No Hero Side Story: Volume Four Draft
Original novel in Chinese by: 御我(Yu Wo)
Volume Four Draft—translated by Trespasserby (proofread by Arcedemius; C/E edited by lucathia)
[From Yu Wo’s 2010-09-16 Blog Post: http://blog.xuite.net/kim1984429/yuwo/121312848]
When I first started to write the beginning of Volume 4, I wrote until I got stuck, so I made a drastic cut of twelve thousand words and started all over…
Wouldn’t putting aside this discarded draft seem pointless? I might as well post it!
(I also asked everyone on Plurk first and played a game where they had to answer questions for this prize. XDDDD It was really fun!!!)
But this discarded draft really has no beginning or end. The plot was completely unable to converge, and it isn’t in accord with the later Volume 4 plotline. *Looks into the distance*
There are also some places that seem to be unfinished. *Is beaten*
In short, I still posted it in the hopes that it can satisfy everyone’s hunger a little. But please don’t consider it part of the official book because this is a discarded draft~~
Begin the infamous delete and start over draft that got cut.
Disembarking from the minibus, I was unsurprised to see a small airplane. On the airplane was the Elysees family crest. The main body of the insignia was a bowtie. This was the Elysees family’s exclusive plane for those of high ranking. In addition, a row of people in black military uniforms stood in front of the plane. They all wore golden masks on their faces. The forehead part of the mask had an emblem of the sun.
“The Adjudication Squad?”
I was only somewhat shocked. However, when I clearly saw the person standing in front of the Adjudication Squad, I was greatly astounded. Although he was wearing a black military uniform like the other people, he did not have a mask on. This allowed me to clearly see his face.
At this moment, Curtis explained to me, “Because the Endelis clan moves frequently, in order to assure your safety, Madam Sadina specially borrowed the Adjudication Squad from the Sun Emperor.”
“Huh?” The young master had also dismounted from the bus. Upon seeing that row of people, he froze.
Curtis once again explained for the young master, “Please do not panic. They are bodyguards sent by the Elysees family.”
The young master only uttered an “Oh,” and then nodded.
The only person not wearing a mask walked forward. Although he was looking at me, he did not reveal an expression that indicated he recognized me at all. He did not even look at the young master, who was to the side. He only smiled and said, “Mr. Endelis, hello. It is a pleasure to meet you. I am the captain of Adjudication Squad One, Elian. Madam Sadina’s order is that during this time period, I will be responsible for your safety.”
“Then I will have to trouble you, Mr. Elian,” I could only reply in this manner.
The young master turned around, picked up Briar, and then laughed. Although she did not understand why, she also giggled along with the young master. They looked just like two children playing around.
“And this is?” Elian displayed a puzzled expression at just the right time.
I hurriedly introduced, “This is the young master that I serve, An Xiang Ye.”
Elian extended his hand and greeted him extremely politely, “Hello. It is a pleasure to meet you, Young Master An.”
“Hello.” The young master switched to using his left hand to carry Briar, and then used his right hand to grip Elian’s hand. He said, smiling, “Mr. Elian… Can I call you El-gē?”
Elian replied delightedly, “Of course you may. It would be my honor.”
The young master beamed happily. He seemed to find this very interesting.
“Ah!” Elian cried out, “It is already dark. We should board the plane and properly converse there instead, as to avoid delaying everyone’s journey.”
“Agreed.”
Once aboard the airplane, the airplane’s interior was quite luxurious and resembled a small living room. An elderly person was already seated upon the sofa. He had a butler standing at each side. Based upon their attire, I determined they were both butlers from the Elysees family, and in addition, were quite accomplished.
Someone accompanied by two veteran Elysees family butlers, and can even appear aboard this aircraft. Who could this elderly person be… Ah! So it is him. It has been so long since we last met, I nearly cannot recognize him.
I greeted him with a smile. “It has been a long time, Barnett.”
Although he was an elderly man, Barnett was actually my junior. To clarify, he was my father’s sister’s husband’s older brother’s grandson. He was a rank below Sadina and me in the family hierarchy, so he should actually have greeted me first. However, I felt I should not expect too much.
I remembered Barnett was younger than Sadina by more than ten years. He was about seventy years old now. Currently, a seventy-year-old human should still be able to maintain the appearance of being in the prime of their life. But Barnett already appeared advanced in age. Half of his hair had turned white, and there were many wrinkles on his face, especially between his brows. It seemed that his life had not been easy.
Barnett glared at me. He coldly harrumphed and said, “You truly are a vampire. Just by relying on human blood, you can stay young and beautiful.”
I chuckled briefly and turned around to invite the young master and the others to sit down. However, Curtis had in fact already made proper seating arrangements. I only needed to watch the young master be seated and ask whether he had any requests before sitting down as well. After this, the plane took off.
Once we reached a certain altitude and the flight grew smooth, the young master unfastened his seatbelt. Then he held Briar on his lap. The two of them looked all around. They were especially curious about Barnett and glanced at him frequently. Barnett had coldly looked at the young master once at the beginning, and ignored him after that. He did not even say a greeting, and only remained self-absorbed in looking at some documents. Occasionally, he would lift his head a few times to glare at me.
The atmosphere on board the plane was somewhat stifling and quiet. In front of the solemn Barnett and the two butlers, Dell was clearly not as willing to fool around. Without Dell causing mischief, the young master and Briar were also more restrained, to say nothing of Aren. His expression and actions were both slightly stiff even. In contrast, Melody was unconcerned about the current awkward situation and began touching up her makeup.
At this moment, Elian donned a smile and asked very casually, “Mr. Endelis, I have heard that you are Madam Sadina’s cousin?”
“Indeed.” In my heart, I silently thanked Mr. Elian for breaking the monotony.
Elian revealed a very curious expression and asked, “For Madam Sadina to borrow the Adjudication Squad One from the Sun Emperor, you must have an excellent relationship with Madam Sadina?”
“Indeed. I have watched her grow up.” It seemed that Sadina had not disclosed that I was the family head to the Sun Emperor. This was excellent. It would prevent a lot of trouble from being caused… Especially when the young master I served was the Sun Emperor’s younger brother.
However, I could not help but hesitate. The Sun Emperor was unaware that I was the head of the Elysees family. Sadina was unaware that my young master was the Sun Emperor’s younger brother. I felt that the coming days would be filled with unknown variables. Should I confess cleanly to both sides?
I trusted Sadina. However, she would soon retire and Curtis would soon take over the family. If he knew that my young master was the Sun Emperor’s younger brother, would he take advantage of this relationship?
Conversely, I also trusted the young master, but I was unable to trust the Sun Emperor.
The Sun Emperor and the Elysees family happened to possess different powers. One was a leader in the economy, and the other held the most extensive network of contacts. If each could get their hands on the other’s advantages… I did not at all wish for the young master and myself to become the two families’ point of contact. If it was this way, the situation would become exceedingly complicated.
I only desired to maintain the most fundamental employer-and-butler relationship with the young master.
At this moment, a clear girl’s voice rang out, “Ah Ye-gēge, do you want to eat snacks?”
The young master looked at Briar and asked with some confusion, “Snacks?”
“Yeah! I brought tons of snacks!”
Briar rummaged around in her backpack, then pulled out a bag of potato chips. After tearing open the packaging, she took out a potato chip and brought it to the young master’s mouth. The young master curiously bit down on the potato chip and exclaimed, “It’s delicious!”
Briar giggled and handed him several more potato chips. This kind of salt-laden food could easily dry out the mouth. I hurriedly asked, “Does the young master require milk?”
The young master vigorously nodded, and also amiably asked the person opposite him, “Does El-gē want to eat some too?”
“No need. Thank you.” Elian still retained his smile.
“I want some too!” Dell snatched a large handful of potato chips.
The young master continued to eat and grabbed some to give to Aren as well. The bag of potato chips was instantly emptied. But Briar pulled out two more bags of potato chips, a box of chocolates, a carton of strawberry gummies, and several more snacks I could not name… So her small backpack is filled completely with snacks?
“Charles! These are really, really yummy!” The young master held up the empty chip bag. With an imploring look, he said, “In the future, can you buy some of these to keep at home?”
“Understood. It is not a problem,” I replied smilingly.
Seeing the young master eating happily, and even asking with an innocent expression on his face to have some kept at home, I suddenly felt I had been worrying too much. I was the family head in name only, and the young master was merely the Sun Emperor’s younger brother. Neither of us held any real power. In fact, taking advantage of us would probably be of little use!
The atmosphere began to change from stifling to joyous. Sounds of people playing around, eating snacks, and laughing cheerfully turned it into a party aboard the plane. Although the people opposite had expressions that grew more and more sullen, they were completely unable to dampen the young master and the others’ spirits. They still had a lot of fun. Dell even pulled out a poker deck and then the young master, Briar, Dell, and Aren began playing cards.
“Truly a youthful and vivacious young master.” Barnett glanced at the young master, but was directing his words at me.
Although his words came across as praise, I understood their actual meaning. Within the Elysees family, only young butlers would serve youthful young masters. Highly respected butlers would ordinarily be the manager of a household, and would only serve a master with power in the family.
I smiled and replied, “Indeed. Young Master An is extraordinarily energetic. Serving him causes me to feel more youthful as well.”
“You also are not old. A vampire of a hundred years or so is still considered to be a young lad, correct?” Barnett smiled, but his smile was not like Elian’s gentle smile. It was a little mocking. “You are not like a human, who can only live for a hundred years or so. You have so much time that you can choose some… ‘leisurely employment.’”
As he said “leisurely employment,” Barnett looked at the young master and Briar playing around. His expression could almost be described as contemptuous… This is simply too disrespectful! Regardless of how he loathed me, he could not vent his anger upon the young master. This was absolutely not the conduct of a qualified butler.
Even Curtis was never so rude. He was to be the next head of the Elysees family, yet was sent to serve me. Regardless of whether he had any discontentment, at least he never outwardly showed it. He still served me with dedication and never offended the young master I served.
I put away my smile and frowned at Barnett. Although I still did not verbally reprimand him, if he dared to be disrespectful toward the young master again, I would not continue to tolerate it.
“Charles!” The young master suddenly called for me anxiously.
“Yes.” I turned my head to look at the young master. He was only looking at me blankly. I ventured to question, “Young Master, do you require anything?”
The young master looked at my face, sighed in relief, and said, “It’s great you’re smiling again. I was really shocked! When Charles doesn’t smile, it’s really scary and eerie. Like, like… Right! Like the movie I saw last time, Dracula!”
Aren placed down a queen of hearts and muttered, “He’s been a vampire from the start… Your turn, Ah Ye.”
The young master uttered “oh, oh” twice. He looked down at the cards on the table, and nodded, saying, “Hm, hm. Queen of hearts? Then the cards left in everyone’s hands should be the four of clubs, nine of diamonds, king of diamonds, ace of spades…”
“…”
“Maybe it would be better if we played the dice game sic bo,” Dell forced out these words.
Aren shook his head and said, “But the last time we played dice, Ah Ye also won every time.”
“This time I won’t.” The young master hastily said, “Because the noise from the airplane is too loud.”
Young Master, do these words mean that you can “hear” the number of dots on the dice?
I looked at Barnett with some worry that he had overheard some of the young master’s idiosyncrasies. However, I discovered that he had not been focused on the young master at all and that he only had been watching me… Or I should say, glaring at me. He was wearing the same angry expression from fifty years ago. The only difference was that fifty years ago, he was still a young man. Now, he was approaching eighty years of age. Evidently, fifty years’ time was unable to lessen the loathing he held toward me.
Although he and I had nothing between us that would be a cause for mutual loathing, and I had no idea why he would hate me so, humans do not need a reason to despise vampires.
I stopped paying attention to Barnett and focused my attention on the young master, in case he had any requests. In the end, everyone decided to help Briar with her summer homework together. The young master did all the multiple choice questions; Aren was responsible for drawing; Dell prepared numerous diary entries; and Melody was in charge of writing the parents’ words in the contact book.
Briar suddenly held out a notebook and then jumped in front of me, shouting, “Charles-gēge!”
“Is there something the matter?” I smiled as I asked her.
She giggled and held out a piece of paper, saying, “My school wants us to do career interviews. This is the interview questionnaire. I already filled out the career for the person taking the interview!”
I took a look. At the top of the interview was written, “Butler.”
Therefore, I was responsible for doing a career interview.
“I can see the ground. We’re landing!”
Briar pulled the young master over to look out the window. I also could not resist casting a glance out at the expanding view. The first thing to greet the eye was a sheet of greenery.
Fifty years. Already fifty years without returning to this place. However, this place appeared to differ little from how it looked in my memories. There was a small town on the wide field. To the left and right of the small town were a forest and an endless mountain range, respectively. Near the forest was a lake, and halfway up the side of the high mountains was a castle. Over a hundred years ago, the castle was gray. Even now, it had not changed.
The gray castle had no name. However, Sadina always called it the Sandcastle. She often complained this castle’s dusty color was ugly, just like a Sandcastle made by piling up sand.
Sadina had already been in charge of the castle for fifty years. I had not expected that the Sandcastle would still be the dusty Sandcastle.
The airplane landed. We disembarked and left the tarmac. When we arrived at the Sandcastle’s main entrance, I was even more convinced that the Sandcastle had not changed in the slightest. The main entrance’s two russet, heavy, wooden doors were for guests to walk through. For the most part, family members would not go out of their way to use these large doors because they required four people minimum to open them.
Curtis stepped forward to pull the cord next to the door. As a familiar low chime sounded, the wooden doors slowly opened.
I was somewhat confused as to why they were specially using the main entrance, but then I remembered that the young master had also accompanied us. Using the main entrance was most likely Sadina showing respect to the young master!
After the doors opened, two columns of people filed out. It was not just outside the door; the corridor inside also was neatly lined with two rows of people. A glance showed that the ranks went so far that the end of the lines could not be seen. In addition, everyone was dressed formally and was bowing slightly, their attitudes extremely deferential.
What is this… Could it be that Sadina knows of the young master’s true identity? But if it was like this, Elian did not need to specially pretend that he did not recognize the young master. I looked in Elian’s direction, and by chance, he was also looking at me. His expression was clearly suspicious.
“Charles, your family has so many people!” The young master exclaimed again and again, “Are they all your relatives?”
“It is not like that, Young Master. They are…”
I stopped speaking. This was because I noticed a lady walking over. Her attire, an old-fashioned purple gown, was very classical. The dress’s style was simple and elegant. Her hair was arranged in a similarly simple bun. Her entire person looked very refined. Although her face already held many creases, her pair of eyes was bright and piercing. They made her appear spirited and completely unlike a person of advanced years.
Charles, whether or not you believe me, even when I’m truly old enough to be an old lady, I’ll still be the youngest old lady!
The lady walked until she was in front of me and raised her head to look at me, her expression dazed. However, her eyes were blinking somewhat rapidly. This had always been the case. Whenever she was nervous, she would always blink.
I revealed a faint smile and said to her, “Sadina. It has been a long time. I always believed that you would become the youngest old lady.”
Sadina laughed lightly, and she appeared even younger. She asked with an expectant tone, “Cousin Charles, do you still remember this dress?”
“I remember. It was the present I gave you for your eighteenth birthday.” I gazed at that dress and asked nostalgically, “But did you not complain this dress was too old-fashioned? You even threw a tantrum!”
“Really. A girl throws a tantrum and you remember it for fifty years.” Sadina chuckled and said, “At that time, it was too old-fashioned. Now that I am also old, wouldn’t wearing it be appropriate?”
“You are not old in the slightest.” I sincerely thought this. Someone possessing such a lively pair of eyes could not be considered old.
“I should be saying those words to you,” Sadina said as she caressed my face. She sighed, “You haven’t changed at all.”
I smiled and somewhat jokingly said, “I am a vampire, remember?”
“Of course, my vampire family head.”
I froze. She took a few steps back, lightly lifted her skirt, and performed a standard curtsey as she announced, “Steward Sadina Christopher welcomes Family Head Endelis on his return to the family.”
As soon as she said these words, I was startled. However, everyone else had much sharper reactions. Everyone froze and then looked at her and then at me with incredulous expressions.
I looked at Sadina and attempted to give her a questioning look. She winked at me. Despite being an eighty year old woman, she still seemed to be as mischievous as an eighteen year old.
Sadina, what are you planning?
Sadina avoided my gaze and looked to my side. Then she murmured, “Hm? Isn’t this the Angel?”
The young master was wearing a very curious expression to watch her, but he still courteously greeted her, “Madam Sadina, hello. I am An Xiang Ye.”
“You are Young Master An? Greetings.” Sadina covered her mouth and laughed, “So it turned out that Young Master An was the advertisement model recently on television. I quite liked the commercials that you shot. You really are as cute as a real angel.”
The young master revealed an extraordinarily brilliant smile, and the effect was excellent. Sadina’s previous words could have just been pleasantries, but after seeing this smile, she truly could not help stepping forward and rubbing the young master’s head. She was unable to conceal an adoring expression.
“Ah! See how rude I am, allowing you to stay standing here. Come in and let me properly entertain you.” Sadina turned around. After seeing how stiff the other people were, she lowered her voice and rebuked, “Why are you all in a daze! Could it be that you are not welcoming back the family head? Is this the most important etiquette that all Elysees family members are supposed to have?”
“Greetings to the family head.”
Under two rows of family members’ bewildered looks and greetings, we walked into the gray castle. At that moment, I actually missed the apartment building and sleepy-eyed, bleary expressions.
We entered a small parlor and Sadina dismissed all the other people. Then, she ordered Curtis to supervise the kitchen and have them prepare the finest tea and refreshments.
When only Sadina, Barnett, the young master and those who had accompanied the young master were still present, I sighed in relief. At last, I was not being constantly stared at by alarmed people… Although Barnett was still glaring at me from time to time, in front of Sadina, he did not dare to be too rude.
Seeing that the young master, Briar, and the others were curiously exploring the small parlor, and would likely not require anything, I decided to first chat with Sadina. Although I only wished to chat, the scene that had just occurred outside was so unexpected that my tone was inevitably somewhat pointed as I asked, “Sadina, why did you do that?”
“Do what? Do you mean having everyone to greet you?”
Sadina used a puzzled tone to ask, “Aren’t you the family head? Am I not the steward of the family? The family head made a rare visit back home. Shouldn’t there be a grand welcome? What did I do wrong?”
I was speechless.
Sadina smiled, and then turned her head to address the young master, “Young Master An. During this period of time, Curtis will still be the one responsible for entertaining you all. Please tell him if you have any requests and treat this place as your own home. There’s no need to be restrained.”
“Really? Any requests are O.K.?” The young master’s eyes lit up.
Sadina paused for a moment and then spoke again with a smile, “Yes, provided that the request is not too difficult.” This time, she added a stipulation.
The young master said with great expectation, “Then, can I have a lot of potato chips?”
“Potato chips?” Sadina hesitated and asked uncertainly, “Do you mean potato chips that people eat? The kind of potato chips that can be bought from ordinary convenience stores? Or is this a name for something else? I apologize for my ignorance… But please do not worry. Even if it is something else, we definitely can prepare it for you!”
The young master tilted his head and turned his head to ask, “Briar, can potato chips be bought at ordinary convenience stores?”
Briar nodded and said matter-of-factly, “You have to buy the spicy flavor! That was the flavor Ah Ye-gēge liked the most earlier!”
“And I thought that ‘potato chips’ was the name of a drug favored by youngsters nowadays… So they really were potato chips?” After Sadina finished muttering, she noticed the young master was watching her and she hastened to say, “Naturally, it is no problem. I will have Curtis prepare spicy flavored potato chips.”
I could not resist chuckling and received an eye roll from Sadina as a result.
At this moment, Curtis returned, pushing a cart filled with refreshments and the tea. However, aside from the young master, the others did not eat much. After all, they had just finished eating a large amount of snacks.
After eating for a short time, Briar was unable to sit still. She tugged on the young master’s sleeve and shouted, “Let’s go exploring! Exploring!”
The young master had just crammed his mouth full with a red wine pear and apple tart. He hastily grabbed his black tea and drank a large gulp to help him swallow the contents in his mouth. Only then was he able to respond, “Exploring?”
“Exploring the castle!” Briar said excitedly, “A castle has a lot of secret passages, tricks, and treasures! Let’s go find them!”
As Briar was explaining to the young master what exploring meant, their actions made Barnett coldly harrumph off at the side. However, the young master did not notice. Instead, Sadina glared at him, and then blandly said, “Barnett. Thank you for helping me to receive the family head. But don’t you have a lot of matters to attend to?”
Hearing this, Barnett scowled, but he still saluted Sadina as he left. Sadina coughed and her line of sight landed on me. Barnett’s face immediately went from sullen to livid. However, Sadina’s expression also became stern. Barnett could only unwillingly salute me goodbye as well.
I nodded. He immediately turned around and left.
“Charles, could you take us to explore around?”
As soon as I heard the young master’s voice, I quickly turned my head to reply, “Certainly.” But Briar protested loudly, “Don’t ask Charles-gēge to come with us! This is his house! He has to know where all the treasure is already, and it won’t be fun at all!”
“Is that so?” The young master hesitantly said, “But it doesn’t seem right to run around someone’s house.”
“Don’t worry.” Sadina smilingly said, “Curtis, issue the order that Young Master An is allowed to move about the castle freely. Along the way, show him some interesting places, especially the sunroom and central garden.”
“Understood.” Once Curtis finished replying, he turned around to say to the young master, “Young Master An, please come with me.”
The young master picked up Briar and naturally, all the others also stood up in suit.
Because Curtis had already opened the door, I could only walk to the young master’s side. I thought of helping him carry Briar’s backpack. I had just received the bag when Sadina spoke.
“Young Master An.” She smiled as she said, “Could I borrow Charles for a few minutes?”
“Sure!” The young master immediately nodded and agreed. “You haven’t seen each other in a long time, right? Take your time to talk! We’ll go play on our own.” As he spoke, he even took the backpack back from my hands.
Seeing that the young master was about to leave, I said with some anxiety, “If you have any requests, do not have any qualms. You may call for me at any time.”
The young master turned his head to look at me, and he sheepishly smiled. He seemed to be about to open his mouth to speak, but Melody rebuked, “Rest at ease. We’ll still be there. We’ll help you feed the young master his milk and take him to the potty. Will this satisfy you, Nanny…? No, Mr. Butler?”
Everyone ducked their heads to silently laugh. The young master did not hide his laughter. I looked at Melody somewhat helplessly, and said to the young master, “Then I will see you at dinner, Young Master.”
Only when the small parlor door had shut did I turn around to look at Sadina. It had been so long since we last met, and there were a multitude of things we could talk about. But at the moment, I did not know where to begin.
“Has Curtis’s performance thus far been acceptable?”
Sadina said with concern, “I did not teach the child myself, so I am honestly quite worried. Even though his teachers all gave him very high scores, numbers can only tell you so much. They can’t compare to real situations, especially since that child has always been very stoic. He has barely even smiled after his parents died in a car crash.”
I rushed to reassure her, “Do not worry. He has been very good, even though he is inexperienced, and indeed does not smile… However, many employers prefer stoic butlers, so in the future, Curtis will surely become a wonderful butler, too.”
Sadina smiled as if she had a heavy load lifted off her shoulders and sighed. “Thank goodness, because I don’t really have any other candidates for the next steward.”
Hearing the term “steward” once again, I could not help but ask, “Why not give the position of official family head to Curtis? Sadina, I sincerely wanted to give the official position to you back then, not for you to become the substitute. Even now, I have no intention of reclaiming the position.”
“And I hold the same opinion as back then. Unless it’s as a substitute, I refuse to manage the family for you,” Sadina stated resolutely. She then continued in a low voice, “Curtis is my grandchild, so he isn’t a true Elysees either. How could I leave the official position of family head to him?”
I shook my head and said, “Why does ancestry matter? You have devoted fifty years of your life to the family. Is that not worth more than mere lineage?”
“Ever since my mother passed away, you were the last Elysees of the family. Is that not worth anything?” Sadina said passionately, “We are the Elysees family. In the family, there isn’t even half a person with the Elysees bloodline. Isn’t that hypocritical?”
The Elysees were never a large family. This should be largely connected to the occupation of being a butler. A good butler often only has thoughts on how best to serve their employer, and so it is difficult to take into account their own family.
By my honorable father’s generation, the only people left in the family who possessed true Elysees blood were himself and his younger sister. She was my aunt and the one Sadina called mother. However, Sadina was not my aunt’s daughter. She actually was the child of my aunt’s husband and his former wife. Therefore, she did not have the blood of the Elysees family.
By my generation, other than Sadina, my aunt and uncle did not give birth to any more children. My honorable father also only had me. And so, the only family member left with Elysees lineage was me. This was also one of the main reasons I could become family head. There was already no one else within the household who had the Elysees bloodline.
Bloodline… I was little unsure how to respond to Sadina. Although Sadina had no Elysees blood and brooded about it, I did not care about ancestry. Compared to whether or not a person possessed the Elysees bloodline, whether or not a person had talent seemed to be a larger issue to me.
Sadina aggressively asked, “Speaking of which, when do you intend to have a child to inherit the Elysees family?”
My facial color changed and I quickly said, “I am…”
“A vampire. I know!” she coldly interrupted my words. Then she said even more coldly, “Stop making excuses. I already made inquiries and know that a pureborn vampire can only be born to a vampire mother. The child of a male vampire and a human will just be a normal human!”
Oh dear…
Sadina narrowed her eyes dangerously and said word by word, “Cousin Charles. That year when you said you were unwilling to create another vampire, you were lying to me!”
“I only learned this later! Truly!” I hastily explained.
“Why didn’t you say so later on?”
Go out of my way to telephone Sadina to notify her that I am able to have human offspring and have her force me into finding a woman to have children with? I smiled faintly and replied, “I simply forgot.”
She glared at me and said, “Cousin. Since I was little, I have watched you grow up. Do you think that I do not understand your personality?”
“… Was I not the one who watched you grow up?”
“My meaning is that I watched you, and then I grew up. Can’t I say that?”
I was speechless for a moment and said, “You can. However, could your words be slightly more like those of an eighty year old lady?”
“Why do you care?!” Sadina growled furiously, “Are you complaining I’m old?”
“No. I only feel that you are too young…”
Sadina said, “Hmph,” and suddenly clapped her hands. This would normally be the method to call for someone, but at this moment, why would she be calling someone in?
While I was puzzled, the doors opened and a girl walked in. She was wearing a goose yellow gown that fell past the knees. She looked very innocent, but also out of touch with the times. Nowadays, almost no girl would be dressed like this. This was clothing from over a hundred years ago.
But aside from the clothing, what was more shocking to me was her face. She was just like Sadina… A young Sadina. However, how could this be? I looked at the elderly Sadina and looked at the girl who had walked in again with confusion in my mind.
At this moment, the girl greeted, “Family Head Endelis, salutations. I am Reina Christopher, Madam Sadina’s granddaughter and Curtis’s younger sister.”
So it was like this.
“She has grown up to greatly resemble you.” I said to Sadina somewhat jokingly, “However, her temperament is much better than yours from back then.”
Sadina rolled her eyes at me. She continued to explain, “Ever since this child looked at your portrait, she has constantly been pining for you. It would be best if you let her give birth to your child and have them inherit the family!”
What? I looked at Sadina in alarm, but at that moment, Reina walked forward several steps, and I could only look back at her. She continued to walk until she was only one step away from me. She looked up, watching me with smiling eyebrows.
I impassively moved back a step, and then said to Sadina disapprovingly, “Sadina. She is your granddaughter. How can you treat her as a means to give birth to a child? Not to mention, I am still her elder. She would have to address me as ‘granduncle.’”
As soon as I said the title, Reina began laughing. However, she politely covered her mouth and appeared to be very elegant.
“The two of you aren’t related by blood. And in addition, I’m not a bad grandmother. This was Reina’s own request. Her doctrine to stay single is that she doesn’t want a husband, just the kid.” Sadina snickered and said, “She likes your looks and wants to give birth to a kid that will grow up to look like you.”
I looked at Reina. She still had a smile on her face and her gaze had never left my face. I could only protest to Sadina again. “Sadina! Regardless of how it is…”
“If you don’t leave behind a child, don’t even think about leaving this family!” Sadina interrupted my protest. “This time, my heart is set. Unless you can fly, don’t bother thinking about leaving! Have a good chat with Reina now!”
As soon as she finished speaking, she left, seemingly not wanting to give me the opportunity to justify myself. But hearing this warning, I calmed down instead. I certainly could not fly, but the young master could. When necessary, I would impolitely request for him to fly me out. I believed the young master would not mind.
Sadina forcefully slammed the door. I could only reluctantly look back at Reina. I did not fully believe that such a refined-looking girl would seek a man she did not know to have children with.
“I think we need to have a proper discussion.”
Reina revealed a very elegant smile and said, “You wish to chat first, and of course that is acceptable. However, after chatting, will we begin? Grandmother said vampires’ fertility rates are very low, so we cannot waste too much time. Do you feel it is better to go to my chambers or shall we do it here?”
“… Both are unacceptable.”
I only knocked on the door once, and just hurriedly opened the door to the dining hall too quickly for a response. Only after I saw everyone seated at the table having a meal and Curtis standing by the table, slicing a piece of beef shank did I sigh in relief…
“I have finally found you, Young Master.”
The young master lifted his head, his mouth full of food. He looked at me with questioning eyes.
I hurriedly strode to his side and poured a glass of milk for him. The young master accepted the milk naturally. His facial expression did not change a bit. However, the others were staring at me with wide eyes… But I understood what the issue likely was. Busy fleeing, I did not have the time to tidy my clothing, and so the clothing I currently wore was certainly not very neat.
After I poured the milk, I hastily adjusted my clothing neatly. Everyone was still staring at me.
The young master finished drinking his milk, and after he had swallowed the food in his mouth, he turned his head to look at Melody, asking, “Melody, I didn’t notice at all that you’d secretly gone to kiss Charles?”
“I didn’t!” Melody said in annoyance, “I wouldn’t use pink lipstick! The lipstick marks on the butler’s face have nothing to do with me.”
Lipstick marks? Only then did I recall that Reina had indeed just kissed me many times on the face. I quickly pulled out my handkerchief to wipe my face. The young master kindly pointed out, “There’s still one to the left of your mouth.”
After I wiped off the lipstick marks, I truly felt that I had been too negligent recently. I bowed and apologized to the young master, “Young Master, I truly apologize. I recently have been unable to serve you properly, and often my appearance is unkempt…”
The young master uttered, “ah” and said, “Is that bad? But I feel like Charles recently has been getting more and more interesting!”
“…Please rest assured that Charles will serve you more devotedly in the future, and will do his best to commit no errors.”
After I finished saying this, the young master seemed to say with some disappointment, “Ah? Really? It doesn’t seem as interesting that way.”
My honorable father, you always lectured me sternly that a good butler must reduce the number of mistakes to zero. However, when the employer finds my errors interesting, and is even disappointed when there are no mistakes, should I make mistakes?
Melody suddenly stood up and walked to my side. Then, she puckered her lips and left a heavy imprint on my face. Finally, she looked me up and down, and only then did she walk back satisfied and say, “Young Master, would you say that I left a beautiful kiss?”
“Pretty!” The young master elatedly nodded. With a proud face, Melody sat back in her seat and resumed drinking the red liquid within her tall wineglass through a straw.
My honorable father, although you often taught me that a butler must have a tidy appearance at all times and all places, when the untidiness is the wish of the employer, should I or should I not wipe away the lipstick mark?
The young master beckoned me over, saying, “Charles, come and eat too. Melody said the blood that Curtis prepared is very fresh and tasty!”
As a butler, I should serve the young master his meal. However, Curtis and five other servants were already there. It seemed they did not need me at all. I could only dispel the notion of attending to the young master and find a seat.
Dell shifted to the side and gave the seat beside the young master to me. I had just taken a seat when Curtis inquired, “May I ask what blood type the family head would like to drink?”
“Hm?” I froze. Blood type?
I looked toward Melody. She blinked her long lashes, sipped a mouthful of blood, and said, “I recommend type AB. It’s quite good!”
I smiled wryly. In reality, vampires had no way to distinguish between blood types. Drinking any blood type would all be the same. I had no inkling as to where Curtis had obtained this misinformation. He had even prepared different types of blood.
“It does not matter what the blood type is. We do not differentiate between blood types,” I tactfully informed Curtis.
Curtis froze. He was about to open his mouth to speak when the great doors to the dining hall opened. Everyone looked toward the doorway. The first person to walk inside was Elian. Behind him was the person I least wanted to see: Reina.
Elian smiled and said, “Would you mind if Miss Reina and I dined with you? Having so many people eating together seems livelier.”
The young master immediately agreed. He had always liked liveliness. Even if the people were unfamiliar, he would still agree, not to mention someone he recognized, like Elian.
Elian and Reina walked to the table. The table was oblong in shape. The young master sat at the head of the table. I sat in the first seat to the left. Following that was Dell and Aren. First to the right was Briar. Beside Briar was Melody.
Elian pulled out the seat next to Melody. However, he did not sit down but rather gestured at it to Reina.
Reina continued to not take a seat. She looked at me, and then looked to Dell, the person beside me. Dell was somewhat pleased at first, but as the seconds ticked by, and Reina continued to watch him, remaining unseated, Dell rubbed his nose and revealed a baffled expression.
Elian’s actions were somewhat stiff. Dell glanced left and right. He looked a bit flustered. All the others were staring. They did not understand at all what was happening.
The young master opened his mouth to say, “Reina? Are you called Reina? Do you want Dell’s spot?”
Reina hesitated for a moment and slightly nodded her head.
“Dell, give your seat to Reina then. You can go sit by Melody-jiě!”
Dell sighed in relief and said, grinning, “That’s not a problem!” Then he picked up his tableware and went to sit beside Melody.
Elian shrugged and sat beside Dell. Reina sat down beside me. The servants to the side dutifully arranged new cutlery immediately and served creamy soup. However, Reina did not begin eating the soup. She continued to look at me, even staring with wide eyes… Ah! The lipstick mark!
I hurriedly asked, “Young Master, may I wipe off the lipstick?”
The young master laughed. “Go ahead!”
I wiped off the lipstick mark. I looked up, and Reina was no longer looking at me. Her gaze scanned the circle of people. Finally, her gaze rested on Melody. Or more accurately speaking, it rested on Melody’s red lips.
Melody puckered her lips at Reina, and then even blew me a kiss.
Reina scowled, but did not return Melody’s taunt. She turned to look at the young master and asked with a little suspicion, “Are you the family head’s employer? You’re so young?”
“Right! Who are you?” the young master asked curiously.
“Reina Christopher.”
After Reina finished tonelessly saying her own name, she did not speak again and proceeded to eat her soup. Although her movements were elegant, answering the young master’s question in such a way was exceedingly disrespectful.
Fortunately, as Curtis placed a large piece of beef shank onto the young master’s plate, he said, “Young Master An, Reina is my younger sister.”
“Oh!” The young master nodded. “You two don’t look alike at all! But my brother and I don’t look the same, either. Curtis, sit down and eat with us too!”
Curtis said, “Young Master An, my duty is to serve your meal.”
The young master looked at Reina and said a little hesitantly, “But…”
“Young Master. Please allow Curtis to sit down to dine, and I will serve you instead. Is that acceptable?”
The young master paused for a moment, and I explained again, “I only need to drink blood. I do not need to specifically sit down to eat.”
To the young master, having the younger sister seated and eating while allowing the older brother to remain standing and attending to the guests would probably be a very strange situation? However, in the Elysees household, it is not strange at all. Nearly everyone in the family is a butler, and each of them can serve.
“How could we allow the family head to serve our meal?!”
“Be seated, Reina.” I calmly said, “Even if I am the family head, I am still a butler. I am the young master’s butler. Attending to him and the guests he agrees to dine with is a matter of course.”
Once I finished speaking, the young master began eating his beef shank. Perhaps because there were so many outsiders present, he was eating very slowly. He also occasionally fed Briar small pieces of meat that he had cut already.
Reina finished eating her soup and used a casual tone to ask me, “Who are these people?”
“Dell and Melody are the young master’s bodyguards. Aren is the young master’s friend. In addition, that is Briar. She is the young master’s fiancée.”
Oh oh oh, this is the point where it gets cut off and rewritten.
I don’t know if anyone was able to tell that the beginning of the draft actually took place after going to the airport, really going onto the airplane, and then arriving at the Elysees household.
But in Volume 4, the plane crashes. XDDDDDD
I hope this was a solution to feed everyone’s gluttony. If you’re even hungrier, please don’t come and beat me!
I will try hard to continue the story!
No Hero Volume 6 should come out around November.
MagicWaffIez
D: i wish reina was there in the real book,,, i think the whole scenario is hilarious
Tsukiyo
Haha much interesting than the real one
15B
Oh… Elian’s ignoring Ah Ye because he doesn’t want the Elysees to know that Ah Ye is connected to the Sun Alliance. It took a while for that to click.
I bet Melody can reapply her makeup even in the dark. After all, she doesn’t have to look at a mirror to do so!
POTATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO CHIPS. (I want some now. A lot of them…)
Aww.~ It’s actually really cute how Charles calls the Elysees castle the Sandcastle even after all these years. I wonder why Sadina didn’t repaint the castle if she disliked it so much.
Sadina is one fit old lady if she can still fit in a dress given to her on her eighteenth birthday… I wonder if she does martial arts for exercise. After all, most of the characters in No Hero know how to fight…
That chat with Sadina… Took an abrupt turn for the worse. And people think Ah Ye and Ri Xiang Yan are overly obsessive… This Reina woman just LOOKED AT A PICTURE of Charles and practically runs up screaming to Charles, “I want to have your baby!” If she doesn’t want a husband and only wants a kid, she should just go be a butler-nanny for some infant born with a silver spoon in its mouth. And even if she did expect to have a kid fathered by Charles, what would she have done if the baby looked nothing like its father? That was the sole reason she went to torment Charles. Luckily, that baby would have Elysees blood, which would probably be good enough a reason for Sadina to keep it around even if the mother no longer wanted it… If Reina seriously wanted a kid to just look at Charles’s face, that entire plan is also made pointless by the fact that Charles and his pretty face are probably going to outlast Reina herself by a few eternities. She could just stop by Ah Ye’s apartment and take a look whenever… (No. Scratch that. Keep her FAR away from Charles.)
*sees the pink lipstick marks* Reina, how DARE you touch Charles, when he is too honorable to ever strike you back or push you away.
*high-fives Melody* Charles is well-suited for red lipstick marks, not pink ones!
*sighs* I like Sadina much more in the actual volume than this one… Here it’s like she doesn’t care for Charles as a person at all. Just like how Raines only cared for whichever son had his blood…
MagicWaffIez
@15B
… if the kid doesn’t look like him, go have another one, duh~~ xD
But seriously, i doubt she’s that forward for a pretty face, she probably has ambition for the family head position, which isn’t a bad thing~
dollyfishe
problem is … vampire has a very low fertility rate, right ? which could mean that may be it will took her several month to conceive, and another several years to conceive too for another kid. (err … i still didnt like the idea. agree with 15B, scrap that idea !!! poor charles being force to sleep with woman he didnt want to. eh, isnt there a one word term to describe that ?)
RI XIANG YAN !!! how could i forget that name ?? i even spend quite a few weeks in agony before finally admit defeat and re-read the whole released chapter just to find that name. and now while i havent get to that chapter yet, i read it here ! wagh ? should i continue then ? or should i not ?
bad girl
so elian was with them the whoile time. i thin he was not mentined in the book
Adrimiz7
@bad girl
He’s mentioned near the end when they go rescue Charles. I just can’t find where they introduce him.
dollyfishe
@Adrimiz7
isnt it on earlier chapter when the sun emperor first visit ah ye after charles came, elian already there ? that charles even tipped that ezart wasnt planning to pay his money back ?
midori
thanks a lot—!
ah, so this is the one i read, hm—! well, interesting and amusing! though i don’t like how rude reina is, hm hm—!
KT
Charles thinks he and Ah Ye have no power and influence. That’s pretty funny. Especially concerning Ah Ye–he has no idea what a bro-con the Sun Emperor is!
Adrimiz7
Reading this chapter makes me want to go back and read how the sun emporer crashes Charel’s rescue
Moony
Aaaw, in fact this is what I wanted to see happening D:
Truly getting to the Elysees family and having contact to Sadina :( Although I don’t like the Reina idea, but this would have been so lovely. And even more heartwrenching afterwards, in fact.
Sad, but a nice insight indeed :)
DB88
Oh oh oh… If only this was the start of a whole volume (or two)~~~
Sadly, Sadina is already deceased… I would have loved more interaction of her and the Perfect Vampire Butler…
Though I like Reina very much, she just might not succeed in her planning!
And it seems just so cute and nice… makes me wonder how this volume will end… it just makes me more and more curious…
Andi
Now… I wonder if Reina will make an appearance in the future…? She already exists in Yu Wo’s mind, so maybe we will see her! Perhaps with Curtis introducing her instead…? “She is my younger sister. She fell in love with your appearance while you were sleeping. You turned away all visitors after you woke up so she did not have an opportunity to introduce herself.”
Andi
Okay, so I thought more about this. It didn’t feel right to have the younger version of Sadina so greatly overshadowing Sadina herself when it came to interacting with Charles. It was also hard to see the love she has him if she would just lock him up suddenly bc her granddaughter came of age and has the hots for him. Because we sympathize with Charles, I think it would be hard for fans to grow as attached to either the overbearing Sadina or Reina in this version.
I like the way things went with Sadina in the published version. We had time to see just her in the lime light, more time to understand what her relationship with Charles is, and to feel just how much she has always loved him. I think Yu Wo really managed to cast her more as a maiden in love than as an old lady. Additionally, I remembered Curtis mentioned that a part of his hatred for Charles was the fact that Curtis always had just his grandmother by his side, but his grandmother was never looking at just him. Sadina always felt the person called Charles in her thoughts and memories, even thought this same person has practically been avoiding her for most of her life. Curtis couldn’t forgive a guy who was so heartless to the only family member he has. If Reina was in this picture, Curtis would kinda lose a big chunk of his development and motives.
However! I think there is still a chance we might see Reina, but less like the lady here and more as a second coming of Sadina. I really want to see her as Curtis’s child. A kid who grows up not only looking at the portrait of Charles, but also a child that Curtis BRINGS with him when he visits Charles on holidays (I really hope Curtis will visit Charles on holidays, haha)