Beast, Blue Blood - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

A woman approached Eugene, clicking her high heels like a lingerie fashion show model, and handed her a cocktail. Eugene, who didn’t care at all if Sergei slept with a truckload of such women, took the cocktail and sat down. The woman naturally sat next to Eugene. Eugene, paying no mind to her, looked at Sergei and spoke.

“Just get to the point.”

At that moment, the woman grabbed Eugene’s arm, and she reflexively turned to look at her. In that instant, she kissed her. The two other men, excluding Sergei, let out a chorus of ‘Ooh.’ The woman, now separated from Eugene, gave a triumphant smile and extended her hand to one of the men. The man, laughing as if he had lost a bet, pulled money from his wallet and handed it to her.

“Maybe you two should give it a go? It looks like it would be really exciting.”

“…The point.”

Eugene, thinking it was her fault for coming here in the first place and too tired to deal with it, responded as if she couldn’t be bothered.

“Is it true?”

One of the two remaining men asked.

“The rumor that you almost completed the ‘virus’?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Eugene jumped up as if it was a waste to have even sat down. She looked at them with undisguised contempt.

“Stop reading tabloid gossip.”

Then, she looked at the woman still sitting beside her. Fearing she might hit her, she flinched, but she grabbed the back of her head and kissed her passionately. The two men cheered loudly, while Sergei merely raised an eyebrow. Eugene soon pulled away and whispered.

“This is how you kiss.”

She then took the money she had tucked inside her bikini and gestured to her secretary, indicating they should get ready to leave. As Eugene walked away, the two men muttered.

“She’s a real general.”

“If this were the old days, she’d have founded a country.”

The woman, staring blankly at Eugene’s retreating figure, murmured.

“…Can I be her lover?”

“Hmm, probably not. I’m pretty sure she likes men.”

One of the men laughed and then looked at Sergei.

“You haven’t slept with her yet, have you? You better be prepared. They say she approaches s*x like a job. One guy even cried and begged her to stop.”

Another man added as if he remembered something.

“Did you hear that story? A guy was giving it his all, and she pushed him away with a blank face, saying, ‘Is that all you’ve got?'”

“Damn, just hearing it gives me chills. But isn’t there a rumor that she never does it from below?”

“They say she prefers wearing a belt and being the one on top.”

“Then what about the story that she can only cl*max by choking her partner?”

As the conversation continued, the rumors, with no clear origin, reached almost sinister levels.

“Maybe she has to choke while being on top.”

“F*ck, I’d never do that.”

The man burst into laughter as if he was about to run out of breath.

“Come on. Do you think Eugene Fuger-Dulloch would ever sleep with you?”

And then, watching Eugene’s helicopter taking off, he muttered to himself.

“Anyway, she’s in for some trouble. She had a solid position as the sole legitimate heir, but who could have predicted his father would impose such a condition?”

Another man laughed.

“And what a ridiculous condition it is: handing over the family inheritance to the person who develops a Luax virus with a 100% infection rate.”

* * *

[Today, the National Assembly passed the ‘Prohibition of Workplace Luax Discrimination’ bill.]

Hisha subconsciously glanced at the TV, where the news was being broadcast. The footage showed a scene from a parliamentary speech, featuring a young woman of Middle Eastern descent with red eyes, indicating she was a Luax. Formerly known by names like vampire, Dracula, and bloodsucker, these beings were now called Luax. It had been over 30 years since their existence was revealed and they were integrated into human society. Now, they coexisted with humans, differentiated only by a conceptual distinction akin to race.

In theory, a human bitten by a Luax would become a Luax. However, the probability of successful infection was very low, so not everyone bitten by a Luax would become one. Therefore, one might think that the development of a ‘Luax virus with a 100% infection rate’ would have been pursued earlier, but the reality was different. The emergence of a ‘next-generation Luax virus’ that artificially turned humans into Luax had everyone on high alert.

Research on the Luax virus itself was not legally prohibited, but it had the potential to cause far more significant repercussions than creating genetically edited babies. The aftermath would be unimaginable. Of course, that didn’t mean no one attempted it, including Knox Genomics.

At that moment, Pierlu passed by Hisha, who was sitting in a low fishing chair, trimming flowers. Hisha asked.

“Isn’t Pierlu a Romanian name? I understand it means blacksmith, yet you’re a gardener. It’s a bit odd, isn’t it?”

Pierlu shot him a look of immediate annoyance, but Hisha continued talking undeterred.

“Well, I guess there are florists named Smith and artisans named Gardner…”

“Can’t you keep your mouth shut?”

Pierlu said with a grimace, but Hisha replied calmly, unfazed.

“Sorry, I can’t. I’m just too bored.”

Hisha had decided not to be discouraged. After all, his strength was not crying despite loneliness or sadness, and since he wasn’t here to work, he didn’t need to be hurt by whatever attitude Pierlu took. Pierlu, seemingly too bothered to continue the exchange, rolled his eyes and returned to his work. Behind him, Hisha swallowed a hidden sigh.

Getting into the mansion was easier than expected, but that was where his luck ended. It had been almost a week since Hisha arrived, and he hadn’t seen Eugene since briefly spotting her on the second evening.

It made sense that a part-timer and the lady of the house wouldn’t have many opportunities to meet. Besides, Eugene being frequently absent was advantageous for Hisha’s search.

‘Still, it’s almost impossible to catch a glimpse of her.’

He thought with a sigh. He considered visiting her room in the evening, but for what reason could a mere part-timer have to see the lady of the house? Moreover, Cox’s watchful eyes were unsettling.

Unlike Nasiri, Cox didn’t openly display his displeasure towards Hisha, but when it came to Eugene, he exuded an even more menacing aura than Nasiri. It seemed that both Nasiri and Cox were not just employees but genuinely cared about Eugene, suggesting that the Fuger-Dulloch family might not be as malevolent as he had initially thought.

“Mr. Young-soo.”

A voice called from the door.

“Yes.”

Hisha replied, turning to see a familiar young maid peeking through the greenhouse door.

“We’re having tea together. Would you like to join us?”

“Oh, sure. What about Mr. Pierlu…”

He began, glancing back, but Pierlu interrupted.

“Go ahead.”

He still not looking up from his work.

An awkward silence hung between the three of them.

“Let’s go.”

The maid said quickly as if worried Hisha might insist on Pierlu joining them. Not that it seemed likely Pierlu would move even if he did.

“Okay, I’ll be back.”

Hisha said, but Pierlu didn’t respond.

Hisha removed his gloves, set them down, and followed the maid out of the greenhouse.

“Is the work going well?”

The maid asked as they walked back to the mansion.

“Yes, but it seems like Mr. Pierlu doesn’t socialize much.”

“Oh…”

The maid hesitated.

“He’s someone who shouldn’t be here.”

She said, causing Hisha to look at her curiously.

“What do you mean? Is he not employed here?”

“No, it’s not that…”

She trailed off, laughing to avoid explaining further.

“Never mind, I was just saying something weird. Let’s hurry.”

She quickened her pace to avoid more questions, leaving Hisha puzzled.

‘What’s that about?’

Hisha thought, glancing back at the greenhouse.

Pierlu might lack social skills, but once they started working together, he didn’t treat Hisha poorly and answered all his questions. Pierlu could be quite talkative about work, showing pride in his job and a clear affection for the garden.

He wasn’t a bad person, Hisha concluded.

‘If anything, his quiet nature makes him seem reliable.’

When Hisha first saw Pierlu, he instinctively thought he resembled a boulder, and in truth, that was the most accurate way to describe him. Like a boulder, he quietly maintained his place, regardless of what happened around him.

Hisha scratched behind his ear. It wasn’t his concern what Pierlu’s situation was. His goal was simply to find information related to the rumored ‘prototype of the Luax virus’ and get out. It seemed unlikely that a mere gardener like Pierlu would know anything about the virus.

‘Yeah, better not get involved unnecessarily.’

There was nothing to gain from getting too entangled in the affairs of this place.

With a long sigh, Hisha entered the mansion and headed to the break room where the employees usually had their tea time. Quite a few employees were already there, drinking tea. He responded to their greetings as he made his way inside.

A middle-aged woman working in the kitchen smiled at him.

“Here you are.”

The setup was quite elaborate, more than one would expect for just the staff. There was a four-tier tray filled with cookies and cakes, reminiscent of a famous British tea shop, and the tea was not just brewed from teabags.

“Would you like coffee or tea?”

“Coffee, please.”

The coffee she handed him was quite good, even to his somewhat picky taste.

The news playing on the break room TV was the same as the one he had seen in the greenhouse earlier.

“Today’s pound cake turned out well. Have a try.”

The woman said, handing him a plate with a slice of cake. Hisha turned his attention from the TV and took the plate.

“Thank you.”

The woman glanced at the TV he had been watching and gave a bitter smile.

“Aren’t you scared? These vampires claim they’re human and demanding human rights.”