Lulu looked anxious. She wasn't wrong, Seamus was standing in a very dangerous position now.

But instead of matching her worry, Seamus's lips lifted into a slow smile as he asked,

"What's your name?"

"You don't remember me? Ah, right. Your father's the coward who ran." The man rolled his eyes with casual disdain.

Seamus grabbed his collar hard enough to make Lulu tense. "Don't make me repeat myself. What's your name?"

The man gritted his teeth. "Vincent."

He shoved Seamus away and dusted his shirt as if his touch had dirtied it.

"Tell every one of my father's enemies that I'm not scared," Seamus said, voice dropping low.

"They can fight me if they think they can even touch me."

Was he scared? Maybe. But fear barely mattered anymore. His mind was already tangled with too many problems, and complicating them further felt pointless.

If all this ended with either him dying or his father's enemies dying, then so be it.

Vincent went silent, eyes widening slightly. Seamus sighed, turned around, and started walking away with Lulu. But his uncle's voice cut through the forest path.

"Don't you want to know what your father actually did to cause all this mess?"

Seamus stopped. "I know he wanted revenge. He killed vampire hunters, higher-ups, even members of the seven great covenants. But so what? Knowing that won't change anything."

"Oh, so you do hate him. Good. We're on the same page." Vincent chuckled.

"Can't believe he did all of that for you, and you turned out like this."

Seamus frowned and faced him again. "What do you actually want? Why stalk me here?"

Leaning against a tree, Vincent crossed his arms. "I just wanted to see how 'great' you are. Honestly, you're just a normal boy, even with that Crimson Nectar title."

"I can't believe it," Seamus muttered, shaking his head.

"I'm a normal just like you. It's your association that keeps antagonizing me."

Vincent gave a short laugh and flicked a card toward him. Seamus caught it easily.

"That's my card. Call if you need help. And for the record, I'm not part of that 'association.'"

With that, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the trees as casually as he had appeared.

Seamus stared at the card for a moment before slipping it into his pocket. "Weird guy. He tried to kill me yesterday and blamed me for his sister's death, but now he acts like this."

"I think he wants to understand you more," Lulu said quietly. "Just a feeling. Your words earlier… they might've made him reconsider a few things."

"That's funny," Seamus said with a snort.

"Humans don't change their minds that fast, Lulu. Most of them stay in denial about their mistakes."

They continued walking downhill toward the parking lot. The trees cast long shadows as the last of the orange sunlight slipped through the leaves.

"But isn't it still good?" Lulu asked. "You might learn more about your mother from him. And he probably knows the enemies who want to attack you. Better to know your enemy, right?"

Seamus didn't answer immediately. Even if Vincent tried to deceive him, Seamus knew he could defeat him easily. But learning about his parents' past — especially about his mother — that temptation was hard to dismiss.

"…You're right. I'll reconsider."

"Good!" Lulu beamed, relieved.

Their date ended simply after that. It wasn't as romantic as Seamus had imagined, but it was still warm in its own way, a quiet day that let him understand Lulu better, and a reminder that danger was coming faster than he expected.

***

Diane slammed her hand on the table, startling the quiet room where Isolde was still working late.

Her mother barely lifted an eyebrow and asked, "What is it now?"

"You deceived me!" Diane's voice shook. "You told me to give that letter to a man named Gio. I delivered it… and everything turned into a mess. They tried to kill Seamus."

"And?" Isolde leaned back in her chair, completely unbothered. "He handled it well, did he not? So what exactly is the problem, Diane?"

The calmness only made Diane's hands tremble more. She could not understand how her mother stayed so relaxed while she had been terrified all night.

"Why are you like this? Do you not feel sorry for what happened to Seamus?" she shouted. "And how am I supposed to explain everything to him?"

Isolde finally stood, her expression smooth and cold. "So that is it. You are afraid he will blame you and cut you off."

Diane's breath hitched. "Yes… but that is not the only reason." Her voice cracked.

"He has already been through so much. If you wanted to eliminate the vampires, why use him? You have your own power. Use your own hands."

She took another step toward her mother. "Or are you scared to stain them? Or maybe you know you would fail."

Isolde laughed, the sound echoing unpleasantly around the room. "You truly speak like your sister now. Should I punish you the same way she punished you?"

Diane stiffened and stepped back. "So punishment is the only way to keep your daughters in line."

Her voice dropped into something quiet and trembling. "I understand my sister now. I should never have been on your side."

She left before her mother could reply, wiping away the tears gathering in her eyes. She regretted everything. She should have known better. Nothing from Isolde came without a price.

As she ran down the corridor, she collided with someone's shoulder. She nearly slipped, but a hand caught her and pulled her upright.

"Diane? Why are you running around at this hour?"

It was Seamus. Concern was written clearly on his face.

Diane shook her head. "I need to tell you something."

"Are you crying?" He brushed away a tear with his thumb. "Come on. Let's talk somewhere else."

He guided her to his room, and they sat on the sofa near the quiet fireplace. Even though autumn had arrived, the manor stayed warm.

"What happened?" he asked.

Diane bit her lip, trying to form the words. No matter how she arranged the sentence in her mind, nothing felt right.

"I am sorry," she finally whispered. "I think I caused the chaos yesterday." Her eyes lowered.

"I sent a letter to a man named Gio. I did not know what was inside it. My mother told me to give it, and I thought it was something harmless. I never imagined it would lead to that."

Her voice shook. "I swear I did not know. I am truly sorry."

Seamus stared at her, a flash of disappointment crossing his expression. Diane quickly looked down, unable to bear it.

"You said you had stopped siding with your mother. Why did you lie to me?" His question cut through her like a blade.

"I thought it was harmless," she repeated, her fingers tight around her blouse.

"She has not even registered us yet. I thought the letter was about that. But I know I should not have done it. I know I was wrong."

Silence settled, heavy and suffocating. Diane felt like her heart was falling apart piece by piece. She deserved to be scolded, but facing him like this still hurts.

After a long moment, Seamus exhaled. "You should go for now. I need time to think."

His tone was gentle—too gentle—and that made it worse. She nodded, stood up slowly, and left the room before the tears could fall again.

Trust was not something easily rebuilt, not after a betrayal like this. She knew she could only step back, help from a distance, and hope time would soften the wound.

'Maybe one day he will forgive me,' she thought as she walked away with a heart that felt heavier with every step.

***

"What should we do? That child is grown and did you see that bone blade he used? That is a vampire blood technique. How can he wield something like that?" Gio shouted inside the dim private bar room.

He and several old members of the association had gathered in secret, far from the official headquarters.

Selena was the new president, and because she was still young, she rarely followed old customs or anything rooted in so-called mythology.

She dismissed too many things as irrational.

To Gio, nothing about their world was rational. Vampires with abilities that broke the laws of nature existed.

Hunters died every year battling things no human should face. At this point, believing in devils and gods almost felt logical.

"Worse than that," Ricardo added, rubbing his tired face before taking another drink, "most of the hunters agree with Selena. They think that boy is harmless. They do not remember what happened when the Crimson Nectar first appeared."

Across the table, Harry, the red-haired man with a silver streak, nodded. His voice was low, as if weighed down by old memories.

"We tried to protect everyone. We really did. And we failed. Too many died. Sometimes I wonder… were we wrong all this time?"

Gio frowned sharply. "What are you talking about?"

"If we had just let them live… Damien was strong enough to control the situation. Maybe many of our people would still be alive."

Harry hesitated. "What if we were the ones who made everything worse?"

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