Chapter Text
Cale Henituse doesn't want to do this.
Crash!
A broken vase decorates the hallway in the marble house.
He doesn't want to be trash. What would his mother say if she knew what he'd become? Would she feel sad? Would she hug him and tell him it's not his fault?
Cale doesn't know, but Cale Henituse must do this.
He doesn't want to be trash, but his younger brother is very weak and dumb, he still hasn't done anything against the other relatives or nobles who stress to him that he is not part of the family. Cale won't allow it. His father already said that Basen was part of the Henituse family. He is a Henituse in everything as such.
So, if the boy wouldn't stand up for himself, the best thing to do was to draw attention to him.
If he was trash, Basen would be the better of the two. He would be a good Henituse.
Cale Henituse ends his tantrum and locks himself in his room.
This was right, wasn't it? He was doing it for his family, so it should be okay.
His father said Basen was a Henituse, his father brought a lady and said she was his new mother, his father said the little girl was his new sister. They were his new family, and their family should be protected. His father said so, so Cale should accept.
Cale sits on the balcony and just stands there.
He shouldn't regret doing this. He can't .
But Cale still remembers his mother telling him to be happy.
He isn't.
Fredo Von Ejellan.
He simply wanted information about the village that the White Star seemed to have targeted.
It was a small village in the corner of Henituse Territory, bordering the Forest of Darkness. Harris Village.
Fredo found an Ancient Power in a random tree in that village, so that's likely what the White Star is looking for.
Unfortunately, Fredo encountered a red-haired boy while checking another similar tree that was located in Rain City. There was also an Ancient Power here, and it emitted an aura suspiciously similar to that of the tree in the village.
Oh well, the red-haired boy was sitting next to the tombstone located underneath the tree.
The boy's blood-red hair was the same shade as the White Star's, even the pupils were the same. If I didn't know better, I'd say they were related.
Fredo Von Ejellan could not suppress his curiosity when he found himself turned into a blackbird spying on the red-haired boy through the large window of his room.
The boy looked to be eleven years old, but he acted more mature than he should.
"I won't eat! The food is disgusting! Can't they do anything right?"
Ah, now he was acting childish.
Fredo could tell he was pretending.
Because the book that boy had been reading earlier was in a foreign language and, it was a political history book. Most eleven-year-olds focused on playing and eating dirt. Not history.
As expected, the boy plopped down on the large canopied bed as soon as the servants ran out of the room.
The boy's blood smelled good, probably due to something consanguineous. Surely that blood would improve if the boy obtained some healing power. It would be a real panacea.
No one visited the boy until late at night. And it was the butler, who came in to change his clothes and send him to bed.
Fredo wondered if the boy lived alone. No parent would let their young son skip meals whenever he wanted to, right?
At Endable, everyone knew how much he spoiled his Naru. And Naru wasn't even real. So the likelihood of the boy living alone was high.
"..."
Fredo suddenly flew to the entrance of the estate he was at.
There was a Golden Turtle sculpture in the main garden. Golden decorations glittered all over the place thanks to the lighting.
Oh, so I was at the Henituse Estate.
Hadn't anyone noticed the Ancient Power that was literally in the backyard of the estate?
Tsk.
Fredo Von Ejellan returned to his place at the window. He racked his brain as he recalled the records of the Henituse Territory.
He didn't remember much, but it seemed that this red-haired boy tossing and turning in bed unable to fall asleep was the firstborn of the house.
Cale Henituse, eh.
Fredo made his way to the inn he had rented and transformed into his original form.
"Solena."
"Yes, sir?"
Fredo shared his fantastical idea with the woman in front of him.
"Don't you think it's time to have a real Naru?"
He waited for Solena's answer with a smile on his face.
"... With all respect, sir. No one wants to marry you. I thought that was made clear at the last assembly where this was discussed."
Nonsense! In any case, it would be him who doesn't want to marry!
His smile didn't falter, he softened his voice as he answered his foolish subordinate.
"No, I was talking about taking a boy."
"Do you need help with the kidnapping, sir?"
"Who said kidnapping? It's adoption."
"...Sure, that's fine then."
Perfect!
The next day, Fredo Von Ejellan infiltrated the Henituse Estate like a blackbird.
He had already gathered more information about the Henituse Family during the night.
The old countess passed away three years ago, Count Henituse married the new countess two years ago and had a new daughter. There was also a new boy that the countess brought with her.
Everyone knew the boy was not Henituse, but it seemed everyone was forgetting that and was concentrating on the "derailment" of the firstborn.
The Count did little (nothing) to stop this derailment, if anything, he encouraged it. In the form of money.
What did an eleven-year-old boy want tons of money for?
Fredo didn't understand this part. I mean, money is good, clearly, but not for a kid who should be playing with his friends or walking around the market.
Fredo saw the boy waking up early, but pretending to be asleep (he probably wasn't pretending at all and had actually fallen asleep again) when the servants came to wake him up to take him to breakfast with the family.
The butler, a veteran assassin according to his frame and quiet steps, didn't fall for the act, so the boy had to enlist to go to his family.
... That butler, he was familiar, very familiar.
Fredo found out when the butler's son came in with a cup of water for the young master.
Survivors Molan?
Ho, the kidnapping (Adoption!) would be easier than he expected.
The little blackbird didn't attract attention, the ceilings were high and no one would look at it unless they set their sights above, so moving through the corridors of the estate was simple.
Fredo watched the familiar breakfast with a blank bird expression. It was terribly awkward, and he wasn't even a member of the table.
The little girl, who was still a baby, demanded attention. The countess, with a perfect chignon, was feeding her a bottle with a hint of a smile on her stoic face. The younger brother ate stiffly in his place, sending glances from time to time to his older brother, who removed the food from his plate reluctantly. The count ate normally, asking questions of the countess and his sons occasionally.
The older boy obviously felt out of place at the table occupied by people with brown hair.
"Cale, Eric has invited you to his birthday celebration, would you like to attend?"
"No."
Aiya, what a liar! You could tell from his face that he wanted to go. It was so obvious.
"Okay. Basen, will you go? It would be good for you to mingle in the social circle."
"Since father suggested it, I'll go."
Tsk.
Fredo didn't know who this Eric guy was, but he was probably one of the good guys. He would kidnap him (Adopt him!) if given the chance later.
Well, Fredo decided he had seen enough when the kid threw a tantrum because the steak was poorly done and went into the room again.
Fredo made sure no one was around before standing at a table.
"Psss, kid."
The boy looked at him in amazement.
"Oh, God. I must be stoned, why is there a talking bird in my room?"
"Why would you be stoned?"
Fredo bird frowned.
The boy sat in the chair in front of the table and continued to look at him as if he were an interesting project to dissect.
"Kid, will you get out of here?"
Silence.
The boy looked at the closed door of the room. Then he leaned in and whispered.
"Why would you want to take me?"
Well. The boy was not naïve. Any other boy would have already yelled for help or accepted his offer, even if he didn't explicitly say he would take you with him. This kid seemed to be good at reading between the lines.
Fredo Von Ejellan answered truthfully.
"To fuck someone over."
In several years, when the new phase of the White Star plan began, wouldn't it be great if a guy with his same hair and eye color showed up to stand in his way? Better yet, to know that said guy is the vampire kid he's always "spoiled" so much?
"But, my family..."
Wow, that loyalty!
"Well, let's make a deal then."
He continued when the guy urged him with his gaze.
"One year. I'll take you with me. If you don't like life with me, then I'll bring you back."
Fredo could also take this kid away with a wave of his hand, but that would be counterproductive. He didn't want to threaten him either, because he wasn't looking for a political hostage, he simply wanted to fuck with the White Star and, in the process, help this kid get out of his annoying home.
He simply wanted to do it, and he could do it.
He didn't lose anything with the deal either, since "Naru" lived in a remote village and wasn't real anyway. No one would question small changes.
The boy narrowed his eyes.
"What's in it for me, and how will I be sure you'll keep your word?"
Wary.
Fredo had to take him! He had so much potential!
"If all goes well, you'll gain a people who love you. And a great father."
On sincerity. Fredo returned to his real form.
"Well, I guess I'll introduce myself now. My name is Fredo Von Ejellan. Duke of the Endable Kingdom."
The boy didn't even have the grace to look surprised by his light gray hair and purple eyes. He simply blinked twice.
"You're a vampire."
"Is there a problem?"
"That's great."
"...Huh?"
The boy snorted.
Fredo blinked. Shouldn't humans be afraid of creatures of the demon race? Isn't it time for the boy to ask for help?
"You sleep in a coffin? Will you die if I drive a stake through your heart? I guess sunlight doesn't affect you, hmm. You want my blood?"
This boy was, a kid, after all. Fredo answered the boy's questions with a pinched expression.
"No. Obviously, I'll die if you stick something in my heart. It affects after a while. I'll probably want some at some point."
The boy nodded, storing the information in his mind, apparently. Fredo couldn't help but clarify something.
"We vampires are cool creatures, majestic, and we're civilized, so don't believe everything the legends say."
Him! Fredo Von Ejellan! He was a great and super cool Vampire Duke!
The boy's response was a snort of derision. Finally, the boy said.
"I'll go, but I'll take Ron and Beacrox."
Well, that went better than expected. Fredo stowed his kidnapping tools (Solena slipped them into his bag! He swears!) even further into the bottom of his space pocket as he pulled out a black band.
It was the family treasure. It allowed the patriarch to replicate his infant image any time he wanted. That was how he could be son and father without arousing suspicion.
Fredo handed it to the boy.
"You will wear this when you have packed. Activate it and I'll come to pick you up after dark."
He didn't wait for a response when he transformed back into a blackbird and flew out the window.
As promised, Fredo arrived in the evening.
The boy was sitting on the sofa. The butler and his son were standing stiffly behind.
The boy was no longer red-haired, his eyes were no longer reddish-brown either.
"You're now Naru Von Ejellan. Son of Duke Fredo Von Ejellan."
" Father. "
Fredo flinched at the sudden address. The Molans had the same reaction.
"Yes?"
Naru pursed her lips before saying.
"Can we stop by leaving my birthday present for Eric-hyung?"
Oh, that's easy.
"Of course, we can, son."
Fredo Von Ejellan took his son and his servants to infiltrate the nobleman's house.
His son left a gift box with a note that read, <Happy birthday hyung. Please don't worry. Atte. Cale>.
That was probably the last act the boy would do as Cale Henituse.
At least, for a while.