It seemed the two had only just fallen in love and were still in that vague, uncertain phase of liking each other.
Vlad glanced at the black-haired boy, who kept casting him provocative looks, and thought to himself:
I won't be staying here long… so how can I make things more difficult for this kid?
According to the original timeline, about three years later, Suzette discovered that Lucie had fallen in love with her half-brother, Henry. Furious, she forcibly separated them and arranged for Valerie to be betrothed to Henry instead. This led Peter to attempt to elope with Valerie.
Heartbroken and unaware of her mother's schemes, Lucie went out for a walk on a full moon night to calm herself—only to be killed by her father, a werewolf. He realized Lucie couldn't understand the werewolf language at all and, upon suspecting he'd been betrayed, killed his wife, Suzette, in a fit of rage.
Thinking of all this, Vlad narrowed his eyes.
Better to take some precautions early.
The blood of a virgin girl was said to be incredibly sweet—and mixed with werewolf blood, it would be even more unique.
With that thought, Vlad decided he needed to stake his claim now, to ensure he could benefit later.
Looking at Peter, who still seemed eager to provoke him, Vlad stood up and walked forward. With a polite smile toward Valerie, he said:
"Valerie, why don't you invite your friend in for a bit?"
Valerie was surprised for a moment, but quickly recovered. She glanced at Vlad with gratitude.
It felt more and more like inviting Vlad home had been the right move.
After all, her mother had always disapproved of Peter for some unexplained reason, which made her hesitant to get too close to him.
"Hello, Peter. You can call me Fred," Vlad said with a nod.
Seeing how courteous Vlad was, Peter found it hard to openly show hostility.
"Hello, Vlad," Peter replied stiffly, returning a slight nod.
"Peter, come in! Brother Vlad was just telling us a really interesting story," Valerie said cheerfully, taking Peter's arm and leading him inside.
Peter gave Vlad a smug glance before entering.
Just then, Vlad's eyes flashed red for a brief moment.
Peter froze, then quickly regained his composure—though he still gave Vlad a strange look, sensing something off but unable to pinpoint it.
"Peter, didn't you go to work today?" Suzette asked.
Despite having guests, Suzette didn't aim any of her usual disdain toward Peter.
"Aunt Suzette, the lumberyard's closed today, so I came home," Peter answered respectfully.
"Then where's your uncle? Why didn't he come back?" Suzette asked, confused.
"Uh… I'm not sure," Peter said, scratching his head in embarrassment.
"It's okay, Mom. Maybe Dad went into town," Valerie said quickly, noticing Peter's awkwardness and cutting off her mother's questioning.
"Brother Vlad, did the prince defeat the dragon and rescue the princess in the end?"
Valerie rested her chin in her hands, her large Kazilan eyes sparkling with curiosity and anticipation as she waited for the answer.
Peter noticed how fully focused Valerie was on Vlad—the old man—and instantly felt a surge of jealousy. Without thinking, he interrupted:
"Tch, no prince can slay a dragon. That kind of stuff's just made-up nonsense."
"Peter~!" Valerie frowned, glaring at him.
"…"
Peter opened his mouth to defend himself, but when he noticed everyone's disapproving expressions, he stayed quiet.
Vlad watched all this unfold with a smile, which only fueled Peter's growing hostility. No matter how he looked at him, he couldn't like Fred.
Vlad met Peter's gaze with a calm smirk and continued:
"The prince found a witch, and the witch was moved by his sincerity. She agreed to help him. With her guidance, the prince overcame many trials, discovered the dragon's weakness, and finally saved the princess."
"Tch, just another kids' story. And let me guess—the prince and the princess lived happily ever after," Peter said with disdain.
"Peter~!!"
Valerie was truly upset this time.
Once could be chalked up to carelessness—but twice?
Noticing Vlad's awkward expression, Valerie suddenly seemed to understand something.
Peter was still looking pleased with himself, but Valerie's angry glare made him panic. Something was wrong.
"Brother Vlad, please don't mind Peter. He wasn't always like this… maybe he's just not feeling well today."
Valerie looked up at Vlad apologetically. This gentle man had made her feel at ease, and she hoped he wouldn't take Peter's behavior to heart. She even tried to defend Peter.
Unfortunately, Peter didn't seem to appreciate her effort.
"It's fine. It's normal for Peter to feel that way," Vlad said kindly, showing no signs of offense.
This generous response made both mother and daughter warm to Vlad even more. Suzette, who already had a poor impression of Peter, now couldn't even be bothered to look at him.
Even the two sisters, who used to get along with Peter, turned cold toward him.
Peter, meanwhile, found Vlad increasingly intolerable.
Vlad, who was observing everything, gave a faint smile and went on:
"Although I'd love to end the story happily… in truth, the prince rescued the princess, but they didn't end up together."
"Why not?" Valerie asked.
"But… didn't he save her?" Lucie asked in confusion.
"..." Suzette also looked at Vlad, curious.
Seeing everyone's eager expressions, Vlad calmly said:
"The dragon slayer will eventually become a dragon."
The entire room fell silent.
"You… you mean the prince turned into a dragon?!" Valerie asked, wide-eyed.
Everyone else—her mother, Verona, and even Peter—were all visibly stunned.
Vlad nodded. In truth, that line was a reflection of his own story.
"How could a mere human defeat an evil, all-powerful dragon?"
"Of course he had to become a dragon himself. That was the witch's method."
Everyone was shaken by this twist. It took them a while to process the ending.
"Ah~!!" Slap!
Just as everyone was still lost in the weight of the story, a sudden outburst broke the silence.
"Lucie, what's wrong?!"
Everyone quickly turned toward the sound.
Lucie's face was red, and she looked panicked and furious as she clung to Valerie's arms, while Peter stood frozen, holding the side of his face.
Clearly, Peter had done something to anger her—and Lucie had slapped him.
"He… he touched me!" Lucie sobbed, burying herself into Valerie's arms.
"He touched you?!" Valerie turned to Peter in disbelief, stunned by what she'd just heard.