The Royal Revenge

Henry led the vampire into the drawing room of the rundown manor. Rui whistled as the two of them walked down the hallways, noticing every nook and cranny that was left unattended for the longest of times.

"How long have you neglected this place, old man?" the vampire asked Henry. "It seems to me that this place wasn’t even lived at ever. Look at all the damages!"

Henry opened the door of the drawing room and let the vampire inside.

"Aside from errands into the shadiest parts of the kingdom, I was mostly the only one who did all the chores in the manor," the old attendant explained. "One man isn’t enough to repair everything, especially when they just don’t stop getting damaged."

"You mean especially because your master is a cursed bastard?" Rui sneered.

Henry’s eyes turned into angry slits, and he stared at the vampire like he could actually kill Rui. The vampire raised his hands in mock defeat.

"Whoa, don’t look at me like that," Rui said, "I am still going to help you with that thing you needed identification, of course with a price, ok?"

The old man raised a brow and then folded his arms together.

Rui groaned in exasperation and then added, "Fine, I apologize for ridiculing your beloved master. That was just a joke, alright? Nothing too serious."

"The man you have mocked is now the Western Kingdom’s king," Henry reminded the vampire. "You better watch your mouth or else have your tongue cut off of it."

Rui knew Henry’s threat was not a cause for alarm, knowing that he was stronger compared to the human. Even with an affinity that was closely tied to tinkering and potions making, Rui was still stronger than the average human – which was inherent even in magicless vampires.