Meet the Honorary Guild Leader!

A few hours had passed since the girl had left the village.

A white carriage adorned with expensive decorations stood still in a traffic jam. Rachel sat inside, casually observing the scene through the window.

(So many people on the streets... Though, it's not surprising—it's flower season, after all.)

She kept watching the city views until the carriage finally began moving again.

After a while, the carriage came to a stop.

"My lady, we've arrived," came the muffled voice of the coachman.

(That was faster than I expected...) — Rachel parted her lips in pleasant surprise, let out a satisfied chuckle, and stepped out of the carriage.

She was wearing a white dress with a bluish hue, slightly above the knee, revealing her slender legs. The short sleeves were made of light fabric, with small blue bows sewn in front—giving her an innocent and cute appearance. She wore dark brown shoes and a light-colored hat on her head.

Adjusting the hat, Rachel's wavy, soft hair fluttered in the gentle breeze.

Scanning the street filled with the scent of flowers, she began searching the crowd for someone.

"Looking for me, my lady?" — a familiar voice came from the side, calm and cold as always.

A chill ran down Rachel's spine, but she didn't let it show—she simply turned around.

"Annelise?" — she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and asked the rhetorical question.

"..." — there was only silence in return, and the maid forced a smile.

"I missed you so much!" — the blonde threw her arms around the maid's neck, embracing her cheerfully.

"!"

"Mention your salary or talk back again and I'll snap your neck," she whispered into Annelise's ear, her cheerful tone never faltering.

"Your neck is so fragile... Did you know that?" — Rachel tightened the arm around her maid's neck and gently stroked her dark hair with the other.

"Yes..." — the maid was slightly tense, but used to Rachel's antics.

Letting her go, Rachel smiled brightly as if nothing had happened.

"Will you go straight to the destination?" — after a moment of recovering from shock and picking up Rachel's suitcase, Annelise asked in her usual emotionless voice.

"N-o-o-o! Not work, please! Don't talk about it! I'm too tired after the trip… How about we take a walk? Or visit a bakery?" — she babbled in her usual cheerful tone, looking expectantly at the dark-haired girl.

Talking about work right after arrival was definitely not what she wanted.

"Yes, that sounds wonderful," — the maid replied with a faint smile, as if she liked the idea. But even if she hadn't, it wouldn't have mattered—Rachel would have dragged her along anyway. What could a mere maid do?

"Perfect!" — grabbing Annelise's hand, the excited beauty ran off toward the bakery.

Before they knew it, they were already inside. Rachel sat at a coffee table, scanning the menu with interest, choosing desserts.

"Hmm... I want the peach tartlet. Annelise, did anything catch your eye?"

"I'm not hungry, but thank you for asking..." — Annelise set the menu aside.

"No way, don't be shy! I was stuck in traffic for almost two hours, and you waited for me all this time!" — Rachel objected and called over the waiter:

"One peach tartlet and a strawberry tart, please." — narrowing her eyes, she glanced again at the menu.

"Oh, and this one, that one, and two of those to go!"

"Right away. Are you buying sweets for your family?" — the waiter asked upon hearing the size of the order.

"No. They're all for me." — Rachel grinned widely, narrowing her eyes in anticipation.

(She's really going to eat all of that herself? Ugh... Why am I still working for her?) — Annelise sighed inwardly, rolling her eyes. Her face remained calm, though slightly more irritated.

A few minutes later, the desserts arrived.

"Wow, it looks so tasty!" — Rachel clapped her hands in delight.

Without hesitation, she took a big bite of the tartlet, stuffing her cheeks.

"Oh my gosh, this is so good!" — she exclaimed, unable to hide her excitement.

"Why aren't you eating?" — she finally noticed the maid hadn't touched her dessert.

Not waiting for an answer, she grabbed a small spoon, broke off a piece of the strawberry tart, and leaned over:

"Say 'ahhh'!" — she looked at her maid seriously, holding out the spoon.

"Um…"

"Come on!" — Rachel's eyes lit with anger, though this time it didn't feel threatening.

(She really can be sweet sometimes…) — Annelise's first thought caught her off guard, and her cheeks turned pink.

(What am I thinking?! She threatened to snap my neck fifteen minutes ago!) — she quickly scolded herself for such a silly thought.

(But if I don't do it, she won't let it go, huh? Ugh... she's so annoying.)

Opening her mouth, she let the spoon slide between her teeth. The sweet flavor hit her immediately.

"See? It's delicious! I had this tart here once before and it was amazing. So I figured you'd like it too," — the vampire explained, sneaking a glance at Annelise's tart.

She had already finished her own and was now mentally drooling over her maid's dessert.

"Yes... I really like it too," — the maid dared to continue eating. To her surprise, the tart was truly delicious—soft sponge soaked with whipped cream, perfectly complementing the strawberry.

(Why does she seem so friendly? No—why does someone who murders people on vacation even seem… kind? …Ha. What am I even thinking. She's a witch in human form.)

As she walked next to her mistress, who was cheerfully humming and dancing while hugging a huge bag of sweets, Annelise pondered.

Some of her thoughts made sense, logically. But who knows—what if, in that moment, Rachel's actions were simply sincere? Without any hidden motive?

No one could know the true answer, except Rachel herself.

Though the most rational explanation was that she acted out of sheer good mood, the other possibility couldn't be ruled out either… right?

Rachel walked a few steps ahead, humming a tune.

Behind her, Annelise followed silently, her face like stone, carrying the suitcase.

She seemed to notice nothing around her, moving like a robot following her mistress.

"Annelise, darling, when will the manor's carriage arrive?" — finally stopping, Rachel turned to her maid.

"The carriage?" — Annelise snapped out of her trance, looking surprised. Quickly regaining composure, she replied:

"It should be here any minute now…" — she answered distantly, pressing her lips together.

"I would've loved to ride a horse instead. But..." — Rachel glanced at her dress.

"Besides, you don't like horses, do you?"

"It's fine…" — the maid murmured quietly, looking at the ground.

"I see." — the blonde shrugged, turning to look at the road.

Their carriage was approaching. In the golden light of the setting sun, its dark gem decorations shimmered mysteriously, creating an odd aura.

After a few seconds, it came to a full stop.

"Maybe he could've picked an even louder carriage..." — Rachel raised an eyebrow, eyeing the coachman sharply.

"My lady, welcome back! He-he... Had a good rest?" — the one-eyed coachman with a black eyepatch, looking very much like a bandit, somehow still managed to smoke a pipe as he greeted the elegant girl, ignoring her jab.

"Thank you. The vacation was wonderful." — she replied in a calm tone, the corners of her lips lifting for a brief moment, then stepped into the carriage.

"Let's go, Kas," Rahel ordered.

The coachman nodded, cracked the whip, and with a sharp "Hyah!", the carriage set off.

They rode for about an hour—just enough time for the sun to vanish completely beyond the horizon, giving way to the night's darkness.

Crack!

The carriage came to a sudden halt. The jolt threw the passengers forward; they might have slammed into the front wall, but luckily, both managed to grab onto the cushioned seat in time.

Rahel didn't seem particularly surprised. She stood up, opened the door, clicked her tongue, and asked dryly:

"Again?"

"Hehe… sorry, my lady," the man said, scratching the back of his head. He didn't look very sorry—and as he spoke, his eyes shifted, glowing red.

"Even after all this time..." she muttered tiredly and stepped down from the second footrest of the carriage, clearly used to such abrupt stops by now.

At last, she stood once again at the gates of her estate.

It was a mansion painted in dark blue and light gray tones. The architecture was elaborate—columns with strange curves and ornamentation.

Servants lined both sides of the path leading to the front door, bowing in unison.

Without paying them any mind, Rahel walked briskly toward the entrance. Annalise followed her closely, gently placing a short cloak over Rahel's shoulders.

The cold, tense atmosphere was nearly perfect—missing only a distant rumble of thunder and the cawing of crows in the trees.

Grabbing the handle, Rahel pushed open the massive door without effort. It creaked with a muffled groan and swung wide.

Inside, just like outside, the servants stood on either side, bowing in silent greeting.

"Welcome back, my lady."

"The Black Guild greets its honored head."

The elderly butler, standing in the center of the hall, bowed deeply, placing one hand over his chest and the other behind his back, his eyes respectfully lowered.

Rahel's gaze drifted to him. She blinked slowly—her long, black lashes momentarily veiling her dark crimson eyes. Then she nodded and passed by without a word.