Taming My Vampire Servant

Four years later…

It was winter time, and seeing that the snow had piled up the soil of the Greensteid forest, it was wise that Sigmund already gathered enough firewood these past few days.

"They're here!" Ivory excitedly yelled. She was carrying her four-year-old son as she walked towards the front door. 

Every quarter, her family visits them, and the end of the year was the winter feast that they were looking forward to.

Dressed in winter fur coats, the Sprucemint family got down the carriage one by one. They came from the stone mansion, which was located near the Silverblade Castle in the Land of Rosaria. It was Ivory's choice to live with Sigmund in Greensteid Town with their child.

"Please come in!" Ivory said with a big smile.

Everyone then gathered around the youngest member of the family,in front of the fireplace. Baby Obelius had inherited Sigmund's striking, crimson red irises, and Ivory's silky hair. His round, curious eyes kept on glancing at the faces of the people around him.

Katie told the child, "Aren't you the cutest, Obelius?" she tickled him, making him giggle.

"Not fair, let me hold him too!" Flynn told his older sister. He gave a wide grin when the little boy grabbed his hand and squeezed it.

"Obelius, hello, do you remember me? I am your aunt! We played peek-a-boo last time, right?" Gracie poked the child's cheek, "What a cute boy!"

Little Obelius babbled and giggled at the sight of the familiar faces surrounding him. 

While the three siblings were busy with Obelius, Gordon and Anne proceeded to the kitchen to prepare for the feast. They brought with them some of the finest ingredients from the Land of Rosaria.

"I caught a bull a while ago, and I just finished grilling. Just right for wine," Sigmund told his in-laws.

"Perfect!" Gordon commented. He and Sigmund then went to prepare the meat.

Anne and Ivory, on the other hand, started to heat up the cauldron. "Next year, why don't we spend the winter feast at the stone mansion?" she sighed, "Dear, do you not want to live with us? The mansion has many rooms."

"Thank you, mother, but I am training in Megalia City. I am about to finish it and will most probably take an assessment next year. I think I am quite ready to become a Royal Knight."

"Oh my! Aren't you overworking yourself?"

Ivory shook her head, "Sigmund is a really supportive husband, and he takes care of everything. So when I go home, I can only eat and rest."

"My, my, how nice. You should be kinder to him, then!" Anne replied. She and Ivory started cutting the potatoes and carrots, when she remembered something, "By the way, your mother Diana came to the mansion again."

Ivory paused, putting the knife down the wooden cutting board. "And?"

"Dear, you have been avoiding her. She's still your real mother, your flesh and blood. Isn't it time to forgive her?"

"When I think about what happened to me and Sigmund… I couldn't," she resumed cutting the root crops. "Anyway… What's she up to these days?"

"She said that she's still living in Barion Town. Do you remember, she only had one relative there, because the late king Yama killed all her relatives in the past?"

Ivory stayed quiet while she listened to her story. But she did not want to talk about it, so she changed the topic, "Mother, the water is already boiling."

"Ah… right," The awkwardness made Anne stop talking about Ivory's real mother. It was a topic that she did not want to talk about anymore, yet as her foster mother, she was still hoping that the two would make amends.

Hours passed, and they gathered on the dining table. On it were caramelized onion tarts, leek soup, potato and carrot stir fry, rye pork loin, and many others. The table was full, and it signified the numerous blessings that they had received from the heavens.

After praying to the holy Goddess, they ate, while Sigmund carried Obelius in his arms and fed him with mashed potato. Ivory was the one feeding Sigmund, in opposite turns with her.

All of a sudden, Katie stopped eating, and she stood up. "I would like to take this opportunity to announce something!"

Surprised, they all glanced at her.

Ivory asked, "What is it?"

"I… I am going to live in Omegalion City starting next week!" 

They were all shocked, and Obelius' round eyes stared curiously at her.

"Why? What's in Omegalion?" Gordon asked. "If you live here, then Ivory and Sigmund will have to look after you-"

"No, I will not be living here. I… I already have somewhere to live."

Ivory raised her brow. She knew something was up with the stuttering sentences, "Oh? Get straight to the point and spill it, Katie… It's a guy, isn't it?"

Katie's cheeks turned red as a tomato, "Yes! Fine, I admit it! He… he confessed to me, and I told him I like him too… So we decided to get married as soon as possible!" 

The Sprucemint family wondered who the man was, and in their minds were a list of men that frequented the stone mansion to meet Katie.

Then they realized that there was one who was always bringing extravagant gifts.

Gracie, who had been suspecting someone, asked, "Sis, is your lover… Royal Knight Jirou?"

Sigmund choked when he drank wine, and Ivory dropped the fork. Both did not expect Jirou to fall for Katie, who was quite opposite with Ivory's personality. If there was something similar with Katie and Jirou, it was their upfront and strong personality, and they wondered how the two lions would live together in peace!

Gordon and Anne asked Katie to let them meet Jirou and speak with him before she lives with him. Flynn and Gracie continued to tease their sister. Ivory and Sigmund just looked at each other and laughed at how Katie and Jirou's love life unexpectedly turned out.

When the feast ended, the Sprucemint family wished for another prosperous year ahead. They spent the night at the humble abode, reminiscing their ups and downs in their old residence.

They traveled back to the Land of Rosaria the next day, and as soon as they left, Ivory and Sigmund had another visitor.

Lucius' carriage arrived only minutes after the Sprucemints left. He brought with him crates of items and food, including a medium sized barrel of grape wine.

As soon as Obelius saw Lucius, he reached out his hand to him!

"Uncle, uncle!" Obelius said, and his uncle took him in his arms.

"The kid is always fond of you," Sigmund crossed his arms, "I wonder why."

"That's because I smell like candies all the time. While you smell like herbs and burnt wood," Lucius laughed, and the black-haired man just gave him a glare.

Ivory took a look at what her brother brought with him. Among the items was a rolled thick quilt tied with a rope.

"Wow thanks for this, Lucius. I was thinking about buying at Alpharion, but I don't have to anymore," she touched the surface of the quilt and examined its fabric. "Oh my, this is high quality wool!"

"Actually… Mother stitched it especially for you."

Ivory paused when she heard about it.

"Ivory… she's been asking about you. She hoped you would forgive her-"

But before he finished his sentence, his sister ran upstairs to her attic bedroom!

Ivory locked herself up in the room. She creased her brows, confused with what to do. She knew that Diana loved her, and that she had no choice but to trust Wolfram and Levi at that time. She also couldn't do anything because of the contract as the Servant of the future king.

The yellow scarf that her mother knitted was loosely hanging on the wooden rack. She reached out to it, and she held on it tightly. 

Downstairs, Sigmund got mad at Lucius for ruining Ivory's mood. 

"You already know how much she hates talking about it," he voiced out, crossing his arms. 

"You don't understand," Lucius said, "I just want my mother to be happy. Do you not want them to make up?"

"I do, of course. It's just that, I hate seeing Ivory unhappy."

"Mama!" Obelius suddenly exclaimed when he saw Ivory approaching.

Ivory smiled at her son and took him from Lucius.

Obelius started playing with Ivory's scarf. When Lucius noticed the yellow fabric on his sister's neck, he sighed in relief.

"This is my answer, Lucius," Ivory uttered. She then turned to her husband, "Sigmund, let's visit mother after winter time."

It was as if a thorn had been pulled out from Ivory's heart. She never thought that after all those years, she would be able to forgive her mother. 

Lucius' eyes brightened upon hearing his sister's statement, and he had been waiting for them to reconcile. This was one of his wishes for the new year, but it seemed that the Goddess had granted his wish in the most unexpected time. 

Ivory gave his younger brother a warm hug before leading him to the dining area to eat some sweets. 

Sigmund patted the blonde man's back.. He too was glad that the relationship between his Master and previous Master, now his in-law, would be having a fresh start again.