PHYSIENTS WILL ALWAYS OFFER BEST STORIES AND LIVE STREAMING ALL TIME
ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 151
Author: Wanted to give you all 3 chapters, and it got delayed with the length and edits x.x
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When Eve took a look inside the velvet bag, she caught sight of gold coins in there. She heard Vincent say,
“It isn’t eighty but fifteen gold coins. To treat your wounds.”
Even if Vincent had given her one gold coin, she would have been happy, and she gave him a nod, “Thank you for talking to the people in the council and these coins.”
They continued to stand in one of the busy streets of the Hollow Valley. Noticing the mermaid looking disappointed which she tried to hide, Vincent questioned her,
“How did you turn like this?”
“What?” Eve asked him.
“Always wanting and trying to help people. When you yourself are an endangered one. Is it because you wished things were different for your mother and you?” Questioned Vincent, his copper-red eyes almost drilling a hole into her eyes. “Did you get into trouble in the past too?”
A slight sheepish smile appeared on Eve’s lips and she shook her head, “A little. Eugene and Aunt Aubrey often found me entangled in the bushes or tree, hanging upside down when I was young.”
“Well, what do you know, it’s not just the bats who do that,” remarked Vincent with humour. They started to walk on the streets next to each other. Eve caught sight of women whose eyes were quick to look at the pureblooded vampire who walked next to her before looking at her in distaste.
With the wealthy people who knew who Vincent was, they were quick to offer their bow to him when they walked from the opposite direction and passed them.
Holding the velvet close to her front, Eve replied to Vincent’s earlier question, “It is because of my father. My mother used to tell me how she was alive because of him, because he had shown her kindness when no one else did. She said she was meant to live an unfortunate life, but my father changed it and gave her a life.”
“You said your father was killed?” Questioned Vincent, and Eve nodded. “Just because you are good doesn’t mean the world will treat you the same, Ms. Barlow,” he tried to educate her.
“I am aware of it,” Eve’s words were low, and she looked at the people around them. “I know that being good doesn’t bring good. But that doesn’t mean, I will stand by watching people being hurt. Even though I know the world is not fair, it doesn’t have to mean I have to turn a blind eye when I can try. Just because the world is bad doesn’t mean you turn bad.”
The corner of Vincent’s lips curled. He remarked, “As much as I admire the trouble that you look for, there are some things you cannot control.”
“I know you think I am naive for thinking I can help people,” Eve muttered.
“Of course, I do. You don’t know to keep your nose to yourself and want to go snooping around,” Vincent’s eyes moved to the corner to look at her. “But you cannot help it, because you believe everyone can be saved. Or is it that you feel guilty for being unable to help your mother when she died?”
Vincent’s words struck a chord in Eve’s chest, and she went quiet.
“Is that what this is all about?” Vincent questioned her, and Eve paused her footsteps. He turned to her and said, “That the memories of the gory night comes back to you every night your head touches the pillow. Where the murderer is next to your mother and she’s oozing with blood and all you can do is watch as she screams and wriths in pain.”
Eve’s eyes glistened and she gulped down the emotions that were being stirred and bubbling up her throat. She glared at him, “Do you enjoy hurting people, Master Vincent?”
“Yes,” came the blunt answer, and he smiled, “I enjoy people’s misery. It’s what lights up my days.”
Eve calmed her breathing, her eyes holding a fire that Vincent enjoyed stoking and looking at. She said,
“I hope one day you will be able to see beyond a person’s misery.”
“I rather not,” came the quick response from Vincent. He said, “There’s no need to be noble, because this world is not worth saving. No one is.” He sighed and muttered, “It feels like I have picked up a stray that barely listens to me.” He turned around to look at the other side of the street.
Even Eve looked the other way, trying to calm her mind. She took a deep breath and said, “There’s a place I need to visit.”
“Is it the land of problems and is Mr. Trouble escorting you there?” Joked Vincent and when Eve didn’t respond, he said, “It was a funny one, and you didn’t laugh. Where are you going?”
Eve didn’t tell him where, but Vincent did walk along with her as if he wasn’t done making jabs at her. Vincent’s eyebrows rose when they reached near the ‘Little Teeth’s Inn’.
“Look at you visiting such famous places. Your employer must be paying you a high wage,” commented Vincent, and he put his hands in his coat’s pockets. “Let us go in then.”
Eve caught hold of Vincent’s sleeve, which had him raise one of his eyebrows. She said,
“Not inside. It is the guard at the door.” She made her way to where the inn’s guard guarded the door and raised her hand. The giant-looking man stared down at her. She said, “I promised to pay you when I received the money.” She placed two gold coins on his callous palm before offering a bow to him.
Vincent watched Eve speak to the buff man guarding the inn’s door.
A small boy, selling a pack of cigars, waved it in the air and said, “A crown for two of them. Crown for two of them, would you like to buy it?” He asked when he came near Vincent.
“Is it made of gold?” Vincent questioned the boy, who blinked at the wealthy-looking man.
“No, Sire,” the boy replied in confusion. “But it does have dried blood in it. Will you buy it?”
“And whose blood is that?” Vincent keenly looked at the boy, where the boy turned slightly worried.
“We found a few volunteers,” replied the boy, and Vincent chuckled.
“One’s that were alive?” When Vincent’s eyes pierced through the boy’s gaze, the little boy quickly nodded and Vincent pulled out a crown coin between his two fingers before offering it to the vampire boy.
“Thank you!” the boy bowed his head deeply.
Vincent placed one of the cigars between his lips, lighting one end to burn before he blew out smoke between his lips. The younger vampire looked back and forth between Vincent and the direction the older vampire was looking, which was the inn.
The boy asked, “Do you need information about the inn?”
Vincent’s gaze moved away from Eve, who was now making her way to where he stood, looking at the boy. He said, “Seems like you know quite a bit about this town.” It was because he had heard about the mermaid’s location from this little one.
The younger vampire nodded, “Did you find what you were looking for before? I heard her blood isn’t that good. If you are looking for better blood, you will find it through the same merchant, Sire. She will be put in a circus soon for everyone to see and it will be expensive. I hear she is very beautiful and sings well,” revealed the boy.
Vincent took another drag from the cigar, where it left an aftertaste of blood in his mouth when he blew the smoke out.
Eve appeared next to Vincent, who heard the boy say, “Some of us plan to go to the circus, and listen to her sing.”
“That does sound like something to look forward to,” said Vincent before pulling out another coin, which was silver and he dropped the coin into the boy’s hand. “And do these mermaids see each other?”
The boy nodded with a thoughtful expression, “Sometimes.”
Vincent offered a smile and said, “You can go.” The younger vampire bowed again and disappeared into the crowd.
“What were you talking to the boy?” Inquired Eve.
“Just some silly things on how the mermaid we met might rat you to the mermaid who speaks like us,” came the sarcastic words from Vincent.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 152
A proud Rosetta stood in front of the large tank, where the older mermaid watched them. She turned to her aunt, who stood next to her and said, “What do you think, Aunt Camille? Isn’t it great that I finally found you a mermaid.”
Rosetta had brought her aunt to the assigned place where the two merchants held the two mermaids. Both younger and the older mermaids were kept in the same room for the customers’ differed taste.
Lady Camille stepped in front of the tank, taking a closer look at the mermaid. She hummed in a half-hearted approval and said, “An average mermaid, Rosetta. Not a quality one. If the mermaid was high quality, the mermaid would already be in one of the wealthy families or long dead.”
Rosetta slightly frowned and questioned, “But she’s still a mermaid and her blood must taste better than the human’s, isn’t it?” She noticed how the mermaid stared at her. Her red eyes shifted to the other tank, which was kept a few metres apart.
“Talking about humans, did you bite into that human’s neck?” Lady Camille questioned her niece while she continued to observe the mermaid to see if the fish was worth buying, as money wasn’t an issue for her. It had been long since she had been able to take a sip or more from a water creature, and remembering how it tasted made her mouth water.
Rosetta laughed, “We didn’t spend much time together, Auntie. Not to mention it has been a while since we last met.”
Lady Camille turned to look at her naive niece. She said, “It is good to hear that you are finally listening to my advice, Rosetta. A company like that is not fit for you and you will only be chasing the remaining friendship that you have here away from you. After all, we aren’t humans who belong to the lower-class, but high-class vampires.”
Rosetta nodded without replying to her aunt’s words. Because the last thing she needed was for her aunt to send her back to her parents. At least in Skellington, she had a little freedom, thought the young vampiress.
One of the merchants approached them and asked the older vampiress, “Would you like to sample the blood? I have already drawn out some so that it can save time.”
Lady Camille raised her hand, stopping the merchant from speaking more and said, “Do you think we are lowly vampires to drink blood in such fashion? We would like to taste directly from the source. Take this,” she threw him a pouch which contained money in it.
At the mention and sight of money, the merchant complied with the vampiress’s request. Soon the older mermaid’s hand was stretched out, and Lady Camille took a bite from the mermaid’s hand, sipping the blood. She licked her bloody lips and after a thought, said,
“We will take her.”
“Milady–”
“Another bag full of coins will be handed when the mermaid comes under my complete possession,” Lady Camille interrupted him. In a week, her brother would be visiting Skellington, and she wanted to serve him something good. Though the mermaid in front of her wasn’t one of quality, she was still a mermaid, better than human blood.
Rosetta was too eager and took a bite from the mermaid’s hand.
And while all this took place, outside the building and in front of a broken window Eve stood in front of it. She and Vincent had made their way back to check the boy’s words, and it seemed like there was more than one mermaid. Right now, she witnessed Rosetta enjoy the mermaid’s blood she drank with closed eyes.
“Looks like the mermaid won’t be entering the circus fair as she has somewhere else to be,” remarked Vincent, who stood next to her.
Eve turned to Vincent and asked, “Do you think the mermaid we met must have spoken to her already about me?”
“I am not sure, I wasn’t with them,” Vincent offered her a bright smile before the smile disappeared. He said, “But my guess is it would be better to remove the root than let something grow so big that it becomes hard to manage. The last time we did it according to you, and this time we will do things how I want.”
Before coming here, Vincent had made her promise that she would listen to him and not do anything. She asked him, “What do you plan to do?”
“You will see.”
Back inside the building, Rosetta wiped her lips and nodded, “It tastes wonderful.”
Lady Camille said, “Bring the mermaid to Skellington. Here is the address,” she handed the merchant a little piece of parchment.
“Milady, we’ll be able to bring her tomorrow morning. We will need to make arrangements to shift her without any damage,” the merchant bowed his head.
“You better not run away, unless you don’t want your head on your shoulders,” threatened Lady Camille.
“I will be there first thing in the morning! Please be assured that this mermaid will be delivered in a great condition and is yours,” the merchant offered the politest and most charming smile on his face that only looked suspicious.
“Come, Rosetta. We are leaving,” said Lady Camille, and the young vampiress followed her aunt out of the building. Lady Camille’s carriage had been pulled and parked three alleys away from the building.
Eve and Vincent stood in a place where the two vampiresses didn’t notice them. Vincent said,
“Stay here.”
“Can I come?” Asked Eve. Vincent finished the cigar he had been smoking, dropping it on the ground before trampling it.
“You are safe with me, but do you want to come?” Vincent questioned her, and Eve wondered if it was a trick question for her. “I will be back soon. Don’t go wandering around.”
Eve watched Vincent leave her side and step into the building, and the earlier merchant they had spoken to appeared at the front. The merchant demanded, “Didn’t I tell you that my mermaid isn’t for sale?”
“I didn’t know you were selling another mermaid,” Vincent walked past the merchant and came to look at the older mermaid that looked back at him in curiosity.
“She belongs to Buck, not me. She just got sold,” said the merchant.
At that time, the younger mermaid, who caught sight of the silver-haired vampire called the other mermaid and said,
“He is the one who came earlier, threatening to take me from here. He’s the one with the mermaid.”
The younger mermaid’s sounds didn’t go unnoticed by Vincent. The older mermaid came near Vincent and placed her hand on the glass. The older mermaid’s eyes brightened.
“What’s going on?” Questioned the merchant named Buck, who had left the place for a brief moment to keep the money he had received from the vampiress. He noticed the vampire in expensive clothes. It seemed like he was feeling lucky to be getting wealthy customers.
The younger mermaid continued to talk to the older mermaid, which started to annoy the merchants with her squeaky voice.
“Shut up!” Isla’s merchant shouted at her because he couldn’t take the sounds. “You need to leave,” said the first merchant, placing his hand on Vincent’s shoulder.
The older mermaid came out of the water and said to Vincent, “I hear that you want to free us. You will need to kill the merchants because I have already been paid for,” she smiled at him.
The older mermaid’s merchant glared at her and then glared at Vincent. He said, “The mermaid has been sol–” he gasped on seeing the other merchant’s heart been pulled out and thrown on the ground. “N-no, no, you can take them both. Just have to pay two hundred coins–Forget it, take the mermaid for free!” Stuttered the man while walking backwards.
“How does it feel to be scared, Bucky?” The older mermaid laughed. “I will be free and go back to the sea.”
“I didn’t do anything! P-please don’t hurt me! I won’t sell them again!”
Vincent clicked his tongue, “I like to clean than leave bread crumbs. Bad day for work.”
Eve watched through the broken window, where Vincent pulled out the second merchant’s heart, leaving the man’s chest bleeding like the other person on the ground.
Isla was shocked, “What did you tell the vampire! You killed them both!”
“Close your mouth. You can continue living in that tank, but I am leaving,” replied the older mermaid. She placed her arms to rest on the tank’s edge and spoke sweetly to Vincent, “I am in need of salts to be able to walk…” her voice trailed when she noticed something off with this vampire.
Vincent ran his hand across the mermaid’s cheek lovingly and said, “That won’t be needed, darling.”
The older mermaid’s smile slipped when Vincent’s hand moved to the back of her head and gripped her hair tightly to stop her from moving. He said, “I am here to stop you from talking for good.”
Hearing Vincent’s words, Eve’s eyes widened, and she left the window’s side and ran to where he and the other two mermaids were. By the time she reached, she saw Vincent sink his teeth into the older mermaid’s neck and rip the flesh from the neck before tearing off the neck from the mermaid’s body. The water in tank turned red from the blood, and Vincent remarked,
“I must say vampires lack taste these days.”
Seeing Vincent not bat an eyelash when it came to killing people was something Eve wasn’t used to, and it turned her dizzy. Blood dripped from the corner of his mouth and down his neck.
Eve’s legs shook at seeing the mermaid’s dead body in the tank. She walked towards the tank, noticing the mermaid’s body change, and so did her face, turning paler and less attractive. Soon jagged teeth appeared in the severed head’s mouth that floated on the water’s surface. It was a siren.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 153 No Breadcrumbs
Eve couldn’t take her eyes away from the siren’s floating dead body, and the water tank which had turned redder. She asked Vincent,
“Did you know that she was a siren?”
Eve’s head turned to look at him, and Vincent stared back at her. She noticed his eyes had turned darker than the last few minutes.
Was it because of his work that he knew the difference, or had he just gone for the kill as the mermaid knew about her and him? Because the woman looked like a mermaid.
“A siren has that look in her eyes, which many believe is similar to the mermaids, but this one didn’t do a good job in hiding her true nature,” Vincent stepped away from her and started to walk towards the other tank, where the younger mermaid looked at him in terror. He continued, “Many will say that when on land, it is hard to distinguish between a mermaid and siren, but there’s a subtleness that only a few can identify. It is the eyes and the shape of the ears.”.
Seeing Vincent go near the young mermaid, Eve said, “The siren said she wanted to go back to the sea.”
“Those are words of the siren, but none of us have any guarantee, do we, my snowflake? They have a reputation of manipulation.” When their eyes met, Vincent’s eyes were utterly serious. His hand went around the younger mermaid’s neck. “Everything is subjective, just like we could have gone with the thought that this little mermaid wouldn’t speak about you or me to anyone.”
“I thought siren’s were fierce when it came to attacking people. Why didn’t she do it?” Asked Eve because until now, from what she knew, sirens were often never caught because of their clever and cunning nature.
“Her body must have been weakened due to lack of food for quite a long time and the merchants didn’t give her any salts, to keep her under their control. Malnutrition works great when you need to control minds.”
Before Vincent could inflict death on Isla, similar to the siren, Eve stopped him, “Wait!” A glare was directed from Vincent at her while the younger mermaid trembled in fear.
[0)??? “I hope you aren’t going to tell me to spare her. We have made quite an impression that revenge is the only thing that will run on her mind, just like yours,” stated Vincent, and Eve shook her head.
“No…” Eve whispered, feeling her throat dry. She noticed the pain and anger filling the mermaid’s eyes, but more than anything, horror filled on the small face. She said, “She doesn’t know any better about her situation. Can you make it less painful and quick for her?”
The hard glare in Vincent’s eyes softened at Eve’s words and she looked away from them. She closed her eyes, hearing the mermaid thrash and splash in the water like a fish pulled out of the water, struggling for air. The next moment he killed the mermaid with a snap and the young mermaid’s body sank into the tank while the tail stopped splashing water, going still.
When Eve opened her eyes, freckles of yellow appeared in her iris, which went unnoticed by both, as she looked away from the young mermaid’s dead body and Vincent stood next to the tank.
“There’s one thing you can be happy about today. You saved people’s lives from a siren that could come to create trouble in the future,” said Vincent, but that didn’t ease the heavy feeling Eve felt in her chest.
Though it was partly true what Vincent said, the siren’s death came with the expense of more death. Eve slowly turned around, by which time the yellow freckles in her eyes had disappeared. She noticed Vincent now drinking the mermaid’s blood. She asked him,
“Are all vampires built like you?”
Vincent licked his lips clean and said, “I am not sure if it’s a compliment or an insult here.”
“Killing anyone without a thought. Doesn’t guilt catch up to you?” Eve’s eyebrows furrowed, there was an obvious question in her eyes.
Vincent used his finger to wipe the trickling blood near the corner of his lips, “Guilt catches up with only ones that have a good heart, little girl,” he put the finger in his mouth to suck the blood off of it.
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Eve couldn’t look long and turned her back to the scene. The feeling she had when they had left the tower bell and how she felt now were starkly opposite. As her eyes fell on the two dead merchants, she noticed blood smeared on the ground. She asked him,
“What are we going to do about them?”
“Nothing,” replied Vincent. “Death isn’t uncommon in Hollow Valley. There is more than wealthy footsteps that walks up and down the streets and alleys.” He walked in the direction where the merchant earlier had come from, disappearing behind the door; he reappeared.
When Vincent turned to look at the windows, Eve asked, “What happened?”
“People are coming this way. It is time to leave,” said Vincent and made his way to where she was. He caught hold of Eve’s hand, pulling her out of the building and away from the place as quickly as they could.
When Eve and Vincent crossed one alley, she felt something churn in her stomach. Not feeling well, she stopped where it was just the tow of them in the alley. Walking to the side before throwing up the sweets that Rosetta had made her eat along with her a few hours ago.
“Don’t worry, it happens to everyone,” stated Vincent, and he added, “I was surprised that you didn’t throw up the time when I killed all those guards.”
When Eve was finished throwing up, she pulled out her handkerchief and wiped her lips. She asked, “Did it happen to you too?”
“Mhm,” Vincent responded. “Like I said, it happens to everyone. Let us get you some water to drink.”
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 154 Wind around the Tower Bell
Music Recommendation: Respite- Fredrik Jonasson
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Eve and Vincent sat in the tower bell where the bell was hung, facing the other side of the forest and not the town where one could see the celebration of the Carnival of Winter.
They sat near the edge, where Eve had folded her legs and had a water container that rested on her lap. She stared at the vast sky and the forest that stretched.
As they sat up high in the tower, the breeze was faster and tried to ruffle them. She tucked the piece of her hair behind her ear, which only loosened before moving in the direction of the wind. The crowd’s chattering could be heard distantly from where they sat, accompanied by the chirping of the crickets.
Vincent sat one step away from Eve, at the edge with his legs hanging in the air. He had his body leaned back which was supported by his hands placed on the dusty platform they sat on.
His eyes moved to the corner, watching her hold a dazed expression. He asked,
[0)??? “Feeling better?”
Eve gave him a nod. “Better,” her reply was short, where she had turned quieter compared to when she had left the tower bell with him earlier.
Her thoughts turned numb seeing the humans, siren and the mermaid die, and the scene sunk in her deeper than when Vincent killed those guards in the dungeon. She asked him,.
“What about you?”
A smile cracked on Vincent’s lips and he threw his head back, looking at Eve over his shoulder and replied, “Absolutely fantastic. When I accompanied my family, I thought it was going to be a boring walk in the streets until I met you. Just like how life has turned interesting after meeting you.”
“Aren’t your family going to wonder where you went?”
“They will live without me around them. My dear mother would prefer that way than hear me poke her,” a smile was plastered on Vincent’s face. As he continued looking at her, Eve opened the top of the container she held and drank water from it. He said, “I realised something.”
Gulping the water, she asked, “What is it?”
“Where you step there is always trouble or you bring trouble, and where I step I bring blood. Isn’t that something to think about?” Unlike Eve’s dull mood, Vincent’s mood was elated and bright, as if he was enjoying the night.
In the back of her head, Eve could still hear the mermaid splash in the water tank. Though she had asked Vincent to go easy on the younger mermaid and turned her back from the scene before he had killed her kind, she didn’t know if Vincent had killed the mermaid slowly or if the mermaid’s tail had splashed longer even after death. She tried not to ponder on it.
What happened today left an unsettling feeling in her stomach.
Eve’s eyes moved to look at Vincent whose gaze had returned to the sky. The night breeze gently moved his silver hair backwards, and his face held an expression of calmness, unfazed by anything.
She asked, “Did you kill a lot of people?”
“Because I am used to killing people? Depends on how much is a lot in your book,” replied Vincent. He then shrugged his shoulders, “More than a handful?”
Even two hands wasn’t enough to cover half of the death that had taken place in front of her in the dungeon, Eve thought to herself.
“How many have you killed?” He humoured her.
“None,” answered Eve, and because of the cold air that swept past them, a shiver ran down her body. Her hands tightened around the water container to stop herself from shivering.
Vincent, who noticed this, removed his coat and offered it to her.
“I am fine,” came the stubborn words from Eve. Vincent’s eyes narrowed slightly while he stared at her.
“Do you plan to skip work tomorrow because you caught a cold? I don’t offer things twice,” came the sharp words from Vincent.
Pursing her lips, Eve finally took the coat from him and murmured a thank you. She draped the black coat around her shoulders.
“The sleeves don’t have sharks waiting to bite you,” came Vincent’s sarcastic words. Eve finally slipped her hands into the coat’s sleeves and her hands disappeared without appearing from the other end. “How do you know Marquee Hooke’s daughter? I didn’t know you were friends with her.”
“How did you know we are friends?” asked Eve.
“I caught you both talking at the night of the ball. Not to mention, today you seemed unsettled on seeing the lady drink the siren’s blood,” Vincent stated, and he stretched his hand to pick the water container from her and drink it himself.
Eve smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. She said, “There isn’t anything I can do. Mermaid’s blood and flesh are food for the vampires and werewolves. She didn’t kill the mermaid and only drank blood.”
“You would make a wonderful wife for being so understanding about everything. The Duke must have run out of luck,” Vincent commented with a wicked smile and continued, “You cannot be too sure that Ms. Hooke wouldn’t have killed the mermaid by sucking her dry or not. Take it from the ball night, the mermaid didn’t last for more than an hour or two. Greed and hunger makes people do unimaginable things.”
Eve knew that was a possibility. After all, it wasn’t like vampires or vampiresses were vegetarians. And she could only hope that the friendship she and Rosetta had just begun would continue and wouldn’t end up on the wrong path. She said with a small frown,
“You scared her about your family sacrificing first wife. She’s scared of you.”
Vincent threw his head back and chuckled at Eve’s words. He asked Eve, “Why do you think people get married?”
“To make home?”
“Are you telling me your home is not home? Because neither of the people who live with are married to each other,” said Vincent.
“It is, but you make home with the person you believe and love. To share and bear each other’s joy and sadness together,” upon Eve’s answer, Vincent agreed with her with a nod.
“Right, and I neither believe or love the person to marry. My dear mother has plans that I don’t plan to follow. Not to mention, some women of the high society like the idea of love and are quick to fall for a person,” explained Vincent, before lying on his back without caring about his clothes turning dirty. “If you are friends with Ms. Hooke, I am sure you already know that she’s the type of person to get attached to someone too quickly.”
“…”
Rosetta indeed got attached to her quickly and had upgraded their relationship from acquaintance to friends to best friends, thought Eve.
Eve and Vincent had climbed up to sit in the tower so that Eve could digest and straighten her thoughts better to avoid stopping the carriage on her way home to throw up. It was odd to come to a place like this at this hour, sitting with a man when the sun had long set. But the day had ended up with nothing but oddness.
For a minute, neither of them spoke. Even though the place wasn’t bright, Eve still noticed the subtle change in Vincent’s expression that continued to hold calmness, but now there was a certain eeriness in it.
Curious about his earlier words, Eve asked Vincent, whose eyes were closed, “Was the first time you killed someone difficult?”
When Vincent didn’t respond, she wondered if he had fallen asleep. But she wasn’t going to fall for the same trick twice. His eyes opened to reveal the darkened red eyes, and he murmured,
“My first time huh. It was memorable.”
An empty chuckle escaped from Vincent’s lips, and he remarked, “As different as we both are in a lot of things, there are some things I can relate to you.” Eve wondered what he meant by those words. He revealed, “I killed the person who killed my mother when I was twelve.”
Earlier, Vincent had given a second thought to what Eve had said because of his own reason and not for Eve’s sake.
‘There have been times I wish there was someone who had stopped the person from killing my mother.’
“I am sorry for your loss,” Eve said in a low voice, not knowing what else to say.
Since Eve started working in the Moriarty mansion, she had wondered what happened to the previous Mrs. Moriarty for Senior Mr. Moriarty to take a second wife. But knowing it was none of her business, she had never tried to pry for any details.
“You don’t have to be sorry about it,” Vincent responded, where his words sounded emotionless. He then continued, “It was something that happened long ago. Over the years like a cloth that has been washed over and over, the memory fades with it. At least that is what one would think, but you know better than that,” one corner of his lips pulled.
As Vincent was the one who picked it up to speak, Eve asked him, “If I may ask, how did it happen…?”
“My mother was selfless, just like you. It’s what happens when you invite trouble so freely without knowing the consequences your actions can cause,” came the cold words from the vampire. He said,
“It was the usual feud between the humans against vampires and werewolves. A group of humans loathed the existence of the creatures, especially ones that belonged to high society. They abducted some children, including me and my sister Marceline.”
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 155 Peaceful times
Music Recommendation: Time Dilation- Fredrik Jonasson
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The young boy with silver hair, who was twelve years old, stood in the town of Crowburry. His coppery-red eyes skimmed through the place. Not too far behind him stood his trusted servant cum coachman, Mr. Briggs next to the carriage, waiting for him.
The place looked nothing far from Heaven, with snow that had fallen early this morning, making it appear almost peaceful if it weren’t for the town folks walking down the streets.
The boy turned to the side and informed his coachman, “I will be taking a stroll.”
“Would you like me to accompany you, Master Vincent?” Mr. Briggs politely asked his young master.
Though the boy looked young, he was a little older than that, unlike the humans, whose age reflected in their appearance. He responded, “No. I will be fine by myself.”
“Of course. I will be here waiting for your return,” informed Mr. Briggs. The coachman watched his younger master walk away from there, his hands slipped into the pockets of his thick black coat. He was unsure why they had come here today as they had already visited the town yesterday.
A young Vincent walked on the snow-covered ground, which held footprints of people. But he looked for the imprints of smaller shoes that belonged to the little girl he had met yesterday.
And though he spent a good hour looking to catch a glimpse of the girl, he was unsuccessful in finding her. When he returned to the carriage, Mr. Briggs bowed his head and politely asked,
“Were you able to find what you were looking for, Master Vincent?”.
“No. Finding it seems harder than I thought it would be,” stated Vincent with a barely fazed expression before stepping into the carriage.
Mr. Briggs politely asked, “How about I try looking for this thing?”
The young boy stared at his servant, “Where does one buy clothes that have sewn patches on it.”
Mr. Briggs blinked at the unexpected question. He cleared his throat and said, “I don’t think they sell clothes with patches, Master. It isn’t what people prefer, and you will only find the people of the lower-class wearing them.”
“We can return to the mansion, Briggs,” ordered Vincent, pulling out the black gloves from his hands.
“Right away, Sire,” Mr. Briggs bowed and closed the carriage door.
Inside the carriage, the young vampire put his hand in one pocket of his coat and pulled out to reveal a pearl that held a silver gleam.
When the carriage reached the Moriarty mansion, the coachman stopped it right in front of the mansion’s entrance. The coachman quickly opened the door for his young Master while bowing. The young vampire stepped out of the carriage and entered the mansion, walking through the hallways.
“There you are, Vince!” A woman’s voice came from the opposite side of the hallways.
The woman’s slender physique was dressed in a floral chiffon dress that softly ruffled as she walked. Her striking ash-grey hair was tied up, and her warm eyes met the young vampire’s eyes. She was Katherina Moriarty, wife of Eduard Moriarty.
She gave Vincent a pointed look and said, “I was wondering where you went.”
“I went to town, mother. Is there something that you wanted?” Vincent’s words were nothing but polite to his mother, where he exuded high manners instilled as he belonged to one of the pureblooded vampire family. His mother bent down and kissed his cheek.
“Without having breakfast? How many times have I told you not to skip the meal in the morning?” His mother raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows at him. “I get worried when you and Marcie skip it.”
“I wasn’t hungry. Did you eat?” the young vampire asked his mother.
“How could I when my child’s stomach is empty?” His mother asked with a smile.
Young Vincent stared at his mother, and he said, “I am a vampire, I will survive. You shouldn’t wait for me. There’s Marceline to give you company.”
His mother frowned at his words and said, “It seems like you still don’t like your governess’s company. If you did you would know how important it is to have your meals with your family. Speaking about your sister, she’s taken the opportunity of it being a Sunday and has gone to visit Mr. and Mrs. Anderson’s mansion.”
“To meet the puppy,” remarked Vincent, and his mother softly chuckled. “Father wouldn’t be pleased about it.”
“Now now. Let us not look down at any kind. It is important we all get along fine to maintain peace and harmony. And you are the Viscount’s son, it is important to set an example,” stated his mother as they started to walk towards the dining room.
“Isn’t father doing it?” Questioned Vincent and his mother smiled.
[0)??? “You are right, he is doing it. But one day, there will come a time where you will take his position. To carry the title–“
“I don’t want to be a viscount, mother,” said the young vampire, and his mother looked surprised.
“No? What do you want to be then?”
“I don’t know yet. When I know I will tell you,” came the young vampire’s opinionated response.
“Okay. There’s no hurry to decide now when there’s still plenty of time. For now you can be my adorable son,” his mother hugged him. Noticing the servants look at them, Vincent’s ears turned red in embarrassment.
Vincent protested, “Mother!”
“Can’t a mother hug her son? Look how cute you are,” his mother laughed noticing the awkwardness on his face. Though the young boy could use force to get away from his mother’s hold, he tried to bear it because of his love towards his mother.
“Can we eat?” he asked in hopes of being released and his mother finally let him. He let out an internal sigh of relief. His mother had always been overly affectionate, not caring who was there when showering him and his sister with affections.
Upon reaching the dining room, the young boy and his mother sat next to each other at the long table. The maids brought food and drinks, placing them on the table. Katherina raised her hand for the maid to leave her and her son alone in the dining room.
The maids bowed their heads and stepped outside the dining room, closing the doors while waiting for them if they needed anything.
“So tell me about what you did today and where you went,” asked his mother, picking up the bowl of boiled potatoes and serving it to herself.
“Crowburry,” Vincent’s reply was short as he picked up his fork and knife before starting to cut piece of meat.
“Isn’t that where you and your sister went yesterday? Is the fair still running in the town?” The woman then picked up a loaf of bread and a jar that had jam in it.
“Yes and no.” Vincent put a piece of the steak in his mouth and started to chew it.
“I see,” his mother nodded. She said, “I know you are wise but it would be good for you to avoid stepping on lands that have no support for vampires. The friction with one of the human factions is increasing, and it would be best to stay safe. The humans have created a sub faction, trying to instigate war.”
“Why are they doing it?” Asked Vincent.
His mother sighed and shook her head, “People find it hard to find themselves in the bottom of the chain that we live in. And people from high society don’t make it easy either.”
When Katherina finished her meal, she picked up the napkin and dabbed the corner of her mouth. It was then she noticed her son staring at the surface of the table as he continued to eat his breakfast.
“Is something bothering you, Vince?”
Vincent’s gaze raised to meet his mother’s eyes. He answered, “No. Why?”
“You have been quiet since you returned from the fair yesterday. I wanted to make sure that everything is okay,” his mother offered him a smile. Raising her hand, she gently stroked his silver hair that he had acquired from her. “You know you can talk to me about anything, and I will always try my best to help you. No matter what. All you have to do is ask.”
Her son had grown too independent and intelligent, and she could tell it was hard to mingle with the children his age. Be it humans or vampires or werewolves, and sometimes even adults.
The young vampire stared at his mother and said, “I went through some books yesterday that are in the mansion’s library. About the creatures from the sea.”
His mother smiled and asked, “Did you find something interesting in the fair that sprung your interest in it? What did you want to know about them?”
“Aren’t they supposed to be in the sea?”
“Some of them get lost and drift to the land before they get captured. Which is how the vampires and werewolves get their rare and delicate blood and meat to consume,” his mother answered with a thoughtful expression. Seeing Vincent place his silverware on the table, she asked, “Are you finished eating?” Because there was still a good portion of meat left on the plate.
Vincent took out the pearl from his pocket and showed it to his mother. His mother looked surprised and she remarked,
“It’s a mermaid’s tear. Is that why you went to Crowburry?” Young Vincent slipped the pearl back into his trouser pocket and stood up from his seat. His mother asked him in slight concern, “Where are you going?”
“Need to make space in my room to keep a small mermaid.”
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