Chapter 153: Back to the Scarlett Castle

Two months after Lucian and Valentina had vanished to somewhere unknown—

Inside one of the grand halls of Scarlett Castle—

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Vivienne.”

A light brown-red-haired man spoke in a respectful tone as he lowered his head in a small bow toward Vivienne.

She had just entered the room after making him wait for a few minutes.

Vivienne gave a casual nod and, without sparing him any further attention, walked past him and sat down on the couch in an elegant yet relaxed posture.

“So, what are you here for?”

Vivienne spoke, resting her arm against the armrest as her golden eyes looked at him with a mild annoyance—since he had just disturbed her precious sleep.

The nobleman’s smile stiffened slightly, seeing how she had ignored his greeting without even telling him to sit.

But knowing the temperament of the Scarlett House, he knew arguing would only lead to a torturous death.

So, swallowing his dissatisfaction, he simply forced a smile and sat down on the couch opposite her.

“I heard that the Duchess has been absent from the Duchy for quite some time.

So I thought I should take this opportunity to meet the future Duchess myself.”

The moment he finished speaking, his smile immediately froze.

The temperature inside the room suddenly grew hotter, and the atmosphere became heavier.

Vivienne’s expression faintly twisted with irritation.

“Just fucking answer my question.”

Her foot repeatedly tapped against the floor as she grew increasingly annoyed by his stupid, flattering remarks.

Inwardly, she was even wondering how these people had learned about her mother’s disappearance.

“Ah—yes.”

The man nodded repeatedly and could only let out an inward sigh, as his words had failed to have the intended effect.

But just as he opened his mouth once again—

The air inside the hall became heavier, denser… as though something invisible were pressing onto the atmosphere inside.

Then—

“Having a meeting without inviting me…”

A voice echoed through the hall.

The man froze as his entire body stiffened instantly.

Vivienne’s eyes narrowed, then her eyes widened slightly.

Her head snapped toward her side.

“It’s unfair, you know?”

Crimson mist twisted beside her and condensed, and within a second, a figure materialised.

Lucian.

He casually sat on the couch beside Vivienne, his head resting against the back of the couch while facing her—as though he were in his own castle.

Wearing a black suit, black trousers, and black boots, with one leg crossed over the other, everything looked even darker under the dim light, yet only made him appear sharper.

Especially his bright crimson eyes against his handsome features, along with the faint smile tugging at his lips as he looked at Vivienne.

“Yo, hothead.” He raised his hand, giving her a mock salute.

Vivienne’s eyes twitched.

“So you haven’t died yet, huh?” she muttered in a dry voice—as if meeting a pest that wouldn’t die even after going through a nuclear explosion.

But internally, she was stunned.

She had barely felt the movement when he had arrived, only feeling it a second before he had already appeared right beside her—

Which should’ve been impossible.

Even vampires as strong as her could barely hide their presence from her.

And yet, Lucian had appeared right beside her.

Her gaze sharpened as she studied him carefully.

‘He… what kind of training did my mother give him?’

The air around him had completely changed from two months ago—so much so that, judging by his presence alone, he felt like an entirely different person.

Previously, he had felt like a wild animal that didn’t understand its own strength… but now…

She didn’t even know what had changed, even though something definitely had.

Lucian chuckled softly, pulling her from her thoughts.

“Wishing for my death when I came to meet you first…”

His voice sounded almost disappointed, and she could see the ‘sad’ expression on his face as he let out a dramatic sigh.

“…How disheartening.”

Vivienne’s lips twisted faintly.

The pressure around her grew even more overwhelming, and the temperature rose further.

The nobleman sitting opposite them broke into a cold sweat as a crushing pressure settled onto his shoulders.

His instincts screamed at him to leave immediately, yet he couldn’t even move.

But inwardly, even he was shocked by Lucian’s sudden arrival… because he genuinely hadn’t noticed anything.

At one point, the seat beside Vivienne had been empty, and in the next moment—

The black-suited man was sitting there, suddenly appearing out of crimson mist without any warning.

And as if that alone wasn’t shocking, the most terrifying part was that even Vivienne looked surprised, as if even she herself hadn’t sensed him properly.

He glanced toward Lucian, only for his eyes to widen as he saw him barely reacting to the Scarlett Princess’s crushing pressure.

Vivienne’s reaction was the same as his.

Ignoring the two of them staring at him wide-eyed—

‘Her intent doesn’t feel that terrifying right now.’ He thought, feeling a little disappointed at himself.

Two months ago, he had found it difficult to even stand against this same pressure despite being only one rank below.

Ignoring the crushing killing intent radiating from the redhead, Lucian briefly glanced at the man before turning his attention back to Vivienne.

“Who is he?” he asked casually.

For a long moment, Vivienne didn’t answer.

Her golden eyes remained fixed on his unyielding crimson ones.

Then, seeing him remain completely unaffected by her killing intent, she withdrew it and finally answered.

“He’s from the Sinclair family,” she answered flatly.

She was feeling very, very confused right now.

First, Lucian had suddenly appeared beside her after two months, and after the initial surprise, the moment she tried to gauge his strength…

Every attempt only made her feel more uncomfortable.

Because she couldn’t.

The sensation was somewhat similar to how she couldn’t determine her mother’s strength… and that feeling only made her more and more uneasy.

Even with her high perception, she struggled to properly read him just by looking at him.

It was difficult to determine his rank…

Though her instincts were telling her that he hadn’t grown stronger—at least not in terms of rank.

Finally, Vivenne looked away.

“His name is…”

She stopped midway.

“… What is your name again?”

The nobleman’s expression tightened, but he still gritted his teeth and answered as politely as he could, genuinely wondering whether she was mocking him, which she probably wasn’t.

“My name is Silas Sinclair, the only son of Marquess Sinclair.”

“She only asked your name,” Lucian interrupted, rolling his eyes at the man’s long-winded introduction.

Vivienne didn’t say anything, but the look on her face made it clear she was thinking the exact same thing.

Silas felt his blood pressure rising, and he had to do everything he could to stop himself from storming out of the room.

But thinking about their plans, he endured the disrespect—not that he could do anything about it even if he wanted to.

Eventually, his gaze shifted toward Lucian.

The mysterious vampire who had entered the castle without anyone noticing.

“Might I ask who you are, gentleman?”

His tone remained polite, though it held a slight strain than before.

“Me?”

Lucian pointed at himself.

But just as he was about to answer, he paused.

His eyes suddenly shifted to the side, and his crimson eyes glowed faintly.

Then he looked back at Silas.

A smile appeared on his face.

And then—

“I’m the Duchess’s beloved partner,”

Silence.

Absolute silence fell over the hall, and for a moment, it felt as though even the air had frozen.

Both Silas and Vivienne froze completely.

The redhead, in particular, barely registered the meaning of his words, and the moment she did—

Her eyes glinted dangerously, and the temperature spiked instantly.

She was already prepared to move and separate his head from his shoulders, but only then—

“Tch.”

A soft, familiar voice suddenly echoed through the hall, slightly amused and carrying a faint seductiveness.

“Is that how you introduce yourself?”

Both Silas and Vivienne froze again.

Lucian simply smiled.

Because he had already known.

His eyes shifted toward the spot he had been watching earlier.

The couch at the side was no longer empty.

Valentina Scarlett sat there, one leg crossed elegantly over the other, wearing a long crimson gown, while her scarlet red hair cascaded down her back, reaching almost to her waist.

And a faintly widened smile rested on her lips, directed toward Lucian, who smiled back.

“Mother,” Vivienne muttered as she saw her mother for the first time in two months, only to notice that Valentina wasn’t even looking at her.

Silas immediately stood up before his mind could even catch up.

Sweat gathered on his palms. His throat tightened, and a slow gulp escaped him.

Unlike Lucian and Vivienne, who had grown accustomed to her presence, he hadn’t.

He was standing before the Duchess herself—before the strongest vampire.

His breathing grew unsteady under a pressure she wasn’t even consciously exerting.

‘She’s here too…’

The thought alone made his knees weaken, but rather than shrinking away, he took a deep breath and bowed.

“D-Duchess…”

Despite his efforts, his voice still cracked slightly.

Valentina’s eyes shifted toward him, causing a sudden shudder to run down his body—the same instinctive terror a mouse feels when faced with a predator.

And that was when she hadn’t even done anything.

Lucian chuckled inwardly and couldn’t help but feel that the man was overreacting to his master’s presence.

“Who is he again?” Valentina asked in genuine confusion, causing Lucian to stifle a laugh while Vivienne’s fists clenched slightly.

Meanwhile, Silas stood there in complete silence, wondering if he could simply leave right now.