The Vengeful Extra's Ascension-Chapter 204: Face Off!

The moment the Vampire who spoke stepped forward, the entire area surrounding the raised overlook seemed to inhale. All his Vampire friends behind him stopped conversing, and the light around them dimmed as if his presence absorbed a fraction of the surrounding mana.

His crimson eyes glowed with hereditary intensity unique to Pureblood Vampires just like Lilian’s glowed, the sort that emanated both nobility and threat in the same breath.

Even among the haughty heirs standing behind him, the Vampire’s aura made them unconsciously straighten their backs.

Magnus stopped exactly three paces away from her, as tradition dictated between Pureblood Houses when addressing the BloodHaven line. His expression softened, lips curving into a refined smile that didn’t reach his eyes as he saw Albedo.

"An explanation?" Lilian repeated coolly, tilting her head with icy poise, "I wasn’t aware I required one to walk with my friends Magnus,"

"You wound me. I merely wished to welcome the heiress properly. We were all surprised to hear that you’ve returned unannounced." The Vampire, Magnus, responded.

"Which is why it’s more fun," she said lightly, tapping her nail against her glass she was previously drinking out of, "Besides, the air grows stagnant in the capital sometimes. Thought I’d see what the Northern pups were up to."

A faint ripple of irritation crossed Magnus’s features before he smothered it. He leaned closer, but not enough to breach etiquette, not enough to provoke BloodHaven’s wrath.

"And who might this be?" he asked, turning his attention with practiced elegance toward Albedo in particular, ignoring Elara as he didn’t see her as any sort of threat, "You arrived with someone... unfamiliar."

Lilian’s lips curved faintly, "This is Albedo."

Magnus raised a brow as if waiting for more, "And?"

"And that’s all you need to know." She responded.

The young Vampire frowned for real this time as he heard her response, "Lady Lilian, surely,"

"Magnus Everglade," Her voice threaded with warning even though her smile remained soft, "Do you recall the last person who interrogated someone I was spending time with?"

Magnus hesitated, "...The Frostfang Marquis’s son."

"And do you recall what happened to him?"

Albedo didn’t know the story, but judging from how the lackeys standing behind Magnus audibly swallowed and took slight steps back, it wasn’t pleasant.

Magnus exhaled, shoulders relaxing. He looked at Albedo once more, arrogance still burning in his eyes but now tempered by caution, "Very well. If Lady Lilian claims responsibility for you, then you are welcome here, I was just checking since the Council won’t look kindly to the Heiress being so close to humans, especially in a restricted area,"

Elara’s hands curled into fists and Albedo’s gaze sharpened as he heard of the Council.

Lilian stepped forward, chin lifting with pure noble authority. "The Council answers to my family. Not the other way around."

A tense silence fell over the promenade. Even the mana-lanterns seemed to flicker.

Magnus’s smile thinned into something brittle. "Of course, My Lady. But I must remind you, the Everglade lineage has long supported BloodHaven. Our influence, our wealth, our standing, "

"Has never entitled you to my personal life," Lilian cut him off sharply.

A few passing nobles gasped softly.

Magnus’s jaw tightened as he heard that.

Lilian continued, "Stay out of my affairs, Magnus. I don’t like you. I never have. And the next time you decide to question my companions, choose your words more carefully."

Magnus’s entourage looked like they wanted to sink into the floor. Even the wind seemed to hesitate around her.

For a moment, something flickered in Magnus’s eyes—hurt, buried beneath anger, buried beneath pride. But he straightened with cold, practiced elegance.

"You speak boldly today, My Lady." His gaze slid to Albedo, venom replacing courtesy. "Is it because you feel protected? Or simply emboldened by... new company?"

Elara opened her mouth to retort, but Lilian raised a hand to silence her.

"I am emboldened by nothing," Lilian said evenly. "I simply do not tolerate disrespect toward my friends. Especially from someone who cannot accept the word ’no.’"

Magnus inhaled sharply through his nose.

One of the lackeys stepped forward quickly, bowing to Lilian in a panic. "My Lady, please forgive Lord Magnus if his tone seemed, "

~BOOM!~

"I wasn’t speaking to you," Lilian snapped and a Blood Flower exploded under the foot of the lackey, sending him crashing into the nearby wall, unconscious.

Magnus finally exhaled, losing the last thread of patience. "Very well. If those are your wishes." His smile did not reach his eyes. "But do remember, Lady Lilian... the Moors watch everything. The Clans speak. And the Council listens."

Lilian’s voice dropped to a chilling softness. "And I said: stay out of my business."

The air pulsed with quiet pressure, the unmistakable authority of a Pureblood Heiress. Magnus stiffened, then finally bowed, not out of respect, but because refusing would cause political disaster.

"As you command, Lady BloodHaven," he said through gritted teeth.

He turned sharply, his coat sweeping behind him, and began walking away with long, angry strides. Before leaving the promenade, he paused and glanced back one last time, only at Albedo.

"Human," Magnus’ voice appeared in Albedo’s mind, and he was very obviously angry, his voice hissing as he spoke, " Watch yourself. You stand far too close to something far above your station. This is my territory,"

Albedo met his gaze without flinching, "If that bothers you, take it up with her." Albedo said in his head.

Magnus’s eye twitched as he heard that before he finally snapped his fingers, and his entourage scrambled to follow him, their footsteps echoing down the lantern-lit walkway until they disappeared around the corner.

Silence settled.

Elara let out a long breath, "Okay. I hated him."

Albedo crossed his arms. "He talks too much."

Lilian didn’t answer immediately. She was still staring at the direction Magnus left, her expression distant, carefully controlled.

Finally she exhaled, shoulders relaxing just enough to reveal the tension she hid so well.

"I’m sorry," she said quietly.

Elara blinked. "For what? You didn’t do anything wrong!"

"I brought you here," Lilian murmured, eyes lowering. "Which puts you in the center of political attention. And Magnus, he’s always been... persistent."

Lilian didn’t linger on Magnus’s disappearing silhouette for long. Her fingers twitched once at her side, barely perceptible, the only sign she was still seething beneath the smooth surface she presented.

"...We’re leaving," she said finally, her voice quiet but firm,"This overlook is restricted territory for a reason. The less time you two spend in the Council’s line of sight, the better."

Elara nodded immediately, relief flooding her expression as she stepped forward, eager to leave the tension-suffocated space. "Yes. Please. I felt like my spine was going to snap in half from how stiff everyone was acting."

Albedo began to follow after her, but Lilian lifted a hand lightly.

"Albedo," she murmured.

He paused.

Her eyes, normally sharp or teasing, softened just a fraction. "Magnus spoke to you, didn’t he?"

Elara looked back over her shoulder, startled. "Wait, what?"

Albedo held Lilian’s gaze for a moment. He could see the exact reason she asked. She wasn’t worried about him. She was worried about what Magnus might’ve said, how it might cause trouble, how it might escalate, how politics might slither their way into his life because of her.

"He did," Albedo said simply.

Elara’s eyes widened, "He, what did that pompous blood-leech tell you—?!"

Albedo shook his head. "Doesn’t matter."

Lilian exhaled slowly, her shoulders easing though the tension didn’t vanish completely. She knew he was downplaying it for her sake. She knew Magnus well enough to guess the content, the venom, the territorial threat thinly veiled as etiquette.

Her gaze sharpened just slightly, "What did he say?"

Albedo gave her the faintest, most unconcerned smile. "Nothing I can’t handle."

It wasn’t evasive, just honest. Whatever Magnus thought he could threaten him with, Albedo had already dismissed it the moment their eyes met. Pureblood or not, political heir or not, danger or not, Albedo wasn’t the type who felt fear simply because someone told him to.

Lilian studied him for a long second.

"...You should still be careful," she murmured. "And try not to start something major."

"Define major," Albedo replied dryly.

Elara groaned. "Albedo, please. We’re in Vampire Central. Major here means... like, anything. Breathing too confidently is major."

Lilian huffed softly at that—almost a laugh, but it faded quickly. Her eyes drifted once more toward the direction Magnus left, the weight of her lineage resting visibly on her shoulders.

She took a small step closer to Albedo and lowered her voice so only he could hear, "I’m serious. If something happens... it will be my problem. Not yours."

Albedo’s expression shifted, something unreadable crossing his features. But he didn’t argue. He simply nodded once.

"Fine. I’ll behave."

"For once," Elara muttered.

Albedo shot her a look, and she stuck her tongue out, but the heaviness in the air started to ease. Lilian finally gestured for them to follow, turning toward the central walkway that led back toward the merchant quarter, one of the few zones not wrapped tightly in political restrictions.

The three walked side by side, the crimson lanterns swaying overhead as the distant hum of the Spire’s bloodlight pulsed across the sky. Voices of other vampires drifted from afar, whispers of nobles still trading gossip, still dissecting what they had just witnessed.

"Let’s just head to the Gladiator Arena, there should be battles happening to have some fun watching," Lilian said, and led the way down a road warmed by soft amber lights, spotting various Elves exploring the city, including Fade who waved at them, causing them to wave back.