Academic gathering with a lich-Chapter 100 - 96: Tricked?

Under Verlet’s balancing influence, Ralph’s rigid features were but a minor issue.

"Please follow me, gentlemen and ladies, we mustn’t keep the baron waiting too long, for each minute we linger, my little master grows ever more in danger," Becky, the butler, took the lead and entered the grand fortress-like building.

Lyle and the others followed at a respectful distance.

"Uncle, perhaps you should try changing the way you treat others," Lyle advised Ralph on the way. Although his appearance was quite gloomy, his facial structure wasn’t bad; it was more the deliberately morose expression he wore that was alarming, and Ralph was particularly adept at plunging others into a negative mood.

Ralph’s riding boots stepped on the silk carpet, his gaze fixed on the retreating figure of Butler Becky, his face like an unchanging sculpture.

"No need, if others despise me over a mere scowl, then they lack the value to be treated well by me. Nor do I have any necessity to blend in with them. After all, usually intimidation, deception, and extortion are enough to achieve my goals."

"But there are always those whom your methods will fail against, aren’t there, those powerful nobles or wealthy merchants with their fortunes? Your tricks will have a day when they fail." And when that day comes, it will indeed concern your safety.

Ralph was not as silent as Lyle had expected; his uncle was a smart man, and his career as a sheriff had honed his ability to discern right from wrong. But Lyle realized that perhaps he didn’t fully understand his estranged uncle, who, at least, was not the reclusive oddball who had been so effective at the security office.

His lips curled upwards in a high arc, coupled with a sharp gaze, like a defiant wolf.

"Men are exceedingly fragile, both body and soul; though appearances vary greatly, the chasms within are remarkably similar. Finding the right spot to strike is not difficult for me."

.....

The man was dressed in a red brocade robe, a purplish-red cloak draped over the chair, strands of white mixed into his black hair, and his curls resembled the bouncy wool of a sheepdog. The carefully groomed Van Dyke beard couldn’t hide that, in his youth, he must have had a handsome face. He sat askew in his chair, his posture far from solemn, turning his back to the light slanting in through the window, like a temperamental poet exuding a willful elegance. It must be said, he was the most attractive male aristocrat Lyle had seen so far.

Butler Becky knocked gently on the door, shifting the master’s gaze from the portrait, which depicted a handsome young man who bore an uncanny resemblance to the seated figure, no doubt the missing eldest son.

"The guests have arrived, my lord."

The baron’s moustache curved into an even bigger smile as his eyes squinted slightly; he stood up, one hand behind his back, clutching a platinum pocket watch.

"Welcome, Sharan, it has been half a year since you last visited," he said.

Verlet offered her most formal smile. "Naranya does not afford me the luxury of rest, Baron Tyron. Please forgive my neglect for the sake of Naranya’s prosperity."

"Little Sharan, you become more beautiful with every visit, already a fine young lady," the baron’s gaze shifted to Ralph and the others, "Ah, you must be the sheriffs here to help investigate the disappearance of my beloved son, I’m very grateful. Please, you must aid this lonely father; I cannot lose him."

"With all my might, Baron, may I ask you to describe the situation at that time?"

"Oh yes, it was Becky who discovered my Karent missing, one week ago in the morning. The maid who knocked on his door got no response for quite some time and, upon opening my son’s door, found him gone, and reported his disappearance to my butler. You can ask Becky for the details, and have him take you to the tower where my child lived."

Lyle and the others nodded in agreement, and Becky led them out of the baron’s study.

The last thing Lyle saw was the baron’s concerned gaze.

There was a long footpath leading to the tower, slightly narrower than Andrey’s corridor—or perhaps it was just Lyle’s perception, as Andrey’s disheveled state made that place seem much emptier.

In comparison, Baron Tyron’s fortress was much more beautiful, with stained glass windows, a red carpet underfoot, and armor neatly arranged before each pillar-like indoor arch that served as a threshold, all displaying the exuberant luxury befitting a noble.

Towards the tower, there was a slightly worn spiral corridor, which only slightly paled in comparison to Baron Tyron’s collection.

The originally spacious room should have been crammed with books, making it appear crowded, with some delicate toys on the desk, and a huge full-length portrait from top to bottom, depicting that frail aristocrat.

"After Mr. Karent came of age, he moved here; he lived here for three years, enjoying reading, especially the ancient books collected by the family. We suspect that he was secretly researching mystical powers, which attracted those dark creatures, ultimately leading to an ill fate," Becky said with concern in his eyes as he stood alone at the center, touching nothing as if everything in Karent’s room carried dark powers.

"How did you conclude it was vampires?"

"On the day the young master disappeared, I rallied all the servants to search the castle. The young master was not an active person, and there had been instances where he hid in a corner and wouldn’t come out, but this time it was more eerie, because no servant knew of his whereabouts."

"It was Purley, the maid, who determined it was a vampire; she was the young master’s personal maid and spent a lot of time with him. She knew a bit about dark creatures. Just a few days before his disappearance, on a night when she was supposed to attend to him in his room, she claimed to have seen a woman dressed in black gently knocking at the young master’s door."

"A strikingly beautiful woman in black, her profile shaming even the faint candlelight. But what was most astonishing were her blood-red, ruby-like eyes. Just a glance from those eyes made Purley feel like her soul was being snatched away, leaving her collapsed in the hallway."

"The young master quickly opened the door and invited the woman in. Only then did the woman step into the room."

"Vampires have a habit; that is, they only enter a room when the owner invites them, which is why people in the past preferred to shut their doors and windows tightly during sleep, because opening your door is seen as giving consent."

"Alright, I understand, thank you for the story. We need to thoroughly investigate the scene, so if possible, please leave this room to us professionals to avoid disturbing anything further. Please leave, Mr. Becky."

"Of course." Becky, fearful in his heart, was only too eager to leave as soon as possible.

Becky closed the door, and the sound of his footsteps receded into the distance.

Ralph pulled up a chair and lay back in it, his boots resting on the desk, arms crossed over his chest.

"Uncle, didn’t you say to protect the scene?"

"The scene has long been compromised," Verlet said, leaning casually against the desk, running her index finger along its surface and then lightly pinching something between her fingers, "Not even a speck of dust; the maids here are really ’diligent’."

Lyle watched the two, relaxed and unconcerned.

"You’ve been deceived, Lyle."