Unlike the other times that Klaus had woken up the next morning, this time he didn’t.

When his eyes finally opened, he was still lying in the backyard garden with moonlight filtering down around him. The twin moons hung in the sky exactly where they’d been before he’d lost consciousness.

He hadn’t been out for hours... maybe only minutes.

’What the hell?’ Klaus thought, blinking in confusion.

He pushed himself up slightly, his back aching from lying on the grass. He remembered that before he’d fainted, the system had detected a dormant bloodline. That discovery had made him excited and genuinely hopeful for the first time since reincarnating into this world.

He looked at the translucent blue notification tab still floating in front of his eyes and that excitement died immediately.

[??? is interfering with the Bloodline Awakening Process and as a result, your Bloodline Awakening has failed!]

’Fuck,’ Klaus thought bitterly.

What kind of bloodline did he even have for the classic mysterious "???" interference to show up? That was usually reserved for protagonist-level plot devices in the game. Of course his one chance at a power-up would be blocked by something incomprehensible.

’That’s it,’ Klaus decided with resignation. ’I’ll just go to sleep now and deal with this disappointment tomorrow when I’m—’

His instincts screamed at him.

Klaus immediately materialized a metal dagger using the mana in the air around him with the blade forming in his hand in an azure glow.

Without looking, he lifted it behind him in a defensive position, the edge pointed directly at whoever was standing there.

"What are you doing out here?" Klaus asked sharply.

Mirela stopped in her tracks, taking a sharp startled breath. She clutched at her nightdress in fear, her fingers gripping the fabric so tightly her knuckles went white.

She had suddenly woken up from sleeping on the couch inside and noticed through the glass door that someone was laid down in the garden.

Her first thought had been concern... was someone hurt? But then the figure had moved, producing a weapon, and now she was faced with an armed person in the dark.

’Is it a thief?’ Mirela thought frantically. ’Or some kind of intruder?’

She didn’t know how, but she felt like she could fight this person if necessary. Something had changed inside her since she woke up.

Mana began seeping out of her body in visible purple wisps, glowing in the moonlight. For some reason... some instinct she’d never had before, Mirela felt like she could gather this energy and release it in a single concentrated beam to attack this stranger.

Her hands moved almost unconsciously with the purple wisps beginning to swirl and concentrate.

However, just as she was about to go on the offensive and actually attack, Klaus sat up fully and raised an eyebrow as he looked at her properly for the first time.

"What strange mana..." Klaus said. "Did you just try to attack me?"

He sighed heavily and slowly got to his feet, dismissing the dagger. It dissolved back into mana particles and disappeared.

Mirela took a step backward instinctively.

"You were the one that pointed a weapon at me in the first place!" Mirela protested with her voice turning defensive but not accusatory. "I was just trying to defend myself! And the others inside... I thought you might be dangerous!"

Klaus looked at her, he really looked at her now. She had silver hair that caught the moonlight, white curved horns, blue-purple eyes that showed genuine concern rather than malice, and the simple nightdress she wore. This was Vex’s cousin that Serra and Taula had rescued.

"It’s noble of you to want to protect them..." Klaus acknowledged with another sigh. "But if you see someone suspicious in the house, you should wake up Taula first. She would handle it immediately and far more effectively than you could."

He said it matter-of-factly, not as an insult but as practical advice.

"She’d probably smash their heads in with her unnatural strength..." Klaus continued. "And honestly, I wouldn’t mind it at all. If someone wanted to steal from us or hurt anyone here, that would be a very acceptable response."

Mirela’s defensive posture relaxed slightly, the purple mana wisps fading as she stopped channeling.

"O-okay," Mirela said, nodding. "But... who are you?"

Klaus dusted off his clothes, still feeling the lingering disappointment of the failed awakening.

"I’m the one who paid for this place." Klaus said simply and Mirela’s eyes widened in shock and horror. She immediately bowed her head down deeply, clutching the hems of her nightdress with trembling fingers.

’This man is the master of this place!’ Mirela thought with growing panic. ’And I just tried to attack him! I deserve to have my head cut off and put on a stake! This place technically belongs to him... I’m just a guest, and I threatened him!’

"I apologize, Master!" she said while keeping her head bowed low with her voice shaking slightly. "You’re Master Klaus, right? Taula and Serra have been talking about you non-stop since I arrived. And I’ve already ruined our first interaction completely..."

She swallowed hard, forcing herself to continue.

"If I have offended you, may I ask what I can do to earn your forgiveness?" Mirela asked formally, her maid training kicking in automatically.

Klaus stood up properly and blinked at her in confusion.

"What the hell do you mean by ’Master’?" Klaus said, his eye twitching slightly. "I’m a commoner just like you."

Was she trying to constantly remind him that he wasn’t a noble? That stung more than it should have, given his recent failures.

Mirela kept her head bowed.

"As the Master of the house and the leader of this group, I am inclined to call you Master..." she explained. "This is the training that I received from the Valakris Household’s head maid. It is proper etiquette for someone in my position."

"If I told you to stop, would you?" Klaus asked directly.

"I... I would if you ordered it, Master," Mirela said. "But I would still like to call you Master. It wouldn’t feel right to act as though we were on the same level when you helped them save my life and provided shelter."

Klaus sighed heavily, rubbing his face with one hand.

"You’re Vex’s cousin, right?" Klaus asked, changing the subject. The woman finally raised her head with her blue-purple eyes meeting his.

"Master, did you know my cousin?" Mirela asked, her voice suddenly small and hopeful. Klaus looked at her for a moment, considering how to phrase this... The truth was complicated and ultimately sad.

"You see... I only knew him for a few hours," Klaus said honestly. "And I wouldn’t say he was the best man I’ve ever met. But he most certainly cared about you deeply."

Considering that Mirela had been all the dying man was talking about in his final breaths, Klaus could see that much clearly. Whatever Vex’s flaws had been, his love for his cousin had been genuine.

Klaus raised his hand and placed it on top of Mirela’s head, giving her a gentle pat.

It was an impulsive gesture, born from seeing the sadness in her eyes when he mentioned Vex. Klaus wasn’t usually the comforting type but something about her expression reminded him of loss.

"So do your best not to disappoint him..." Klaus said quietly. "And remember he’s watching from above or whatever people say about the dead."

He pulled his hand back and walked past her toward the house.

"I’ll be retiring to my room now," Klaus said over his shoulder. "Or something. Good night..."

He entered the Moonstone Residence through the glass door, closing it quietly behind him, and silently made his way upstairs to his room.

Mirela stood alone in the backyard garden. The moonlight danced over her figure, making her silver hair seem to glow. She slowly raised both hands to her head, placing them where Klaus had patted her.

A blush spread across her cheeks, turning them pink even in the pale light.

’The Master patted my head...,’ Mirela thought, her heart beating faster than normal.

That little pat had stirred a sensation she had never experienced before. It was warm, comfortable and safe... In all her years serving the Valakris household, no one had ever touched her with such casual kindness.

She looked up at the twin moons hanging in the night sky.

The purple mana that had been seeping out of her body earlier suddenly began flowing again, but this time it was different. It came out completely, flooding around her in visible streams before coating her entire body in a faint purple aura.

Her eyes widened in shock.

’I... I think I just became a Wizard Apprentice.’ Mirela thought with genuine surprise.

She could actually see the mana flowing around her now... something that was only possible once someone crossed that threshold from normal person to magic user. She willed the aura to vanish, and it obeyed her command, disappearing completely but she could still feel it in her veins. ’I’ll tell the others tomorrow...’

With a small smile on her face, the beastkin girl walked back inside the Moonstone Residence to retire back to the couch where she’d been sleeping with Serra and Taula.

...

"Happy Birthday, Mirela!"

Serra and Taula spoke at the same time the next morning, their voices perfectly synchronized as they sat at the dining table.

There was a massive cake in the center of the table that immediately drew the eye. It was a multi-layered creation with several tiers, each one featuring different kinds of filling visible in the cross-sections. Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and cream layers alternated in an impressive display.

Around the cake were bottles of expensive wine, the kind that cost tens of silver coins per bottle. Mirela kept her emotions in check, but she couldn’t completely stop the way her eyes watered slightly.

It would be her first time in a very long time... years, actually that she was celebrating her birthday properly. As a maid in the Valakris household, she hadn’t had the right to celebrate anything. Birthdays were for the nobles, not for their servants.

But now...

"Don’t you think this is too much for a lowly maid like me?" Mirela asked quietly and Serra’s expression immediately twitched with annoyance.

"Like I said before," Serra said firmly, "you’re no longer a maid of the Valakris Household. You’re our friend instead. This is what friends do for each other."

Mirela smiled genuinely with warmth spreading through her chest. She bowed her head quickly in gratitude... so quickly that she almost tipped over one of the expensive wine bottles with her horn.

Taula’s hand shot out with reflexes honed by combat training, catching the bottle before it could fall.

"Thank you very much for everything you’ve done for me!" Mirela said loudly, her voice filled with emotion. "I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart! Both of you have been so kind!"

Serra and Taula both smiled at her obvious happiness.

"Why don’t you take the first slice?" Serra asked warmly. She extended the cake knife over to Mirela with the handle-first.

Mirela reached out her hand to accept it excitedly. However, another hand intercepted them in the middle, taking the knife smoothly.

Everyone turned to look at Klaus, who had apparently entered the room without anyone noticing. He cut into the cake decisively, carving out a large slice from the bottom tier. He transferred it onto a white porcelain plate with a sigh.

"Klaus!" Taula yelled out his name.

Klaus blinked at her, his expression was still somewhat depressed from the failed bloodline awakening the night before but he was determined to try moving forward anyway, Moping wouldn’t help after all.

"What?" Klaus asked. "I’m just taking some cake. You didn’t make breakfast after all, and I’m hungry."

He looked at the elaborate setup more carefully.

"What’s all this even for anyway?" Klaus asked. Serra sighed, recognizing that Klaus genuinely hadn’t known.

"Boss," Serra explained patiently, "Today is Mirela’s birthday and this is her birthday cake that we stayed up late making for her."

Klaus blinked in surprise.

"Oh..." he said simply then he looked directly at Mirela, really seeing her properly in the morning light. Her silver hair was neatly brushed with a shy look on her face

"Mirela is a cute name." Klaus said matter-of-factly then he handed her the plate with the large slice of cake on it but Mirela didn’t accept it.

"I don’t mind if Master gets the first slice..." Mirela said quickly. "I would be happy with that too."

She lowered her head slightly, tilting it in a way that clearly presented the top of her head to Klaus which was a silent request for another pat like the one from last night.

Serra sighed heavily, shaking her head.

’She still hasn’t left behind those old maid habits... How should we deal with that?’ Serra thought with resignation.

However, Serra was surprised when Klaus reached out and patted Mirela’s head gently with his hand resting there for a moment.

"Thank you." Klaus said simply.

Mirela’s face lit up with a bright smile.

"It is only natural for the Master to take the first portion," Mirela said happily. "And you shouldn’t be saying ’thank you’ to someone like me, Master."

Taula immediately took offense at seeing the headpat exchange.

"Hey!" Taula said, rushing over to Klaus’s side and yanking his hand back toward her. "Pat my head too, Klaus! I was well-behaved all throughout yesterday! I didn’t hit anybody or kill anybody in the city at all!"

Her voice was almost pleading and her eyes were wide with hopeful expectation so Klaus did it without any objections, patting Taula’s head the same way he’d patted Mirela’s.

A giddy smile spread across Taula’s face immediately and she practically melted under the touch with her usually fierce expression softening completely.

Serra looked between the two of them... Mirela holding the knife with a blush on her cheeks, and Taula with that ridiculous happy expression.

She couldn’t seem to understand what was so incredibly good about these simple headpats that it made these girls react like that. What was the appeal? They were both acting like it was the greatest reward in the world.

Curiosity got the better of her.

"Boss," Serra said hesitantly, "can I get headpats as well?"

Taula immediately complained.

"Hey! You can’t just—" Taula started to protest but Serra ignored her completely, looking directly at Klaus with an expectant expression and Klaus sighed heavily.

’What do these girls like so much about these headpats?’ he wondered but he reached out and did the same thing to Serra that he’d done to the others. His hand settled on top of her head and he patted her gently a few times.

Serra’s eyes widened in surprise then she unconsciously leaned into his touch, her entire body relaxing. It felt... heavenly, actually.

’Oh...’ Serra thought with sudden understanding. ’I get it now.’

"Boss... I want more."