A vampire. I still can't believe it. And it's not any kind of vampire; of course, it's not. That is an elder. I've only caught a glimpse of her eyes, but that's more than enough. I didn't see her at the supper. I don't know where she was at the time, but I've got a hunch she's on Oliver's side. Or at the very least, she's pulling the strings behind the scenes.
She's a traitor, a danger to James and Jonathan.
My instincts are rarely wrong. It might be a side-effect of my Seer ability—I've never really investigated it, and I don't plan to, either. All I know is that when alarm bells are ringing in my head, it's better not to ignore them and pretend everything's fine.
I've paid the price of complacency too often.
It cost me my mom, and it cost my brother his ability to walk. Recently, Melissa lost her life.
If I overlook the ominous feeling rampaging in my stomach today, I don't know what I'll be deprived of next. I've had enough of losing what's precious to me.
The ceremony passes in a blur. I can barely hear the bullshit the priest is saying. He's rambling about the usual things, anyway. You can only say so many things at a hunter's funeral, after all. There's also no need to listen to the prayers he's chanting, as he doesn't even believe in them, or the sympathetic words leaving his mouth. They're dripping with insincerity, and they're falling on deaf ears. People are too busy whispering to each other to care about what's going on the podium.
Scott, stay calm, don't snap.
There's nothing surprising about these people's behavior, so why am I even disappointed? It makes me disappointed in myself. I should have learned by now.
So, I try not to care. My eyes are locked onto the vampire's back instead. She's the only thing that matters right now; the rest isn't worth my attention. I have to find out what she's doing here, or I won't be able to sleep in peace tonight.
The moment the ceremony ends, and the vampire gets up, I eye Jordan, and he nods at me. The next instant, we move as one, ready to tail that cursed thing.
I'm aware we're not exactly inconspicuous, thanks to Jordan's tall height and striking appearance. He's drawing everyone's eyes to us, even though he's not doing anything unusual—he's just standing beside his goddamn husband
How annoying. And, sure, Jordan could have used a disguising spell to hide us from sight, but that would have been utterly useless. People have already seen us, and they know we're in the funeral parlor. It'd be strange if we suddenly disappeared out of the blue; it would only serve to alert their senses.
To make matters worse, my father is here as well. He'll notice right away if our presences vanish. I doubt he'd stay impassive.
Jordan knows it, too.
Tacitly, we decide to separate. He'll act as a distraction, keeping people's attention, while I pretend to go to the bathroom. Thankfully, the unknown vampire and Miria have left toward the back of the funeral parlor, and that's where the toilets are. That makes it the perfect excuse.
From the corner of my eye, I see them bypass the bathrooms and turn into another corridor. I'm just in time to see them enter a room hidden in a corner.
That doesn't look suspicious at all, huh?
I quietly follow behind, crouching next to the door with my ear pressed against it. These two aren't being very discreet, or even careful. That's to be expected. I bet they've erected a barrier that blocks sounds, and a vampire elder's barrier is nothing to scoff at. I'm not even sure my father would notice it if he's not close by. Right now, he's definitely too far away to sense it.
The thing is, it doesn't work on me.
Seers don't only see everything, they also hear everything. People tend to forget that this ability of ours affects all of our senses. It's just that being able to see otherworldly beings' true forms is the most well-known one, thanks to its usefulness.
"—Oliver was caught? What a useless piece of trash."
Can't believe I'm agreeing with Miria on something. That jerk is a useless piece of trash. Good. They're not beating around the bush.
"Well, it seems like the investigator in charge of the case wasn't dumb…" There's a silence, and I don't like it. "I thought Scott married a lesser demon? What a joke. Lesser demons can't be investigators; these things are too weak."
"Don't look at me with that accusatory gaze," Miria snarls, annoyance tinting her shrill voice. "I wasn't told about it. If I had known, I'd have handled Scott's wedding differently." Oh, yeah, I bet you'd have. Jordan is much more interesting now that his status has been elevated. "For the love of God, what the hell went through the demon clan head? Sending a noble demon as the groom…"
"How the hell would I know?" the vampire grunts, sounding as irritated as Miria. Aww, poor girl. Wait until you learn he's a patriarch, your irritation is going to go pouf, replaced by disbelief. "Demons are a chaotic bunch, a mess of various clans we can't make heads or tails of. These guys only respond to the demon king and couldn't care less about what other otherworldly beings want. It's hard to grasp what these fools think."
Guys, can you talk about what I don't know? Stop bitching and get to the matter at hand before someone comes. The place might be at the back of the parlor, out of sight, but I'd rather not take any chances. My luck is shit.
"Well, whatever. It's not like it matters much."
Miria brushes away the vampire's concerns.
"What about the kobolds? I heard they dropped out of the plan. These weak-minded numbskulls… They can't even make good pawns."
Sorry, what?
"Miria, Oliver got caught, and they are mired in an investigation." The vampire sighs, and I feel my heart skip a beat. Miria knew. She knew who was behind everything and still sent Melissa out on a hunt. "They only agreed to get loose because they were promised protection. But, well, we got what we wanted in the end, and James was hurt. His status as the official heir has been shaken. Even if I can push Oliver forward now, there are other candidates I can propose to replace him. We just need someone less stubborn and more attuned to our cause."
"Sure, fine, as long as that insolent brat is gone…" Miria mumbles, her words coated in disdain. "He's been nothing but trouble. He should have done like the others and turned a blind eye to our smuggling."
"The kid is strangely upright, what can I say?" The vampire let out a cold chuckle, one that sends shivers down my spine. "Talking of troublesome things, it looks like your husband is starting to notice something is amiss. He wouldn't have wasted time coming to an unknown hunter's funeral, otherwise."
"Don't worry too much," Miria cackles. "We just need to keep him busy. His priorities are easy to discern."
"Fair point." The vampire cackles along. "He's the type to value the greater good over everything else."
"Definitely. He chose duty over his wife and son, although I admit, it's the one time I've seen him torn. Ah, dear, the face he made back then… You should have seen it. You'd have adored it."
"Oh, so that block of ice has feelings?"
"Of course he does." Stop it. "He's human in the end. He's just good at hiding them." Don't say it. "Even his sons believe he hates them, when that couldn't be farther from the truth." I don't want to hear it. "He adores them." No, that can't be true. "They are the children he had with the woman he loved, after all."
In an instant, my worldview shatters.