Haha, ah, life is just brilliant, isn't it? Like seriously, I've been dealt a really shit deck of cards as of late. First of all, my own brother had to be killed. Second of all, I nearly got mauled by a giant fucking monkey. And lastly, I'm being blackmailed by some elvish prick who looks like he hasn't even developed his first pube yet.

I don't even deserve it, to be honest. Like what the hell have I done? I'm not some genocidal murderer or some crazy occultist, but noo. Life just wants to fuck poor old Vela in the rear, doesn't it? Worst of all is that Aldiol dumbass, dragging me away from the party to gods know where.

At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if someone just shanked me and left me dead in a gutter. No, actually, that might be better than living. Especially right now...

I look at the boy in front of me. Alidol Ulis-Felidius.

That's what his name is. But that's not what people know him as.

"What's the matter Madame Ramelet?"

Those words. Blegh, just the way he says it is enough to make me puke, but when combined with his smile just makes it that much worse. That's it. I, Vela, heiress of the Ramelet family, have had enough. Death before dishonour and whatnot, I must not let the Ramelet name fall any lower.

No longer will my legacy be that of 'animal lovers'. If I can at least die with a clear conscience, then so be it.

There's only a certain level of impropriety I can stoop to.

"N-no, everything's just perfect!"

Wow. I'm a bigger coward than I thought. But, who can blame me? That's right. I'm not scared of the little Elvish boy, nope, not at all. The one I am scared of is the one next to him.

Dammit. I can't even meet her in the eye without feeling my heart leap out. At least if Mayevil was here, I could probably buy enough time for me to escape. But, in a situation like this...

No matter what tricks I pulled out of my sleeve, I would die. In the time it takes to cast my penultimate spell, my head probably would have already parted from my body.

That thought sends shivers down my spine.

"Don't hesitate to ask Alidol. There's no reason to take pity on this woman."

The woman standing next to him speaks up. With black hair that run to her shoulders, cold red eyes, archaic wear befitting vampires, I'm surprised. Releasing a voice of both power and depth, it's enough to put me even further on edge. In spite of all the aforementioned qualities, something about her just puts me on edge.

The clock ticks in the otherwise quiet room.

"You're right, but I can't help myself. She's just so deserving of pity, you know?"

I feel nauseous. For all intents and purposes, this scenario is the equivalent of a child king talking down to an elderly servant. Even if the latter has much more experience and knowledge, it makes no difference. No matter how much I try, this insurmountable gap between our status still exists.

Because of that, I can't help but wish he would die.

"Anyways, Vela," Alidol says, sitting upright. "Do you know why I invited you here today?"

"No, I do not."

That's the reality of this encounter. I really don't know why I even came here in the first place. Actually, scrap that. I know why I came here, but I don't know why I was asked to come.

"Would you like to guess why?"

"Uh, not really."

"Fair enough, then let's cut straight to the point."

Thank goodness that I've been spared of any more torture.

"I want you to join into an alliance with me."

"Huh? Wait, what."

I shift in my seat.

"A mutual alliance between House Ramelet and House Ulis-Felidius, one dedicated to our equal success and wellbeing, sounds great, doesn't it?"

Precisely the problem. Why would House Ulis-Felidius enter into an alliance with mine? There's literally no good reason, like seriously, for all it's worth, I'm prett-

"You have five seconds to decide."

My vision spins. Five seconds? No, no, no, no, no, no, there's no way this can't be, ok calm down think... THERE'S NO TIME.

"N-YES, YES, YES, HOUSE RAMELET APPROVES OF THE ALLIANCE!"

Oh well. I might have made that decision hastily, but I can't say I'm disappointed. Certainly, if we conjoined both our forces together, then there's nothing wrong with it. As long as I can bring the Ramelet name back to the forefront, I see nothing wrong with it.

"Do you confirm this agreement?"

"Yes, I do."

When I say that, Alidol gets up. Then, without a word, he heads to the centre of the room. Stopping before a table covered by an ornate blanket, he unveils it.

I look at it, and I understand. It's a magical tool of sorts. That's obvious from the swirling luminescent energy that floats around it. What I don't understand is why he's showing it to me.

I lift myself up and come to take a better look at it. Sure enough, now that my head's above it, I can see what's in it.

"Cool, isn't it?" Alidol says, in regards to the tool.

Frankly, the magic of this level is nothing special. All it is, is a glorified camera, offering a clear window into the scene of the party. That's why I don't understand why my body is so tense. I can't help it, but something about it just feels wrong.

And then, I hear it.

All things considered, I didn't think I would be seeing a vampire burn alive today.