The Francis Family no longer has a suitable heir.
If Chloe's memory serves her right, the former Grand Prince of the Francis Family, whose name she can no longer recall, was merely an insignificant lackey.
In any case, the originally intended heir had become a cripple at The No.1 Military Academy, reportedly with disabled legs.
She didn't pay much attention to the details, but she did remember that the heir's sensory and mental abilities didn't seem to be affected at the time, only his legs were disabled.
Disabled legs are no big deal these days, with advanced medical technology a prosthetic limb would fix everything. But judging from Francis's anxious demeanor, that heir must have been mentally shattered by the blow.
Otherwise, the Francis Family head wouldn't have set his sights on Anderson.
At this thought, Chloe curved her lips into a smile:
"Would you like to discuss it with him?"
Anderson asked in puzzlement, "Discuss what?"
"Why, discuss making you the heir of the Francis Family, of course," Chloe smiled. "The old patriarch has lost his fertility, and you're his only remaining descendant out there. Not to mention your formidable abilities - with the original heir a failure, isn't it only natural that they would turn to you?"
Chloe narrowed her eyes, fixing her gaze on Anderson's face to catch his every subtle change of expression.
"What do you think about this?"
Let her see whether Anderson would choose to be a servant to the Vampire Royalty or to become the heir of the Francis Family.
Unexpectedly, Anderson's expression remained completely unchanged.
He looked as calm as ever, without even the slightest hint of his pupils contracting in surprise.
After a long pause, Anderson finally answered, "I will not leave Milady."
Upon these words, Chloe's brows furrowed slightly.
She seemed somewhat disbelieving, "What are you saying?"
Anderson patiently repeated and explained, "I will not leave Milady. I have no interest in being the Francis heir."
"Rather, I would prefer to remain by Milady's side."
As his words fell, Chloe raised her brows slightly.
The slightly smug smile on Milady's face showed no signs of being concealed, "Truly?"
"Absolutely not a lie," Anderson assured her.
At this, Chloe's smile deepened.
She let out a light snort, "Good that you know better."
With that, Chloe opened a communication channel with the Francis Family head and unilaterally issued a rejection notice before shutting off the terminal.
She then casually grabbed a hair tie and put it in her mouth, gathering her hair with both hands, intending to tie it up.
Seeing her struggling, Anderson took over and started tying Chloe's hair unprompted.
Anderson's handiwork was quite skilled.
The room fell into silence for a while before Anderson finally asked, "Milady, what were you thinking when you gave me that choice?"
Upon hearing this, Chloe paused from idly fiddling with her fingers.
She curved her lips in a half-smile, "Want to know?"
"Yes," Anderson answered without hesitation.
"Alright, since you asked."
Anderson's tone was leisurely, "If you chose to become the Francis heir, I would have called you an ungrateful, treacherous wolf and ended your life with my own hands. But if you chose to stay by my side and continue being a servant..."
Anderson waited silently for her to continue, and after a few seconds, he very appropriately took over, "And then what?"
Chloe looked at him with satisfaction, the curve of her lips taking on a particularly malicious twist, "Then I would have called you a foolish idiot who can't see what's important, passing up a good inheritance to be a servant instead. Moron, I would have crushed your brain with my own hands."
Anderson: "..."
He smiled helplessly, "Milady, it seems I can't win no matter which choice I make."
"Exactly," Chloe readily admitted. "Because I dislike this choice, neither option would make me happy."
In that case, it would be better for Anderson not to live long enough to make that choice.
Looking at Milady's gracefully curved side profile, Anderson said softly, "Then now, does Milady wish to crush my brain?"
Silence.
After a long pause, Chloe finally said, "No."
By this time, her hair was already tied up.
Anderson's handiwork was honed through years of practice, leaving her hair tied up at just the right tightness - looking good and feeling comfortable.
After admiring her reflection for a while, Chloe said, "Suddenly, I find your answer quite satisfactory, so I'll spare you for now."
She met the gaze of the man behind her through the mirror, giving him a sly smile.
Chloe turned around, pinching Anderson's cheeks as she spoke, "You should know, the Francis Family abandoned you for so many years. Even if you went back, with your half-vampire status, they might not treat you well either, understand?"
"But I'm different," Chloe coaxed gently. "We've been living together for so long, have you ever seen me look down on you for being a half-vampire? No, right?"
"So in this world, am I not the only one who will treat you well?"
Anderson swallowed, chuckling, "Yes."
"That's settled then." Chloe reached out to straighten Anderson's clothes, her movements slow and meticulous. "Remember, you're mine - in life and in death."
With that, she pushed Anderson aside and headed straight for the door.
Anderson stood still for a moment before following her out.
Milady was right, the Francis Family's sudden call for him to return must have ulterior motives.
Anderson wasn't foolish enough to feel gratitude towards a family that had once abandoned him.
But Chloe guessed one thing wrong - Anderson wasn't entirely without ambition.
He wanted the Francis Family, the power and status, but these must be things he seizes with his own hands. Only then would he feel secure.
It was the Francis Family after all, second only to the Royal Family in terms of the vampire clan's overwhelming power.
Once he possessed the vast Francis Family, would Xavier still look down on him?
Anderson concealed the ambition in his eyes, appearing as usual.
...
They talked in the room for a long time, and by the time they came out, even Katherine had been waiting outside for quite a while.
Seeing Chloe, Daniel spoke gloomily, "Well, well, the princess deigns to grace us with her presence."
Chloe glanced at him, "Don't give me that tone."
"Tsk." Daniel couldn't be bothered to engage with her further.
Qin Huaibei pounded his legs, which had gone numb from squatting for too long, "Alright, let's go downstairs for food."
He looked at Chloe, then at Katherine, "You've changed out of your combat gear, I almost didn't recognize you two."
Beautiful, lovely, full of vitality and vigor.
It wasn't just the two girls Chloe and Katherine - in fact, Qin Huaibei, Daniel, and Anderson were just the same.
