“How can I get money? I don’t have any more money to use, or should I borrow money from somewhere else…”

Diamon Duchy.

The place everyone in the Empire thought of when they heard the word ‘money.’ However, the moment Mernin thought of Diamon, his face distorted mercilessly.

“Unlucky child. Mocking me just because of that bit of money? Just wait…”

In his anger, Mernin was out of his right mind. After anger, he fell into an anxious state once again. Mernin, who was caught in another bout of anxiety after anger, grabbed his head as if he would tear it off.

“…Should I run away?”
Suddenly, Mernin even thought about fleeing from the Empire. While Mernin, in such a state of indecision, was killing time in the lodge, someone entered.

“Hello. May I come in for a moment?”

The one who entered while saying so was Celine. Mernin’s eyes widened upon seeing Celine.

“…Yes?”

Caught off guard by Celine’s sudden appearance, Mernin was perplexed, but Celine approached him with a smile.

“Do you remember me? We exchanged greetings at the Marquis’s gathering some time ago.”

“Yes, I know. But why are you here…?”

Anyone in the social circle debut would know Celine. She was like a new flower in the social circle that everyone wanted to meet. However, Mernin, who had tasted the terror of Bellion during the adult ceremony, had never dreamt of meeting Celine. Yet here she was, appearing in the lodge where he was.

“I actually wanted to convey this.”

“A handkerchief… isn’t it?”

“Yes, I wanted to become friends since we met at the gathering.”

When Celine offered the handkerchief, Mernin accepted it in surprise.

“Me?”

“Yes. You looked the coolest at that gathering. But we couldn’t talk for long, and I was disappointed.”

Celine’s bright smile and the handkerchief she held. In an instant, Mernin could feel his heart pounding surprisingly fast. Simultaneously, his face flushed, and Mernin swallowed dryly with a bewildered expression.

“Do you like me?”

“Yes.”

Mernin felt like this might be a dream. His heart continued to beat rapidly, and his reddened cheeks remained the same. With the addition of alcohol intoxication, Mernin’s head gradually became hazy. As Mernin’s eyes slowly cleared, Celine brought a new bottle of alcohol and poured it into Mernin’s glass.

“Are you not drinking because of me? Go ahead and drink.”

“No, I can pour it myself…”

“It’s okay.”

Although Mernin tried to take the bottle with his trembling hands, Celine offered him a glass instead. As the alcohol bubbled and disappeared inside the glass for a moment, Mernin failed to notice it.

“I heard you’ve been through a lot recently.”

Mernin received the offered drink from Celine and drank it. With a sympathetic expression, Celine approached him even more.

“It must be frustrating that other vampires and nobles don’t recognize you. Mernin, you’re such a skilled and capable person.”

“Yes, that’s true, but… those damn bastards!”

At that moment, Mernin felt immense anger. His heart beat even faster than before, and uncontrollable emotions surged. At the same time, his breathing became rough.

“Who am I, why do they all look at me like that! Why!”

Suddenly, Mernin threw the glass he was holding, but Celine, watching his actions, remained calm. Rather than hiding her rising tail, she covered her mouth with her hand and pretended to be surprised. Mernin’s anger did not subside.
“They look at me strangely, saying they are not strange themselves! Whether I am that amusing…”

Like veins on shattered glass, blood dripped from Mernin’s hand. However, Mernin seemed oblivious to the pain. His eyes lacked focus. Celine approached him, whispering into his ear.

“Mernin, what you say is absolutely right.”

“…”

“So let’s show them together. Show them that Mernin is by no means a funny person.”

Celine’s voice, softly and gently, echoed into Mernin’s ear.