We have arrived at the factory district. The headless black horses pulled the hearse straight through the factory’s iron fence and, under my guidance, drove to the villa’s entrance. Everything around was dark and quiet.
“We’re here.” We got out of the car. I went to the door and knocked, using the pre-arranged secret knock: three light taps, three heavy taps, then another three light taps after a few seconds, signaling my return home.
The door opened. To my surprise, Older Brother Jayad opened it. He had returned even earlier than I had. When he saw me, a hint of shock flashed in his eyes, “Parul? Your clothes!”
For a moment, he wasn’t sure if it was really me. The reason was simple: I hadn’t changed back into my regular clothes and had returned in my formal wear.
“How is it? Do I look good?” I spun around once. The hem of my evening gown fluttered in the wind.
Older Brother Jayad must have been seeing me in such a noble evening gown for the first time. Moreover, this evening gown was exceptionally beautiful and exquisite, perfectly accentuating Parul’s beauty.
However, Older Brother Jayad’s reaction wasn’t as I expected. Instead, he frowned, put his hands on my back and shoulders, and asked, “You’ll catch a cold like this! Aren’t you cold, Parul?”
“I… I put on a fur coat to come back,” I said. I had just taken off the fur coat to show Older Brother Jayad the evening gown version of Parul.
But Older Brother Jayad’s concern was indeed valid. My health wasn’t great to begin with, and this off-the-shoulder, backless evening gown was too thin. Standing in the windy, snowy night for just a few minutes, I was already feeling cold.
“Then come inside quickly. What if you get sick again? Parul’s back is so cold.” Older Brother Jayad pulled me into the house. Indeed, my bare shoulders and back felt the warmth of Older Brother Jayad’s hands. His body temperature was higher than mine. Standing outside any longer would likely have caused me to catch a cold.
“Lorna, Sherris, come in quickly too. Hm? We have a guest?” Older Brother Jayad then noticed the silently standing Ms. Via outside the door.
When she stood still, her presence almost blended into the falling snow. Even the sharp Older Brother Jayad hadn’t noticed her. He only spotted her when he looked outside to confirm.
However, Older Brother Jayad had already detected the hearse at the entrance with his Evil Perception, so he showed no question or surprise towards the eerie hearse pulled by two headless black horses.
“Hello, you must be the Holy Knight by the Saintess’s side that Master mentioned. I am Via. I was once a Demon Hunter, and like you, someone who was once of the light but now dwells in darkness.” Via’s Mother bowed to Older Brother Jayad.
It seemed Lavias didn’t forget to pass on the intelligence he saw, reminding her to be careful. Via’s Mother, with her aversion to Holy Light, had immediately guessed Older Brother Jayad’s identity.
However, she mistakenly thought that Older Brother Jayad, like herself, was a Holy Knight forced to cooperate with me or corrupted by me. That was incorrect. Older Brother Jayad was never an accomplice of those in the Church, nor was he my puppet. He was himself, acting on his own will.
“Uh, Parul, who is she?” Older Brother Jayad was confused by the woman who called herself Via and turned to ask me.
Before I could answer, a loli with blonde twin tails walked down the stairwell, “Big Brother, Sister Parul is back? Eek!!!”
Ah, it was Via from our home. Currently, she wore a ghastly, terrified expression as she looked at the doorway, clearly having recognized her mother.
“Carol, you’ve made me search quite hard. Leaving a letter and running away like that. You don’t know how angry Master is. You, my child, truly are…” Via’s Mother spoke slowly, her tone showing no anger at all, as if she were merely a kind mother who had found her daughter playing and forgotten to come home.
But for Via, it was different. She looked as if she had seen a demon. Her already pale face turned even paler, her whole body seemed to tremble, and her voice quivered, “Mom, Mother!”
“Come, let me see what you’ve been doing all this time. Whoa, you’ve grown up. Even your mother is still just a vampire spawn.” Via’s Mother’s voice seemed to carry a chill as she strode into the living room.
“Eek! I’m sorry, Mother!” Via, petrified, instantly dispersed into countless blood mist and flies, scattering to different parts of the room. She was so frightened by her mother that she ran away.
However, this seemed to be in vain. Via’s Mother took out a small bottle, opened it, and drew a rune on it. The blood mist and mosquitoes and flies throughout the room were drawn back, reforming into Via’s appearance before her.
Via jumped up, trying to run again, but her mother grabbed her ear. The action was so practiced that Via’s eyes immediately welled up with tears, and she cried out, “Ouch, ouch, ouch! Mother, be gentle!”
It seems mothers still have the upper hand against their daughters. In just a few moves, Via was captured. While it’s true that Via dared not truly resist her mother, the Demon Hunter skills displayed by Via’s Mother had not become rusty despite her transformation into a vampire spawn. She was still just as capable of restraining Blood Race members.
“Uh, what exactly is going on?” Older Brother Jayad was still out of the loop.
“It’s a long story. She’s Via’s mother, also named Via, and she’s specifically here to find her daughter. It’s their family matter, so let’s not interfere,” I said helplessly.
“Really, you child! You ran off without a word, and I couldn’t find you anywhere! You have no idea how worried I was. I was afraid your father would get really angry and drag you back to seal you in a coffin, or worse, that you’d be encountered by Demon Hunters. They’re not reasonable people!” Via’s Mother finally lost her composure and started scolding me.
I could only say that she was undoubtedly a biological mother. Although her words were stern, her concern was evident. It was also strange that she spoke so negatively about her former colleagues, considering she used to be a Demon Hunter herself.
“Wuwu! I know I was wrong! I really won’t dare to do it again next time! Don’t twist my ear!” Via wailed repeatedly, constantly apologizing and admitting her mistakes. Of course, she couldn’t escape her mother’s scolding.
“There won’t be a next time! You’re quite capable to have found your way to the Saintess’s side. Your father said that since you’ve become the Saintess’s maid, you must do your job well. If anything goes wrong, he’ll personally teach you a lesson!”
“Yes! I’ll definitely work hard and diligently!” Via quickly promised. At this point, how could she not guess that her father already knew she was here? Not being dragged back immediately was already a stroke of luck, so she didn’t dare to argue.
In truth, she had never fully understood my identity as the Saintess. She only vaguely knew that I was likely a high-ranking member of the Church of Gluttony. I hadn’t discussed such matters with her, and this was the first time she was learning about it.
