The day after the previous night's incident between the governess and Blacky, it was all but forgotten. Blacky had felt an overwhelming sluggishness after his bath and had decided to get a good night's sleep.
Blacky had finally understood one thing: everyone here, whether butler or governess, was a pure-blood vampire of a lower hierarchy, all there to serve Orpheus Sangrael.
As for Dracula, he returned to the vampiric dimension where Valak was already waiting for him, accompanied by several other vampires, subordinate agents of the vampiric dimension.
Valak held a rank above that of a typical subordinate agent; he was more of a first-echelon senior administrative member. Their dominance was not equivalent to that of vampires from the nobility, but it was impressive enough to command the lower class.
Valak knelt as Dracula stepped through the dimensional portal.
"Welcome back, my lord. Was the journey beneficial? Did you meet your famous friend?" Valak asked with incredible calmness.
"Hmm, I'd say I slaughtered and drank the blood of some human trash, which was good, I must admit. I also met my son; he has grown up well, too, but..."
Dracula paused and then continued. "His mother is deceased, and there is other bad news: when I went to see my old friend, he told me there are cultists on the terrestrial plane who want to unleash hell on earth."
Valak, surprised and not understanding what Dracula was trying to say, asked the question. "Hell on earth, what does that mean?"
Dracula walked towards his fortress while explaining to Valak. "Basically, these crazy cultists want to summon Satan, but I'd rather not go into the details."
Valak didn't want to insist and simply nodded, but he had very urgent information to pass on to his master. "Actually, my lord, the Vampire Council wishes to speak with you."
Dracula raised an eyebrow, as if surprised, but he had no choice anyway. He would have to confront them regardless of the situation, as he needed to tell them what Orpheus Sangrael had told him about The Black Hand cult.
The edifice of the Vampire Council was located in a rather hidden corner of the vampiric dimension, given that this dimension is in reality an infinity of directions that he himself cannot even conceive of.
As a four-dimensional being, Dracula could not simply move along four independent axes. He perceives only four of these directions,
And can act only in those four,
And all the other remaining axes are completely inconceivable to him, much like a human cannot "see" a four-dimensional space.
Vampires in general move using hyperdimensional translation; they travel by making a lateral jump in a direction that humans cannot conceive.
For them, a journey or a displacement happened instantly. Most might equate it to teleportation, but it was nothing of the sort.
Dracula already knew the location of the Vampire Council, so he took one step and found himself directly before them, with an arrogant smile and a completely relaxed gait.
The members of the Vampire Council were not really surprised to see him there, as they had a certain instinct for sensing future events. They were all from Orpheus Sangrael's branch.
The branch that had the most members with high dominance.
One of them gestured for Dracula to sit.
"Well, well, you all look threatening, my boys. What's gotten into you? Not happy to see your Uncle Dracula?"
One of them, with an arrogant air, reacted. "A bit of decorum, Sir Dracula. You come to an administrative place and you sit in such an inappropriate manner? This is unacceptable..."
Dracula took on a menacing air, and the three council members were struck by a vision of terror; cold sweat beaded on their foreheads. If he wanted to, Dracula could condemn them to eternal sleep.
"Unacceptable? And what are you going to do about it? Need I remind you that I am the most dominant one here? With a single breath, I could blow all your heads off. Hurry up before I get angry!"
One of them, named Nicht Sangrael, raised his hand and projected an image onto the council wall. There were images from the terrestrial plane showing men in cultist attire, black robes, performing rituals to summon Satan.
From what he saw in the images, The Black Hand had a planetary influence.
"Do you see, Sir Dracula? This cult has several organizations all over the world. Among them are cultists, mobsters, politicians, and even figures in the film and music industries."
Dracula, who had his feet propped on the table, suddenly adopted a more appropriate posture. He steepled his fingers. "This cult is truly a threat. If I could, I would destroy the terrestrial plane, but I have plans that prevent me from doing so. I thought Orpheus had caught the big fish, but in fact, it was just a small sect whose strings are pulled by the elite."
One of the vampires looked amused when Dracula spoke of not wanting to destroy the terrestrial plane, and the three council members understood why. One of them replied to Dracula. "So, if I understand correctly, you're only sparing the Earth because you consider it your pantry, am I wrong?"
Dracula had been found out and decided to ignore the provocation. It was then that Nicht Sangrael decided to adjourn the meeting for the time being. Dracula had more information on The Black Hand cult; now he just needed to transmit more information to Orpheus Sangrael.
On the other side, on the terrestrial plane, at the Orpheus estate, it was already daylight. Blacky woke up very early in the morning and was already dressing in an elegant shirt and stylish trousers.
He was heading towards the manor's exit.
There, a butler approached Blacky.
"Good morning, young man. Breakfast is on the other side. Would you please follow me?"
Blacky, feeling awkward, couldn't really remember the last time he had eaten with people in a dining room.
As he held the doorknob to leave, a voice from the stairs called him.
"Blacky? Where are you planning to go so early in the morning? You haven't even had your breakfast."
Blacky sighed and replied. "Actually, I have a job with a boss who's a bit touchy, so I'd like to be independent so as not to bother you any longer. Besides, I'll pay you back for the rent, don't worry."
Orpheus Sangrael put a hand to his face and sighed. "What are you talking about, my boy? You're not going to pay anything, and I've already told you that you are welcome here. Your father is like a brother to me, and I consider you a son, you see."
Blacky felt embarrassed and closed the manor door. Orpheus then put an arm around his shoulder, and the two headed towards the dining room.
Arriving in the dining room, the vampire governess was there, helping herself to some pancakes and desserts; eggs were also on the menu. As for Orpheus Sangrael, he had red wine, or rather, blood.
Blacky's stomach rumbled, and Angela Sangrael laughed when she noticed. "Hee hee, so funny. I'm almost sure this is the first good breakfast you've had in your entire life," Angela mocked.
"ANGELA, SILENCE!" Orpheus shouted, furious with his daughter.
Angela, frustrated, dropped her fork on the table and stood up, heading to her room, sulking and grumbling.
"My father has never yelled at me like that, and all because of this commoner."
SLAM...
She slammed her door very hard to show her anger.
"Don't worry, kid, she'll learn to like you over time," Orpheus said, comforting Blacky.
Blacky ate like a starving animal. It was as if he had been on a two-day intermittent fast; he downed eight pancakes and five hard-boiled eggs.
Orpheus and the rest of the manor's inhabitants watched him with a surprised expression: how could a human swallow all that without getting tired? His satiety was very high, perhaps because of his vampire genes?
"Well, kid, you were as hungry as a wolf!"