BLOODY LOVE'S
Episode 146's

Xavier Hastings is actually quite interesting if he wants to improve. But the man always looked like a vagrant who was forced to wear perlente clothes. Her straight brown hair was rarely combed, her face was pale, and from her body there was always the smell of liquor. If not following his cousin, Charles, he is commonly found in pubs or brothels.

Jose knew very little about the man based on the note Krip gave him. He reads Krip's notebook every night, making sure no information or facts are missed.

But even in Krip's record, there's nothing important about Xavier that Jose doesn't know.

Jose was silent on the threshold of the living room opening, noticing Xavier who was still pacing around restlessly without realizing his whereabouts.

The man looked shabby, wearing only a shirt and a shabby vest that even though it looked cleaned, still could not cover the traces of soil attached there. Maybe Xavier had fallen somewhere, or had crawled out on the ground because the knee of his pants was also dirty. Jose was still watching for quite a while until Xavier finally turned his head over feeling watched.

"Argent!" he was quick while rushing closer. Jose actually shifted one step because he was alert to the sudden movement, making Xavier so stop. "I won't be rude" he said slowly as he raised his hands, revealing that there was nothing there. "You don't have to be afraid, Argent."

Jose raised his eyebrows. "When a lion stops to let a rabbit pass by, you'll also think the lion is afraid of the rabbit?"

"You mean you're the singer and I'm the rabbit?" Xavier looked at Jose who walked into the living room and sat down first before shaking his hand to greet him.

"Only rabbits jump back and forth restlessly in the lion's den." Jose nodded. "Sit down, I know you didn't come to discuss the food chain with me. Please, Xavier."

Xavier actually wanted to reprimand Jose who called him directly by his first name, but he canceled it because he felt it was trivial compared to what he wanted to discuss. "Someone wanted to kill me, but I'm sure it wasn't Charles" he said. "I gave you the code at the party! But you didn't call! You have to help me! I don't want to be a golem!"

Jose was still smiling politely, not showing that none of the words Xavier spoke sounded reasonable to him. "Xavier," he called softly. "How many glasses did you drink this morning?"

Xavier rose to his feet and slammed both hands into Jose's armchair. He bowed in front of the young man with a fierce red face, threatening, locking Jose in a chair with his large body. "I'm serious!" with hunting breath. "I risked my life to save your uncle! Argent always paid the debt. Right, guys? Hm?!"

Jose squinted, like trying to peer into the soul. "How many glasses did you drink this morning?"

"Four!" Xavier grunts. He gripped Jose's arm more tightly, getting more anxious because the young man did not look daunted, not even winking. "I had to pretend to be drunk to get here!"

He sought courage from the drink, Jose thought.

Xavier was able to catch what the young man was thinking, and the shame that hit him made him even more emotional. "Sorry, I am indeed not a rich young master who is protected by layers of bodyguards! I don't have loyal followers licking my shoes every time I step! Only beer that did not betray me, was able to make me last until this second!" He burped loudly, got up away from Jose and stood around in front of him. "You may criticize or pity me from your high throne, Mr. Jose Argent! Do as you please if it can open your eyes, make you realize not everyone is born lucky like you! For me, for us, to be safe every day is a gift!"

Jose moved his right hand that had been outstretched, waving slowly in a repelling motion, then returned it to the arm of the chair.

Xavier frowned looking at that. He turned his torso, frozen in place seeing three giant men glaring fiercely at him.

Gerald, Finnian, and Harold clenched their hands together. The entire muscles in their bodies stiffened furiously. They've been watching Xavier since before Jose came, and don't like to see that he's half-drunk. But Jose did not want to retreat and kept them on guard in a hidden place.

"I don't want him to be so alert and cover up the purpose of his arrival" Jose gave an excuse, and that reason they accepted.

But when Xavier slams forward and hits Jose's seat, Gerald decides to come out of hiding. Only Jose's hand floating rigidly in a 'stop' pose stopped him. But they stayed there, in the living room, watching Xavier furiously.

Xavier returned his face to Jose, who was still staring at him unblinkingly with his head held up at the end of a fist. "I've helped you, but this is what you gave me?" he nodded while pointing towards the workers. "So this is Argent's ethics?!"

Jose smiled in a more hyena-like way. "As you say, I am a spoiled young master who knows no world. I only know one way to draw the truth from a drunkard: usually I would drag them underground and soak them upside down from his head. But don't worry. As you know, I always pay my debt." He paused for a moment, his eyes staring with an interested look. "The thing is, what debt do you mean? You bet my life saved my uncle from what? Where is he now? Let's sit quietly to talk about it first."

"You need to help me first!" Xavier menuke. "My mouth is locked until you swear to eliminate the people who follow me!"

Jose got up from the chair, was able to catch what happened based on the ravings of his guests. "Poor Xavier," he said, "you're in no position to negotiate with me. The only choice you have now is between you saying everything you know, or me giving your body to whoever's chasing you outside."

Xavier doesn't want to be bullied. "Just do. You won't know where your uncle is. You won't know who you're dealing with!"

"There are many ways to make people talk."

"It won't work on me. You know why I swallowed my pride and asked you for asylum?" even saying that made Xavier choke and choke, but he felt he had no choice. "Even dying in your hands is better than being a golem!"

Xavier linked his two eyebrows in confusion. Her watery red eyes looked at Jose intently. "Well, you don't know? You should have seen one of the golems or at least heard about it. That thing would've come to this house."

In Jose's mind immediately imagined a figure sniffing the black ghost he saw a week ago. The feathers bristled.

"Well, you know." Xavier grimaced at the reaction, comforted at the expression other than the arrogance from Jose's face.

Jose wanted to arrest Xavier and force him to talk even if he had to use violence. But after talking to him, Jose knew the man meant everything he said. Just as he had pride as an Argent, Xavier did not forget that he had noble blood and maintained his integrity.

"All right." Jose nodded. "You managed to interest me. Gerald, take Mr. Hastings to the reading room above. Ask George to make him coffee so he can think more clearly."

Xavier smiled triumphantly. "Smart kid," he praised, sneered. He follows Gerald, who delivers with a hard face as it restrains anger.

Jose sighed as soon as everyone left. He cupped one hand to his forehead, rubbing his face tiredly. When he raised his face, Jose only saw someone watching him from the doorway leading to the garden corridor.

Renate.

"Mother" said Jose, looking around, looking for Jacob. Usually, her brother did not move from their mother. He approached Renata, peeping briefly at her cheeks. "Sorry, lately I haven't had time to play the violin for Mom."

Renata shook his head lightly. "Mom knows you're busy" she said.

"When was Mom here? Out of the park? Where's jake?"

"Jacob accompanied his wife on a morning walk. I've been here since."

Jose frozen. "Since then?"

"You're so focused on Hastings that you don't notice me here?" Renata smiles, and Jose soon finds out that his mother saw from the beginning everything he did.

"I hope you're not disappointed to see me as a little mean" said Jose softly, smiling innocently to seduce his mother. "It's only temporary. If Uncle's back, I'll have time to play Vivaldi again in the park."

Renata pinched the tip of her son's nose in a fit of anxiety. "Whoever wears the crown will be controlled by the crown, whosoever sits on the throne must be prepared to be steered by the throne, but blessed is he who can act as if he is in control. For he is the king."

Jose remembered there was prose that read in Bjork. He observed the delicate face of his mother, trying to trace the intent that the woman wanted to express.

Renata continued on to the second verse, "If the throne could force the person sitting there to change from human to demon, would it be his throne or his evil one?"

Jose blinked, noticing his mother was responding to the evil part of his earlier remark. "Maybe there is nothing evil and nothing good" he said, citing the next paragraph on the saga.

Renata crooked her face, raised her eyebrows and pulled the corners of her lips to make her intelligent smile look unsymmetrical. "When a storm destroys a house, nature becomes evil? No. gabe. Not everything that is destructive is evil. According to Mom, you're bad if you destroy something just for your own pleasure. As long as you're just doing what you're supposed to do, you're still my sweet, dear son."

Jose's lips bent in a joyful smile. He hugged his mother tightly, kissing her cheek once more. "Thank you, ma'am," he said, taking off a hug. "Mom made me relieved. My guest is already waiting above, excuse me first .. if allowed."

Renata nodded permittingly, looking at the back of his little running son to the second floor.

Marco intended to break the Argent family tradition of taking care of the underworld by not marrying and not raising children. But Marco likes to take Jose everywhere, introduce him to a lot of people and teach him things. Renata had long guessed that in the end, Jose would be Marco's backup card. He could understand, it was indeed the consequence of coming into this family, but it was still difficult for him to accept why his son had to bear such a heavy burden.

Is it his throne or his bad guy?

The temple again flashed in Renata's mind.

Both, he kept his personal answer in his heart. The two will contaminate each other, become evil.

***