The elderly human servant had worked in Lucius's household for nearly two decades—an exceptionally long tenure by design. As the man's hands began trembling while pouring wine, Lucius made a note in his mental registry: repcement required. Not as punishment for declining ability, but as implementation of his long-established policy.

  Lucius had learned centuries ago that human attachments brought inevitable pain. Their brief lifespans—mere moments in his immortal existence—meant that emotional connection led only to loss. Each death diminished something within him, creating wounds that his supernatural healing could not touch.

  His solution was methodical, like all his approaches: a carefully structured rotation system ensuring no human remained in his direct service beyond twenty years. This deliberate limitation prevented meaningful bonds from forming while maintaining efficient service. The system included detailed documentation of each human's skills and preferences, ensuring their reassignment to appropriate positions elsewhere rather than dismissal.

  When a particurly insightful human occasionally penetrated his carefully maintained distance, Lucius would accelerate their rotation schedule, transferring them to distant estates before attachment deepened. He maintained this emotional barrier with unwavering discipline, viewing human interaction as necessary function rather than potential connection.

  Most challenging was maintaining awareness that these fleeting lives still held meaning despite their brevity. As centuries passed, his perception of time shifted dramatically from his human origins—decades compressed into what felt like weeks, human lifetimes appearing as transient as mayflies.

  The irony of his isotion did not escape him: the being who had created vampire kind found greater comfort in prophetic visions of Nova—someone he had never met and might never encounter—than in the living humans who surrounded him daily. These dreams provided emotional connection without the inevitable loss that accompanied human retionships, offering companionship without the pain of watching another mortal life extinguished.

  "Your repcement begins training tomorrow," Lucius informed the elderly servant with carefully calibrated kindness. "You'll receive full pension and accommodation at the eastern estate." The man bowed with grateful relief, unaware that his transfer represented not reward for service but protection from attachment that Lucius could not afford to feel.