Francis Manor.
For some unknown reason, although this was just a Duke's estate, the atmosphere among the servants was even more tense than inside a Vampire Manor.
Kewen strutted nonchalantly ahead of Anderson, occasionally making scathing remarks.
Either he would say that the decorations in the Duke's manor were vulgar, or that these servants lacked discipline.
Like Chloe, he would deliberately crush anything he disliked, even an ant.
They walked a little further, and the Duke's wolf hound started barking furiously at them.
Kewen, whose mood was already low, became even more irritated. He went up and slapped the wolf hound, immediately stunning it.
Kewen: "What kind of beast dares bark at me?"
This familiar phrase made Anderson's lips twitch involuntarily.
It must be said that anyone associated with the Vampire Royal Family would inevitably become arrogant to some degree.
The Vampire lifestyle nurtures such attitudes.
That wolf hound had probably never encountered anyone who dared slap it, and it immediately whimpered and curled up, even tucking its tail.
It looked pathetically cowardly.
Kewen snorted, then turned and continued forward with Anderson.
Inside the manor, Francis and Edmund had been waiting for a long time.
Obviously, they had not expected that someone else would come with Anderson today. When they saw Kewen, Francis's face turned green.
If Chloe was still young and might not be too extreme towards them, then Kewen was a real ruthless character.
A mad dog that bit people under the command of the Ancestor.
Francis struggled to control his facial expression: "...Mr. Kewen."
Upon hearing this, Kewen gave him a once-over but said nothing. Instead, he directly pushed Anderson forward.
The implication was clear - Anderson was the main focus today. If Francis wanted to say anything, he should talk to Anderson.
After pushing Anderson out, Kewen looked around and sat down on a sofa like an old lord.
Seeing this, Francis also relaxed. He glanced at Kewen in the distance, then called Anderson to the table.
After they were both seated, Francis's tone became serious:
"You are now my only healthy child. I won't do anything bad to you, so rest assured."
Hearing this, Anderson remained unmoved.
His fingers tapped on the table, his head slightly lowered, making his expression unreadable.
Fortunately, Francis didn't seem to care much. He directly pushed a contract towards Anderson:
"If you don't trust me, you can take a look at this."
Unfortunately, his tone lacked the warmth one should have towards their own child. Instead, it was very businesslike, as if dealing with a business partner.
But Anderson didn't need this guy's affection.
He opened the contract and carefully read through it.
He went through every clause and every item.
Francis obviously didn't think a young child could understand much, so he let Anderson read without reservations.
Any contract handed over by Francis without concern would naturally not contain any unfair terms - it was all normal.
But the last clause made Anderson raise his eyebrows slightly.
The thirteen-year-old child spoke his first words today:
"What does this mean?"
The last clause clearly expressed the meaning of allowing Anderson to be as accommodating as possible towards Edmund's actions and demands, and to satisfy all of his requests to the utmost extent.
Seeing Anderson point it out, Francis spread his hands helplessly:
"You know, Edmund is after all the son I've raised for so many years. I've invested a lot of effort in him, and even though he's become like this now, I still hope he can live well. This request... is not too much, is it?"
Anderson raised his eyes, his gaze falling on Edmund.
Compared to yesterday, Edmund seemed even more haggard today.
The atmosphere in Francis's manor was too oppressive.
The dark ceiling, the heavy curtains blocking most of the sunlight seeping in through the windows, leaving most people in the dark.
Anderson couldn't even make out Edmund's expression clearly.
But it didn't matter.
He lowered his gaze to the contract in his hand, staring at the last clause for a long time. Finally, he picked up a pen and signed his name at the end.
Anderson Francis.
Seeing the surname after, Francis finally showed a satisfied smile.
He looked at Anderson with gratification: "Good boy."
Anderson curved his lips into a mocking smile.
"Are we done?" Kewen stood up from the sofa in the distance. "If we're done, I should leave."
He straightened the creases on his sleeves, his narrow eyes lingering on Anderson for a moment before dismissively shifting his gaze away. Finally, he looked at Francis:
"Congratulations, old Duke, on your child recognizing his ancestry."
The tone was casual, deliberately dragging out the last word.
Francis couldn't grasp his meaning and could only nod awkwardly: "Yes, yes, good, very good."
Kewen's disdainful gaze fell on him for a moment, then he said indifferently: "But you should know, Anderson used to be the Lady's man, and will continue to be in the future."
"That's natural," Francis wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Not just Anderson, who among the Vampire nobles and commoners is not the Lady's subject?"
As these words fell, Kewen smiled with an ambiguous meaning: "Let's hope so."
He picked up the teapot on the table and poured the tea water straight into his mouth from the spout, his whole demeanor exuding a lack of restraint.
After quenching his thirst, Kewen turned and left.
There was no sign of respect for the Vampire nobility in his behavior.
Soon after, Anderson also stood up to leave with Kewen, but Francis stopped him: "Wait, we've prepared a room for you. Don't you want to take a look?"
Anderson paused, turned back towards them, and curved his lips into a friendly arc: "Sure."
Francis Manor was always so quiet.
Anderson went up to the third floor, twisted the doorknob and entered.
Francis was succinct in his words, and after watching Anderson go in, he pushed Edmund away.
In the dim hallway, a few oil lamps flickered in the breeze. Edmund slowly raised his head.
Francis's voice was low:
"Don't worry, Anderson is in our hands now. Your body will eventually have a solution."
...
"So Anderson didn't return with you?"
Chloe held an arrow in her hand and asked, "Is it true?"
Kewen nodded, "Yes."
He then smiled, "But you don't need to worry too much, Miss. Francis won't dare do anything to him for now."
"Moreover, Anderson is there mainly to help us keep an eye on Francis, to see if he will contact the Werewolf Race behind our backs."
"Alright." Chloe threw the arrow in her hand, and after the sound of it cutting through the air, it hit the bullseye.
Not far away, Daniel's cry of being struck could be heard.
Chloe smiled, "I heard that Xavier is going out tomorrow?"
Upon hearing this, Kewen was taken aback, "Yes, what about it?"
Chloe stroked her chin, "Do you think my dear father would agree for us to go with him?"
