The carriage travelled forward while asking for locations from every guard walking around.

Soon, the group found out why the previous count had not said something like, "Come to my castle." When they reached the location, it was still inside the royal capital.

And when they looked at its location, Theo couldn’t help but feel like this was not a place someone like a previous count should stay in.

It was like a small house in between buildings, and while it was in the outskirts of the area that didn’t have many shops, it still was very lively.

Theo looked at Lucien, and the guy sighed. They both moved forward with their attendants up the stairs to get in front of a normal wooden gate.

Clara went forward and rang the bell three times, and thus the wait came.

After just a minute of waiting, the gate opened, and a very old-looking man came out with half his eyes closed from getting in front of so much light.

Theo looked at his clothing and realized that he was a butler and moved forward.

"Good day, sir. We came here after an invitation from the previous Count of House Vaelmont," Theo spoke.

The butler’s face bloomed in happiness, and he opened the gate fully.

"Good day to everyone. My lord has been awaiting your presence for a while now."

When Theo heard that, he felt relieved. A single decision of being early could work in their advantage.

The old butler moved slowly to the side, making them all enter the house before closing the gate.

Theo looked from inside and felt a very cozy vibe in the house. There were holders on the wall with thick candles lit up. The furniture had an antique feel to it.

When he looked ahead, he saw a small hall that connected a few rooms.

The old butler moved forward as best as he could and moved toward the door in the middle of the right wall before opening it.

Everyone heard a creaking sound from the door and couldn’t help but look at each other.

"Please get seated, I will tell the lord you are here," the butler spoke with that same kind smile before moving just a few steps forward and entering another room.

Theo and the others went inside the room and found sofas inside it. The room was better than the hall, with paintings adorning every wall.

He and Lucien got seated while Clara, Elias, and Cassian stood behind their respective masters.

"To be living here as a previous count... such a pity," Lucien spoke with a sigh before moving his back to the support and becoming comfortable.

"Do you know who House Vaelmont is, Theo?" he asked, making Theo shake his head.

"They are a big merchant group that turned noble and have been at the pinnacle of trade for decades. We get a lot of our castle’s daily use items from them," Lucien spoke and sighed.

"And for its head to be living in this place, it’s quite the shame," he spoke.

Theo looked at his brother and then at the place. "Maybe he wanted some peace?"

Lucien snickered at that comment and kept silent afterward.

Soon, the door opened again, and Theo saw the man come out in the same clothing he was wearing in the morning.

"Ho ho ho, you are already here," Vaelmont spoke with a laugh.

Theo and Lucien got up right away and greeted the man before they got seated again after the previous count.

The man kept staring at the two young masters with a smile. "It’s a privilege that I get to meet two up-and-coming Merricks. It’s like I am seeing your family rise a second time in my whole life," the old man spoke.

Theo could tell he was talking about the baron.

"Get us some tea," the old man spoke in front of the butler, who went to the side to make it.

It was as if it was like Theo’s room, with one side of the wall fully equipped with tea-making things.

"Well, young ones like you are quite busy these days. How about we get to the main point right away?" the old man spoke with a smile on his face, and Theo felt a shiver.

He knew he needed to be a little careful. That man had years of experience, and Theo could see that in his face.

"Your beast... Can I see it?" he asked, making Theo lean forward.

"My apologies for stating this again, my lord," Theo spoke and continued, "but I would like to remind you that my beast has a prey suppression ability. It can really come as a shock sometimes," Theo spoke.

The old man only nodded. "I realize that," he stopped for a moment, "but don’t underestimate me just because I am old. I have seen things in my life that no one can even fathom."

"Have you ever seen an outer devil kill thousands of citizens in mere seconds right in front of you?" the man spoke with a slight frown on his face.

Theo shook his head. "My apologies," he spoke.

The old man only sighed at that. "You younglings these days don’t know what the kingdom was like just 30 years back. You all have grown comfortable living under this fake peace."

’Fake peace?’ Theo thought and tried to keep it in his mind.

These noble people had the habit of dropping little information like this in conversations, and Theo was all for it. He needed all kinds of information anyway.

"I will get the beast out now," Theo spoke, and his forehead turned white before a silhouette got out.

The old man looked at that silhouette and couldn’t help but feel that it was a little too big for an insect.

But when the silhouette was gone and the mantis showed itself—

The old man’s eyes were stuck on it.

"What in the artifact’s name is this?!" he shouted while looking at the mantis, which annoyed it a little.

The mantis made an alien-like screech while looking at the old count, making Theo want to slap his forehead.

’Well, at least he can talk with the suppression.’