Entering my office, I briefly glanced at Mavis, who was already there, filing through several papers as I approached my desk and sat down. "Anything that needs my attention?" "These three." Without missing a beat, Mavis handed me three papers, causing me to nod as I grabbed and read them.
Signing two of them off, I handed them back to Mavis, who didn't even glance my way as she took them from my hand while gesturing to the third paper. "What about that one?" "You can send it back; I'm not letting them have a monopoly within the Blacy Kingdom." "We have a monopoly." "But we created the TV; first-come, first-serve." "Sounds like human greed." "I won't deny that."
As Mavis took the third paper from me, placing it on another stack, she leaned back, propping my hand on my armrest and setting my chin atop it as I quietly observed Mavis working.
"Has your clan not ever summoned you for a meeting?" During these eight years, Marston has been acting as Mavis's proxy back in Daemon; occasionally, he'd visit here to speak with her before returning. "Vampires have a long life span; we're similar to Elves in that regard. Not meeting for a few decades is nothing new." Briefly glancing at me with her blood red eyes, she brushed aside a lock of her black hair before shifting her gaze to another paper while I nodded.
"Hmm, I see… In that case, how old are you?" Stopping, Mavis lifted her head, staring intensely at me while I sheepishly averted my gaze. "Geez, it was just a question." "A question every man knows not to ask a woman." "I'll tell you my age in exchange." "I know exactly how old you are. A 40-year-old man." Hearing her mention my age, I clicked my tongue, feeling old. Sometimes it feels like it was just yesterday when I stepped into Hyphen with Talis.
'Huh, Talis is pretty old now too, like early 30s.' I would tease Talis about that stuff, but she wasn't the type to care about her age; if anything, she'd find a way to gloat about it. She was narcissistic like that.
"Don't you think it's unfair that you know my age? As a matter of fact, forget my age, you basically know everything about me." "For the record, one's Status Panel isn't everything about them… I do not know your favorite drink." "Heh, I know yours." Faintly smirking, I rubbed a hand across my neck, causing Mavis's face to twitch slightly as she pretended to ignore me.
"Anyway, thanks for your work, like usual… You can take tomorrow off." Standing up, I stretched while glancing at Mavis, who raised an eyebrow at me. "That's a first." "Thank Vanye, I'm in a good mood because of her." Mavis briefly glanced down at my crotch before nodding and focusing back on work while I left my office.
Though just as I took a few steps down the hall, I was ambushed by Chloe, who leaped onto my back. "Haha, got you!" Wrapping her limbs around me, she kissed my cheek, causing me to wryly chuckle. "You'll have to be careful soon, Chloe; you're not a young woman anymore, you're 28, pushing 30." "That's fine, I'm the youngest among your wives, so I'm still the ripest!"
Smirking, Chloe moved her feet down to my crotch while I lightly shook my head, taken aback by her choice of words. "28… Man, time flies; I swear it was a few months ago when I first met you. How old were you, 4, right?" Looking up at the ceiling, I shifted my gaze to Chloe, who flashed a faint smile while nodding. "Yep. We've known each other for 24 years; it's funny to think back that you were basically a kid when we first met. Now you're an old man of 40!" "Ugh, don't rub it in." "Hehehe."
"Though, if I'm being honest, you should try growing a beard again." "Why? Did you prefer me with a beard? Should've said so earlier. I don't mind." "That's not why; I mean, you look great with and without a beard. However, you've got a baby face; you look the same age as me, and I'm half-elf."
At Chloe's words, I came to a stop in the hallway beside a mirror, facing it as we looked at ourselves; I didn't look a day over my mid-twenties. "Yeah, I see what you mean… Guess I'll try the beard again, I was saving it for when we had children." "Fufu, speaking of children." Dropping from my back, Chloe flashed a seductive grin while grabbing my hand, leading me into a random room, causing me to chuckle, though I didn't resist.
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Mavis POV
"Be careful, okay!?" "Yeah, don't die!" "Chloe, don't say that!" "Hahaha, if we do, I'll die fighting!" "Yuki, stop egging her on… Bye, love you two."
Standing by the window, I watched as Alexander and his party bade farewell to Chloe and Michelle, as they left the Estate, heading off to complete who knows what quest, not that I particularly cared. However, as I watched their interaction, I felt a pang of jealousy.
That emotion, the feelings they had for each other, the care they showed one another; it was something that's been absent from my life. I've never been shown familial love that they just so casually expressed; from earliest memory, it was filled with expectations, scrutiny, deceit, indifference, violence, hostility, etc. The matriarch, my own mother who birthed me, she'd never once looked upon me with such fondness as Alexander does to his friends, let alone his wives.
Still, as I watched him walk away down the street, the hatred, the anger, it's been slowly siphoning out of me; eight years ago, I wanted nothing more than to put that lowly human through hell for eternity for daring to make me his slave. However now… I hated to admit it, but these eight years have been rather eye-opening.
The natural disdain I had for Humans and Elves, it's been washed away after being forced to live amongst them; it's hard to continue hating them when an Elf I've attacked would kindly speak with me, or when the other one had access to mana that could revert anything to its most basic form of energy.
To top it all off, the human I wanted to put through hell performed things I couldn't even dream of; creating mana crystals, it was something that went against the laws of nature itself, it was as if he had access to divinity.
"A day off… I'll use it gladly." Tearing my gaze from Alexander, I walked away, returning to the room to change from the maid outfit, which I abhor, into something more fitting for someone of my stature. 'Heh, and my stature is no better than a lowly slave currently.' With a mocking laugh, I donned my hat and left my room, walking down the halls, intending to treat myself to a day exploring Cassandra, which I've never had the luxury of doing right now.
"Oh, Mavis, you look splendid, are you going somewhere?" Stopping, I glanced at Michelle, who approached me to compliment my appearance, causing me to smile softly. "Yes. Your husband granted me a day off; I intend to treat myself." "Fufu, I see; don't let me get in your way… Here, have this, just don't tell Alex I have you this." Smiling, Michelle, handed me a pouch of platinum coins with a wink before walking off, causing me to nod.
With this pouch in hand, I exited the mansion and left the Estate, taking the same path Alexander had previously gone, though unlike him, I intended to stay within Cassandra. Once I left the Noble district, I entered the Business district, which held little interest for me; walking past it, I arrived in the Commercial district, my destination.
"Now then, let us see what they have to offer." With a bit of curiosity, I followed my heart, heading from shop to shop as I bought whatever caught my eye, storing it in my space pouch; I took my time exploring, the hours passing slowly as I walked about.
"J-Just leave me alone, I-I don't have anything else!" "You've got that necklace, don't ya? Hand it over before I break a few limbs!" "Haha, go easy on him; if you break his limb, he'll be fucked."
As I sipped tea at a nice restaurant, I heard noise from a nearby alley, causing me to furrow my brows as I raised my head, glancing at the trio of men ganging up on a young man; I quietly watched, not bothering to intervene, as why would I? The strong rule while the weak cower. That is life.
"G-Give it back! T-That's my Mothers!" "Haha, so what? It's ours now; this better get us a few gold coins or we'll return to break your legs." The goons kicked the young man down, turned to leave laughing; the young man, rather than helplessly crying, stood up, glaring at the goons' figures with burning rage and hatred, making me smile.
'Good, you may be weak, but at least your mind isn't.' Nodding slightly, I sipped my tea, feeling a form of connection with the young man, though that thought alone caused me to freeze. That gaze of his was like the others', everyone from my clan, the kind of gaze that held no room for warmth, affection, kindness, none of that.
'It's my gaze.' The realization alone caused me to lower my head, a decrepit smile making its way onto my face, realizing that the young man could end up like me, a lonely, ambitious, power-hungry woman who ultimately failed.
"Great. My mood's ruined." Clicking my tongue, I stood up, approaching the alley, blocking the path of the three goons. "Huh, what are you doing, miss-" Raising my hat, I stared into their eyes, causing their own to lose focus; snatching the necklace from the hypnotized fools, I tossed it back to the young man.
"T-Thank you mam! Truly, thank you, t-this means a lot." His gaze softened as he profusely thanked me, though I just turned around, walking away.