MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

The first one to reach the house and ring the doorbell on this Day of Thanksgiving was none other than Susanne, the woman in an ambiguous relationship with Viktor.

She was of English descent but was born in America and had lived in this place for years already. When she first received Viktor's call, she had been quite surprised at being invited to a hearty Thanksgiving meal. After all, she knew that he was a foreigner in this place and was only here for a very short amount of time. Too short for any substantial bond to form between them.

Even though she really wished for a slightly more serious relationship with the hulking man, she didn't want to appear like someone too over-enthusiastic about it and break the vibe they had going on between them.

There was also the fact that Oscar had pointed out to her over and over.

Relationships for hunters generally ended in only blood and tears. There were no two ways around it. This was even more so for active and low-ranked hunters like them who were nothing more than cannon fodder in the eyes of the majority of the supernatural world.

The death rate for hunters of their rank was higher than any other rank and the world in itself was far more crueler in general. They did not have a big clan to protect them and have their backs in times of danger so cultists and monsters had no hesitation in acting in revenge for any mission they might have done to unfortunately irk them.

She asked herself deeply.

Should she really give a try to a serious relationship with a foreigner who could return to his home at the drop of a hat?

Thinking about Viktor's cute smile and gentle demeanor, she felt her heart becoming a little lighter. Better act now than regret later. She was a staunch believer in that statement.

Ding~!

When she rang the door, with a bottle of wine in her hands and a fidgety feeling trailing across her hands and feet, she was quite a bit startled when the door opened immediately after. However, she soon froze at the sight that greeted her…

"H-Hello."

She had a hard time uttering those words but anyone in her place would do the same. At the moment the door opened, for a very short instant, she had the impression that she was standing in front of the incarnation of a living volcano. But that feeling left as soon as it came, as though it was all a lie.

'Wha…'

"Oh? Who might you be?"

The living volcano or rather the young-looking red-haired woman's eyebrow rose when she saw her after opening the door before her eyes lit up in the colors of understanding and a small smile graced her enchanting blood red lips.

"Damn… You must be Susanne, right?"

"Y-Yes. Sorry for the intrusion."

"Heh, look at me welcoming a guest like this. Come in. Let me help you out, okay? My name is Cecilia, by the way."

Susanne was not able to say much as the wine was taken away from her hands and she was ushered in by the fiery woman's gentle hands.

"I must have startled you quite a bit earlier. Sorry for that."

"No. It's alright."

Now that she had become a little calmer, Susanne was able to breathe more easily and could take a better look at the woman that had ushered her into her home. Even though Cecilia was not showing off her aura, Susanne could still feel a prickly sensation gnawing at her skin ever so slightly.

She had the impression that she would be reduced to ashes in an instant if she so much as made this woman mad.

"You really have good senses, huh? Don't worry. I won't hurt Viktor's friend. Also gotta say, he really has good taste. You look so pretty."

Susanne had worn an elegant-looking pencil skirt that went down just above her knees and a suit top for today. It gave her a rather cute appearance, different from her usual business approach, and with her face that was already quite young looking, one had the impression that they were in the face of a teen in her eighteen rather than someone who was probably ten years older than that age.

"I am mainly working as a sensor. I am Susanne Brown and am affiliated with the Church and the Association."

Susanne spoke like she was a rapper with the way she was rapid-firing her words. After all, she was without a doubt now standing in front of a super big shot. She had the luck to meet a few Gold-ranked hunters while working with them and she could say without hesitation that it would be an insult to compare them to the aura of the woman before her.

She had already noticed this with Adam alone, but just what the hell was up with this family of his? Cecilia waved her hand to get her to calm down, "No need for formality, and today there will be a Powerless [1] so avoid talking about your true job. What is your cover?"

"I am a photographer."

She loved nature and working as a photographer gave her excuses to travel regularly and always observe her surroundings. So it was one of the best jobs for her.

"Oh? Interesting. Well, anyways I seriously need a bath. You can go to the back, Viktor is there with Adam."

"Thank you, Madame."

"Call me Cecilia."

Cecilia waved her hand again and walked up the staircase, leaving a bewildered Susanne alone.

This had truly been no different than facing a literal storm for her.

"Well… Let's go."

———

While Susanne went ahead and Viktor introduced her to Makarov who had a small smile while looking at her, as though she was looking at her granddaughter-in-law, Adam made his way back to the living room to cool off.

The atmosphere was a little too mushy for him and he didn't want to interfere with what looked like the introduction of a granddaughter-in-law in there.

'Perhaps I should take a bath as well and change?'

He thought about doing that now when the bell rang as if on cue.

"Wait a moment!"

He shouted at the top of his lungs and walked up to the door in a hurried stride.

He wondered if it was Theresa and Makoto or Shuri, but when he finally opened the door, Adam's eyes opened wide in surprise.

"Hi, Adam."

On the other side of the door, was Shuri just as he thought, and he was not surprised by her arrival.

The problem was the one who was standing one step behind Shuri and giving him a mischievous smile,

"Hello. Happy to meet you. My name is Yui, I am a friend of Shuri."

Adam shared a handshake with Yui, completely bemused by her acting.

What in the actual fuck was happening here, Adam thought in his mind…

———

[1]: Long ago I said I wanted a term for normal humans and how other hunters called them. So I decided to settle for Powerless. I think it is quite suitable and explains the situation.

(AN: Death is beckoning me. F, Three chapters in row and I need to Write one chapter of SHK.)