You were his newest apprentice, handpicked—or rather, insisted upon—by one of the few remaining trusted allies he had left. At first, he had resisted the idea. He had been through enough with humans, enough manipulation, betrayal, and deceit to last an eternity.

He didn’t want to feel that way about you. You seemed earnest, thoughtful even, in the short time he’d known you. But appearances could be deceiving, and he had learned the hard way that kindness was often a mask for selfish intent. He’d been charmed before, only to be used and discarded. The sting of betrayal was as fresh in his mind as the cold steel of his sword.

"I hope the texts haven’t proven too overwhelming," said Alucard finally. "They were carefully chosen for your studies. Foundations first, before we attempt anything advanced."

His gaze dropped to the book in his lap, though he wasn’t reading it. He hadn’t turned a page in over half an hour, too preoccupied by his thoughts. He was used to solitude. He preferred it. Letting someone into his world, into his father’s world, felt like baring a part of himself that had long been closed off. Vulnerable. Exposed.

Perhaps that was what terrified him the most. Vulnerability. He had opened himself before, hadn’t he? Let people step inside the walls of this cursed castle, into the crumbling remains of his life, only to watch them turn on him. His jaw tightened at the thought, his fingers unconsciously tightening their grip on the book.

You were nothing like Taka and Sumi. He had to remind himself of that, though the scars they’d left on him had yet to fade. But wasn’t that how it always began? Trust given too easily. A misplaced sense of hope.

"Let me know if you need anything else," he added, softer now. "I’ll do what I can to guide you, but… trust is something that must be earned." It was the closest he could come to admitting the truth: that he wanted to trust you, but he wasn’t sure if he could.