Episode 3: Daisy (1)
A week had passed since my sister's affection inexplicably dropped. I woke up in the morning, groggy and half-asleep, too lazy to even open my eyes. Still with my eyes closed, I sluggishly got out of bed and began undoing my clothes as usual.
Thud. The sound of fabric hitting the floor. I reached out toward the ghoul maid who should've been waiting, as always.
Soft.
Soft?
Squeeze. Soft and squishy.
What's this?
"Eek!"
Eek?
Only then did I force my sleepy eyes open. Instead of a ghoul maid, there stood a human maid, her face bright red and trembling. My hand was… oh. At least a D-cup…
No, that's not the point. Am I still half-asleep?
Why is something here that shouldn't be?
A face full of life, trembling pupils, and teary eyes brimming with embarrassment… No matter how I looked at it, she was human. Yet, her outfit was identical to the ghoul maids I was used to.
It didn't take long to reach a logical conclusion: a human maid had been hired into our household.
As the realization hit, the trembling maid opened her mouth. "G-Good morning… Master…" Her voice was shaky, on the verge of tears, but her professionalism kept her rooted in place—despite the fact that I was groping her chest.
Oh. I'm still holding her chest, aren't I?
I let go with a calm expression, and a hint of relief finally crossed her face.
"I think I get the gist, but I wasn't told anything. Did my sister hire you?" I asked.
"Y-Yes, yes." She nodded.
Right now, Leticia is acting head of the Cepheus family. I'm not in a state to fulfill the head's duties, which is probably why my traits don't include 「Head of House」. Anyway, hiring staff doesn't require my permission, and I vaguely recalled mentioning a human maid before. I felt a twinge of gratitude for my sister's thoughtfulness in actually hiring one.
But didn't I bring up the human maid idea when we were both lost in each other's captivation?
How did she remember that?
Whatever.
I openly scanned the maid from head to toe. I mean, I'm the master here, so I can look as much as I want. I stared blatantly, maybe even to the point of harassment, lingering on her ample chest. She stood her ground, though, despite her obvious embarrassment.
She looked healthy. I didn't know where she came from, but her well-maintained hair and skin suggested she wasn't from a commoner family. Maybe the daughter of a wealthy merchant or a third daughter of some noble house? That was my rough guess. She didn't seem like someone suited to be a mere maid rather than a lady-in-waiting. There must be some backstory.
Anyway, she was tall, and though her maid dress covered her legs down to her ankles, the glimpse of her ankle peeking out from under the hem was oddly provocative. Sometimes, modesty is more enticing than full exposure. The tight waistband of her dress accentuated her chest and waistline, pleasing my eyes.
In terms of beauty, the ghoul maids, despite their lifelike appearance, lacked a certain vitality that this maid exuded. This is what a maid should be.
I nodded in satisfaction. "Your name?"
"D-Daisy…" she stammered, biting her tongue in her haste and glancing at me shyly. It was cute, but I couldn't keep her standing there forever, so I motioned for her to follow me to the dining hall.
Daisy trailed behind me, keeping a careful distance—not too far, not too close. Her graceful steps betrayed an elegance she couldn't hide as we entered the dining hall.
My sister, who'd been waiting for me, saw Daisy following and smirked mischievously. "So? Your human maid, just as you wanted. Like her?"
"She's alright," I replied.
I had a ton of questions, but it felt awkward to ask with Daisy right there, so I sat down and focused on eating. Daisy seemed to be assigned exclusively to me, as she stayed by my side even after the ghoul maids left. Normally, a ghoul maid would've been here to run errands, but it looked like Daisy was taking over that role.
The meal passed quickly. There was no need to stuff myself with human food, which was just for enjoyment. Instead, I sipped blood from a wine glass Daisy handed me. The vitality that was absent while cutting steak surged back as I drank.
"You can drink her blood if you need to," my sister said out of nowhere.
I turned to Daisy, who had her eyes closed, silent. Then it clicked.
"She's from a family that serves the Cepheus," my sister explained. "For generations, they've offered their blood in exchange for our protection. Her pink hair is proof of that."
A blood contract—a pact that allows high-ranking vampires to take non-vampires as vassals without turning them into lesser vampires or ghouls. Creating a lesser vampire or ghoul requires a high-ranking vampire to drink their blood and inject their own, but most created this way either lose their sanity or suffer endless torment from bloodlust. The blood contract was developed as an alternative, allowing vassals to remain human, offering their blood willingly to seal the bond.
Daisy was from a human family that had served the Cepheus for centuries through such a contract.
"…Everything I am is ready to be offered to you, Master," Daisy said. Despite a hint of fear, her face showed resolve, bordering on fierce loyalty to me, Scarlet Cepheus.
With no memories, I had no clue what this was about. Did I have some connection to her in the past? If so, it probably wasn't a big deal to the original Scarlet, since Daisy didn't seem upset that I didn't recognize her. Maybe my sister told her about my memory loss.
Whatever. It's fine. She's determined, it's not illegal, and she's a beauty. There was no need to play the saint and set her free. If I did, she'd probably just get scolded back home for failing to serve the Cepheus properly.
I nodded in understanding. "Got it. Makes sense."
"Good. Take care of her. She's a sweet girl," my sister said.
"Don't worry. When are you coming to my room today?"
It was a casual question, nothing unusual. Yet, a brief silence hung in the air. When I looked at my sister, wondering what was off, she had a stunned expression, like she'd been slapped.
Even that looked elegant, though.
"S-Sure… You have a personal maid now, so… is it still okay if I come by?" she asked.
What a cute thing to say.
"Why wouldn't it be? I love spending time with you every day. Don't you?"
"It's not that! …Fine, I'll come by," she replied.
I stood up, mildly distracted by her quiet muttering and Daisy's flushed face as she mumbled something about "Master and my lady in a room together…?" following me. Both were equally distracting, so I gave up worrying about either.
Back in my room, I sat on the bed and called Daisy over. When I had her sit beside me, her ears turned red with embarrassment—pretty cute.
"Eek, Master…" she squeaked, clearly misunderstanding my intentions. Her shy murmurs of "No…" as she flinched were amusing. Up close, she had a refined air, though not quite like my sister, but her actions were the opposite of poised.
She'd seemed so resolute when declaring her devotion in the dining hall, so what was with this now?
It was fun, so I decided to tease her more.
Poke poke. I prodded her cheek, and her lips trembled. She let out a soft "Hng…" then snapped to attention as if regaining composure, only to squeal "Eek!" when I lightly touched her ear.
"Master…" she called out desperately, but I didn't respond. As a maid—or rather, as someone akin to my property—she wouldn't dare speak her mind without my reply. Yet, moments later, she called "Master" again, her voice pleading.
My fingers brushed her cheek, now flushed red, trembling with every touch. When I grazed her ear or tickled her red neck and collarbone, she was practically panting under my teasing, bordering on harassment.
Why is this working so well…? Then it hit me: I'd been unconsciously using captivation on her, a mere human, not a vampire like my sister. With my sister, I kept the passive captivation low since we're both high-ranking vampires, and it didn't affect us much. I'd almost forgotten it was there.
What to do?
It was at a low level, so it wasn't too serious—just enough to make her flushed, like she'd had a drink. If I stopped now, it'd probably wear off. Probably.
I figured I shouldn't push further and pulled my hand away, but Daisy grabbed my wrist with her delicate hand, her pleading eyes fixed on me.
What happened to the maid who wouldn't speak without permission?
"Master… I'm sorry… Just… a little more…"
I was at a loss. Sure, I wasn't entirely innocent, and I'd teased her with some impure intentions, but I'd only touched her cheeks and ears, maybe her collarbone at most. Honestly, I wanted to take her right then and there, but my focus was on winning over my sister. Her affection had dropped before, and though I'd recovered some, it was stuck, lacking something decisive.
I'd started wondering if she was seeing me rationally, but her hiring a human maid suggested otherwise. There was a lot on my mind.
If I was just going to sleep with someone and move on, fine, but I wasn't crazy enough to reject a beautiful maid who'd come to serve me for life. It felt like there was some past connection, too. A heroine this enticing? Not sleeping with her would make me a eunuch. I'd definitely do it eventually—just not now. The timing wasn't right.
Still, with her begging like this, I couldn't just stop coldly.
Just a little. I'd indulge her just a bit.
As long as my sister didn't find out.
It was a disaster.
Daisy's family, the Blackwoods, had been border counts guarding the empire's frontiers for generations. Now that the empire had conquered most of the continent, their lands stretched nearly to the sea, relieving them of their border duties. But they never forgot the Cepheus family, who had shown them boundless kindness in harsher times.
Their loyalty was not to the empire's eagle but to the Cepheus raven and bat. To the empire, this might be blasphemous, but the Cepheus's aid in those bleak border days left an indelible mark of gratitude on the Blackwoods.
When the Cepheus led non-humans to coexist with humans and officially became dukes of the empire, the Blackwoods became their fervent supporters. The backing of a former border count with considerable power strengthened the Cepheus's position, deepening the bond between the families.
"Everything of the Blackwoods belongs to the Cepheus," their heads would declare before family and vassals. This held true across generations, with no head ever forgetting their loyalty.
So, sending an eligible daughter to serve the Cepheus was a tradition.
For Leticia, accepting such an offer was only natural. But she realized too late that bringing a new woman into the household was a grave mistake.
And to think it was the little girl her brother had once saved.
Leticia felt despair.
Walking down the hall with slumped shoulders, an uneasy feeling gnawed at her. Was she about to lose her beloved brother? Even though he'd regained some strength, the lingering effects of his memory loss made him… cute? Lovable? Something that tugged at women's hearts.
And that overwhelming scent…
The other day, whether by mistake or intent, his captivation had hit her like a tidal wave. She'd used her own captivation deliberately, too, though he hadn't acted on it.
But Daisy, a mere human, exposed to that scent? She'd surely try to seduce her brother, Leticia thought.
This was for her brother's sake. Not spying.
Though it wasn't time to visit him, Leticia rationalized her actions and crept toward his room. Standing at the door, she pressed her ear against it.
"Hah! Eek, ngh…! No… No, don't… I-It's good…!"
Snap.
Something inside Leticia broke.