Chapter 7 The Mortal

• "Mort."
• Sumire called the young boy's name almost in a whisper. Under his thick eyebrows and long lashes hide the pair of cold gaze not taking his eyes off the cat. He had his father's hawkish aura around him from such a young age.
• This was the first she saw and studied him closely. She chose to ignore Mort's question rather than answer it. In a second, she could feel his sudden distance from her.
• "I'll call the sla- I mean, servant to clean and dress you up for dinner. Dad will introduce you to the whole clan."
• Mort said now staring at Sumire who just gaped as she looked at him in disbelief.
• Those cold eyes pierced into her soul, the stern look she knew he had. Just quietly judging her from afar. It made her shiver even though she wasn't close to him. And, he acts like a mature man.
• Mort had a fiendishly strong aura that could bring everyone to his knees. The boy had a cold and strange atmosphere swirling around him. Dark, heavy, and foreboding. His mere presence could impose a threat and wants to possess everything inside the room. The Mort in front of her now was very different.
• "Sumire?"
• The boy muttered her name who was just staring at him unblinking and her mind seemed to wander in different dimensions.
• Sumire immediately came back to her senses but she unconsciously nodded at what Mort said even though she didn't hear everything clearly. Her mind was clouded in strange thoughts.
• His aura darkened even worse. Before she could ask him, Mort was already at the door with her cat tailing him as if it had finally found his true owner. It didn't even pay attention to her who took care of it. The cat didn't even glance at her place. Sumire felt betrayed.
• "Are you okay?"
• Mort asked once more as Sumire nodded with a smile.
• "Good, then I'll wait for you downstairs."
• The boy then closed the door, however, in mere seconds, the door opened again and the three servant ladies walked in without saying a word bringing things with them.
• The servants led Sumire to the bathroom and undressed her, fully naked. They guided her into the jacuzzi with milk and filled with what appeared to be crimson-red petals.
• Even though she was shocked, she didn't do anything to shoo them away. Everything happened so fast.
• "You can leave me here. I can do it."
• Finally, a word came out on her lips. Sumire was feeling embarrassed in the place. Even though her cheeks flushed red, blushing heavily, she couldn't take back the few seconds they saw her naked body.
• "We can't. The young master ordered us to dress you and take you to the dining room. Even if it makes you uncomfortable we can't disobey him or else --"
• One servant stopped speaking what she had to say when another servant nudged her as if she was telling her to be careful with her words.
• Sumire did not insist and let them do their task. And when she finished dressing and tidying up, she was taken to the dining room. Her stormy eyes were a particularly striking shade of black velvet with a hint of grey matching her midnight hair was now let down and cascading beautifully on her back than its usual messy ponytail.
• Before she had even gone down the staircase to the dining room, the most expensive place welcomed her. The place screams grandeur and opulence. For a father and son who seem to be from the Kingdom of Darkness, the atmosphere of the manor is oppositely light.
• The hue of the palace-like home matches the warm vibes of the people residing here. The walls were decorated with marble stone and intricate carvings. It was an opulent scene and hard to ignore.
• "It's like I'm in a palace."
• Sumire said breathlessly as the sight after her almost took her breath away. She looked around at her surroundings and gasped. The place was reminiscent of old times.
• Eyes perused the corner of the place, her eyes landed on two twins who seemed to be the same age as her at the bottom of the stairs. She was sure there was no one there earlier and if there was, she should have noticed them down there.
• The twin men stared at her intensely as if they wanted to eat her alive. A cold shiver crawled on her skin. Sumire felt the creepiness from their gaze and decided to just ignore it and went down without taking her eyes off the men.
• Instead of withdrawing her gaze, Sumire chins up, telling them that she's not afraid of them. When she was getting near the last steps, the twins approached her wearing smirks and playful grins. The two of them exchanged meaningful glances before facing her.
• "You must be the one."
• Both of them said in unison and extended their hands to her for a shake. Behind their playful visage, she could tell these people were red flags.
• Sumire seemed to feel disgusted with their arrogant presence, but she still tried to shake hands with the twins.
• A sudden cough with a hint of warning broke from behind the twins. Mort standing with a menacing aura darted directly at the twins: his cousin. The men immediately made way for the boy and looked like puppies after they bowed after him.
• Sumire felt the twin's fear of the young Mort. A sheepish grin forms at the back of her mind. 'Hah, only a child can make you act like a coward.'
• "We are all waiting."
• Mort said and was mesmerized by her looks and lost in it. She was the only person in his eyes at that moment.
• He looked at Sumire's hand. He desired to hold her hand and entwined it with his but chose not to and held himself back. His small hand formed into a fist. He had a hard time controlling himself whenever she was around.
• The boy turned his back and stride to the dining room. The twins followed after him whose pride was now stripped off their bodies and replaced with shame. Sumire, on the other hand, was tailing Mort.
• All of them reached the dining room, the largest dining room she had ever seen in her entire existence. Long, tall windows covered the walls to let all the people experience the view of the nearby ocean. It was an exquisite room filled with dishes artistically placed, a beautiful vase full of red roses, and white flowers with silver sparkles adorn the tables to add a final touch.
• Sumire was more surprised to see the number of people at the table wearing black expensive suits. She didn't bother to look at their faces one by one as she felt like she was attending someone's funeral.
• All eyes were set upon her and Sumire felt anxious by everyone's cold stares at her. Although she did not feel fear, she did feel pressure.
• "Don't look at her like she is something you can just casually claim. She's mine, I mean my tutor."
• In a cold, warning tone, Mort said in an instant lost all eyes on her. Sumire felt the boy held the power and authority of this family.
• "Sit."
• Mort commanded and helped Sumire sit at the far end of the table and he was on her right side next to his father who was already smiling at her.
• Sumire couldn't understand why she seemed to be in go-with-flow mode. Bjorn suddenly stood up and raised his wine glass filled with bloody red wine.
• "Everyone."
• With just one word, the vampires looked at Bjorn in unison.
• "She is Sumire. My son's special tutor."
• Everyone raised their glasses except for Mort. Feeling unsure what to do, Sumire raised her wine glass and flashed a forced smile at them.
• "Thank you for having me here. I will teach Mort well. I will do everything to be deserving of being his tutor. Thank you again."
• Sumire said and did not get any response from the horde. Everyone was now drinking from their wine glasses.
• Everyone in the place was plastered with a big smile on their faces, however, it didn't even reach their eyes. They only had one goal in mind: what they were going to do with Sumire.
• She's definitely a mortal and even more so, she doesn't belong in their world. And she shouldn't be here.
• "Get rid of her."