"What did you learn in the human world? Have you forgotten the most basic manners?"
"It’s one thing to follow human religions, but you’ve even picked up their bad habits. Do you remember that you’re a member of the Blood Clan?"
"I tolerated you being adopted by a Lich because your adoptive father has a certain reputation, but now you have molested your own cousin! She is your fiancée, and you couldn’t wait a hundred years?"
"No! Father! It’s not like that!" Jones defended, "It was that wicked woman who framed me! I didn’t do anything! I didn’t pick up any bad human habits either!"
"You even learned to lie to your parents?" Count Dracula’s eyes widened.
The Countess, standing nearby, said with a look of sorrow, "Dear, as soon as he entered, I smelled a stench of pigs on him."
After saying this, she turned her face away.
Great, *caught in a lie to his parents*, Jones was dumbfounded!
Count Dracula roared, "Tomorrow’s engagement ceremony is canceled! The service is canceled too! I will send letters to our relatives right now to tell them not to come! You stay in your room and reflect on what you did wrong! No meals until you’re clear on that!"
Saying this, Count Dracula grabbed Jones by the collar and lifted him from the ground. Their faces were almost touching. Count Dracula’s eyes were wide, and he bared his fangs, speaking fiercely, "And don’t let me hear you talk about ’conquering the world’ again. Our family is already a laughingstock among our relatives. You don’t know how worried your mother and I are about you not finding a wife. We finally persuaded your aunt to marry your cousin to you, and you molested her... I’m so disappointed in you. As your father, I’ve always been lenient with you, but this is the limit!"
After saying this, Count Dracula threw Jones to the ground, flung his cloak, and strode away.
The Countess cast a cold glance at Jones, stood up, and also left.
Jones sat there dazedly, while Dora, who had just arrived and had no idea what had happened, stood beside him.
Jones stared blankly ahead at the fire crackling in the fireplace, tears welling up in his eyes.
Dora asked cautiously, "Lord Jones, are you alright?"
Jones didn’t respond at all.
Dora gently nudged him with her fingers.
"Lord Jones... are you alright?"
"Should I not have come back?" Jones choked out.
Seeing that Jones was able to speak, Dora breathed a sigh of relief, "Why would you say that? The Earl and Countess have been looking forward to your return."
"But I haven’t even been home for four hours, and I’m already getting scolded... and grounded. I must not be their biological child..." Saying this, Jones began to cry miserably, tears streaming down.
Dora was scared, "How could that be? They treat you this way because they love you! I’m so envious!"
"Really?" Jones looked over at Dora.
Dora was momentarily stunned and could only reply softly, "Although sometimes... it is a bit funny."
The white light reflected on Jones’s face as a thunderclap sounded.
"You even laugh at me... wah—!" Suddenly, Jones cried even harder, "I want to go back to Salted Fish Port! I want to go back to Salted Fish Port! Salted Fish Port is my home, not here! Wah—!"
"Lord Jones! Please don’t cry! Dora was wrong!"
"Go away! Don’t touch me!"
"Lord Jones, let me comfort you, be good..."
"I said don’t touch me, get out! Get out!"
Dora was quickly pushed out the door.
With a "bang," the door slammed shut.
Jones, facing the door, tried desperately to hold back his tears, but he couldn’t, and the more he tried, the harder he cried.
Jones’s first day home passed just like that.
The sun rose, and it was a new day.
However, this had nothing to do with the castle of the Dracula Family. After all, they were in a "terrible" location where sunlight was scarce year-round.
The wind outside still howled, and there was a light snowfall, just as cold as Jones’s heart, which had sunk to the bottom.
After "careful consideration" all night, Jones decisively picked up a pen to write a letter seeking help from Gray. After all, how could the Silver Moon Knight Order tolerate one of their members being wronged to such an extent? It was a matter of the knight’s honor! Especially now that the Silver Moon Knight Order had a "Fourth Division," they were incredibly strong. Not even all the Blood Clan combined could defeat them.
However, when he indignantly finished writing the letter, the image of the knights coming a great distance to mock him slowly emerged in his mind, especially those dwarves...
"Jones, don’t worry, we are brothers in arms, no matter what difficulties you encounter, you can always call on us. Including changing diapers."
Oh, thank you so much. I thought I could loaf around in Salted Fish Port after this, but with this mess, I’m afraid I won’t be able to return to Salted Fish Port.
Unable to suppress a shiver, Jones silently crumpled the letter and threw it into the wastebasket.
"Ah—! What on earth should I do!" Jones suddenly realized his situation was even worse than before Gray had unmasked.
If he invited the Silver Moon Knight Order to handle these family trivialities, he would be laughed at. And the Blood Clan, always caught up in family drama, would never accept his grand plan.
*This is the sorrow of being an outcast. Nothing you do is right unless you are strong enough, like Gray is now.* Yet, Jones clearly was not.