The eyes that were dull a moment ago had an intensity that Jerald was very familiar with from Izer.
Faced with that gaze, Jerald's pupils trembled and he gulped whatever words that were about to spill from his lips. If one looked closely, his forehead was particularly glistening because of the sweat starting to appear.
''Forgive this lowly one for saying such things, my young master.'' Saying that, his head was lowered in surrender. His heart pounded against his ribcage, and his knees almost buckled to the ground.
This person could get rid of him if he wasn't careful.
'If it wasn't for her…' Jerald glanced at the little girl with blame.
Raven returned that glance with a provocative grin. Her eyes caught the tremble on his legs. On the inside, she was laughing at his predicament. To survive in a world like this, one must not be weak. The original owner did not understand such a simple thing. If she did, an ant who thought of itself as a dragon like this wailing pig would not be a problem to squash.
''I think someone is not in agreement with your words, big brother.'' She teased playfully.
''F-Fourth Young lady's words are a bit….'' Laughing nervously, Jerald's heart jumped. Why was he unaware that the fourth young lady could be this troublesome?
''Did I address you?''
Raven's question immediately shut the arrogant Jerald up.
''Fourth young lady, the family dinner….'' The head maid reminded softly. She inwardly decided this was the right time for herself to intrude in the conversation of people with higher status. She and the fourth young lady have been standing in this hallway for a while now. No one was stupid to find fault if the second master arrived late, but the fourth young lady was the different.
Also, for the second young master to be heading outside, he must be under the order of the grand duke. The family dinner was a compulsory event. It was not avoidable for anyone, even for the favored second young master, unless the grand duke was involved.
''Hmm.'' Raven hummed softly, letting the head maid know that she was aware. ''We will be going now, big brother.'' She glanced at Izer.
''...''
In response to his silence, Raven smiled amiably. Someone's gaze stung her face. There was no need for a second guess. Her eyes briefly sighted average-looking Jerald. His expression was distorted with eyes displaying deep resentment towards herself. Raven guessed that he was hating herself right now. Not that she cared about that, but people lower than the original owner's status needed to know their place.
Her status now was comparable to a princess from a fairytale. People lower should give the respect that she deserved as someone higher than them.
The original owner should be glad that someone like herself replaced her in this world.
''I hope this young master remembers his mistake in the future. '' Raven warned, continuing her steps forward. ''Regardless of my background, my father is the Grand duke, and my mother is the Sixth madam of the Langston Family.''
''…..!''
Jerald suddenly took in a sharp inhale. His eyes snapped down in alarm and caught the trail of blood flowing down his leg. His eyes saw a silver cutlery knife inserted into his skin. Jerald felt the pain erupting, but his anger was more because someone as weak as Raven did this to him.
''Y-You….!'' His enraged eyes were on Raven. How dare she! To his surprise, the remaining of his words did not come out. His throat felt tight and squeezed, like something or someone was strangling him.
''Ha.…'' Jerald's fingers scrambled to his neck. Even if there was no visible hand around his neck, Jerald did not stop clawing at his neck. He wanted that invisible thing around his neck to get off.
'Young master!' Jerald screamed for Izer's help in his mind. His frightened eyes were on Izer, who stared at him for a moment, and then shifted his gaze to the person below them, as if he was blind to what was happening.
''I am Langston too, you know.'' As Raven's faint voice came, the light in Jerald's vision narrowed. He was becoming lightheaded, and before his body collapsed, the tightness around his neck suddenly disappeared, as if it was never there.
''Huuuk!'' Jerald collapsed on his knees. His hands circling around his neck, while he gasped heavily. His dizzy gaze tried to look for the little figure, but there was no sign of anyone in the hallway.
The second young master had left him, and the fourth young lady had also gone with the head maid.
Jerald's was unreconciled that things did not go in his favor, but he did not dwell in his anger too much, knowing that something else was more important.
'What was that?' Jerald wondered, rubbing his sore and marked neck with a terrified expression.
*****
'Again.'
The head maid was tempted to glance at the fourth young lady behind her. That uncomfortable feeling of fear hovered once more. It was as if the aura of the death followed her because of this person. She felt unsafe with someone deemed weak by others and herself for the first time.
What happened to the Young master Pussett was something the head maid was very familiar with. Not the fact that fourth young lady stabbed his leg…well to be honest, the head maid was surprised that someone as weak and frail did something like that. However, that was not took her attention. It was how the Young master Pussett seemed to be gasping for air. She had witnessed something like this with the Grand duke and the Second young master.
'She's a pureblood, after all.'
The Langston family, specifically the grand duke was feared by the whole empire because of one thing.
The power to control beings of the underworld.
Beings that many know as demons.
What Jerald, the Young master Pussett experienced, was a demon holding him by the neck. Raven was unaware, but the head maid fully knew that a demon was in their midst.
The person who might have summoned that demon was the fourth young lady.
Why the head maid did not suspect the second young master was because there was a rule that demons were not to be summoned in the main manor without permission. This was only known to the second young master, since he was the only son of the grand duke that could summon demons.
The rule was set by the grand duke, and the second young master was not one to break rules. The rest of the children were not pureblood, and so the Grand duke never said a word about this to them.
'His excellency must have sensed something.' The head maid guessed there was no need for her to report. There were demons summoned by the Grand duke all over the main manor. The head maid knew the reason the fourth young lady always hated coming here was because of them.
The pureblood running in her veins allowed her to sense them without seeing them.
''We have arrived, fourth young lady.'' The head maid nodded slightly at the two manservants stationed at the double doors. At her signal, the manservants stiffly opened the door for Raven.
''You've done well, head maid.'' Raven glanced at the head maid with a smile before entering the dining hall filled with enticing aromas.
If possible, the head maid lowered herself more than before. The discovery of the fourth young lady's awakening made her to be more cautious than ever. If careless like the Young master Pussett, her life could end without a warning.
''Enjoy your dinner, Fourth young lady.'' She respectfully bid her farewell.
Out of curiosity, the head maid lifted her gaze to the small back beyond the tiny space between the closing doors. The back of someone who might be a grand duchess in the near future, all because of that power.
To her surprise, the fourth young lady met her gaze with a grin playing around her lips. This action made the head maid realize that fourth young lady has shown her a number of smiles this evening.
Very different from her normally ashen expressions.
''Have a good evening, head maid.'' The door shut the head maid out the dining hall after those words.