I was sold to a dangerous place in order to repay my parents’ debt, and I ended up being bought by a vampire young lady. I became the feed for the beautiful maid.

Lady’s Anger and Hizuki-san’s Secret

As Lady rushed over, she took a glance at us and let out a deep sigh. It seemed like she had grasped the situation just by looking at us.

“…So, that’s what happened.”

“Y-Yes. The half-vampire Vanpir sneaked into the Scarlet Ducal House—”

“Sneaked in? That’s ridiculous. She’s an official servant of this house, you know?”

“Huh?”

The maid stammered while trying to explain, but her words were cut off by Lady’s cold voice. 

She seemed taken aback by the denial and looked wide-eyed and bewildered.

“N-No, wait! It’s absurd to think that a half-vampire is a servant in the Scarlet Ducal House!”

After a while, she seemed to understand, and her expression turned desperate as she protested to Lady.

“Why do you say that? King Verzeld said so, didn’t he? The half-vampires were victims controlled by the Dark Lord. Now that the Dark Lord is gone, as long as they act appropriately, they are no longer a threat. The king’s intention is for us to help each other as neighbors. I don’t think you intend to go against his will, do you?”

“N-No, of course not. I would never—”

However, Lady’s retort caused the maid’s voice to trail off dishearteningly.

It appeared that the King had instructed them to change their perception of half-vampires. 

While there was no significant pressure to comply, as Lady had pointed out, if the half-vampires had regained their reason with the Dark Lord gone, then there was no reason to treat them as monsters.

“Marquis Feneschis  was originally the head of the elves, and it’s true that he lost his former territory to the half-vampires. It’s no wonder that the implanted fear and hatred can’t be easily erased.”

“Then!”

“However, the girl here has nothing to do with the past conflicts. There’s no reason to blame an innocent girl like that.”

“…”

Feeling the overwhelming pressure from Lady’s words, the maid couldn’t respond and bowed her head.

It seemed that Lady’s decision had been influenced by the understanding that she had gained from the King’s declaration and the passage of over thirty years.

 The fear of half-vampires had not been completely eradicated.

It seemed like Lady’s voice was tinged with anger from earlier. It was the first time I had seen her angry.

Why was she so upset… The reason was soon revealed.

“Insulting servants and causing harm to owned slaves… I can’t overlook that at all.”

“Ugh.”

“I-I’m terribly sorry, Lady Elinarese! I apologize for the impudence of my servant!”

Selya-sama, who had been unable to stand, stood up in a hurry and bowed deeply to Lady. 

Even though the maid apologized for her rude behavior, Lady remained serious.

For me, I could just be thankful that the matter had been settled, but as a Duke’s daughter, she couldn’t easily forgive such actions.

Within a few seconds, Lady let out a small sigh.

“If this were another world, I would have had her immediately punished. If you wish to take her back right away, I will accept your apology. However…”

“Yes, I’m grateful for your generous understanding. We will handle her punishment in the Feneschis  family.”

“I apologize again…”

Taking her back… meaning she should leave.

The issue was resolved with us not taking any action, and they would take responsibility on their own.

 It seemed to be Lady’s decision.

Selya-sama deeply bowed in response to Lady’s decision.

 The maid, on the other hand, seemed even paler than when she saw Hizuki-san, continuously offering apologies for bringing shame to her master and the Duke’s family because of her actions.

Although it was merciful of the Duke’s family not to take direct action, when they returned to their original world, being fired would still be better than the worst-case scenario of being reduced to a slave’s status.

The punishment was severe, but she had caused quite a lot of trouble after all; it was only to be expected.

Thus, the situation came to an end, and Selya-sama returned to the other world.

As for the future of the Marquis family, there was nothing we could do but leave it to fate.

There was no use worrying about it, as other noble ladies were also participating in the tea party.

There were many things to do to entertain them.

However, because I had injured my face, albeit only slightly, I couldn’t appear before the guests, so Hizuki-san and I were relegated to working behind the scenes.

After Jajimu-san told me that he could take care of everything on his own, so now I’m in a corner of the kitchen receiving medical attention from Hizuki-san.

But even calling it medical attention is an exaggeration; she just slightly cut the corner of my lip, so after disinfecting and stopping the bleeding, it was over in no time.

“…”

“…”

After the treatment, silence fell between us.

I knew why.

Her secret had been unintentionally revealed, now that I knew Hizuki-san was a half-vampire.

It was understandable that the atmosphere was now awkward.

I wasn’t sure how to break the ice and address the situation.

Although I had decided to support her, I hesitated to bring up the newly disclosed truth.

Yet, I couldn’t endure the silence forever.

To distract myself, I thought of eating some leftover sweets prepared for the tea party.

Just as I thought that…

“…Tsujizono-san, you don’t loathe me, huh?”

“Huh?”

Hizuki-san murmured unexpectedly. 

I was taken aback by her approach, but I nodded in agreement, thinking it was better than remaining silent.

“I already said this before, but I know that you’re not someone who would harm others recklessly.”

“You’re too kind.”

“It’s tiring to doubt everything.”

“That’s true.”

We exchanged words without making eye contact.

Hizuki-san’s tone seemed less distant, maybe because her secret had been revealed.

“I guess you work behind the scenes during tea parties and events to avoid situations like this.”

“Yes. Despite King Verzeld’s declaration and over thirty years, the fear of half-vampires hasn’t disappeared completely. There are still households that tell children that a half-vampire will come for them if they misbehave.”

“Even in a different world, some things never change, huh?”

Perhaps because they were based on real events with actual victims, the fear and prejudices against half-vampires were deeply rooted.

It made sense that they were easier to use to discipline children rather than the Namahage folklore creatures.

Though, even if it was for discipline, it wasn’t pleasant to be made a scapegoat.

Even someone as beautiful as Hizuki-san could be widely shunned by the people of this world. Being continuously called a monster like she was today it was only natural that she developed a distrust of others.

“If that’s the case, then does Elina-sama and Silvinia-sama are truly  broad-minded, aren’t they?”

“Yes. I can’t thank the Duke’s family and Lilith enough. That’s why I’m ashamed to have brought shame to the Duke’s family.”

“I don’t think either of them are bothered by it. Lady Elina was so angry because she thinks of you as family, after all.”

“Yes, you’re right…”

I had intended to encourage her with my words, but Hizuki-san’s face tensed up slightly, and she fell silent, making me wonder if I had touched a nerve again. 

As I fretted over possibly stepping on another landmine, Hizuki-san fell silent, lowering her gaze.

We had finally managed to engage in a conversation, and yet, I had ruined it again.

 I couldn’t help but feel exasperated and wanted to bury my head in my hands.

 However, just as I was about to sink into that feeling, I heard someone calling out,

 “Tsujizono-san.”

“Huh?”

I turned my face toward the voice and met Hizuki-san’s deep red eyes.

There was a sense of determination in her gaze, but an unmistakable trace of unease also showed through

Her mesmerizing garnet-like eyes held a captivating brilliance, which was a pity since it seemed that people from this world might not appreciate such beauty.

Without realizing it, I was captivated by her gaze, and Hizuki-san slowly opened her mouth to speak.

“Thank you for helping me earlier, even though I’m a bit late in expressing my gratitude.”

“Huh? Oh, it was nothing. I didn’t mind at all.”

“I’m still grateful. That’s why, as a gesture of my sincerity, I’ll tell you everything.”

“Everything…?”

“Yes.”

Still suspicious that she might be keeping something else hidden, I asked, and Hizuki-san nodded with a serious expression.

And then she confessed:

“…My real identity is that I’m an adopted daughter of the Scarlet family.”

“!” 

I couldn’t help but be taken aback by this unexpected confession.

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