Days have passed since then, and currently, I am driving Mavis's carriage; we are heading to the estate of one of her opponents' factions, the alliance between Vivian, Yostella, and Pontimon. From what I've deduced, they were one of the strongest factions, but that was purely because three of them had allied.
Of course, since only one person can become the next clan head, the alliance is a little shaky, so, despite being the strongest, they moved quite slowly, probably due to internal debates and strife. However, because they were already in an alliance, Mavis figured it would be most efficient to target them first; once they became addicted to my blood, they would work harmoniously together to get their constant fix.
While guiding the skeletal griffins, I observe my surroundings, looking into the forests on my right and the rocky mountains to my left; if I wanted to escape, the left would probably be the better path. 'So close yet so far away.' Gazing at the snowy peaks of the mountains, I lowered my head and sighed, glancing at the knights on either side of the carriage.
I suppose, on the bright side, our destination wasn't far; it was only a few hours' distance from Mavis's estate.
Spotting the estate in the distance, I came to a halt just outside the gates while gesturing to one of our knights, prompting him to approach the gates and speak with one of the other knights.
After a few moments, we were allowed access into the estate, which I noted wasn't as beautiful as Mavis's. 'Haa, it's frustrating to find nothing about her to hate genuinely.' Softly sighing, I parked the carriage outside the mansion's entrance and hopped off the front seat before opening the carriage door while slightly bowing.
"We've arrived, Mistress." Slowly, Mavis exited the carriage, stepping down in her white dress, and glancing up at the mansion as her lips curled into a devious smirk. "Follow my dear Alexander." Without heeding a glance my way, she walked towards the mansion while I followed a step behind her, acting as her shadow.
Entering the mansion, I came face-to-face with the 'servants' of this estate, and it baffled me. The non-demon servants looked like war survivors, nothing like the pristine servants at Mavis's mansion; they were treated like true slaves. However, that's not what baffled me; it was the fact that I actually felt lucky Mavis was the one who found me and not another Vampire.
"Fufu, see, I don't treat you that badly, Alexander; being a pet is far better than being a slave." Walking past an Elf being beaten in a corner, I heaved a sigh and remained silent, not wanting to give her the satisfaction of agreeing with her.
After a bit more walking, we arrived at a tall double door, which the servants opened, revealing a long table beneath a big glass chandelier. As we entered the dining room, three people sat at the opposite end.
Two were men, and the other was a woman; they were very strong. Just from a glance, I knew I'd be unable to defeat them, as for being compared to Mavis. 'She's stronger… I've yet to come across someone stronger than her.' Looking at Mavis, I sighed. It was evident that she was on the stronger end.
It was both good and bad. On one hand, the fact that there were probably very few people stronger than her was reassuring, but on the other hand, I was directly under her thumb, instead of someone weaker.
Disappearing such thoughts, I stepped forward, pulling a chair out. "Mavis, your request for this meeting was a bit unexpected." As I gently pushed Mavis in, the woman on the other side, clearly older and more mature, looked at her curiously. Mavis flashed a calm, unbothered smile at her question.
"I can't visit my older siblings, Vivian?" Tilting her head slightly, Mavis eyed Vivian, who narrowed her eyes, obviously not buying the response, though before she could push deeper, the man sitting between Vivian and the other man spoke. "Of course, little Mavis. You're always welcome." The man's voice was deep and calm as he looked at Mavis.
"Fufu, little Mavis? How many times have I told you, just call me Mavis? I'm grown now, Pontimon." Mavis sounded calm, if only a little exasperated, though I could tell that beneath her mask she was highly annoyed. "Ah, my apologies, it's a habit from our younger days. I'll do better, little Mavis. Haa, there it is again."
While Mavis hid her irritation behind a small smile, the man to the right of Pontimon grinned. "Heh, it's been a while since all four of us have been together; when was the last time, 30 years ago? 40? Hell, maybe 55." "I believe it was 41 years ago, Yostella." "Oh, yeah, you're right, Vivian! I think it was to persuade Mavis to join us… Anyway, how is it going, Mavis?"
'Wow, I wasn't even alive.' Amused at the situation, I briefly glanced at Maivs, curious how she was going to handle this obvious three-pronged attack from her elder siblings. "Everything is going well, Yostella, thank you for asking." "I heard you had received an assignment from Mother. How was it?" Vivian was the one who spoke, always getting straight to the point.
"Oh, it was fine, I was required to deal with a little rat snooping around our abandoned bases from the Great War." The three siblings furrowed their brows in response. "Who was it? The humans or the Elves?" "A Human. Though don't worry, I've thoroughly handled him." Smiling, Mavis brushed aside a lock of her hair behind her ear, causing the three to nod, their expressions easing.
"That's good to hear. Now, I'm sure you're hungry." Nodding faintly, Pontimon clapped his hands, and the side doors opened as multiple servants entered, carrying trays. After serving the food, they bowed and retreated to the side of the room.
Stepping forward, I lifted the lid, revealing a cup of dark red blood and a plate of steak, potatoes, carrots, and gravy; it was a great dish. But that's it, just great, nothing special, I didn't even need to take a bite, just the smell was enough. 'They've got a decent Chef.'
While Vivian, Pontimon, and Yostella began to eat, clearly enjoying it, Yostella noticed Mavis wasn't moving. "Hmm, something the matter, Mavis?" The others glanced at her at his question. "Do you dislike that dish, litt- Mavis?" Asked Pontimon with a raised eyebrow, though Mavis shook her head. "The dish is fine, it's just that my pet has ruined my taste." Softly sighing, Mavis gestured to me, causing me to become the focus.
"Ho, how so?" Vivian curiously stared at me. "He's simply a phenomenal Chef; ever since I found him, I've been eating almost regularly." "Is that so. Normally, I wouldn't ever let a lesser species enter the kitchen, much less eat their food, but you've piqued my interest… Head Chef." Observing me, Pontimon raised an eyebrow before glancing at a side door, causing Vampire to quickly exit and deeply bow. "Yes, Master Pontimon?"
"My little sister has praised this Human's culinary skills. Let him cook a dish." Pointing at me, the head chef gave me a glare of utter disdain before nodding. "Yes, Master Pontimon… This way, Human." Ignoring the head chef, I glance at Mavis, lightly bowing. "Any dish you desire, Mistress?" "Hmm, something I haven't tried." Nodding, I stood up, following the head chef, who looked pissed at me ignoring him.
"Oh, head chef, offer some assistance." "I understand, Master Pontimon." 'That was the most obvious red flag.' Inwardly chuckling, I entered the kitchen behind the head chef, where several other chefs were busy working, though they all stopped when they saw me.
"Listen here, you pathetic Human, I can't kill you as you belong to Mistress Mavis, but as a superior species, they can't say anything about me punishing you." Before I could even touch a utensil, the head chef whipped his hand around and grabbed me by the collar, glaring at me with a faint grin.
"I assume that's what Pontimon meant by 'assistance'. He wants to embarrass Mavis." "Y-You! HOW DARE YOU VERMIN, UTTER HIS NAME!?" Watching his eyes shine red in full rage, I sighed; compared to Mavis and her siblings, I was weak, but after them, I was the strongest in this estate.
'Let's just get this over with.'
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Twenty Minutes Later.
Exiting the kitchen, carrying two trays, I first dropped one off by Mavis before setting the other beside Pontimon, Yostella, and Vivian, the three giving me slightly dangerous looks. Slightly bowing, I returned to my spot beside Mavis, removing the tray, revealing a pan with stacked slices of precisely cut vegetables.
"Oh my, the smell alone. What do you call this dish, Alexander?" Inhaling the smell, Mavis grabbed a fork. "Ratatouille, Mistress." She nodded and took a bite, her body convulsing as she chewed before swallowing. "A terrible name, but an utterly wonderful dish."