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nA vampire was an immortal, ageless race that survived by devouring human blood.

nTheir existence among humans had lasted countless centuries as they hid in the shadows and hunted their prey whenever hunger struck. Many did it for the thrill of the hunt.

nIn time, the number of Vampires gradually increased until it reached its present level.

nHowever, that led some to ask, where did it all begin?

nThe Ancestral Vampires. The very first Vampires, the ancestors, the group which existed far before any other. Their identities were unknown and how they became vampires in the first place was a mystery that remained unsolved.

nTo avoid causing chaos in the balance of power, the Ancestral Vampires split up and gathered in their respective continents and countries.

nBy increasing their numbers and manipulating civilisation as they saw fit, they created their own kingdom of the shadows. What is known today as the Vampire World.

nA hierarchy of vampires was created, with the purest and closest blood to their ancestral blood tending to rule at the top. As a result, the Royal Vampires emerged, the Vampire King and Queen who had the purest blood related to them.

nIn a much weaker concentration followed the nobles.

nDukes, Marquess, Earl, Viscount and the Barons.

nThen came the fledglings, fully turned Vampires. Their ancestral blood was scarce, making them much weaker than normal vampires from birth.

nThese vampires weren’t treated as nobility or given any special rankings, unless they had parts of them which stood out. Of course, fledglings created from ancestrals themselves were a different story.

nThere was a mysterious day though, when all the ancestors vanished, leaving only the nobles to manage their jobs.

n–

n*Step* *Step* *Step*

nXavier listened in to the butler’s story as they walked. A lot of questions were answered during the butler’s explanation. He walked behind him and listened as many thoughts passed through his mind.

n‘At first I thought the butler was the one who’d killed me before, in my memory… But now that I’m walking behind him, I’ve noticed that the presence they give off is different… He wasn’t the figure clouded in scribbles from my memory.’

n‘But then why was my body shaking when I saw him?’

nIn addition to paying attention to the butler, Xavier was also trying to figure out his puzzling thoughts.

n“Where do the Redbloods come in?” Xavier blurted out.

nThe butler adjusted his glasses once more. “I was just about to get there.”

n–

nThere was an even higher rank than the duke, second only to the king. Royal blood-rich and only existing because of its extremley close proximity to royalty and strong amount of ancestral blood running through it’s veins.

nIn the entirety of England, there was only one Archduke family. In the beginning, the title of archduke was granted to the very first Redblood who then created a family bloodline of vampires that had existed for generations.

nIn the recent past, a great event had taken place and the rank of the redbloods was revoked. The process led to them losing influence and power in the vampire world.

n–

nA narrow look swept across Xavier’s face as he listened intently to the butler’s explanation.

n“What happened, why would they remove the rank?” Xavier asked.

nImmediately after he asked the question, the air around the maid and butler changed. From the side, he noticed that their faces were painted with anger.

n“Treason… The Redbloods attempted overthrow the royal family.”

nXavier placed his hand beneath his chin before nodding. “Oh, so that’s why.”

nThe butler and maid were left puzzled by Xavier’s nonchalant reaction.

n“You… You’re strange… Despite hearing all of that, you remain calm… Treason is one of the highest offences someone can commit, I’m sure it deserves a more surprised reaction.” Said the maid.

nXavier tilted his head to the side with a confused look.

n“But It doesn’t matter? We’re in war aren’t we? If we want to overthrow them, we can do it now.” Said Xavier.

nThe maid’s eyes widened and the butler grinned.

n“I thought you were strange, but you’re really just crazy, aren’t you?” Asked the maid with a surprised look.

n“That’s quite rude, you’re making me out to be some kind of brute.” Responded Xavier.

nVeins bulged out of the side of the maid’s neck. ‘Because you are!’ She thought to herself.

n“Haha… Xavier, the Redbloods had never tried to overthrow the royal family, we were framed for doing so because of the amount of power we were gaining.”

n“Ah, is that so… Well doesn’t that make it better? Since you’ve already been framed, why not just do it?”

nThe butler laughed at Xavier’s response.

n“It’s not that simple, the family barely got away with just losing a rank from that accusation. This time we could lose our entire bloodline… Do you think we’d want to make an enemy of all the families in the country?” Asked the maid.

n“Why not?” Xavier asked as he stopped in his tracks. Without a hint of fear in his eyes as he looked towards the two before him. “We’re in war, aren’t we? Aren’t Vampires greedy and prideful, isn’t now the perfect time?”

nXavier’s response and look left the maid speechless, and the butler wiped away tears from all the laughter before grinning at him.

n“I can see why the young lady chose you… You’re truly interesting, in more ways than one.” Said the butler.

nThe maid who noticed that she was at a loss for words, quickly turned away from Xavier before continuing her walk.

n“Tough words for someone that couldn’t beat a butler.”

nHer words pierced Xavier right in his chest as he followed after.

n“I would have won if you hadn’t interrupted.” He remarked.

n“Bold excuses. Tell him, head butler.” She added.

nThe two turned to the butler who had a constant smile on his face, he was enjoying their interaction.

n“Who would have won, huh…? It’s hard to say…”

n“You mentioned that I was holding back when fighting him, didn’t you?” He turned to the maid.

nAs he adjusted his glasses, his expression grew serious while he walked past them.

n“I wasn’t.”

nThose were his last words as he walked ahead.

nXavier turned to the maid and she turned away, avoiding eye contact as she did so.

n“You were saying?” Xavier asked.

n“Either way, the head butler’s power can’t be compared to the strength of the royal family.”

n“So?” Xavier asked while walking past her. “If they’re stronger… Just get stronger and devour them.”

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