23 Tracing traces (3)

"Is she the reason why you obediently stayed quiet all these years? Why you let yourself be hired as a butler to the very family who destroyed yours?"

"Meow ~" Kevin interjected after Lawrence uttered those words with sharp eyes.

There was no pity or emotions in his face. Although his words were kind enough, his expression can be compared to the most ruthless prosecutor interrogating a suspect. 

One of Lawrence's traits is how straightforward he can be. He was a defender of justice, alright. If the other person committed a crime, he wouldn't hesitate to expose that person, nor would he think twice about pulling the trigger.

Kevin had envisioned his main character to have this trait before he created his book, and now, seeing it firsthand made his heart beat slightly faster.

Ah, is this the feeling of a father watching his son proudly?

Kevin got down from the sofa and rubbed his fluffy face against Lawrence's trousers. After doing so, he proceeded to go to the old butler and affectionately rubbed his whole body against the weak legs.

The butler may have a lightly fierce expression, but his body was trembling slightly. Kevin noticed this and stretch his paws at him.

"Meow, meow~" 

The old butler did not answer Lawrence's question and chose to look down at his feet. His sunken old eyes were full of sadness and pain when he saw the young master's fluffy cat stretch out its paw without using his claw and coquettishly meowing at him, his eyes wavered.

He bends his old waist to pick up the cat. 

The sparkling eyes looked at him, pure of innocence and dependence. This made the old butler remember his old memories and a sad smile appeared on his lips. 

His young wife used to love cute animals like this. Even his daughter, when she was small, inherited that trait and loved taking care of small animals. 

"A few years ago, my wife.... Frederick informed me that he saw someone similar to her in this house. Alive and well. I was distressed at that time. Losing her tore me apart, so I immediately rushed to sneak inside when I heard she was alive."

"I miss her so much that I lost the ability to think clearly. It did not register in my mind that maybe it wasn't her or how strange the whole situation was. What's important is that I can see her again."

"And I fell into their trap. I don't know what they did to Frederick, but he no longer seemed to be himself. He followed me here, but it was also him who handed me to the Master of the Manor."

"And when I woke up, I saw my wife staring at me. And she... she had changed. She no longer recognizes me. She doesn't even remember her name. She's no longer human anymore. She became one of them. The Master of the Manor deliberately showed me this secret because of the cases I stirred up for the last few months, to keep me quiet and under control, he used my wife..."

"I did not stay here by choice. Vampires' powers made them live longer lives; they can choose to stay younger, but only the Master of the Manor can control the minds of others. He had lived for thousands of years that human lives were nothing but playthings for him. He let me live with my wife in the servant's quarters while hiring me as a butler."

"For these past few years, my mind was a chaotic mess. I could not disobey an order from him. When he said we must bore a child for him, I did it without hesitation. I slowly started to forget myself. I forget my purpose. But I couldn't forget my daughter. She was born with a sick body and the Madam's hospital took care of her since she was a baby. I can only visit her from time to time."

Something flashed in Lawrence's mind and he inquired.

"Was your wife already a vampire when she gave birth to your child?"

The old butler seemed no longer himself. He was dazed as he petted Kevin's fluffy head.

"Yes,"

"What about you? Were you a vampire then also?"

The old butler jolted in surprise before rigorously shaking his head.

"No, I never became one. I am always human."

"Then your daughter is a half human and a half vampire?"

Lawrence narrowed his eyes as a bad feeling overtake him. He did not wait for the butler to respond before throwing another question.

"What about the second victim? The violinist who died here, do you know her parents?"

The old butler slowly looked up at Lawrence, it took a couple of seconds before he spoke again.

"Of course, she is Frederick's daughter. I told you the Master of Manor has powers to control human minds, right? A few years ago, he also ordered Frederick to create a child with a vampire maidservant.... Wait..." The old butler faltered. He clutched his head and painfully close his eyes.

He wasn't lying when he said his mind was a chaotic mess. Lawrence can barely hear him mumbling incoherent words.

"Yes, yes... It wasn't just him. There are many human men like us that was ordered to create a child with a vampire maidservant that year. When the maids give birth, the Master did not allow the maids to take care of the children. He took them all and placed them under the care of Madam's hospital."

"Yes.. yes...because the babies are extremely sickly. And then, what happened?"

"Yes, I - I visit my daughter at the hospital sometimes. With the Master permission, I was able to see her."

"My daughter... my daughter Elisa... She - she came to see me two weeks ago. She warned me about the Master. She said he was planning to do something. He was cleaning his mess for that year."

The old butler suddenly gasped for air. He tightly held Lawrence's hand.

"Young Master, you must escape."