Chapter Two: The Love Letter and the Cabinet Trap

 

 

 

Chapter 2: The Love Letter and the Cabinet Trap

 

YUURI startled awake from a nightmare, her throat dry, the room mired in shadows.

From the second-floor window of her bedroom, she could just glimpse the sky through the spaces between other houses. As she peeled back the heavy curtain, she noticed the eastern sky just beginning to lighten. It was still early for her to be up, but she doubted she could fall back asleep.

“Lord…Ernest…” She tried to give voice to the name she could never say in front of him. The blond young noble was a frequent feature in her dreams as of late. He was the source of both her nightmares and her thirst. And the only one who could quell either.

“If only I could learn to endure this thirst on my own,” she muttered softly. There was no one else around to hear her and yet she wanted, no, needed, to let those words have form.

What a cruel man! Why is he so nice to me? How irresponsible!

Yuuri was different from everyone else. She had received so many of her grandmother’s vampiric qualities and now that she had reached maturation, she would need to drink the blood of others, just as her grandmother had drank her grandfather’s blood. But that desire hadn’t come right when she reached maturity. By the time it did, her grandparents were gone and she was left unsure of how to handle it.

Unable to bear it any longer, she’d asked for blood as compensation for the unique request of her family’s knowledge.

If only he had returned her request with laughter or disdain like any normal person would have, her craving wouldn’t have grown so strong. She might have resented him in the moment, but they’d both be better off in the long run.

But Ernest was not the type to do as others would expect. He had an annoying knack for doing just the opposite.

Yuuri’s memory of the event was hazy after Ernest had offered her his index finger. The sweet intoxicating scent just below the skin was burnt into her mind. Not a second after his blood touched her lips, she became an animal, and try as she might to stop herself, she couldn’t. That change terrified her and she burst into tears. But she knew, now that she had tasted it, she couldn’t live without Ernest’s blood.

Suddenly, Yuuri missed her grandmother terribly.

“Oh Grandmother, Grandfather, what should I do? I’ve made a horrible mistake…”

The dawning sun drifted behind the clouds, chasing away the lingering traces of night with gentle rays. The light was dull enough not to overwhelm her eyes.

“All right.”

If the sun’s rays were too bright, Yuuri became sleepy and wanted to sink into the shadows. Early mornings were the time she had the most energy.

She changed out of her nightgown, washed her face, and gnawed on some toast. When Yuuri did actually leave the sanctity of her home, she chose a Hylantian-style jacket over the comfort of her usual haori. Even in her best efforts to blend in, with her distinct features, she already stood out enough.

Once she was dressed, she posted a sign that read “Will Return Shortly” by the door, though she doubted anyone would actually come during her absence.

There was only one visitor the sign might apply to, and he was an oddball who cared little for holidays or closures anyway. And yet she prayed that very visitor would find his way to her as she shut and locked the door.

Yuuri pulled her hat low over her face and carried a parasol for extra protection, despite the overcast sky. She approached a large road where horse-drawn carriages dashed to and fro.

She bought a flower bouquet to leave for her grandparents before approaching the stagecoach boarding area. A passing carriage stopped abruptly and Ernest suddenly popped his head out.

“Miss Yuuri!”

He leapt out and strode over to her. The young nobleman wore a tailored suit, with his blond hair covered by a hat, and he carried an intricately crafted cane, all of which painted the features of a posh noble as Ernest flashed Yuuri his usual easy smile. His clear blue eyes shone with a mischievous glint in the early dawn.

He was a close friend of the king. Some viewed his appearance and mannerisms as befitting of a lighthearted gentleman, while others saw him as insincere and disconnected.

Yuuri could never bring herself to ask the bright, handsome young man why he chose to spend his days off with a dismal witch like her. She was the one who told him he could come, yet she feared he’d soon tire of her.

“Good morning, m’lord.”

“I was a bit taken aback to see you outside during the daytime.”

“How rude. I can handle shopping at the very least. And where might you be off to?”

Ernest gave her a snarky grin, as if to imply she should know. His flippant attitude did irk her at times. “I have the day off. And since the weather is so pleasant…I thought I might invite you out to spend it with me.”

Yuuri told him she hated sunny days as much as rainy ones, so cloudy days must have seemed the only logical conclusion for what she did enjoy. She especially hated this uncanny confidence and know-it-all attitude of his.

“I’m sorry, but I’m on an errand of my own.”

“So you’re awaiting a coach? Why not let me take you? Come now, I insist!” Ernest snatched Yuuri’s parasol and grabbed her hand before she had time to refuse him.

“Huh, wha—wait!” Neither her objections nor her stern glare seemed to faze him. He was so swift that Yuuri was in the carriage seat before she realized it.

“Now then, where to?”

“My grandmother’s grave. It’s atop a hill past the harbor.”

“All the way out there?”

Ernest quickly relayed her directions to the coachman and they were off. The hill on the far side of the harbor was home to a church as well as a graveyard. The hill had a breathtaking view, and it was a popular resting place for the nobility and the equally well-off.

“Your grandmother wasn’t involved with international trade like the rest of your family, was she?”

“She wasn’t. I heard my great-grandfather brought his family here from Hinomoto, but sailing regularly was difficult for a man, let alone a woman, so the family business skipped over her to my father.”

Sailing between countries was a large part of a merchant’s job. Not only that, but leading a life at sea, surrounded by men as rough as the seas they sailed, was likely difficult for a woman. It was easy to see why Yuuri’s grandmother had passed on inheriting the family business.

“…I see. Wouldn’t the family have urged her to take on a husband who could have succeeded the business then?”

Ernest was right. Most merchant families would select a skilled employee with stellar business acumen to marry their daughter and take over the business. But vampires were not the most versed in modern social standards.

“My grandfather was a gardener who worked for the Watoh family, but he had no sense for business.”

Yuuri’s grandfather was a gardener, but his inability to speak a foreign language or handle complex math made him a poor choice to succeed the family business. He remained a gardener until just before he passed away.

Since Yuuri’s grandfather had been unable to take over, her father was groomed as a successor from a young age. Sailing alongside her great-grandfather, he learned the skills of the trade.

“So your grandmother married for love. Were her parents all right with that?”

“My grandparents weren’t part of the nobility, so outside of having an heir to take on the business, I don’t think it mattered as much.”

Yuuri’s heart pounded in her chest. If this conversation continued, she might have to explain other vampiric customs to Ernest.

“Ahh. If you’re going to pay your respects, may I join you?”

“…Very well.”

Honestly, she didn’t want to tell him about her grandparents. But, unable to find a good reason to refuse, she relented.

❦❦❦

THEY jostled about in the carriage over the next hour before it broke onto the seaside road. The dismal weather and thick clouds made it difficult to see too far ahead, but the lack of sunshine suited Yuuri just fine.

“Mind if I open the window?”

After only an hour of travel, the air outside the windows had changed considerably. The salty aroma of sea air danced about the carriage.

“Is that the harbor? Look at the huge boats docked there.”

Ernest was pointing at the two large boats docked in the harbor, flanked by several smaller vessels. Products for trade were stored in warehouses neatly built along the shoreline. Several of the storehouses belonged to Watoh Company.

The coastal road eventually gave way to a hilly incline. The carriage came to a stop in front of a stunning church, leaving its passengers to make the remainder of the journey on foot. Ernest leapt out first and instinctively offered Yuuri his hand.

Just how many ladies has he helped out of this carriage…?

Yuuri wasn’t quite sure what to make of Ernest and his eccentricities, his behaviors and mannerisms were very refined. He was especially gentle in his treatment of women, which made Yuuri suspect that he wasn’t exactly inexperienced with them.

Meanwhile, Yuuri was a naïve, socially awkward shut-in. Being a vampire aside, she had always struggled with social mores. Her chest tightened upon realizing the difference between them, and she began to resent him for it.

Ernest reached up to help Yuuri down. Despite her resentment, she took his hand. Her mind desperately wanted to pull away, but some other part of her, the human part, was completely entranced by him.

So she held his hand as they climbed the hill to her grandparents’ graves.

No matter how sullen she became, Ernest continued to offer her the same gentle smile. That patience only irritated her further.

The hilltop had a view of the ocean and a quaint little graveyard nestled under a large weeping willow. Yuuri headed straight to where her family rest.

“June, H.E. 751…and July of the same year? You had so much loss in such a short time,” Ernest murmured in shock as he read the dates etched into the gravestone.

“Yes, but they both lived to a ripe old age, so I believe that, as long as they’re together in Heaven, they’re both happy,” Yuuri said, unable to think of anything else to say.

Her grandfather had died of illness. But her grandmother, who died shortly thereafter, had not succumbed to illness or old age. She had died of starvation, having lost her food source. But Yuuri did not see this as a sad thing. As a vampire, this was perhaps the greatest end one could wish for.

“I see…”

“Is something wrong?”

“No.”

Ernest closed his eyes and offered a prayer to the pair. Yuuri placed the flowers she had bought and joined Ernest, closing her eyes as well.

Grandmother, Grandfather, I truly am a fool. Ernest is so good and kind. But someday, he too will leave me. So I can’t…allow myself to fall for him.

She could never tell Ernest this. He was a good person.

If she went ahead and drank his blood and the day came that he could no longer sustain her, she would die.

She was the irresponsible one. For drinking his blood without telling him the truth. Wishing for him to stay with her solely because she would die without him was downright deplorable.

I’m so sorry, Grandmother. After all those times you warned me…

Vampires truly were awkward creatures. Awkward, yet devoted.

She was certain that her great-grandfather truly had wanted a son-in-law with a strong business acumen. Yet his daughter went and fell for a simple gardener. Vampire tradition dictated that once a vampire chose their partner, they were entwined for life. Her great-grandfather had been left no choice but to accept their decision, despite the difficulty this would cause him.

Thus, her grandmother had always harped on her to find someone she truly loved. Someone who could accept her for who she was, all of who she was.

But whenever Yuuri asked how to find the right person to fall in love with, her grandmother told her she couldn’t answer that question. Still, she desperately wanted Yuuri to learn from her mistakes.

I’m so sorry, Grandmother. It looks like I’m a lost cause too. Yuuri continued her one-sided conversation with her grandmother in her thoughts.

Having said all that she needed to say, Yuuri slowly opened her eyes and glanced over at Ernest, who was still deep in prayer, his hands clasped in front of his chest.

“Count Selden…?”

“Hm? …Oh, done already?”

“Yes. I just wanted to let them know everything that has been going on.”

“And did that ‘everything’ include me?” he teased.

Almost everything Yuuri shared with her grandparents was about him. About the case he’d assigned her, about how he treated her shop like a cafe…and about how he had offered her his blood.

He had been absolutely right, and yet his smug attitude, his know-it-all, “It did include me, didn’t it?” irritated her so.

“Yes… I told them about how I’ve become acquainted with an odd nobleman as of late.”

“Odd? …Ah well.”

Ernest was so tolerant of all her idiosyncrasies, and yet she still struggled to be open with him. She instinctively pushed him away,

But she feared what would happen if she told him the truth, and what a weak person he might think her if he knew how greatly she depended on him now.

The two of them made their way back down the hill to where the carriage awaited them. When they reached the steps, he again offered Yuuri his hand. They walked hand in hand for a bit before Ernest came to a sudden stop.

Yuuri followed his gaze to see a young man in all black, down on his knees in silent prayer.

Ashes were scattered about his feet, as if he’d recently burned paper. He had likely delivered his thoughts to the departed by burning them on the scrap of paper, thus sending them along with the smoke to the hereafter.

Not wanting to disturb his silent ritual, Yuuri fell back a step to try and find another way down to the carriage.

“Joel? Joel Weller?” Ernest called out to the young man. The young man, his eyes moss green and his hair ash brown, stood up and slowly gazed at the pair. His mouth broke into a gentle smile as he recognized Ernest.

“Ah, Ernest. Fancy seeing you here. And who is this lovely lady with you…?”

“I’ve told you about my lovely little witch before, haven’t I?”

“Yours? I do not belong to anyone!” Yuuri shoved his hand away, her face scarlet.

“Lady Yuuri, this is Baron Joel Weller.” Ernest had intentionally ignored her outburst and moved the conversation along.

“Pleasure to meet you. I’m Yuuri Watoh,” she greeted despite being irked with Ernest.

“So you’re the famed daughter of Watoh Company. I’ve heard all about you from Ernest.” Joel seemed like a decent man. Unlike so many others, he didn’t leer at Yuuri, with her rare obsidian eyes and raven hair.

“Are the two of you friends?” she asked.

“We go all the way back to boarding school. Remember when I borrowed those medical books? He was the one who was going to try and translate them. He’s a promising diplomat who’s fairly proficient in Xingkaese. Or he’s supposed to be…”

“Supposed to be? It wasn’t my fault! Medicine isn’t exactly my specialty, you know?”

Now it made sense why Yuuri’s appearance didn’t surprise Joel. As a diplomat proficient in Xingkaese, he likely dealt with people from the East on a daily basis.

“It’s actually fortuitous to meet a witch from the East like this. I have something I’d like to ask your help with.”

“You want my help?” Now Yuuri was taken aback.

“Yes. Actually, it’s about my late father—”

“Hold it! All requests for the witch’s help must come through me! Don’t just dump your problems on her,” Ernest said, cutting him off.

“Hey, don’t just—ah!”

“Sorry, but please give us a moment.” Ernest dragged Yuuri off, not releasing his hold on her until they were under the shade of a large tree.

“Miss Yuuri, you lack the knowledge of how things work and a fundamental cautiousness of the world. First of all, stop assuming that other men have your best interests at heart. You don’t need to commit to helping him just yet.”

If she shouldn’t assume strange men had her best interest at heart, then what should she do about the strange man who made a habit of inviting himself into her shop?

She tilted her head and gave him a quizzical look.

“Uh, except for me, naturally. And you’re always wary of me anyway. In this situation, you should do the opposite.”

“Do the opposite?”

“For now, you should think of me as the only safe man in the world. All others should be suspect!”

Yuuri had no idea where he got the confidence for such declarations.

Clearly he had forgotten how he told her the second time they met that he was dangerous too. But, even though they still didn’t know each other well, she was positive if she pointed this fact out to him, he would merely deflect with some eloquent comeback. Which was why Yuuri tried to change the subject rather than engage in a needless argument.

“…So are you saying I shouldn’t even speak to other men for work? Even though I want to become a renowned witch who helps the people of this city like my grandmother?”

“Well, I’ll be with you while you talk to this man, so it’s all right. And if you do accept his request, I’ll see to it you get proper compensation.”

“Compensation…?” Yuuri stared into Ernest’s blue eyes, now firm with his resolve. By compensation, it was clear he meant his own blood.

“You don’t want mine? Would you prefer his instead? You know it’s probably not a good idea to let your secret get around to too many people, right?”

No, Ernest’s blood was the only blood she craved. She craved it so badly that just the suggestion of it suddenly made her mouth water.

“B-But what do you gain from all of this?”

“My, you are quite the difficult woman… Have you never heard of noblesse oblige? Also, it’s natural for one friend to want to help another. But if you are going to help him, I insist on doing it with you, all right?”

Their negotiation settled, the pair returned to hear Joel’s request.

❦❦❦

THE trio returned to the city in order to hear Joel’s request in private. And since Ernest had appointed himself the go-between, he insisted on bringing them to his manor.

His manor was an elegant estate, resplendent with its own rose garden.

Yuuri might have lived a simple city life, but she was still the daughter of one the Five Great Merchants of Hylant. She wasn’t as unaccustomed to vast mansions as one might expect.

“And here I had hoped Miss Yuuri and I would spend the day sampling the finest sweets at a local cafe. Joel, you owe me dearly for my boundless benevolence.” Ernest lied, making it sound like he and Yuuri had been on a date.

“I beg your pardon for intruding on your afternoon date…”

“He’s just teasing, we had no such plans, so please don’t worry about it.”

Joel looked nervously at the couple: Yuuri responded coolly while Ernest shook his head in absolute denial.

It was just about lunchtime when the trio arrived at the manor. They had finished lunch and were sitting down to tea when Joel finally brought up the topic he wanted to ask about.

“My adopted father passed away over a year ago.”

“Adopted father?” Yuuri asked.

“Yes. The former Baron Weller and his Baroness were not blessed with children of their own, so they adopted me. It happened shortly after my mother passed away, so I was really quite lucky, but being thrust into the nobility and shipped off to boarding school so suddenly was overwhelming to say the least.”

“Come to think of it, you were a cheeky little git when we first met.”

If Joel and Ernest were indeed schoolmates, then Joel must have been twenty-seven as well. He seemed an affable gentleman by what Yuuri had seen so far, despite the fact that he hadn’t been born a noble.

“Becoming a man and learning about the world tends to change a person, I believe. …Though it is a bit frightening how staunchly you refuse to change, Ernest. You were so fascinated with me in spite of my not being born a noble, or perhaps because of it.”

Yuuri could easily picture what Ernest was like as a boy. He must have been a curious child, if the intense fascination with which he had stared at her and her garments the first time they met was any indication. He also had a mysterious charm that made him easy to get along with.

“Apologies for getting so off-topic.”

“Not at all. Take your time…”

“Have you ever heard of a funadansu?”

“No, I can’t say I have,” Ernest jumped in before Yuuri could respond. She sighed, wishing he would just keep his mouth shut if he didn’t know. Annoyed, she tried to explain what a funadansu was to him.

“It’s an object similar to a safe and common in the East. It’s used on boats to store one’s valuables and built of wood so that, in the event the ship sinks, the funadansu will float while keeping the valuables secure.”

“My adopted father was a diplomat. While assigned to a post on the eastern continent, he received a funadansu.”

According to Joel, most generations of the Weller barony had been diplomats as well.

Most furnishings from the East that were used to store one’s everyday belongings were coveted as art pieces in the West. The funadasu was solid, airtight even, and its decorative metal fittings were beautiful. The ones crafted by artisans from Hinomoto were especially in high demand, and Watoh Company was more than happy to rise to the occasion. Even the funadansu which Baron Weller had received from a high-ranking Xingkaese official was made by a Hinomoto artisan.

“When he fell ill, my adopted father pleaded with me to destroy the letter he had stored away in his funadasu. But try as I might, I could not get the funadasu open. His speech had declined so much, I couldn’t even get him to explain it to me. I wasn’t willing to risk destroying the funadansu either.”

“But most funadansu—”

“Oh? Have you figured something out, Miss Yuuri?”

Yuuri glared at Ernest, irritated that he was needlessly running his mouth again.

“Count Selden, please be quiet for a moment. Baron Weller, the funadansu may have a mechanism, one that unlocks a hidden compartment.”

“Heh, my adopted mother has also suggested there might be a hidden drawer. I’ve tried several ways of finding it, with nothing to show for it. I had hoped that, with you being familiar with Eastern culture, maybe you would know a way…”

Joel was well-aware that there may be a hidden drawer, he just had no way of finding it. And that was about as much as Yuuri knew as well.

“I’m terribly sorry, but this is outside my area of expertise.”

“…I see,” Joel said, slumping his shoulders.

“Though I may know someone who can help you,” Yuuri offered, disappointed that her grandmother’s wisdom wouldn’t be able to help this time. At least she knew someone experienced in Eastern craftsmanship.

“Oh, who’s that?” Ernest asked, his eyes twinkling. He was more interested than Joel who had actually made the request.

“My older brother, Simon Watoh.”

“Older brother, eh? Well I would definitely like to meet him.”

Ernest’s smile grew mischievous. A chill ran down Yuuri’s back and she was sure that nothing good could come of this meeting.

Simon was the last person Yuuri wanted to introduce to anyone. As soon as she saw him she was ready to leave. And, just as she feared, as soon as her brother came up, Ernest, that meddlesome ball of curiosity, insisted on coming along.

Heaving a big sigh, Yuuri relented to take them both to the main headquarters of Watoh Company.

❦❦❦

WATOH Company’s headquarters were in the wealthiest part of the city, just off the main road.

Yuuri normally never went anywhere near the family manor where her mother resided, but she did occasionally visit the company office. The company’s best-selling products were the teas Yuuri mixed, sold under the auspices of being from an Eastern brewer made with Western ingredients. It was the exact same as the tea Yuuri sold in her own shop, but with no customers aside from Ernest, who always drank jasmine tea, she had no sales numbers for comparison.

The doorman standing in front of the building recognized Yuuri and readily opened the door for them. The vast entrance was adorned with an ornate chandelier. Eastern-style vases dotted the room and scrolls hung on the walls. Yuuri’s companions were awestruck at the sight.

“Welcome back, miss. And fond salutations to your friends.” The older man who served as Simon’s adviser appeared. Welcoming Yuuri back as if this were still her home was a small kindness he always offered her.

Yuuri gave a tiny nod. “I apologize for disturbing your work. Where is my brother?”

“Lord Simon is in his office.”

“Is he busy today?” They had, after all, shown up unannounced. If he had clients scheduled, they’d either be forced to wait or come back another time.

“I’ll need to confer with him. Please wait here for the time being,” the elder man said, guiding them to a side room normally used for business dealings before disappearing to find Simon. Moments later, he returned, carrying a tray of tea and confections. Both Ernest, who’d learned from the copious amounts of tea he drank at Yuuri’s shop, and Joel, who worked as a diplomat, deftly managed the handleless teacups.

“Yuuri!” a slender man exclaimed as he charged into the room. With chestnut hair and grey-blue eyes, Simon’s petite stature was the only thing he had in common with his sister.

His clothes were all that gave away his Hinomoto ancestry. He wore hakama, traditional Hinomoto trousers, as part of his daily attire. And he was clearly the one sending Yuuri haori.

He immediately rushed toward his little sister, causing her to hide behind Ernest.

“I’m terribly sorry for disturbing you at work…and, I, uhm, brought visitors with me…” He could see that Yuuri was clearly afraid of him, and like a scolded dog, he pulled away.

“Sorry, it’s just you never come and see me. Now then…” he said, turning his gaze to the two young men.

“This is Count Selden and this is Baron Weller. They need your help,” she introduced from behind Ernest.

“I’m Yuuri’s older brother, Simon. Pleasure to meet you. Count Selden, I hear you have been taking particularly good care of my sister, yes?” Simon began his introduction with the affable politeness one would expect of a businessman. But as he broached the topic of Ernest, his words became sharp and his eyes began to narrow. Yuuri’s fears had been right on the mark: there was no way these two would get along.

“Not at all. As it happens, I am the one in her debt. And please call me Ernest, my esteemed big brother!”

“What?! I’m afraid you are further on in years than I, Count Selden!”

“S-S-Simon! These are our guests! And noblemen at that…”

Watoh Company certainly wielded its own influence among the nobility, but at the end of the day, the Watohs were still commoners. Ernest, on the other hand, was the head of a prestigious noble family and a close friend of King Rodrick. Ernest might be a playful sort of man, particularly with Yuuri, but such inconsiderate words in standard polite society were not allowed. The fact that the Watoh family heir would speak with such unbridled distaste to someone, especially during the first meeting, left Yuuri mortified.

And Ernest, grinning wildly with a surprising amount of composure, was of little comfort to her. “Miss Yuuri, it’s all right. I’m not upset in the least. Lord Simon was just worried about you.”

Rising to his provocations, Simon was shaking, his hands clenched into fists.

“By the way, Lord Simon, are those clothes of yours from Hinomoto?”

“Yes, they are! I am of Hinomoto descent, and so are my clothes!” Simon’s face was scarlet as he could scarcely answer the question, embarrassed at how his opponent baited him.

“So you must be the one who sends her all those haori. They suit her very well. I especially like the vivid blue one with the red flowers on it.”

The tension in Simon’s face disappeared at the mention of Yuuri’s haori. “The camellia one? I agree. I picked it out for her myself when I was in Hinomoto.”

“Uhm, Simon, perhaps we should get to the real reason we’ve come today. The baron here has something he’d like to ask you about…” Yuuri suspected it was now or never if she wanted to guide the discussion back to the baron’s request while her brother was still in a good mood.

“Hm? Ah, yes, my apologies.”

“Baron Weller has a funadansu in his possession, but has asked for help in finding its hidden compartment.”

“A funadansu?”

“Yes. He received it from a Xingkaese diplomat, but it’s of Hinomotoese craftsmanship.”

“There are certain principles guiding Hinomoto trap construction. If I can take a look at it, I could figure it out with ease!” Simon was an avid collector of works of art and craftsmanship from Hinomoto.

When he first began negotiations with Xingka and Hinomoto, he took an interest in local fashions. As his interests deepened, he began wearing hakama even when he was at work.

“Really? Thank you very much, Lord Simon!” Joel was overjoyed at Simon’s easy confidence.

Still, if his adopted father didn’t want the letter found, then perhaps that’s how it should stay?

Yuuri couldn’t help but wonder why Joel was so desperate to find the letter. Perhaps he had an idea of what might be written within it. But Yuuri doubted disclosing what the deceased had wanted destroyed was the right thing to do.

Still, Joel’s serious demeanor suggested he wasn’t searching for the letter out of mere curiosity. And she was hesitant to butt into another family’s affairs. So, in the end, Yuuri decided not to ask him.

Simon agreed to pay Baron Weller a visit in three days’ time and with that, they brought the conversation to a close.

They had been so engrossed in their discussion that the sun was beginning its descent before they realized it. Just as the three visitors prepared to take their leave, Simon hurried to stop Yuuri.

“Yuuri, why don’t you stay for dinner? We can eat out somewhere; we don’t have to dine in the manor.”

“N-no, I can’t…I have plans.”

She avoided being alone with Simon at all costs. She knew he worried about her living all alone and wished nothing more than for her to come live with him. Yuuri felt she must be a horrible sort of person for being so cold to someone who only held the best of intentions.

“Plans? You don’t mean with the esteemed count here, do you?!”

“No! And anyway, it’s none of your business. What if she says something…?” She felt guilty, but in the end, she turned him down.

“Let Mother say whatever she likes—it doesn’t matter to me!”

“…And I hate to see you two fight!”

“But that won’t happen, I promise!”

“If you keep covering for me, she’ll turn that same icy glare on you, Simon.”

Simon always wore the hakama, so as not to lose touch with his Hinomoto roots. Each time he visited the country, he brought his sister back beautiful clothes. Though Yuuri appreciated his kindness, she couldn’t reciprocate.

“I’m sorry, Simon,” Yuuri said, leaving the room before he could object further.

Before boarding her carriage, Yuuri bowed to the two men who had accompanied her. “I am so terribly sorry both of you had to see that.”

“I’ll see you home,” Ernest said, looking unusually worried.

The pair parted with Joel and rode the rest of the way to Yuuri’s shop in silence. Yuuri could tell Ernest’s silence was out of concern for her. But what she really wanted was for him to comfort her.

“Can I tell you something?” Yuuri asked as he walked her into her shop.

“I assumed you didn’t feel much like talking, so I remained silent, but of course. I always want to hear more about you,” Ernest said, taking his usual seat on the couch.

Yuuri sat down next to him and began to explain her relationship with her brother. While she did not look like either of her parents due to the atavism, Simon was the spitting image of their mother. Their mother showered Simon with as much love as she did Yuuri with hate. Due to his mother’s influence, the young Simon began to hate Yuuri as well. It seemed a natural progression, with Yuuri living at her grandmother’s, the siblings rarely saw each other. But as he grew, he recognized the cruelness in his mother’s heart, and his treatment of Yuuri began to change. Yuuri, still a child then, was simply grateful for her brother’s sudden kindness.

This harmony didn’t last.

One day, upon learning Simon had gone to their grandparents to see Yuuri, their mother rushed over there in a rage. Having almost forgotten her daughter, the look on Yuuri’s mother’s face when she saw her was one of rage and hatred. From that day on, Yuuri avoided Simon.

“You could see your mother lurking just behind your brother’s eyes, couldn’t you? Something like that?”

Yuuri bristled. Ernest was speaking the truth she’d sought to avoid.

Every time Yuuri and Simon got close, their mother went into a fit. That was true.

But the real reason Yuuri didn’t want to spend time with Simon was because he reminded her of their mother. No matter how happy they were spending time together, it was her mother’s piercing grey-blue eyes staring back at her, sending chills down her spine. Just as Yuuri’s mother couldn’t bring herself to love her, Yuuri couldn’t manage to separate Simon from her mother. Because of that, she could never truly love him.

“If someone else is with me, it’s all right. But when it’s just the two of us, I never know what to talk to him about. I can’t seem to relax around him. I’m sure it’s some mixture of jealousy and hate.”

Though they both had the same parents, they looked nothing alike. Their mother had given Simon all of her love. And for that, Yuuri both envied and hated Simon. And she hated herself for feeling that way.

“I see. But maybe you also care about your brother.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because you treasure the gifts he gives you. …Now then…”

“…?”

Ernest pulled closer to Yuuri and took her hand.

Even in the dimly lit room, Yuuri’s adaptive eyes could see the look on his face. She could tell he was planning to do something untoward, but she couldn’t easily evade him.

“Now, what’s the best way to comfort a lady in distress? Or rather, how much would you permit me?” He lifted her hand to his lips. Unsure of how to stop the thundering of her own heart, Yuuri merely froze. He lifted his other hand to caress her cheek. “You don’t have to pull away.”

He tilted her face up gently. But Yuuri pulled away, giving him a final warning. His heart sank.

“Please leave!”

Embarrassed at not being able to resist him right away, Yuuri stood up and moved away from Ernest. She chased him out of the shop before collapsing on the couch.

“‘You should think of me as the only safe man in the world,’” she repeated what he had said to her earlier that day. “That was a big fat lie.”

That lying count had drained the last of Yuuri’s energy, leaving her too mentally exhausted to even consider her mother or brother.

❦❦❦

THREE days later, Ernest brought Yuuri to the Weller estate.

It was a dreadfully sunny day. The moment she stepped outside, the brilliance of the sun’s light left her in a daze. Were it not for Ernest’s carriage, she doubted she could have gone.

“You really can’t handle the sun. Are you sure you aren’t going to melt?”

“I just don’t like the intense glare. Sorry to disappoint, but pleasant days are not my thing.” Yuuri knew Ernest would laugh at the way her eyes squinted to dull the sun’s glare, so she faced the other way. “Was it really necessary for you to come along? Just how many holidays do you get?”

“This concerns a colleague of mine. Of course I’d come along! I’m a stand-up guy, so I can leave my other tasks for now. And besides, I’m your go-between; I have to see this through!”

“…In other words, you’re slacking off on your other duties,” Yuuri deduced with deceptive ease, desperately trying to avoid reminding him of the tense way in which they had parted three days ago. That desperation was making her colder than ever towards Ernest.

They sat in the Weller family’s parlor, awaiting both their host and Simon. Intent on not meeting Ernest’s gaze, Yuuri let her eyes wander around the room. She began to study the portraits hanging on the walls. Her eyes settled upon a man and woman who seemed to be a couple.

“Huh? He looks like Joel.” The gentleman in the portrait was in his forties, but his looks and demeanor closely resembled Joel’s.

“…That was the former Baron Weller. My late husband.”

The words came from an older woman, dressed in the standard black attire expected of a widow in mourning, complete with a necklace made out of fossilized jet gemstones. She was Joel’s adoptive mother, Isabella Weller. Widows in Hylant were expected to wear their mourning attire for a considerably long time, so now, even a year after her husband’s death, she was still clad in black.

The portrait must have been done many years ago. In it, Mrs. Weller was still blonde and beautiful, as opposed to the white-haired, wrinkly woman who stood before them now.

“Well hello, Lady Isabella.”

“Good to see you, Count Selden. And is this the witch I’ve heard so much about?”

“I’m Yuuri Watoh.”

As the wife of a diplomat, Isabella had met her fair share of people who looked like Yuuri while staying in Xingka, so she merely smiled and nodded at the girl’s normally out-of-place appearance.

“Though you are our guests, I am the one in your debt. I hope Joel hasn’t caused too much trouble on my behalf. If so, you have my apologies.”

“Not at all.”

“Joel is working so hard, even though we are not related by blood, so I suppose I shouldn’t tease him.”

They were not blood-related, which seemed all the more motivation for Joel to work his hardest to find the letter for her. He felt that, by finding the letter his adopted father had tried to erase, he could repay his debt to her.

“Lady Isabella, if you find the letter, will you read it?”

Isabella gave a sad smile upon hearing Yuuri’s question. “Yes. …Do you think me a terrible wife for trying to find the letter my husband sought to hide?”

Was it wrong? Neither Isabella nor Joel seemed to be doing it out of nosiness. Yuuri continued to stare at Isabella without responding.

“So what do you think of our portrait? Count Selden, I know you were acquainted with the baron.”

“He and Joel were a lot alike and I know, even now, Joel still tries to emulate him,” Ernest said, unable to deny the similarities between them. Both he and Yuuri, who had just met Joel, could see how alike they were.

“My husband always said, ‘it’s easier to love a child who resembles you in some way.’ And then he brought Joel home. As Joel grew, he came to look more and more like my late husband when he was young. They weren’t related by blood, so I wonder why that was?”

That wasn’t a question she wanted them to answer. It was clear that Isabella suspected Joel wasn’t adopted, but in fact the former baron’s illegitimate son.

“He hid it for all those years. So why the change of heart just before his death?” she muttered more to herself.

In other words, what purpose did divulging the dead man’s secrets serve for Isabella and Joel? Yuuri, who already had reservations, was only beginning to feel more and more uneasy about the whole thing. She wondered if maybe Isabella would be happier not knowing.

Isabella stared at the portrait of her and her husband. Her eyes shimmered with a mixture of sadness and affection.

As a pair of voices approached the room, Isabella lifted a finger to her lips, as if to implore them to keep this conversation between them.

“Oh, Mother, so this is where you’ve been,” Joel said as he entered the room, accompanied by two servants carrying the funadansu with Simon in tow.

“Yes. You were taking so long, I decided to chat with our guests.”

“I’m sorry. Moving the funadansu proved to be more difficult than I expected.”

Most funadansu were meant to be movable, but this one was especially large and required more than one person to carry it.

“I’m terribly sorry, you two. And Lord Simon, thank you for traveling all this way.”

“Not at all. I’m ecstatic to see something so rare,” Simon said, presenting Joel with a gift. Joel might not have been one of his clients yet, but a good businessman never missed the opportunity to seed a new customer. Shortly thereafter, Simon broached the topic of the rare Eastern treasure.

Yuuri sat silently next to Ernest, watching everything play out. Eventually, her eyes met Simon’s.

“Yuuri…about the other day, I’m…”

“I was the one in the wrong. I…”

“You did nothing wrong! I…uh…”

The two of them became so embarrassed, they couldn’t speak. Though they were siblings, the divide between them was still vast.

Yuuri knew her brother was only worried about her, living all alone as she did. She knew she couldn’t run away forever, but she couldn’t manage to figure out how to open up.

“Please do all you can to help the Weller family, Simon.” Many thoughts raced through Yuuri’s mind, but in the end, that was all she could think of to say.

Simon responded with a smile, showing that he was willing to do as she hoped.

❦❦❦

THE cabinet sat on a table in the parlor. One by one, each drawer was removed and they peered inside. They all watched with rapt attention as Simon worked.

“The interior of this funadansu makes me think it was built for shipping.”

“What’s different about one built for shipping?” Joel asked.

“It’s built much more practically. To open it, one would need to insert the right keys in the right order, for example. The antitheft design is complex, which means…”

Simon measured the width of the boards and knocked on the funadansu, listening for differences in the depth of sound. Wherever there were differences must be where the triggering mechanism was.

“Here it is.” Simon had found his target on the side of the cabinet. The wood grain blended in perfectly, but sliding it up with enough force revealed it was a movable panel. The hidden compartment Joel had searched so long for proved an easy find for Simon.

“There we are,” Simon said, feeling around inside the hidden space. The letter was indeed there. Joel took it and opened the envelope.

The envelope was unsealed and there were no stamps, meaning the former baron had never mailed it.

Ah, my dear Isabella,

Is there anything that could compare to thy beauty? The flowers of spring in full bloom? The glistening surface of the ocean in summer? Fall’s harvest moon? But what of winter, our current season?

I can find nothing in the drab, colorless misery of winter that is worthy of your beauty. That is why I want nothing more than for your beauty to illuminate my frozen heart, every day.

Please forgive this flawed man, though his sins run deep.

“Is this a…love letter? The handwriting is absolutely Father’s.”

The envelope bulged with paper. There were at least ten pages. And every page was filled with romantic writings extolling his love for his not-yet wife in their younger days. Both Joel and Simon blushed while reading the flowery prose.

“Th-That’s what the previous baron was hiding? Pfft! Hahaha!” Unable to contain himself, Ernest roared with laughter.

“Lord Ernest, please! You’re being very rude!”

“I can’t help it! Who wouldn’t throw those out…! Haha!”

Despite Yuuri chastising him, Ernest grabbed his sides and chuckled. Joel could no longer hold his laughter in either. Simon lowered his head, but his shoulders were trembling.

“Mother?” Everyone looked to Isabella. She was trying to keep a straight face, but laughter was beginning to slip out.

“…I’m terribly sorry, everyone. I did not expect such a pleasant surprise. His letters were always so matter-of-fact and strictly business. I certainly never expected this!”

Though they had been together for decades, she was only just now seeing this side of her late husband. Though tears played at the corners of her eyes, it was Isabella’s laughter that continued for several minutes.

“He truly loved me, didn’t he?”

“Indeed. From long before you married right up until his death…always.”

“And yet I doubted him and exposed the secret he desperately wanted kept.”

“I’m sure he would forgive your laughter. He seemed like just that sort of man.”

In the end, they learned nothing of Joel’s real lineage. But discovering the secret depths of her husband’s undying love surely bolstered Isabella’s grieving heart.

Joel smiled, having seen his mother’s reaction and his adopted father’s secret. And yet, for just a second, Yuuri noticed a darkness pass over his face. He was staring at the portrait of his adopted parents.

❦❦❦

YUURI left the barony. Just as before, Ernest insisted on seeing her home. And instead of going on to his own home once she was inside, here he was again in his usual seat, drinking tea. She had hoped for some time to ponder the day’s events on her own and hoped he would leave before long.

“Why the long face, my lady witch?”

“I was just wondering when you intended to leave?”

Ernest merely blinked and tilted his head at her curtness. Then he slammed his hands down as if he had just thought of something. “Let me see if I can guess what you’re thinking.”

“What’s the point? I just told you!”

The only thing Yuuri was thinking about was how badly she wanted Ernest to go home. There was nothing else to guess. Sometimes words didn’t seem to get through to him, so Yuuri strengthened her tone.

“I bet you’re wondering what Joel burned up at that gravesite…aren’t you?” Ernest guessed with a smug grin, as if he had it all figured out. He pretended not to have heard her when she clearly told him to go home.

“I-I’m not,” Yuuri replied, shaking her head, insisting she was not speculating about the baron’s personal affairs.

“It’s all right. He can’t expect us not to wonder. And he trusts us not to spread whatever we come up with.”

“Could it have been the real letter revealing the circumstances of his birth?”

“Most likely. The baron had been married over thirty years, so Joel was likely a son born out of an affair. Apparently Joel was taken in shortly after his mother’s passing.”

Their conjecture was that, as Isabella had suspected, there was indeed a letter detailing the circumstances of Joel’s birth. And that Joel had known how to access that hidden compartment all along. The bedridden baron, not realizing his wife was nearby, begged Joel to destroy that letter.

At first, Isabella remained unaware of the hidden compartment, and so Joel could go on pretending these were the ramblings of an old man in the throes of dementia. But then she looked into funadansu and learned of the hidden compartment and the triggering mechanism. So Joel burned the real letter before his adopted mother could read it and replaced it with a love letter from among his father’s effects that seemed a good fit.

If Joel himself opened the hidden compartment for Isabella, she would suspect him of replacing the items within. That’s why he needed an expert like Yuuri or Simon to find it for him, at least in front of her.

This was, of course, all Yuuri’s speculation. But Ernest was Joel’s good friend, and he had come to the same conclusion.

“Is it really all right to leave things this way?”

“Yes. What Joel wants is all that matters.”

The deceased baron had loved his wife long before he married her and he loved her up until the end. That was all that anyone needed to know. It was the baron’s wish, and Joel’s.

 

“I don’t really understand why he did what he did. I didn’t say anything because it’s not my place, but doesn’t she have a right to know? What’s the right thing to do?”

“What’s most important is whatever gives the living their peace.”

“Even if it means hiding the truth?”

Isabella had wanted to know the truth. With that in mind, it was hard to say Joel was right to lie.

“Good point.”

“I…”

Yuuri had things she was hiding from Ernest, too. Something terribly important that she couldn’t bring herself to say. Something she wanted hidden until after she died.

She decided if the lie was to protect someone, then it was all right.

She realized she was being impudent, but she hoped Ernest could forgive her.

❦❦❦

SILENCE pervaded the space between them.

It always ended up that way if Ernest didn’t start talking. Yuuri became uncomfortable and glanced over at him.

“Shall I give you your reward?” Ernest suddenly suggested. He had been the go-between and the one who offered to compensate Yuuri.

“But…I only took you to my brother. I didn’t use any special knowledge I learned from my grandmother this time around,” Yuuri said, though she wasn’t very convincing. She wanted to refuse him, but Ernest had a way of getting the truth out of her.

Vampires and their descendants were said to be devoted creatures, but that didn’t always mean they were open.

“But you worked hard. And you’ve kept my friend’s confidence.”

Yuuri remained frozen in place, still not convinced that this was all right,

“It’s all right. Come here,” Ernest beckoned, gently pulling the still motionless Yuuri into his lap.

They were at eye level with each other.

His shimmering blond hair, the standard for Hylantian nobility, and his blue eyes that shone like jewels really were different from Yuuri’s. She hated looking him in the eye for that reason. But Ernest loved everything, including the parts of her that were different and even the parts of her that weren’t human.

But she desperately wanted to hide those non-human aspects from him. She didn’t want him to see how different she truly was.

“It’s better if it’s less visible, isn’t it?”

Ernest swiftly undid his tie with one hand, unbuttoning the top button on his shirt and vest. His chest lay open and exposed.

She avoided the thick veins in his neck and looked toward his shoulder. Finally deciding where she would sink her teeth, she looked to him.

“Uhm, thank you for the meal, Count Selden.”

“No, wait.”

Ernest placed his index finger against Yuuri’s lips. She began to feel anxious at this sudden redirection.

Hadn’t he said it was time for her reward? Had she misunderstood?

“It’s Ernest. Call me by my name. If I’m going to grant your wish, then I’d like you to grant one of mine.” He ran his finger along her lips. Could he not see how much pain he caused her by dangling what she needed right in front of her, then snatching it away at the last second?

No matter how many times Yuuri swallowed her own spit, it was no replacement for the blood she craved. She had called his name so many times in her heart, but had so little practice saying it aloud.

Tearfully, Yuuri opened her mouth and finally gave voice to that unspoken name. “Lord Ernest, please, give me your blood.”

His thin lips rose into an arc. His smug expression, overflowing with triumph, irritated her. Somehow, he always had the upper hand. “Go on, my sweet little vampire.”

Planning where to bite, Yuuri pressed her lips against his shoulder before bearing her fangs and biting down. As soon as she did, the sweet taste of blood filled her mouth. Between the aroma that filled her nose and the taste of his blood as it pooled on her tongue, there was no substitute for what Ernest gave to her.

Her memories of that first bite, when she became intoxicated by his blood, were hazy at best. This was the first time that she had bitten and drank the blood of the man she was steadily coming to love while still in control of her thoughts.

Even as she hated herself for doing something so awful, she continued to suck his blood, tears streaming down her cheeks.

Several times throughout, Ernest shifted his body and she wondered if it was because it hurt or because it tickled. Either way, Yuuri was happy. He was enduring something unpleasant or even painful all because he cared about her.

Not even five minutes had passed before Yuuri lifted her face, satisfied, even as the blood continued to seep from Ernest’s wounds. Her heart might have been satisfied, but her mind bore lingering regrets.

“…Let me treat your wound.” Yuuri sat up and rose to reach for the first aid kit she had prepared.

“Miss Yuuri, why are you crying?” Ernest asked, pulling Yuuri back to him as she tried to pull away.

“Because I hate this. It isn’t normal. And besides, I don’t…want to hurt you, Lord Ernest…”

“Is it really so awful to drink a little of my blood?” Ernest asked, wiping away her tears with his fingers. He caressed her chin, then lifted it so he could gaze at her.

“Don’t look at me!” Yuuri didn’t want him to see her cry. But instead of pulling away from him, she clung to his chest, burying her face in his rumpled shirt and gripping it tight,

“But, if I told you it was fine, that should be more than enough, right?”

Yuuri shook her head vigorously. She was filled with happiness when she drank. But when it was over, regret swept in. She had become exactly what her mother feared she would: a hideous, blood-sucking monster.

“Lady Yuuri?”

Ernest stroked her hair. Rather than retreat from his touch, ashamed of what she was, she sank into his arms, quivering.

“I don’t mind you getting all cozy like this with me. I just wish you wouldn’t get mad at me when I tried it.”

When Yuuri nodded, Ernest let out a sigh, and continued to stroke her hair.