza was simply too good for the likes of me. I no longer cared that she was a vampire. It was guilt, more than anything else, that pulled at my heart…
“Oh-ho-ho…” She stared back at me for a moment in wide-eyed wonder. Then, as if to cover up her reaction, she continued, “You’re a strange one. Despite your agenda, I can’t imagine you’d be happy with a vampire like me…”
But Meltreza had believed my incredible story. And so I felt she would know that my next words came straight from the heart.
“You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met… And I don’t just mean in terms of looks. I mean your soul, as well.”
“Ah…”
At that, she began to grow increasingly flustered. Even knowing my words were sincere, perhaps she couldn’t quite bring herself to believe them. How could I get her to accept my feelings for what they were…?
After giving it some thought, I came up with an idea.
“Lady Meltreza.”
“Y-yes?” she asked in a high voice, evidently still somewhat rattled.
I paused for a moment to take a deep breath. “Um… If you don’t mind, would you consider turning me…?”
“What?!” Her face twisted in confusion.
I had read in a book that vampires were capable of turning humans by drinking their blood. If I were to become a vampire, her servant, perhaps that would be enough to gain her trust. Besides…I didn’t want to keep taking from her without giving anything back.
But she only glared at me. “What on earth are you thinking?! Becoming a vampire means giving up your humanity! That isn’t something to suggest lightly!”
She drew close to me, her expression a complex mix of anger, sadness, guilt, and anticipation.
Gentle soul that she was, perhaps she couldn’t stand by in the face of such a drastic proposal.
“I mean it,” I said. “I didn’t suggest it lightly.”
“No! You aren’t thinking clearly!” she cried in a trembling voice, and grabbed me by the collar. “You have no idea what it’s like to be a monster…to be something other than human…!”
Deep in those rich, crimson eyes of hers, I could see tears welling up.
No doubt she had lived through her own unique blend of hardship and strife. I suspected she had revealed her true identity as a vampire so quickly to keep me at a distance and prevent herself from getting hurt.
I had made the suggestion in the hope of gaining her trust after she had deigned to hear me out. But now she was doing all she could to reject my offer.
Ah… She’s so incredibly gracious.
“I…I don’t care if I stop being human,” I said.
“…B-but—”
“I’ve lived through six separate lifetimes, and all I’ve seen from humans is ugliness. I don’t want to rely on people like that… I’d sooner be a gentle monster, like you,” I said, fixing her with a smile.
“Ho… Ho-ho… I see. Then so be it… But you’ll regret it, becoming a monster like me…”
Seeing that I wasn’t about to back down, Meltreza bared her fangs with a cute little simper. Then, drawing close, she pressed them up against my neck.
“…You can still turn back. It’s now or never, you know?” she declared gravely, her words carrying the weight of a final warning. Both her voice and her body, however, were shaking.
“This… This means joining you for real, doesn’t it?”
“…You’re a fool… A real idiot…!” she muttered tearfully.
“I know…” I nodded and closed my eyes.
…Yet the pain I expected never came. Instead, I felt warm drops land on my neck and trickle down my skin.
“……”
“……”
After a long while, she pulled herself away from my body and stared down at me with a stern look. Was she angry…?
“L-Lady Meltreza…?”
“…You’re a sneak.”
Um… What’s that supposed to mean…?
“The other men my grandfather brought to me—they would praise me at first, but the second I showed them my fangs and revealed my true nature, they all ran back to the door screaming bloody murder.”
“……”
“But you didn’t run. No, you even asked me to turn you…,” she said with a pout.
A moment ago she’d had the bewitching aura of a vampire, but now she seemed like a typical young girl.
“… Just so we’re clear, half vampires don’t have the power to turn anyone. Did you already know that…?”
“Huh?! R-really?!” I stammered, caught off guard.
I had assumed all vampires were capable of turning humans and recruiting them as their servants…
But when Meltreza saw my reaction—
Squeeze.
“Y-you really are…!”
—she leaped into my arms, nuzzling her beautiful face against my chest. I could feel her slender shoulders shaking with each breath.
“…Will you believe me now?” I asked.
“…Believe what?” she said as I wiped the tears from her cheeks with my shirt.
“That I want to be with you, of course. That you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”
“Ugh… Th-that’s enough…”
No sooner had the words left my mouth than Meltreza’s skin, so pale you could almost see through it, flushed scarlet, and she buried her face in my chest again.
Ha-ha… So the rumors weren’t to be trusted after all…
“…From now on…,” she began.
“Yes…?”
“We’re going to be together from now on… So I want you to tell me everything there is to know about you…”
It seemed she was ready to accept me—even my selfish, calculating side.
“All right,” I said. “And I want to know everything about you, too, Lady Meltreza.”
“…You really are a sneak,” she said, pursing her lips once more.
But as she spoke, her crimson eyes were as clear and serene as could be.