"How does it feel like to have your charm all up for older people? You could do quite a good job at seducing them." Drusilla teased in Lukas' head.
Lukas wanted to shrivel up then and there.
After a series of misjudgments and miscommunication, somehow, Lukas was more or less saved from the aftermath of his own destructive forces.
And yet if there was anything, or anyone who could end the relief right then and there…
Well, it was none other than Von Elias Aurelius himself.
The suave, cool and blond Vampire had taken one look at him and somehow decided that it was 'make things progressively hard for Lukas' day.
"What else, grandfather?" Elias looked at the Overlord he called his grandfather and took out the noble bloodline history book. "This person's companions are claiming to be from a noble bloodline called the Vardokens."
It was a petty thing.
Maybe Elias just wanted to see that his grandfather's nature was infallible and not easily changeable by just some random young man who waltzed into their home.
He hoped that was the case and fortunately for him.
That turned out to be the case.
Or not exactly.
"Are you from a noble bloodline?" Leonardo glanced at Lukas with a stern expression. He didn't wished to say anything since Lukas had refused to introduce himself properly, but there was a sense of camaraderie that Leonardo hadn't quite felt in a long time.
It was a subtle feeling only, nothing overpowering that struck him true.
"… It's his friends that are claiming to be the Vardokens." Elias said, only a tad annoyed.
"Yes, that." Leonardo's gaze hardened imperceptibly, or so he thought.
Somehow, everyone could recognize that his expression turned serious and fiercer.
"Well, they're not lying." Lukas said and then gestured at Elias. "And you said that you could feel it too that they're really nobles. So I'm not sure what you're going on about and saying that they're claiming when you've already shown your affirmation that they are."
"That's…" Elias didn't expect that Lukas would fight back. Instead, in the back of his head, he imagined that the man would cower under the presence of his grandfather's anger and it was up to him to save the guy and also hint that those two Vampires were saying the truth.
"Are you sure about that, Von? That's not an easy claim to make." The Aurelius Overlord spoke, and this time it was with the authority and aura of someone who exuded it in great doses.
Even Iolathane Durand who was not supposed to be a part of this moment was reverential and wished that she could leave. It was inappropriate for her to be here at the time where the heir of the Aurelius House was being scolded… and yet?
Iolathane glanced in Lukas' direction and was filled with a momentary sense of awe.
Somehow, this criminal was able to get himself pardoned through Leonardo Aurelius and not only that, had survived and escaped all of the Durand officers.
While Lukas made no claim of being from a noble bloodline, somehow in Iolathane's head, it completely made sense.
… This was probably something that the Argenti House would like to hear and pay for.
"I am sure, grandfather." Elias straightened his back. "Whenever I encounter people from other Houses our station, there's a certain feeling that I get. I've been able to compare it with other Vampires because I frequently engage with the members of Nyx."
"Are you sure that you are not simply measuring strength?" Leonardo asked.
"I am quite certain about it." Elias nodded. "I've met strong individuals before, but even then, the energy that they seem to exude is different from what even a youngest child of Carmilla House could offer."
"Bah! Carmilla House isn't such a great way to measure that." Leonardo scrunched up his nose.
It should have been a strange thing to see and hear that the one of the four Overlords of the city was showing apparent dislike to another noble House, but Leonardo didn't cut back from his words.
"If you would meet them yourself, grandfather, I think you would make the same call as I did." Elias insisted.
"Then why is this one here instead of them?" Leonardo glanced at Lukas with a slight frown. "Does it mean that you're really not my grandson's friend?"
Lukas sighed inwardly, it was the biggest form of rejection he'd receive just yet, and nodded. "No sir Overlord, I've only actually met your grandson today."
"Okay." Leonardo nodded slowly, but then clasped his hands together. "I'll have to improve security of Nyx if a single Vampire was able to cause this much chaos and even a full-blooded Durand was unable to take care of the matter by herself."
Iolathane stiffened but then bowed sincerely.
This was the Aurelius Overlord that everyone knew and feared.
"What about the two Vampires, shall I ask this one to bring them here for you to meet?"
"If they aren't here in the first place then that means they're either too afraid to come meet with me personally, or they simply do not care for any of this noble bloodline matters. I would just let them be."
"What?" Elias hadn't expected this kind of response.
Leonardo nodded a bit slowly. "Somehow, Lux was able to take care of itself without the presence of these two Vardokens being there. If that's indicative of anything, it means that they're not necessary for the good of the city."
"But that means that Lux is hiding things from Nyx and other cities, grandfather!" Elias protested with a deep frown. "That isn't right. We shouldn't just trust them on any matter from now on until they reveal the true reason behind their actions."
"The only reason why you're quite worked up about this is because you might change the arrangements between you and that Weisse child." Leonardo scoffed, but then looked seriously at his grandson. "Every other Vampire settlement in this world has their own secrets, and so does this very city itself. It's learning how to tread that line between secrets and compromise that the Vampire kind continues to exist."
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