Porcelain shattered, spilling fragrant tea over the soft carpet, and littering the ground with pure, white shards.

"You fucking four-eyes—" Ayato growled, grabbing his second oldest brother by the collar and bringing him to eye level.

Green eyes shone with anger and repressed bloodthirst. The feeling of his possession slipping out of his fingers sent Ayato's mind reeling. He wanted to kill the bastard in front of him, yet, knowing that paradoxically Reiji was the only one with an antidote had him seething. His blood boiled, and had Ayato had a heart, it would be drilling through his ribcage.

Anger clouded his mind— but why?

Yes, Ayato, why are you so angry? The Devil whispered.

Why are you so concerned about the Bride? About Yui?

Reiji calmly leveled his gaze to stare at his hotheaded brother, a feeling of repulsion silently building up the longer he watched the redhead.

With disinterest, he exhaled.

How Ayato could be directly related to His Lordship was beyond him. But then again, Ayato's father was Karlheinz. The Vampire King had strong genes— Reiji prevented himself from thinking about his progenitor more and sneered, thoroughly disgusted by the notion of the Vampire sowing his seeds.

"Your manners are as deplorable as ever, Ayato," the raven decreed, eyes gleaming with a looming sense of superiority.

"You—" Ayato's voice went up. His irises shone a lethal light before he retorted. "Don't you dare look down on me, you fucking tableware-otaku—" a flurry of insults, all more colorful and creative than the previous one, broke past the redhead's mouth, filling the otherwise quiet library.

It was to this peculiar sight that Aku discovered his nephew and step-nephew.

In mute silence, his presence methodically concealed by repressing his powers, he slid his golden orbs over the room, soon taking note of the blonde Human that unmovingly laid on the soft carpet. He blinked.

Oh. Did Eve die?

A second was enough to refute Aku's flickering thought as he heard her low, barely present breathing. With his sharp sense of smell, he picked up the peculiar fragrance of tea laced with familiar herbs and concoctions. She had been poisoned.

And by his favorite step-nephew.

Aku could not decide between pride and deep disappointment.

Pride that Reiji was so promising and loveable. How sweet, how delectable, how toxic the raven was. The mere reminder that Reiji had poisoned Eve for— no, because of him sent pleasant shivers down Aku's spine. A delicious feeling of power surged through him, brushing his ego and feeding his want and need for control over these poor, poor unfortunate souls that were his charges.

And deep disappointment that Reiji had not executed his plan more discreetly. Why so rash? Why did his usually brilliant step-nephew fail to conceal his trace? Why did he make his action known to all— he had been so efficiently clean when it came to murdering his own mother.

A grin, sick with joy and dripping with satisfaction, broke on Aku's lips. Of course, because Reiji craved his attention. A pitiful child— but lovably pitiful nonetheless.

Aku supposed Kanato would not be able to add Eve to his collection anymore now that she had been dealt with by Reiji. Poor Kanato, the delight of an obstacle removed clashing with the anger of someone stealing from him must be drowning him.

How wonderful.

The unbridled expression of bliss did not fade from his face and grew as he watched two of his charge confront one another. There was a sense of peace in Aku's being whenever he saw those who had everything succumb to anger before losing one or everything.

Perhaps, it was due to the deep settled jealousy in Aku's guts. This budding feeling that had germed in him ever since Banmaden and his clan succumbed to Endzeit.

Yes. His charges, Karlheinz's offsprings, did not deserve to feel the joy or fulfillment the Vampire King took from him by sealing his clan away. Aku would rather the whole of the Demon World fell with Founders than Founders become a legend of old times.

His lips flattened, his eyes lost their shine, and no ripple of emotion troubled his expression.

"Ayato." He loved how both flinched before recoiling, one in repressed anger and the other in deep betrayal. "Why are you angry?" The way Reiji's gaze turned minutely downcast had Aku reveling in his power.

Ayato gnashed his teeth. He sent his step-brother a sizzling glare before letting go and clicking his tongue. "Nothing."

The Founder hummed, unconvinced, before sliding his gaze to Reiji, who minutely stiffened.

"Reiji?"

The raven frowned, brushed the creases out of his shirt, and smoothened his features before methodically readjusting his glasses. "My apologies, My Lord," he respectfully admitted. "We did not mean to disturb your rest."

Aku blinked. "You did."

Reiji flinched, words momentarily getting caught in his throat.

"Awww, is she finally going to die?"

The First Blood shifted his attention to Kanato. The purple head sat, crouched beside Eve's motionless body, and Teddy carefully nested in his embrace. He carelessly poked at the Human's body, watching with deranged eyes as Eve remained unresponsive, her body gradually turning colder and her breathing quieter.

"Ne, Uncle," the boy coyly called, big, round eyes looking up at Aku's figure in a false sense of childishness. "If it breaks, can I have it now?" he begged, the curve of his grin stretching by the seconds to reflect the gleaming in his eyes.

Aku hummed, noting how Ayato disproportionally reacted from the corner of his eyes before he shook his head.

"Eve will not die," at least not until he decided otherwise.

Aku flicked his wrist. In the next second, Eve levitated, allowing her body to float closer to the Founder. He skimmed her body with his eyes, acknowledging her pallor and lethargic state. There wasn't much to gain by saving her, but killing the Adler Princess to create a new Eve seemed awfully tedious at the moment.

What's more, Eve saved by his hands would surely become more docile.

Golden eyes gleamed as the Founder summoned his powers. Magic gathered at his fingertips, tingling at the surface of his skin in a melodious buzz. Aku was no master of healing magic, nor did he know how to properly create poisons and their antidotes. But Aku was a Founder, a First Blood— magic came to him as easily as did breathing to Humans. The low-level healing magic required to cure a Human was child's play to him.

As his magic filled Eve, Aku perceived the faint familiar presence of his kind. It disappeared as quickly as it came.

Much to Aku's chagrin and boredom, following Reiji's attempt to poison Eve, the Sacrificial Bride did not meet any more mishaps. Aku wasn't sure if it had to do with how he healed her himself or if Eve had become more of an evidence to the Sakamaki's life— a perfect addition that they didn't quite like (yet) but couldn't bring themselves to dislike either.

If it were the second case, Aku was troubled.

A week passed. Night school remained monotone and uneventful. Aku hadn't had the pleasure of meeting Reinhart through the last month. And, apart from the twins' report detailing Richter's latest endeavor, the First Blood found himself utterly bored.

Why else would he have accepted the said Vampire's invitation for tea?

This brings us to the Demon's current situation. A porcelain tea cup elegantly held in one hand, golden eyes slightly downcast in a show of boredom, and strawberry blond lashes lowered, Aku took a probing sip of his beverage.

Black tea had the advantage of being universally popular to the point of being overdone. Earl Grey, Darjeeling, English Breakfast, Assam, the Founder didn't know how many cups of those he had drunk in his long life, but what he knew was how bored his palate was with their flavors.

He hummed. Assam.

At least it didn't have the same overwhelming property as Earl Grey.

"Thank you, once again, for gracing me with your presence, My Lord," Richter opened. His lips drew a well-crafted smile, neither too overbearing nor flat, eyes calculatedly bent to reflect the curvature of his lips and head gently tilted downward in a mild show of subservience.

Aku liked what he saw. He smiled back, setting his cup down and nodding for the Vampire to continue. "Please."

Richter's expression morphed into something slightly more elated at the Founder's positive acknowledgment before he straightened up to take a sip of his drink. "If I may, My Lord," the Vampire resumed, never letting go of his polite and subservient disposition. "I would like to know your thoughts on my brother," there was a moment of floating silence before a light, almost inaudible scoff passed through the Demon's lips. "His Highness."

The curvature of Aku's lips grew, and he brushed his fingers through his curly locks of strawberry blond. "Karlheinz—" calling the Vampire King, the strongest of the High Demon Lords by his given name, was a kind of privilege only the strong or the stupid earned. Aku belonged to the powerful. "Yes, Karlheinz is a wonderful— partner," he enunciated, seemingly carefully choosing his words.

Richter's smile twitched, and his muscles tensed.

"Wonderful, you say, My Lord?" he reiterated.

The Founder nodded, a sound of confirmation emanating from him. He waved a hand, allowing Glaciel— his aide for today, to appear in a flutter of freezing winds. Without a need for orders, the Spirit executed himself, pouring his Master a new cup of tea and picking a few biscuits.

"Yes, so far, Karlheinz has been nothing but delightful," the First Blood resumed, sugar coating his words as if to serenade the Demon in question. "Not only is he quick-witted, but he also provides me with the utmost comfort and information— until now, there hasn't been one occasion where Karlheinz has been anything but useful," he finished, the edge of his cup neatly meeting his lips as if in a calculated move to put an end to his monologue.

"I see, yes. Of course, his Highness must possess the most extensive information network and resources within the Vampire territory and even Demon Realm," the second in line praised, a stiff smile threatening to replace his plastic expression.

The Founder found delight in the Vampire's struggle.

Ah, to be ambitious yet too weak to even stand up for himself or preach his cause.

How did it feel to submit to someone perhaps lesser?

Someone who did not have anything but peerage and a destroyed, forgotten Clan to back them?

Who could only rely on their enemy, Karlheinz, to remain a central power figure within the Demon Realm?

Although Aku did not know how Richter felt, he liked to think that the Vampire was worse off than himself.

He would not remain under Karlheinz's tutelage forever, and if using the Adam and Eve project was not enough to rid himself of the Vampire King, he would use his charges' dependence to overthrow the Demon.

Aku awaited with repressed joy the day Karlheinz would die.

High Demons, because of their longevity often associated the act of taking another Demon's life with the most beautiful form of Love and Devotion. A sick and bizarre manifestation of their obsession.

Confronted with such a vision, Aku disagreed. To him, it was no expression of love but, indeed, a misplaced feeling of bitterness and unfairness.

"Truly, in this day and age of our Demon Realm, there exists no Demon comparable to Karlheinz," the First Blood admitted. If a bitter taste filled his mouth at the thought of Carla, who would surely wipe the floor with Karlheinz, Aku ignored it.

"That is undoubtedly correct, My Lord," Richter conceded.

Through lidded eyes, lashes downcast and shading his golden irises, Aku hummed. He took in Richter's disposition, wondering for a moment what went through the male's head now that he knew Aku would not switch to his side unless he could prove that he possessed better information resources. Although, the Founder did not doubt Richter was already aware of this. He was more curious about the Vampire's Plan A as it appeared relying on him was only Plan B— even C.

Aku had never been anyone's Plan B (except for his Father, perhaps), and he found himself mildly curious.

"For when should I expect your visit to the Estate?" Aku addressed, allowing Richter power over the decision-making process— how kind of him.

"I would love to visit my nephews and their new betrothed next month," the Vampire confessed, not missing a beat as he switched his expression to one of a doting uncle. A face Aku was familiar with, he had worn it once too to tame the poor souls of his tainted charges. "I'm curious to see what kind of Sacrificial Bride managed to make it this far and how she must have bewitched those kids."

The Founder laughed.

"Eve is certainly gifted. I'm sure you will understand when you meet her."