Chapter 821: Expectations Versus Reality [Part 2]
Still, thanks to Godfrey's influence, the crimes in the city had drastically decreased.
But well, that was only because his cult, the Blood Fangs, called the shots and eliminated all other competition.
An underground organization that was subservient to him also served their purposes.
As long as they followed the rules that he had set, they could do whatever they wanted, including the abduction of ladies whom they believed that their Lord would fancy.
"Be safe, Your Majesty." Godfrey gave the King a brief nod. "And do not trust the Fomorians. Regardless of what promise they make, they are a race that can never be trusted."
The King's expression turned solemn after hearing the Guardian's advice.
"Understood. I will keep that in mind," King Eugue replied. "May you have a safe journey, Lord Godfrey."
"And may you live long enough to enjoy your life." Godfrey winked before leaving the throne room.
As he walked the hallways of the palace, he happened to see Prince Isaac heading to the throne room as well.
The two men merely gave the other a sidelong glance before walking past each other.
There were no words that needed to be exchanged between them, and Godfrey also didn't plan on talking to the prince.
Since he had already done everything he needed to do, he decided to head to Ethel's Flying Ship, even though their meeting time was still a few hours away.
He believed that arriving early wouldn't be a problem since being early is still better than being late.
When he arrived at the Flying Ship, he saw the Catkins busying themselves to prepare for departure.
Godfrey casually landed on the deck of the ship, making Merric, who was in charge, glance in his direction.
"You're early, Lord Godfrey," Merric greeted the Vampire Lord, who would be guiding them to their destination.
"Don't mind me and carry on," Godfrey replied. "By the way, is Lady Ethel around?"
"…Yes," Merric replied.
"Then can you inform her that I've arrived?"
"Understood."
Merric nodded and headed toward the cabin, where his Young Master and his friends were having a meeting.
A few minutes later, a young lady with long red hair appeared on the deck, which made Godfrey raise an eyebrow.
Lyall, who no longer needed to use the potion, walked toward the Vampire Lord with a mischievous smile on her face.
Godfrey subconsciously took a step back. After taking a good look at the dashing beauty in front of him, he knew then and there what she was.
Also, he felt like he had seen her before, but no matter how hard he tried to recall, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
In the end, he thought that she might be one of the servants serving Ethel, whom he didn't have the chance to meet in the city.
"Well, hello there, Mr. Godfrey," Lyall said with a smile. "You're rather early. Are you so excited to see our Ethel?"
"Yes," Godfrey replied as he stared at the young lady, whom he had identified as one of those crazy women that he didn't want to touch even with a twelve-foot pole. "Where is she?"
"She's inside," Lyall replied. "Would you like to see her?"
"I do," Godfrey answered.
"Then please come with me."
"Lead the way."
The smile on Lyall's face widened because this was the moment that she was waiting for.
She was looking forward to the inevitable meeting between Ethan and the Vampire Lord, who would soon realize that the young lady whom he wanted to seduce to become his lover was actually the young man whom he tried to look for in the past.
Lyall was doing her best to stop herself from giggling as they approached the dining area, where Ethan and the others were waiting for them.
When they finally arrived, Lyall moved aside and allowed the Vampire Lord to walk past her.
The first person Godfrey saw was a handsome young man with long blue hair, standing with his hands behind his back.
'He looks just like Ethel,' Godfrey thought. 'He must be her brother. I better make a good impression on my future in-law.'
Ethan, who had no idea what the Vampire Lord was thinking, asked Godfrey to take a seat, which the latter happily accepted.
As soon as he sat down, Godfrey scanned the surroundings in search of the young beauty who had asked him to accompany her to the place where the Progenitor of Magic was staying.
However, the only ones he saw were the two other beautiful ladies standing behind Ethan, eyeing him with solemn expressions on their faces.
A glance was enough to tell him that these two ladies were quite powerful.
'It seems that my future brother-in-law has good taste in women, just like me,' Godfrey mused. 'I guess we have something in common.'
Ethan was quietly observing the Demigod in front of him calmly. He knew that the moment Godfrey learned he had been tricked, things would get messy very quickly.
But since there was no sugar coating this sensitive topic, he decided to break the ice and directly tell the Vampire Lord that the young lady he liked didn't exist.
However, before Ethan could take the initiative to start the conversation, Godfrey was the first to speak out.
"You must be Ethel's brother," Godfrey said with a smile. "It is a pleasure to meet you. May I know your name?"
The young man knew that this question must be answered truthfully, so he gave his answer without batting an eye.
"Ethan," Ethan replied. "Ethan Gremory."
Godfrey, who thought that he was being pranked, laughed out loud.
"That's a good one, brother," Godfrey said after he finished laughing. "No, really. Please, tell me your name. Also, where is Ethel? She is supposed to meet me today."
"You didn't hear wrongly, Godfrey," Ethan stated. "My name is Ethan Gremory. Last but not the least, Ethel is not real. The person you are looking for is the one you are staring at right now. You're smart, so you can understand, right?"
"This prank has gone too far," Godfrey replied in a serious tone. "This is no longer funny."
"Of course it's not," Ethan replied. "After all, this is reality, and right now, you seem to be in denial."
Godfrey narrowed his eyes before glancing at the people in the room with him.
He had seen Merric and Conall before. As for the three other ladies who were present, he was sure he had never seen before.
But as he extended his senses, he sensed that their life force matched the people whom he had fought during the duel beside the lake.
When realization finally hit him, the Vampire Lord, who was looking forward to a rosy adventure with the young lady named Ethel, smashed the table in anger with his fist.
"You bastard!" Godfrey shouted in anger. "You tricked me!"
Ethan smiled faintly, which only made the Vampire Lord more angry.
"Yes, I tricked you," Ethan replied. "But what can you do about it?"
Godfrey glared at the young man who was looking back at him with an amused smile on his face.
If only looks could kill, Ethan would have already died a hundred times over, given how severe the Vampire Lord's handsome face contorted in rage.