After being scolded by Judith and absorbing all the youth, Lionel despaired at his wrinkled face.
“Fuck.”
Lionel looked much older, whether it was because he had disobeyed the boy's warning to take his medicine during the full moon, or because he had absorbed the youthfulness of the maid, who had brown hair but not brown eyes.
“You look sixty years old!”
To the butler, he looked exactly his age, but to Lionel, who always maintained a youthful appearance, he looked like he had aged a lot.
“I can’t go out with a face like this.”
Lionel, who had been holding onto the mirror all day, remembered what the boy had said.
“If, just in case, the medicine doesn’t work or you didn’t take it as instructed, try this method.”
Then the boy whispered to Lionel.
“You drink the blood of someone who has the same hair and eye color as you, Baron. Once you start drinking blood, you must not eat any other food for nine days. You must also avoid sunlight as much as possible.”
After that, the boy told him to only drink blood when he felt hungry.
He also strongly urged that this must be a last resort.
Even if the drug doesn't work or side effects appear, it will only return him to his original age and there will be no danger to his life.
“I’d rather die, what is this?”
Lionel couldn't quite accept his old self. He shook the rope roughly.
“Did you call, master?”
The butler came in out of breath.
“Buy slaves, young men with brown hair and brown eyes.”
He really doesn't want to drink that lowly blood, but it's urgent so he can't help it.
“And for nine days, no one is to be allowed into the mansion. Even if His Majesty comes, do not open the door. Do you understand?”
A few days later, the imperial banquet ended successfully. The incense presented at the banquet became a huge hit.
I screamed in happiness as the spells surged towards me like a tidal wave.
“You are very busy today, Madam.”
“Welcome, Marquis.”
Cain, who opened the door to the store and came in, looked tired again today. He greeted Erne, who was standing in a corner of the store, with only his eyes.
“What is the strongest scented candle here?”
“Here’s the scent of rosemary. But, Your Grace, don’t you like subtle scents?”
“Oh, I’ve been to the morgue so often these days that my clothes don’t smell. I thought that if I kept them in the mansion and used them, the smell would go away a little.”
Cain furrowed his brow, shuddering.
“Why a morgue?”
“Murder cases happen every day.”
“Is it a murder case?”
“Yes, it’s a serial murder case. But the weapon, sigh.”
Cain sighed as if just thinking about it made him irritated.
“Well, this crazy guy is biting people’s necks to death. He’s not a wolf or anything.”
"We've already found five bodies with the same wounds," Cain said with a pained look on his face.
Because the incident occurred in an area where the lower classes lived, it was not reported promptly.
The scene of the incident was also damaged, and it seemed very difficult to find witnesses.
“All the victims had one thing in common: they were young men and women with brown hair and brown eyes.”
“There are so many strange incidents.”
Cain looked at me and added that I should be careful just in case.
“I’m sure nothing will happen since Erne is always with you.”
“That’s true.”
I ignored Cain's words.
As he said, Erne was by my side, and the area where the incident occurred was quite far from where my incense shop was located.
Besides, the police are strengthening their patrols, so won't the criminal be caught soon?
“Oh, by the way, Baron Morbius is also leaving the capital soon.”
“That’s good news to hear.”
It had already been more than two weeks since Lionel proposed, before the royal banquet.
“Is that guy okay?”
Erne, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, intervened. The last time I saw Lionel, he left in a hurry as if something had gone wrong.
At that time, the amulet that the godmother had given to me broke, which made us feel quite uneasy. Fortunately, however, nothing happened to me after that day.
The Godmother advised me to avoid Lionel as much as possible until she could create a new amulet. However, Lionel has not been seen since.
As I became busy with work, at some point I completely forgot about Lionel.
“He looked very healthy, not just healthy. His face was so taut that you’d think he was in his mid-twenties.”
“Mid-twenties?”
The last time I saw him, he looked like you were in his mid-thirties. What on earth does he do to look ten years younger? Does he actually use some kind of magic to absorb other people's youth?
When I heard that rumor, I was skeptical. They say there are all kinds of magic spells, but I still wondered if there was a spell that could absorb someone's youth.
But at this point, I began to seriously question this.
That day, the reason the amulet broke was because Lionel was using a spell to absorb youth.
“Take care, Mr. Ryan. I heard there’s a crazy guy out on the streets these days who bites people’s necks.”
“Don’t worry, Ma’am, I’ll take you to the Rhineland mansion.”
“I feel reassured when I hear that Sir Henry will send me on my way.”
Judith waved to Henry and Ryan as they headed back from their shift.
Instead of opening the store, Ryan and Henry left work two hours before closing time, leaving the simple cleanup and closing up to Judith and Erne.
In fact, she could have left the finishing touches to Ryan and Henry, but no matter how busy she was, Judith always made sure to finish them herself.
The biggest reason for doing this was settlement.
Of course, she trusted Ryan and Henry, but Judith was the type of person who believed that the CEO should be the one to settle accounts.
It was also important to check sales trends every day.
“Wait a minute, this doesn’t fit the money?”
After the last of the customers were sent away, a quick cleaning was done, and while Erne stocked the empty shelves, Judith wrestled with the ledger.
“How wrong it is.”
“Twenty coins.”
“I guess I’ll have to go home today.”
If one coin doesn't fit, there's chaos, so twenty coins? Then you have to assume you can't go anywhere until they all fit.
Erne shook his head and locked the front door of the store.
All the other shops in the square had already closed and were inside, and Judith's was the only shop with its lights on.
“Are you still counting?”
“Yes, why doesn’t this fit? This is weird.”
Judith scratched her head.
“Look inside the drawer. It fell inside last time.”
“I already looked for it. But Erne, where is the sound of a dog barking?”
Woof woof woof-!
“It sounds like a wild dog. I guess there are wild dogs around here.”
“But I can hear it getting closer. Is our Gold okay?”
Judith got up and headed for the back door. Gold was left untethered at the mansion, but when he was in the shop, he was tied to a tree behind the shop. There was no fence there, so it was easy for dogs to approach.
“Let’s see, Gold... Huh?”
As expected, a pack of wild dogs, as large as wolves, was baring their teeth at Gold.
“Those things!”
“Here it is.”
Erne took out the sword from his waist and ran towards Gold. The dogs were hungry and didn't even care about the people coming, so they pounced on Gold.
“Water, is there any water?”
As Judith was about to sprinkle some water on Gold, the reins tied to the tree broke free as Gold struggled in surprise.
“Hey!”
Gold ran away and a pack of dogs chased after him, and Erne ran after the dogs.
“Stay in!”
Even in such a desperate situation, Erne shouted at Judith. Judith nodded obediently.
“Oh my, what the heck is that stray dog...”
I hope Erne is okay.
As Judith was about to enter the store, unable to keep up with Gold with her running skills, someone poked her shoulder from behind.
“Who, ah!”
The moment Judith turned around, the stranger grabbed her wrist and pulled it hard. She lost her balance and fell flat on her butt.
A dark figure rushed over to Judith. The man, who was large enough to cover her, bit the nape of her neck as he held down Judith, who was resisting.
“Ahh!”
Judith screamed at the sharp pain she felt on her already tender flesh.
As Judith fumbled along the floor trying to somehow get away from the man, she caught a stone a little bigger than her fist in her hand.
“Hey, see.”
Judith picked up a stone and started beating the man with it roughly.
“Ugh.”
The stone struck the man's head. Only then did the man let out a short groan and fall from Judith's nape. Judith kicked him and quickly stood up.
“You...!”
Judith, leaning against the wall at the back of the store, bit her lip as she watched the man stand up with a jerk.
Lionel was relieved that he would be leaving soon.
He wiped the blood running down his forehead and smiled bitterly at Judith.
“Don’t worry, Miss Harrington. Miss Harrington’s lover, who chased the horse, will be back in a while. It’ll be enough time for the two of us to enjoy some cozy time.”
“Fuck.”
Lionel looked much older, whether it was because he had disobeyed the boy's warning to take his medicine during the full moon, or because he had absorbed the youthfulness of the maid, who had brown hair but not brown eyes.
“You look sixty years old!”
To the butler, he looked exactly his age, but to Lionel, who always maintained a youthful appearance, he looked like he had aged a lot.
“I can’t go out with a face like this.”
Lionel, who had been holding onto the mirror all day, remembered what the boy had said.
“If, just in case, the medicine doesn’t work or you didn’t take it as instructed, try this method.”
Then the boy whispered to Lionel.
“You drink the blood of someone who has the same hair and eye color as you, Baron. Once you start drinking blood, you must not eat any other food for nine days. You must also avoid sunlight as much as possible.”
After that, the boy told him to only drink blood when he felt hungry.
He also strongly urged that this must be a last resort.
Even if the drug doesn't work or side effects appear, it will only return him to his original age and there will be no danger to his life.
“I’d rather die, what is this?”
Lionel couldn't quite accept his old self. He shook the rope roughly.
“Did you call, master?”
The butler came in out of breath.
“Buy slaves, young men with brown hair and brown eyes.”
He really doesn't want to drink that lowly blood, but it's urgent so he can't help it.
“And for nine days, no one is to be allowed into the mansion. Even if His Majesty comes, do not open the door. Do you understand?”
***
A few days later, the imperial banquet ended successfully. The incense presented at the banquet became a huge hit.
I screamed in happiness as the spells surged towards me like a tidal wave.
“You are very busy today, Madam.”
“Welcome, Marquis.”
Cain, who opened the door to the store and came in, looked tired again today. He greeted Erne, who was standing in a corner of the store, with only his eyes.
“What is the strongest scented candle here?”
“Here’s the scent of rosemary. But, Your Grace, don’t you like subtle scents?”
“Oh, I’ve been to the morgue so often these days that my clothes don’t smell. I thought that if I kept them in the mansion and used them, the smell would go away a little.”
Cain furrowed his brow, shuddering.
“Why a morgue?”
“Murder cases happen every day.”
“Is it a murder case?”
“Yes, it’s a serial murder case. But the weapon, sigh.”
Cain sighed as if just thinking about it made him irritated.
“Well, this crazy guy is biting people’s necks to death. He’s not a wolf or anything.”
"We've already found five bodies with the same wounds," Cain said with a pained look on his face.
Because the incident occurred in an area where the lower classes lived, it was not reported promptly.
The scene of the incident was also damaged, and it seemed very difficult to find witnesses.
“All the victims had one thing in common: they were young men and women with brown hair and brown eyes.”
“There are so many strange incidents.”
Cain looked at me and added that I should be careful just in case.
“I’m sure nothing will happen since Erne is always with you.”
“That’s true.”
I ignored Cain's words.
As he said, Erne was by my side, and the area where the incident occurred was quite far from where my incense shop was located.
Besides, the police are strengthening their patrols, so won't the criminal be caught soon?
“Oh, by the way, Baron Morbius is also leaving the capital soon.”
“That’s good news to hear.”
It had already been more than two weeks since Lionel proposed, before the royal banquet.
“Is that guy okay?”
Erne, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, intervened. The last time I saw Lionel, he left in a hurry as if something had gone wrong.
At that time, the amulet that the godmother had given to me broke, which made us feel quite uneasy. Fortunately, however, nothing happened to me after that day.
The Godmother advised me to avoid Lionel as much as possible until she could create a new amulet. However, Lionel has not been seen since.
As I became busy with work, at some point I completely forgot about Lionel.
“He looked very healthy, not just healthy. His face was so taut that you’d think he was in his mid-twenties.”
“Mid-twenties?”
The last time I saw him, he looked like you were in his mid-thirties. What on earth does he do to look ten years younger? Does he actually use some kind of magic to absorb other people's youth?
When I heard that rumor, I was skeptical. They say there are all kinds of magic spells, but I still wondered if there was a spell that could absorb someone's youth.
But at this point, I began to seriously question this.
That day, the reason the amulet broke was because Lionel was using a spell to absorb youth.
***
“Take care, Mr. Ryan. I heard there’s a crazy guy out on the streets these days who bites people’s necks.”
“Don’t worry, Ma’am, I’ll take you to the Rhineland mansion.”
“I feel reassured when I hear that Sir Henry will send me on my way.”
Judith waved to Henry and Ryan as they headed back from their shift.
Instead of opening the store, Ryan and Henry left work two hours before closing time, leaving the simple cleanup and closing up to Judith and Erne.
In fact, she could have left the finishing touches to Ryan and Henry, but no matter how busy she was, Judith always made sure to finish them herself.
The biggest reason for doing this was settlement.
Of course, she trusted Ryan and Henry, but Judith was the type of person who believed that the CEO should be the one to settle accounts.
It was also important to check sales trends every day.
“Wait a minute, this doesn’t fit the money?”
After the last of the customers were sent away, a quick cleaning was done, and while Erne stocked the empty shelves, Judith wrestled with the ledger.
“How wrong it is.”
“Twenty coins.”
“I guess I’ll have to go home today.”
If one coin doesn't fit, there's chaos, so twenty coins? Then you have to assume you can't go anywhere until they all fit.
Erne shook his head and locked the front door of the store.
All the other shops in the square had already closed and were inside, and Judith's was the only shop with its lights on.
“Are you still counting?”
“Yes, why doesn’t this fit? This is weird.”
Judith scratched her head.
“Look inside the drawer. It fell inside last time.”
“I already looked for it. But Erne, where is the sound of a dog barking?”
Woof woof woof-!
“It sounds like a wild dog. I guess there are wild dogs around here.”
“But I can hear it getting closer. Is our Gold okay?”
Judith got up and headed for the back door. Gold was left untethered at the mansion, but when he was in the shop, he was tied to a tree behind the shop. There was no fence there, so it was easy for dogs to approach.
“Let’s see, Gold... Huh?”
As expected, a pack of wild dogs, as large as wolves, was baring their teeth at Gold.
“Those things!”
“Here it is.”
Erne took out the sword from his waist and ran towards Gold. The dogs were hungry and didn't even care about the people coming, so they pounced on Gold.
“Water, is there any water?”
As Judith was about to sprinkle some water on Gold, the reins tied to the tree broke free as Gold struggled in surprise.
“Hey!”
Gold ran away and a pack of dogs chased after him, and Erne ran after the dogs.
“Stay in!”
Even in such a desperate situation, Erne shouted at Judith. Judith nodded obediently.
“Oh my, what the heck is that stray dog...”
I hope Erne is okay.
As Judith was about to enter the store, unable to keep up with Gold with her running skills, someone poked her shoulder from behind.
“Who, ah!”
The moment Judith turned around, the stranger grabbed her wrist and pulled it hard. She lost her balance and fell flat on her butt.
A dark figure rushed over to Judith. The man, who was large enough to cover her, bit the nape of her neck as he held down Judith, who was resisting.
“Ahh!”
Judith screamed at the sharp pain she felt on her already tender flesh.
As Judith fumbled along the floor trying to somehow get away from the man, she caught a stone a little bigger than her fist in her hand.
“Hey, see.”
Judith picked up a stone and started beating the man with it roughly.
“Ugh.”
The stone struck the man's head. Only then did the man let out a short groan and fall from Judith's nape. Judith kicked him and quickly stood up.
“You...!”
Judith, leaning against the wall at the back of the store, bit her lip as she watched the man stand up with a jerk.
Lionel was relieved that he would be leaving soon.
He wiped the blood running down his forehead and smiled bitterly at Judith.
“Don’t worry, Miss Harrington. Miss Harrington’s lover, who chased the horse, will be back in a while. It’ll be enough time for the two of us to enjoy some cozy time.”
Judith is freezing to death.
“Baron, was it you who let that dog loose?”
“Do you like the gift?”
Gifts are a no-no. Judith frowned, leaning her broom against the wall.
“What are you doing, to someone else’s precious horse!”
“Baron, was it you who let that dog loose?”
“Do you like the gift?”
Gifts are a no-no. Judith frowned, leaning her broom against the wall.
“What are you doing, to someone else’s precious horse!”
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