It had been so long since Henry had st slept in a proper bed. He had enjoyed it less than he thought he would. It simply wasn’t satisfying to sleep in his human form. It was akin to sleeping with cumbersome attire on. Nevertheless, he slept well in spite of all the peeves. Most important of all, his women were safe. He sensed no harm or threat throughout the night, which was a huge surprise to him.

  Before he went to sleep, not a small amount of hostility could be sensed. He was fully prepared for someone to attack him during their sleep. No one did. In fact, the hostility died down and the morning greeted amicably.

  The first thing Henry did was to check on Ani and Rayne. The former was still fast asleep while the tter was already up and awake.

  “What are you doing?” Henry asked.

  “Upkeep of my body,” Rayne answered while dangling upside down from the ceiling with one foot coiled around a rope.

  “Upkeep?”

  “A sword needs a whetstone to keep its bde sharp.”

  “Do you need a whetstone too?”

  “I need to move around and just pin walking will not help,” Rayne said and flipped herself off the rope, nding on the floor with one foot. She barely made any sound or noise in the act. Her expression was as calm as ever as if the stunt had not given any discomfort.

  “Just stay out of trouble and don’t make any mess.”

  Rayne snorted. “You think too little of me. I learned my lesson. Have you?”

  Henry rolled his eyes and climbed off the bed. He thought about waking Ani up but decided to let her sleep in.

  After doing some simple stretches, he then assessed his surroundings. Though he detected no imminent threat when he woke, it couldn’t hurt to be extra careful. No individuals of interest were in the vicinity, save for the servants who were going about their morning routine. When he expanded his senses further out, he discovered a lot of the vampires were awake.

  Vampires were nocturnal, or so he believed. That was how it was in his former world. However, this is not the case in this world. Rather than vampires being nocturnal, they simply had no need of sleep as much as humans do. They were simir to him, Henry realised. Vampires did require sleep but just not on a daily basis. Even if they did sleep, it was during the night.

  “H-Henry?” Ani murmured as she stirred in the bed.

  “Good morning.”

  Ani nodded. “Morning,” she responded with a giggle.

  From behind him, Henry heard a loud click of a tongue. “Did you sleep well?” he asked, ignoring Rayne’s annoyance behind him.

  “Better than I thought I would, but I still prefer our nest. This is all too… luxurious for me. And it doesn’t feel like home.”

  “Don’t worry. The sooner we finish our business here, the sooner we can return.”

  Just as Ani was about to ask about breakfast, there was a knock on the door.

  Henry didn’t inquire who was on the other side. He simply stared at the door and waited for an announcement.

  “Breakfast is served,” came a voice from behind the door.

  “Just in time,” Rayne muttered.

  “Come in,” Henry uttered.

  The doors swung open and half a dozen maidservants flowed into the room. They were all vampires but the untrained eyes would not notice anything amiss about them. The breakfast consisted of bacon, beef, chicken, fish, and various other types of meat. They were all neatly cut and served to them on fine ptters. Even the servants themselves were courteous and patient with them.

  Unlike the ones who were so btant with their dislike towards him, these servants showed no hint of disfavour. They were just diligently doing their job, ying out the dishes and cutleries. They were about to put a foldable table over the bed but Henry directed them to the table in the centre of the room. He disliked the idea of eating where they slept.

  After pcing the cutleries and dishes, Henry gave them permission to leave. They insisted on staying but Henry managed to convince them by expining he was not comfortable with so many eyes on him as he ate.

  “I feel like royalty,” Ani muttered as she tried a strip of bacon. Her face beamed with delight. “This is delicious.”

  “Really?” Henry mused. He tried a strip of bacon too but it didn’t taste as good as he thought. “It’s a little bit heavy on the seasoning”

  “I think it’s just right,” Rayne remarked.

  “Do you think this is all a little too… excessive?” Ani voiced her worries.

  “This is the least a king or queen deserves,” said Rayne.

  “But we’re not kings or queens.”

  “We may as well be.”

  “I don’t like it… I don’t believe in charity.”

  “It’s goodwill.”

  “It’s a trick. They may be tempting us with honey in hopes that we will go stirring the hive for more.”

  “If that’s what they are after, they will need to try harder. Henry won’t go stirring the hive just for… these kinds of things.” Rayne gnced sideways at Henry, smirking. “Well, if it’s a girl, then it will be a different story.”

  “Do you crave for women that much?” Ani asked, turning her blushing gaze to Henry. There was a flicker of disappointment in those eyes.

  “I have no such craving. The four of you are enough as it is. And not just any woman would do. There has to be a… connection. You two should know that by now.”

  Rayne scoffed. “How long do you think it would take for Henry to bed my dear ancestor?”

  Ani raised her eyebrows. “Did you feel a connection with Vishara?”

  “I didn’t,” Henry answered in an instant.

  “Not yet,” Rayne chuckled. “You didn’t feel anything with me when we first met. That changed, didn’t it? So who’s to say the same won’t happen with Vishara?”

  “Do you want me to bed your ancestor? Is that it?”

  “I just want to see someone put that snobbish hag in her pce.”

  They were halfway through their breakfast when Henry felt someone approaching the room at a rapid pace. His sudden change in demeanour also alerted Ani and Rayne to the imminent uninvited presence. Henry signalled for them to be at ease when he felt no hostility from the approaching individual.

  The door was shoved open and Samira strode into the room without seeking Henry’s permission.

  “Sorry for the intrusion, Lord Henry, but your presence has been requested by Her Majesty. It is urgent.”

  Henry sighed and rose from his seat. Rayne and Ani tried to follow but he gestured for them to continue with their breakfast. “I won’t be long,” he told the two and promptly left the room with Samira.

  As soon as the door was closed, Samira grabbed Henry’s arm. “I apologise for the discomfort beforehand.”

  “What discomfort?”

  The answer came immediately. The space around him appeared to colpse upon them. Darkness engulfed them for a brief moment before light came pouring back in. Just like that, they were in the courtyard.

  “Oh,” Henry muttered. “That wasn’t so bad.”

  Samira was frowning. “It appears not.” She let go of his arm and stepped away from him.

  “You have a strong mind.”

  Henry turned around to see the owner of the voice. “Vishara.”

  “Morning,” greeted the vampire. “I trust that you slept well?” She was dressed in light clothing, unlike the garments she wore st night that exuded her status as a sovereign. She was drenched in sweat and her long hair was tied into a ponytail.

  “As well as I could.” Henry shrugged. “So, what is this urgent matter that you need to interrupt my breakfast for?”

  Vishara’s amicable expression turned solemn. “Were you followed yesterday?”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “Hmm… Then do you perhaps know of a boy around… sixteen years of age, accompanied by 3 girls? They are all adventurers, from the looks of it, and they are heading towards here.”

  “Ah…”

  “Oh, you know them?”

  “I do… We met on the road. I thought he was… stalking me. I managed to lose him but… it would seem that I may be wrong.”

  “Perhaps not. You see, no one can set foot into Verugo without my permission. They will never find this city unless they have my blessings. Yet, this boy seemed to be an exception. He is impervious to my spell.”

  Henry nodded. “So it is…”

  “Do you know something about the boy?”

  “He is special.”

  “Obviously.”

  “I don’t know how to expin but to put it in the simplest way, the boy is chosen by a god.”

  “A hero,” the word left her lips all too seamlessly.

  “A hero?”

  “Individuals that are chosen by the gods. They only appeared whenever a huge camity lingers on the horizon. They are the ultimate weapon against… evil. In this case, the evil is me— or you.”

  “I have been minding my own business all this time. I don’t believe that I’m the vilin in this story.”

  “Doesn’t matter, Henry. The hero is no more than a symbol for the gods, a way to garner more followers to their holy cause, whatever that is. Be that as it may, this is bad news.”

  “Are heroes strong?”

  “Potentially speaking, yes, very strong. There’s no limit to their growth. If they are let be, they could grow beyond what both of us are capable of.”

  “Sounds like you have had an encounter with a hero before?”

  Vishara grinned. “I have killed one before. Some might even say that the death of the hero at my hands is what caused the world to truly fear me.”

  “And why would you kill the hero?”

  “Because I am a powerful individual who happens to not be a human. And I refuse to comply with their demands. I refused to bend the knee before their kings. And thus, my kind began to be oppressed and this stigma gradually spread over to other races. In the end, every race that isn’t human was deemed to be the kin of demon.”

  A brief silence loomed between the two.

  “So….” Henry broke it. “What are you going to do about this… hero?”

  “Nip the problem in the bud.”

  Henry scoffed. “And that would solve the problem.”

  “Why wouldn’t it?”

  “What’s stopping the gods from choosing another champion?”

  “Then I’ll kill the next hero too.”

  “Do you hear yourself?”

  “I hear myself just fine,” Vishara said as the sweat evaporated from her body and a new set of garments appeared out of thin air, draping perfectly around and over her body. “The continuation of my kind hinges on the death of these so-called heroes.”

  “Have you never thought of a more peaceful solution?”

  “That’s a question that you should be asking the humans. We have always left them alone. They are the ones who keep provoking us. And now, they are sending their ultimate weapon against us.”

  “Killing the hero isn’t the way. You are only giving them more justification.”

  “They will have their justification one way or another. Are you a pacifist?”

  “It has nothing to do with me being a pacifist and I’m not even one. The hero is just a bullet.”

  Vishara raised an eyebrow. “Bullet?”

  “Well, ammunition. What you need to do is to aim for the one who fires the ammunition.”

  “The gods?”

  “The ones who pretended to be gods.”

  “You’re naive to think that I hadn’t considered that option.”

  “Hmm, point taken. Then…what if you could use the ammunition for yourself?”

  “Turning the hero against the humans themselves? Wouldn’t that just force the gods to choose another hero?”

  “Would it?”

  “I do not know. I have never attempted such a scheme before.”

  “Why haven’t you?”

  “I'm not fond of deceptions.”

  Henry stifled a ugh.

  “Think what you will but deception was never my… strong suit. In order to manipute and turn the hero to our cause, I will have to rely on… someone other than myself. Will that person be you?”

  Henry snickered. “I got someone better.”