That Butler, Dismissal

Jerome returned to the drawing room where he had met Sera earlier.

Although Simon had instructed the maid to tell him to stay in his room and not wander about, Jerome already viewed the entire Lais family as his for the taking, so why would he care about such trivial commands?

"Why is it you? What are you doing here?"

Upon seeing Jerome, Sera's expression shifted from shock and suspicion to evident disgust.

"Miss Sera, don't be so cold... and who might this be?"

Jerome noticed there was someone else in the room, and his gaze was instantly captivated by this other person.

Jerome had never seen such a breathtaking woman; simply sitting there, she resembled a masterpiece of an oil painting, rich with heavy ink and color.

She wore a crimson robe that flowed like fresh blood, adorned with gorgeous, intricate dark patterns that looked like layers of pigment on a canvas. Her skin was cold and white as jade against the red garment, and a lock of silver hair hung before her like smooth, glazed silk.

Aina made no movement, her hands crossed and resting in her lap, yet she possessed an air of ultimate poise and composure, as if the world revolved around her.

Aina noticed him. She looked over with calm eyes, her gaze seeming to penetrate right through Jerome, laying him bare with a single glance.

"Sir, staring at a strange lady is a rather rude thing to do."

A man blocked Jerome's line of sight.

The man was taller than him, more handsome than him, with azure eyes that looked like fragments carved from the sky, revealing a clear and lucid gaze.

Jerome felt a surge of annoyance, but he didn't want to lose his composure in front of the lady.

"Oh? And who are you?"

"I am, naturally, the Young Miss's butler." Xia Lun tightened the white gloves he had put on at some point. "I am responsible for all matters regarding the Young Miss's travels."

So, just a servant.

Jerome scoffed inwardly, his ego recovering significantly.

"I am Jerome, and also a guest of the Lais family... isn't it quite a coincidence to meet in this drawing room? My beautiful lady." Jerome sat down on the sofa opposite Aina.

Aina gave no response, sitting there quietly, her thoughts unreadable.

"Are you a vampire? Miss, I have dealt with a vampire duke before," Jerome began with a touch of pride. "He is a supreme existence within the bloodline hierarchy; every vampire knows his name... He and I are close friends. If the opportunity arises, I could introduce you to him. I know that for your kind, bloodline is extremely important... If you could obtain a drop of that lord's blood, your strength would surely advance by leaps and bounds..."

To the side, Sera looked at Jerome with a baffled expression. He obviously didn't know Aina's identity yet.

Introducing the Progenitor of the vampires to a subordinate duke... only he could come up with something like that.

"Oh?" Aina finally reacted slightly. "What is the name of this duke?"

Jerome felt a flash of joy, thinking he had a chance, and hurriedly replied, "The Dark Moon Duke, Sheron, Sheron Chellis. That is his name."

He wasn't actually that familiar with the vampire duke; they had merely done business together and maintained occasional contact. If he wanted to ask that existence to do something for him... Jerome clearly didn't have that kind of influence.

But who cared? As long as he could trick the woman in front of him into his hands first...

"Never heard of him." Aina shook her head. "Who is that?"

"Uh..." The expression on Jerome's face instantly froze in awkwardness.

"I suppose an existence like you, Miss, rarely leaves home, so it is normal not to have heard his name... Hehe, that lord hasn't been a vampire duke for very long," Jerome coughed lightly, offering a casual explanation while secretly cursing Sheron in his heart.

Aina fell silent again.

"Speaking of which, vampires and elves are actually quite similar. You see, we both possess long lifespans and beautiful appearances..." Jerome changed the subject, then glanced at Xia Lun. "Compared to us, the human race is much more pitiable. They struggle to live past a hundred years, and their bodies age quickly, turning into ugly forms..."

Xia Lun stood behind Aina with a faint smile on his lips, maintaining an elegant and calm demeanor, as if he hadn't heard Jerome's targeted remarks at all.

Jerome felt a knot of frustration in his chest.

"Even as servants, humans cannot serve long-lived species like us for very long... Miss, I sincerely suggest you replace him with a more excellent subordinate. Hiring a human as a butler is simply not cost-effective," Jerome said, leaning back against the sofa and offering advice to Aina like an experienced mentor.

"I used to keep a few human slaves; they were truly too fragile," Jerome chuckled lightly. "They died very quickly."

Xia Lun's gaze darkened slightly.

Aina nodded. "What you say seems to make some sense."

Then, Aina stood up and said to Xia Lun, "Xia Lun, you are fired."

"Alright, Aina." Xia Lun shrugged his shoulders helplessly.

Jerome's face instantly lit up with joy and satisfaction. He hadn't expected Aina to listen to his advice so immediately. It seemed she had a very good impression of him...

But then, Aina opened her arms toward Xia Lun.

"Since you are no longer a butler, hug me quickly, darling."

Aina threw herself into Xia Lun's arms like a swallow returning to its nest, standing on her tiptoes to plant a kiss on his lips.

Jerome watched this scene, dumbfounded.

Sera also covered her mouth in surprise, but the corners of her lips couldn't help but rise in a smile.

This is just too shippable.

"Aina... there are others present."

Aina's move had indeed exceeded Xia Lun's expectations, but Aina simply blinked at him. She then pulled him down to sit on the sofa, nestling herself into Xia Lun's embrace, leaning against his chest like a kitten and gently rubbing her cheek against him.

Sera covered her nose, feeling a rush of heat.

It was too blissful. The Hero and the Mage... this was the couple she had shipped since childhood.

Watching Aina fawning and acting spoiled in Xia Lun's arms, and recalling what he had just said, Jerome felt like an absolute clown.

"I didn't expect the two of you to have this kind of relationship... Heh, being too intimate with humans is not a good thing; you will regret it sooner or later." Jerome spat on the ground and stood up from the sofa. "What bad luck."

Jerome walked toward the exit. He knew in his heart that Aina actually understood everything; she had done this solely to humiliate him.

If there was a chance later... he would make them pay the price. Jerome thought darkly to himself.

After he returned, he would get the guys from the Blood Alliance to kill that butler, and then capture that vampire woman...

"Did I say you could leave? You insolent boor." Aina's cold voice suddenly rang out from behind Jerome.