Taming My Vampire Servant

The night fell, and Ivory just had dinner with her family. Lycus asked her to come with him to his house to talk about her mana and to let her be more familiarized with it. The curious Sigmund followed them, but then he was asked to stay outside by the door and wait for his Master.

Sigmund agreed, and when the two went inside, a smirk escaped from his lips. 'Lycus thinks I won't hear it? He really thought I was a Spirit Servant. I guess he isn't that impressive,' he thought.

Lycus' house was decorated nicely with paintings hanging on the walls. The dining area had cushioned chairs while the living area had two single armchairs. There was even a cast iron wood heater and a lute placed at the corner of the living room. 

Ivory was made to sit on one of the armchairs in the living room while Lycus sat cross-legged on the wooden floor as he poked the fire. He told her, "Have you ever wondered what your mana nature is?"

She leaned on the soft backrest of the armchair, enjoying the coziness she was feeling at his home, and he looked at Lycus with curiosity as the flames reflected in her eyes.

He said, "Priestess Althaia said that you have two different types of mana. One from our kind, which you inherited from your father, and the other one was from your mother."

To keep Sigmund's identity as a Vampire Servant who could sense her two manas, she instead said, "Sigmund said that I healed myself, but I couldn't remember what I did."

"The mana you inherited from your father is a very special kind. To be able to control it fully, you have to know first the unique abilities you can do with it. One of these is healing… under the presence of the moon."

"Healing under the presence of the moon?" her brows creased. "What do you mean?"

He glanced at her, "Our clan's mana enables us to use our healing abilities, but only at night, Lady Ivory."

Ivory gaped in awe. She was speechless and for a short while, it was only the sound of the crackling, burning wood that could be heard in the room.

Lycus then added, "You can heal yourself, and you can heal other people using that mana. But please remember to keep this a secret, because if someone from the castle knows about your healing abilities, they will lock you up in the castle prison."

She nodded, "I will be careful. But… uhm, I can tell this to my Servant, right?" 

He shook his head, "I'm afraid I'd like you to keep this from him for now. I will tell you when to say it to him."

"Oh, but he-" she was about to say that Sigmund could already hear by the door because of his heightened hearing, fortunately, she stopped herself. She instead asked, "But do you know why I can't remember anything when I use that mana?"

"The mana is too powerful for you to control at this moment. That's the reason why instead of you controlling it, your mana overpowers you by surfacing your inner desires. That's why you become a frank, honest and fearless person," Lycus explained it to her clearly and calmly. 

"I see. That's why I slapped Katie hard! Gaaaah!" she yelled in frustration, then took the small pillow beside her and hugged it, lowering her head to cover her face. "I don't want things like that to happen anymore. Poor Katie, she must have felt that I hated her."

Lycus reached out for her hand, "At that time, you must have felt really disheartened. You love her as a sister and showed that you cared for her, yet she shoved you away like a beggar."

Ivory listened to him intently and felt reassured with his words. A subtle smile formed on her lips beneath the pillow when he squeezed her hand gently.

"Don't worry though, what surfaced was your anger at that moment, but that doesn't necessarily mean that deep inside, you'll be angry at her forever."

Ivory raised her head and glanced at him, "You're right… She kicked me, so I… snapped."

Lycus chuckled, "I could imagine your fierceness, Lady Ivory."

She shook her head sideways, "Uhm, so... can you teach me how I can control this mana? I don't want to let it happen again."

"That's why I am here, not only to guard you, but also to help you control it."

She smiled sweetly at him, "Thank you. And... I've been wanting to ask, aren't you a Chosen One? Where's your Servant?"

But Lycus only chuckled. "I can't tell you what I am, but I am your family. I have the same mana as you and your father, but I do not have a Servant."

She gave a puzzled expression, "But if you're not a Chosen One, why do you have mana? Is it… related to the Dark Mana?"

"No, it isn't. Do not worry," he gave a kind smile, "I want to tell you the secret of our true identity, but it's not yet the right time. Until your father, His Eminence, says so, I do not have the right to make a move without his consent."

"I see… Then I have to wait," Ivory sighed. 

She was excited to know more about herself, but Lycus told her that it would be too dangerous for now. He then told her that he needed to teach her how to fully control her mana, and before their conversation ended, he informed her that they would start their actual training tomorrow night in the woods.

Soon after, Ivory stepped out of the house. She was excited to learn more about her power/mana, but at the same time, there was a feeling of dissatisfaction as if something was still missing. 

Seeing this, Sigmund asked, "What's wrong? What did he say about your mana?" he furrowed his eyebrows in worry, "I didn't notice that punk made a barrier before we even came, so I was not able to hear anything."

"He must have known that you like eavesdropping," Ivory joked. But seeing what she said only put him in a worse mood, she quickly apologized. "I forgot you dislike having sound barriers against you."

The Vampire kept quiet as he was in a sour mood until the two of them reached their house, then the attic bedroom.

"It's been a long day, and I'm so tired," Ivory took a quick bath, changed into her peach ruffled long-sleeved night dress, then hopped onto the bed.

"Hey you bird brain. Dry your hair first before you sleep. You'll catch a cold," Sigmund uttered. He took a dry towel from the shelf, forced Ivory to sit up straight, and dried his Master's hair starting from the scalp. He gently squeezed the strands and the tips of her hair.

She blushed with her Servant's action, and it definitely made her heart flutter. He did feel distant, as if he was avoiding skinship with her, but as he helped her dry her hair, she felt better. Tears formed in her eyes, and as if she was holding it back since early that day, she suddenly broke down and cried.

"Hey! What's the matter?!" The Vampire Servant's eyes widened in confusion. He cupped her chin and gazed at her reddened cheeks, "Why are you crying?"

"I… I thought you hated me…" Ivory mumbled, wiping the tears which were streaming down her face. "I feel like you hated being close to me today."

Sigmund felt guilty. He cursed the extraordinary mana that his Master had, and why it had to make her not remember anything she did as she was enveloped by its power. Wanting her to stop crying, he wiped her tears with his thumb and tucked her soft and silky hair behind her ear, "Stop it, why will I hate being close to you?! I need your blood and your mana."

Ivory continued sobbing. In frustration, she looked at him with puppy eyes and said, "Then, Sigmund… can… can you prove it to me… that you do not hate me?" Her voice was frail, but Sigmund could clearly hear what she was saying. 

He paused for a while as he stared at his crying Master who he thought looked extremely cute, especially that she was pursing her trembling lips.

"Fine," he muttered. He rubbed her lower lip with his thumb before pulling her into an embrace. "Here. Stop crying, goddammit!"

Slowly, Ivory stopped sobbing. She put her arms around his waist and embraced him very tightly. "I feel like I did something bad yesterday… You never left me lying on the floor at night. It was the first time it happened."

He sighed and patted her back gently, "You're right. You really did something bad."

Ivory pulled away from the embrace, "What do you mean?" she gazed into her Servant's crimson red irises. Realizing that he was not joking, she worriedly asked, "Oh no, what did I do?"