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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 276 Brewing doubts and troubles
While Eve was in the kitchen, she heard three sharp knocks on the main door before another three knocks followed it. Wiping her wet hands against the small towel, she found Eugene standing in front of the closed main door, making no attempt to open it.
"Eugene?" Eve called him, and he snapped out of his thoughts, not realising the seconds that had passed since he stood there.
Eugene quickly opened the door and bowed, greeting the person, "Good evening, Miss Hooke."
Rosetta's hand was on her hair, and once the door opened, she quickly brought it to her side. She asked, "Has Eve returned home yet?" Eve stepped into the young vampiress's view, and the young vampiress turned excited on seeing her. "Eve, when did you get back?!" She quickly stepped inside the house and hugged her.
Eve hugged Rosetta back, and they finally stepped away. Eve answered, "An hour ago. I just finished unpacking my trunk."
Rosetta gave her a nod and asked, "How was Berkshire? I heard that you went to visit someone who was sick there?"
"Yes, my aunt's friend's husband was sick but he's doing much better in health now. Thank you for asking, Rosetta," Eve smiled at the young vampiress, who beamed. "Would you like to drink something?"
Eugene looked at the vampiress with a wary expression and heard her say, "Yes, anything that you will drink. I will have the same." Hearing her words, he quickly disappeared inside the kitchen, while keeping a watchful eye on the vampiress, so that she wouldn't take a bite from Miss Eve's blood.
Eve led Rosetta to sit on the couch in the living room couch and heard the vampiress say, "Thankfully, my parents have decided to extend my time here and I don't have to go back home anytime soon. I was able to come visit Meadow every day to see if you were home."
"That's good to hear that you decided to stay longer in Skellington. Your parents must have come to understand what you want to do?" Eve asked in doubt, because Rosetta seemed to have the habit of doing what she felt was right, while not foreseeing the repercussions of her actions.
Rosetta nodded as if luck and destiny were in her favour. She said, "I didn't have to do anything. Everything was done before I could say or do anything." When Eve gave her a curious expression, the vampiress clarified, "You remember the unfortunate incident that happened with my deceased aunt, don't you? Aunt Camille's death?"
How could Eve forget about the person whom she had murdered. She gave a nod to Rosetta, and the vampiress continued, "As the death is by murder, they are trying to straighten things with her murderer Mr. Walsh. My parents who were earlier upset with her, now my father wants to deal with the murderer as she was his sister. You know how it is. Family is important and we need to stick to each other."
Right now, Eve felt worse than the time when she was walking on the surface of the ice lake. She apologised, "I hope her soul can rest in peace. She must have been very dear to you, isn't it?"
At the same time, Eugene appeared in the living room with a tray that held two empty cups and a kettle in it. Rosetta's eyes fell on him, and without paying attention to Eve, agreed, "Yes."
Eve knew that Mr. Walsh wasn't the murderer, and soon he would be let off the hook. And it was only a matter of time before Marquee Hooke would start looking for the actual suspect, and though she knew it was hard to trace it back to her, it didn't mean she was safe.
"Did my letter reach you, Eve?" Rosetta asked, while picking up the teacup in her hand.
"Letter?" Eve asked, her heart skipped a beat in worry. As much as she wanted to ask the vampiress, she couldn't confess that she had found and read it.
Rosetta looked slightly sceptical and said, "Aunt Camille's butler, Myles, said that my letter was found and given to my aunt. After reading it, she turned angry and left for the Moriarty mansion. Did she meet you?"
Eve, who had never murdered someone and followed a lie as big as this, could feel her throat closing. She shook her head, "I didn't meet her."
Rosetta took a sip from her teacup with her eyebrows deeply furrowed. She asked, "If it is alright, can I come and see you tomorrow? After your work, we can come to Meadow together."
Eve responded, "I am not sure what hour I will be finishing work tomorrow as it has been days since I have been absent. I will let you know, or you can come here before I do."
To Rosetta, Eve's words were like treasure, while to Eugene, who heard this, it was as if someone had put him on death row.
When it was time to leave, Rosetta waved her hand to Eve before taking a quick glimpse around the room, but she couldn't find Eugene. It felt like the more she looked for him, the harder it was to find him in front of her eyes. Getting inside her carriage, she left Meadow, travelling back to Skellington, where she got down in her deceased aunt's mansion.
At the mansion's entrance, her aunt's butler stood and bowed. He helped her to remove the coat that she wore.
"Welcome back, Lady Rosetta. How was your trip outside today, milady?"
Rosetta was in a delighted mood, as she was going to see Eve and Eugene tomorrow. She responded, "It was successful, Myles. My friend Eve has finally returned from Berkshire. Isn't that wonderful?" She chirped while pulling out the gloves from her hand.
The butler frowned on hearing about Rosetta's friend, whom his late mistress and Rosetta's mother weren't particularly fond about. It was because he had heard the women worried about the young vampiress's lowly company. In doubt, he asked, "Milady, did you answer all the questions from the authorities?"
Rosetta rolled her eyes and said, "You have such a poor memory, Myles. I am surprised that Aunt Camille didn't fire you," she held a look of disappointment on her face.
The butler bowed and said, "I ask because the letter that Lady Camille had in her hand, there was something in there that caused her death. Why would she order to pull the carriage to go to the Moriarty mansion and end up elsewhere?"
Rosetta stared at him and said, "I have already answered all their questions. I am tired, tell the maids to prepare my bath," she walked away from there.
When Rosetta reached her room, she closed the door, and her face turned serious. In her mind, she had confessed her feelings about Eugene in the letter written to Eve. Right now, she was somewhere glad that the letter didn't reach anyone's hand. She didn't want her parents to know about Eugene until she confessed her feelings to him.
At the same time, she remembered the butler's words. Was it possible that her aunt had gone to Moriarty's mansion to meet Eve? Because the letter was for Eve.
When night fell upon the lands, back in Meadow and at Dawson's home, someone knocked on the door. Eugene offered, "Let me get it, Miss Eve."
On opening the door, there stood Mrs. Edwards with a polite smile and a freshly baked cake in her hand. Eve came to see who it was, and on seeing their neighbour, her expression turned guarded.
"I am here to apologise to you, Eve. For what happened a week ago, I am ashamed about it and am here to ask for forgiveness."
Though Eugene wanted to tell a lot of things, that didn't mean he could do it. That was even if Lady Aubrey and Eve treated him to be one of them. He was a man from the lowly class, a servant. He turned to look at Eve, who stared at their neighbour.
Eve walked to the front door and politely replied, "Forgive me, Mrs. Edwards, but people's kindness scares me now. You never know when someone will come to point out that I stole the cake from your home. You should enjoy it with your family."
The older woman turned red out of embarrassment and blurted, "No one would dare to accuse you again, Eve. We have all learned our lessons and know you are a woman of good character!"
Seeing the woman's face, everything that happened a week ago came to her mind, and Eve could feel the vulnerability she had felt that day.
Mr. Edwards noticed Eve's reluctance, and bowed, "I have been feeling guilty for what my words led to, please spare this old lady!"
Eve pursed her lips before taking the cake from Mrs. Edwards's hands. She said, "What happened is now in the past, and I would like to look forward, Mrs. Edwards. You have been our neighbour since I have known and you have helped us when we needed it in the past. We should learn to live harmoniously rather than bring down each other."
"Of course! I very much agree with it!" Mrs. Edwards quickly nodded, and she thanked Eve, "I knew you were someone who had a kind heart. Thank you for accepting my apology, Eve. I cannot tell how relieved I feel now."
Eve smiled at the woman and said, "I am grateful everything was cleared." Mrs. Edwards' had come to apologise because the woman wanted to get rid of the guilt, and this was something she was aware about.
Mrs. Edwards's head bobbed up and down. She said, "If you need anything, anything at all. Don't hesitate to come to me. I will see you tomorrow," and the woman went back to her house.
Eve's kind heart had forgiven the woman through her words, but as much as Mrs. Edwards wanted to fix her mistake, the damage had been done, and the penalty waited for her and the others.
Eugene took the cake from Eve, and stared at it. At the same time, Eve caught sight of a little black cat. The cat was busy grooming its hand, licking it quietly. She said,
"It feels like there are quite a lot of black cats."
Eugene remarked, "I believe it is the same cat I have been seeing for some time. It used to be small but now it seems to have grown old."
The cat dropped its paw on the ground and hissed, "Who do you think you are calling old?! Stupid human!"
ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 277 Similar aura of the past
Music Recommendation: He'll be on You- Nathan Barr
--
Eve and Eugene stared at the black cat with shock, their hanging jaws open. The cat raised its paw again, licking it before dropping down as if it hadn't spoken a moment ago.
"Miss Eve, did you hear it?" Eugene whispered as he squinted.
Eve nodded, "I thought I was the only one."
Eugene walked closer to the black cat, which looked unbothered and questioned, "Hello, who are you?"
The cat hissed at him, glaring at the question imposed and demanding, "How dare you to question the great me without introducing yourself. All these--"
"Oh my God, Miss Eve! We have a cat that talks!" Eugene exclaimed, quickly walking backwards as a talking cat wasn't common and was considered a bad omen associated with witches. And everyone in the land knew witches only brought misfortunes.
Eve stared at the black cat, her eyebrows furrowed, and she questioned the cat, "How are you able to talk? Cats are not meant to speak the way we do."
The cat muttered something under its breath. Eve could only catch a few words, "... believe that the gracious me has fallen to speak to the lowly beings... time when I was great... one day will..." It had a scratchy voice, and by the sound of it, it seemed like it was a male cat.
Eugene leaned to Eve and whispered, "Miss Eve, I think we should throw this cat out of the house."
The cat glared at the human and snapped, "Throw I will, but you." And the black cat suddenly jumped from where it was sitting, right on Eugene's chest. This startled the man, and tried to get the cat off of him because he felt the cat's claw.
"AHH!" Eugene shouted, feeling the claws digging and Eve quickly caught the cat's scruff that flailed its paws and claws.
"Let me at him!" The cat shouted back with a growl and meow, "Put me down, you fish!"
Hearing this, Eve quickly let go of the cat, and the cat quickly dusted the front of its body as if it had dirtied itself. Even Eugene, who was patting his chest, turned his gaze on the black cat, which turned back to being unbothered. It muttered in angst, "I cannot believe what life has come to!"
"How do you--What do you want?" Eve asked the cat, who stopped puffing its chest with its paw.
"Turn me," said the black cat, and both Eve and Eugene stared at it. "Quick now!" It said with an air of superiority and arrogance, "I don't have all the time in the world as it has been wasted by walking around here. Turn me," it impatiently waited for Eve to move her hand.
At the same time, Eugene asked, "Are you the one who has been trampling on the plants and flowers all these years?"
The black cat huffed, "Where do you expect I would sleep? They were going to die some day," it turned to look in the opposite direction, as if something had stolen its attention for a second, before it turned back to look at Eve. "Now turn me into a vampire so that I can be on my way!" the cat said as if it was the most obvious thing to do.
This cat was a vampire? Or was this talking cat hopeful of turning into a vampire? In either of the cases, Eve couldn't turn the cat into anything.
"You know about me?" Eve asked in a low voice, and thankfully every townsfolk had returned to their homes, including their neighbour.
The cat harrumphed and then jumped on the edge of the platform. It said, "I have been around for a long time, and watching you from afar, Genevieve. Or Eve as you prefer. I was around when your mother was alive. I was there when you went to Hollow Valley, helping you show the way to the carriage so that you wouldn't miss it."
Eve stared at the black cat, and it stared right back at her. She never saw the cat in Hollow Valley... but showed the way. Her eyebrows furrowed before it widened, "You were the one who dragged my lunch box!"
"Did you expect it to be a ghost?" The cat huffed, "I have been helping you, and now would like you to return the favour. You hold the same aura as that wretched woman, who cursed me many years ago," it hissed in annoyance. "I lost you before, and it took a while before I found you here."
"Aura?" Eve questioned the cat.
"You didn't have it the last time I checked, but now... there's a different scent. You turned that vampire into a bat. I knew I had a good sense of smell. Since I turned into this small useless self, I can pick the best and the worst. It was only yesterday one of the woman here thought she could throw a dead rat on me, to think I would eat something so low," the cat got carried away with the memory and continued,
"There was a time when I was worshipped, and now I get disgusting rats. Spiteful humans, I will drain you all dry!" It snickered, before clearing its throat.
It was talking about Vincent...
She said, "You haven't told who you are."
"I am Timotei Velkan, son of Marius Velkan. A pureblood vampire from birth who was bound to greatness one couldn't imagine. Born four hundred years ago and turned into this thing after my twenty-seventh birthday. But the damn witch turned me into a cat! This is my eighth life--"
"How did you die seven times?" Eugene asked, and the cat glared.
"Do not interrupt me, you lowly human!" The cat named Timotei snapped at Eugene.
"Why did the witch turn you into a cat?" Eve questioned, and the cat softened on Eve's words only because it had favours to gain from her.
"I wanted to drink her blood. She tricked me and turned my handsome self into such a small being. But then if you look at all the cats, I am the one that is more majestic than the others," it raised its head while closing its eyes, giving the lower beings to admire his appearance, when in truth he was only a small cat.
Eugene whispered to Eve again, "Don't cats live only for ten fifteen years?" That was true, thought Eve in her mind.
"I am not a cat, but a vampire who has a longer life span," the cat hissed at Eugene. And as if remembering its hardship, it said to Eve in sorrow, "If you were to hear how I died, you would cry. Not just you, but even I cry with the pathetic ways I was killed. Attacked in an unfair way, or my great self would have escaped from it. One time I was sat upon, do you know how it feels? Then I was squeezed by a child. A human!" He then continued, "Twice in fire. Once, torturously by another cat, and then a dog, then a carriage, under the carriage. How dare they! Then--"
Eve stopped the cat from talking more and said, "I cannot turn you back."
"Of course, you can. The bat--"
"It isn't me. He does that himself," Eve cleared the air, and the cat stared at her.
Suddenly a snarling sound came from behind the bush, and everyone turned to look at the fence. The black cat hissed, "We will discuss this later!" And it quickly pranced away from there, and not a second later, another bigger cat followed him at speed.
The cat's appearance and temporary exit had left Eve and Eugene confused. Eve didn't know why the cat had related her to the woman's aura when she was only a mermaid working on advancing her abilities.
"Do you think we'll be seeing him anytime soon?"
"If he's alive..." Eugene murmured.
The following day in Skellington and in the Moriarty mansion, Marceline had finished her breakfast with her family and now walked in the long hallway. It was apparent by the smile on her face that she was in a good mood.
"Milady," a vampiress of the middle class appeared in front of her.
On seeing the newly assigned governess by her mother, she questioned the woman who was a vampire, "It is so good to see people of decent class stepping into the mansion. You can start teaching Allie from the beginning, as she seems to have forgotten how a vampiress should behave, and that she isn't a human."
"I have already started doing it since yesterday, Lady Marceline. I will be sure to ensure the right teaching as you would want," the newly assigned vampiress offered a deep bow to Marceline.
"Excellent," Marceline looked pleased. Noticing the woman had only tied part of her hair at the back and letting down the rest of it, she ordered, "I want your hair to be tied into a bun. You are the governess of the Moriarty family now. There's no reason for you to want to impress anyone here."
"Of course, milady," the vampiress looked slightly flustered.
Yesterday, this woman had tied her hair, but it seemed that after seeing her brother, she had decided to rework her appearance. As much as Marceline had a sibling like quarrels with Vincent, she didn't like a lowly woman trying to impress him when she considered the person beneath her and her family. He was still her brother, her family.
Marceline said, "Let me see how my sister is doing," and the governess adjusted the glasses that rested on the bridge of her nose, before they walked almost together. But with the high-class vampire two steps ahead. They made their way towards the piano room, but before it came the stairs. And next to the stairs stood the handsome silver-haired vampire.
"What are you doing standing here, brother?" Marceline asked Vincent with a smile.
"Good morning, Mr. Moriarty," the new governess bowed to him.
Vincent, leaning against the top of the railing, pushed himself to stand straight and spoke to Marceline, "Waiting for you of course."
"Me?" Marceline tilted her head, and a smile appeared on her lips. "Did you need something?" She then turned to the governess and said, "You can go to the piano room."
But before the new governess could walk, Vincent stopped the woman and said, "You are fired." The new governess looked flabbergasted and Marceline's eyebrows rose.
"What are you trying to do, Vince? We need a governess," a slight frown appeared on Marceline's face.
Vincent turned his gaze to look in the direction of the hallways and soon Eve appeared at the front of the stairs with her purple umbrella and lunch box in her hand. Marceline followed Vincent's sight. Her eyes widened before they narrowed on seeing the lowly human back in her mansion.
...what was she doing here? Marceline was sure that the human had left for good.
Vincent remarked with mirth in his eyes, "I don't know what you are talking about, but little sister already has one. Unless you want to keep this one for yourself, which you are welcome to do."
ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 278 Back to work
Eve climbed up the stairs, while sensing the gazes that belonged to Vincent, Marceline and a woman she had never seen until now. On reaching the top end of the stairs, she heard Vincent greet her,
"Good morning, Eve. How has your morning been?"
Feeling the pressure of the two women's eyes that weighed on her, she offered a slight bow, "Good morning... Vincent. Yes, it was well."
While the new governess, who had been fired stared at Eve with her mouth open, Marceline's eyes subtly narrowed with the way this lowly human addressed her brother. She had gone to the length of speaking to the lowly beings so that she could send this human out of her town voluntarily, but her attempt had failed and the woman was back in the mansion.
Marceline put a false smile and said to Eve, "It is good to see you back, Ms. Barlow. Allie and mother were worried that you quit work, as you didn't show up and there wasn't a word from you."
"You weren't worried, dear sister?" Vincent questioned Marceline, as he observed the young vampiress.
"That is needless to ask. I was worried if she found another job or if she was going to be married," Marceline's eyes appeared to be as kind as Eve's eyes, while a soft smile was present on her lips.
Eve offered a slight bow before apologising, "Forgive me for my absence. I had to travel somewhere as there was an emergency and I returned yesterday."
Marceline wondered if her plan had fallen apart before it could take its full form. Did the townsfolk not act as she had expected them to act? Or was it her brother who had come to the lowly human's rescue. It seemed like Genevieve Barlow was far worse in threat than she had expected. The smile on her lips didn't falter, and she turned to the newly appointed governess, before dismissing her,
"You heard what was said. You can stop coming to work here as you see, the previous governess is back."
The lowly vampiress's mouth fell to the ground. Because only a moment ago, the lady had mentioned how she wanted to get rid of the human's teachings out of her sister's mind. She noticed the subtle glare sent by the lady and she quickly bowed, climbing down the stairs, she left the mansion.
Marceline tried to digest Eve's presence in front of her, she wondered if she should perhaps keep this woman closer to her, because driving her away didn't work. And while the vampiress continued to think, Vincent asked Eve,
"Did you have your breakfast? I haven't had mine, come join me."
"I had it with Eugene. Allie should be waiting for me," Eve replied, and Vincent moved closer to her, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear.
If it were possible, Marceline's eyeballs would have fallen off her face and rolled down the staircase. A deep frown appeared on her dainty face, and her dull copper-red eyes narrowed at them. She remarked,
"Vince, I know you want to drink her blood, but do you need to behave in such an unnecessary way?"
Vincent's lips curled and he put his arm around Eve's waist. He asked, "You mean like this?"
"...." Marceline knew that her brother loved to annoy her, but wasn't this going a little too far even for him?
On the other hand, Eve pushed Vincent's hand away from her waist, while her face turned hot.
Vincent said to Eve, "There's no need to feel embarrassed, Eve. Marceline is my dear sister, and she will find out about us one or the other day." He put his hand back on Eve's lower back, while Eve felt the vampiress stare at her with a look of disbelief in her eyes. And as if it was a secret, he said to Eve in a low voice, "Not to mention, Marcie loves you dearly, isn't that right, dear sister?" He turned back to Eve and said, "Because she never asks anyone to join her for tea and has been kind enough to invite you before."
Marceline stared back and forth between Vincent and Eve, while trying to keep a calm composure that was quickly slipping into rage. She nervously laughed at Vincent's words and said, "I don't think I understand what is going on."
Vincent let go of Eve's back and came to stand next to Marceline, placing his arm around the vampiress's shoulder and he declared,
"Meet your future sister-in-law, Marcie."
Eve's eyes widened, and she stared at Vincent. Their relationship had only started and though marriage was the obvious thing to do when two people were in a relationship, the pureblooded vampire hadn't spoken about it and right now he didn't hide his future intentions with her.
"What...?" Marceline's voice had turned into a whisper as her mind entered a shocked state.
T--This lowly human... was going to be her sister-in-law? Vincent was joking! There was no way he would choose a lowly human who belonged to Meadow to be part of this family. She shifted her gaze from the governess to her brother.
"I don't think you should joke about things like this, brother. It isn't right for Ms. Barlow," Marceline replied, with her smile falling from her face.
"It isn't. If Eve didn't go on her little vacation, I would have never realised how much I missed her and wanted her next to me," Vincent squeezed Marceline's shoulder, who looked as pale as a ghost from the news. The vampiress concealed her confusion and disbelief with a smile and heard him say, "I knew you would be the first one to be happy about it. Look at her smile," he said the last sentence to Eve.
Marceline's mind had stopped working and she couldn't form any words. Dropping his hand from her shoulder, Vincent took hold of Eve's lunch box as if serving the human, and the very sight of it repulsed the vampiress.
"Let me walk you to the piano room," Vincent stated, and both he and Eve walked away from where Marceline stood, staring at them. The vampiress gathered her thoughts before walking in haste to find her mother.
When the couple reached near the piano room, Eve slowed down her footsteps and said, "I don't mean to ask you to hide them, but... can you tone down the affections in public?" They had only begun their relationship and she was still getting used to him being tender toward her.
"No," Vincent's response was quick as he looked at her. "Did you not like what I said?"
Eve's blue eyes met his, and she shook her head, "I was taken by surprise."
"That I told Marceline, or was it what I told her?" Vincent asked, and they paused their footsteps.
Eve replied, "Both."
Vincent tilted his head to the side, and stated, "I have never been one to hide my thoughts and feelings, and I am not going to hide you like some secret. So don't expect me to do it, because I won't," a wicked smile appeared on his lips.
Though Vincent was crooked in some things, his direct words like this were what won Eve's heart. She had always wanted someone standing next to her, and Vincent did more than just stand beside her. She wondered if this was what it meant to be liked by someone who didn't fear anyone. Not even himself and he was confident with how he felt.
Eve was a mermaid, someone whose character and integrity were questioned by those who knew her for quite some time. And Vincent was someone who didn't care about what people thought and did what he felt was right. She wondered if that was why they fit perfectly or if they were meant to fit each other.
"Though I cannot stop the way I am, I can tone it down for you," Vincent proposed with a straight face before he leaned forward and tapped his finger on his lips, "In exchange for a kiss now."
Eve stared at him and heard footsteps coming from the other side of the corridor that probably belonged to one of the maids. She decided to make it a quick peck, but when she moved closer, she heard the small vampiress exclaim,
"Miss Eve!" Allie's eyes looked bright on seeing Eve standing in the corridor right outside the piano room.
Eve quickly stepped backwards and brought her umbrella between her and Vincent, which ended up smacking his face. The little girl quickly put her arms around her governess, hugging her.
"I thought you weren't coming back," Allie said in a worried voice.
"Pardon me for it, but I won't be going anywhere," Eve replied, and when she turned to look at Vincent, she noticed him glaring at the small girl who was oblivious to it and she smiled looking at her governess.
ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 279 Portrait of the first
Eve was happy to be back in the Moriarty mansion, teaching Allie in the piano room. But the same couldn't be said about Marceline. The young vampiress was internally freaking out that her brother had chosen a lowly human to be part of their prestigious pureblooded family, ready to sully it.
But that wasn't the issue anymore because Marceline's words were taken with consideration of a grain of salt. The young vampiress asked her mother, Lady Annalise,
"Are you not going to do anything about it, mother?"
Lady Annalise sat in front of the dressing table and in front of the mirror, while a maid combed her long tresses. She replied calmly, "Vincent only said it to irritate you, Marceline. There's no need to fret over such a simple thing."
The smile on Marceline's face had washed away, and she walked to where her mother sat. She tried to make her mother understand, "I know when Vincent is joking and when he isn't. And this time, he is being serious. He introduced that woman, who belongs to Meadow and a low status to be by sister-in-law! Believe me, mother!"
Lady Annalise's lips set themselves in a thin line. She said in a crisp voice, "I will talk to your brother and your father about it. Now, if you will get ready and in your finest dress. You wouldn't want to disappoint the young man now."
Marceline had hoped that this little information would stop her mother and her from leaving the mansion because the place where they were going was where the man her parents had picked for her would be present. She asked,
"Why don't we speak about it now? What if it it true an--"
Lady Annalise gave a stern eye to Marceline and said, "Don't you have faith in me when I said that I will talk to them about it, Marcie? Unless you are trying to get out of this soiree?" The older woman raised one of her thin and fine eyebrows at her daughter.
Marceline bowed, not wanting to disappoint her vampire mother, and she said, "I will get ready right away, mother."
"Excellent," Lady Annalise responded, watching Marceline leave the room.
Lady Annalise shook her head. It was because since she had married Viscount Eduard Moriarty, Vincent and Marceline enjoyed poking and dragging each other with their words. She was sure this was one of many other things going on, and right now, she wanted to focus on Marceline's suitor.
Seeing the maid staring in the direction where Marceline had walked out of the room, Lady Annalise ordered, "You can start working on the hair now."
"Yes, milady," the maid bowed without uttering her thoughts that what Lady Marceline mentioned could be true.
As hours passed in the Moriarty mansion, the women of the Moriarty family had already left to attend the soiree, while Vincent was out at work. During lunch, Allie was taken to the dining room by the mansion's butler, while Eve quietly finished her lunch in peace.
It felt as if nothing had changed since she had visited Berkshire, and somewhere she was glad it was so. Sometimes, no change was better than a bad one, she thought.
Stepping out of the piano room, Eve walked through the corridors, making her way to the library. But on her way, she noticed the Viscount standing at the end of the corridor. She took a small peek, wondering what he was doing as the man didn't move but stood in front of the wall. Only after a moment did she realise that the man stood in front of his first deceased wife's portrait.
"Whose there?" Viscount Eduard questioned after two seconds, and Eve carefully stepped from behind the wall. She bowed, half in greeting and half in apology.
"Forgive me, I didn't mean to spy on you, Viscount," Eve apologised.
The man stared at her and questioned, "Did you finish your work for the day?"
"Miss Allie has gone to have her lunch. I will be continuing it once she returns," Eve replied, feeling his gaze turn heavy on her. She then asked, "Is this Lady Katherina?"
"Yes," the Viscount turned to look back at his deceased wife's portrait, "It is her. It is often rare to find beauty in humans, but she was beautiful in every word. She was taken away too soon.
"I heard about it from Mr. Moriarty. I am sorry for your loss," Eve's words were soft, quick to dissolve in the quiet corridor, as there was no one but them here. She realised that she hadn't come to pass a single servant on this side of the mansion as if they knew not to disturb the Viscount.
"Vincent told you?" Viscount Eduard didn't turn his head to look at Eve, but his eyes did move to the corner on the side where the governess now stood.
"Yes," Eve replied, and she heard the man hum.
For several seconds, the man didn't utter another word, making Eve believe that she should quietly walk away not to disturb him. But just when she had decided to take a step backwards, she heard the Viscount say,
"The supernatural creatures and the humans have been in a never ending cycle of war. Sometimes it is the loss of the supernaturals, or sometimes the humans. Most of the time it is the innocent people who have nothing to do with it. Not the ones who die, but the ones whom they leave behind," his voice sounded grave, barely rising or falling in volume.
He was talking about Vincent and Marceline, Eve thought to herself.
"May I ask you something, Viscount?" She didn't know if it was alright, but it was something she wanted to know.
Eduard Moriarty turned to look at Eve over his shoulder. He said, "What is it?"
Eve pushed the slight nervousness and asked, "Do you regret it?" She then added with a bow, "Forgive me for my impudent question."
"You seem to be as forward as my son with your words. Is it because you have been spending a lot of time in his company or you have always been like this?" The Viscount questioned Eve, while she didn't dare to raise her head. She then heard a soft sigh escape from the Viscount's lips, "Though I lost the first woman I loved, and as selfish as it may sound, if time presented itself back to what we were going to go through, I would do it all over again without hesitation," he then stared at his first wife's portrait.
Eve then excused herself from there, walking back to the piano room. For the rest of the hours, she couldn't help but think about the Viscount and his lost wife. The pain he might be carrying all these years, she wondered how deep the wound could be.
When she finished her work, she stepped out of the mansion and noticed Vincent leaning against the carriage, as if he had been waiting for her.
Eve asked him, "When did you return?" Coming close to where he stood. It was good that he was here, she was yet to mention about the cat.
"A few minutes ago. How has your day been so far?" Vincent questioned her, stretching his hand for her to take and when she did, he kissed the back of her hand. He led her inside the carriage.
"Better than I thought," Eve answered and saw Vincent get inside the carriage with her. "How was your day?" She asked him.
"Good. You have changed me, Eve and I decided to do something good for the families who live in the middle and lower class society," Vincent stated with a solemn face. "The children and a few youngsters will be taken to a little picnic in Harlequin Woods for a two days."
Eve looked at Vincent in doubt and asked, "You don't mean it as a sacrifice, do you?"
Vincent chuckled before staring at her, "The Council will keep an eye on them. You should have some faith in me. False ones will do too. I thought it would be a nice gesture. Besides, Clayton has been on fire as someone tattle tale about how I punished the pesky humans. This will win me points."
After they stared at each other, where Vincent grinned, he ordered his coachman, "Briggs. Take us to Darhtmore."
"Darthmore?" Eve questioned with a frown. Did something happen there? She heard Vincent say,
"There is something you need to know. And see."
ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 280 Council's Dungeon
Chapter 280 Council's Dungeon
Music Recommendation: Don’t be Voyeur with Me- Michael Giacchino
—
On their way to Darthmore, Vincent filled her with the information on how they had found three more dead bodies of people buried not too far from the Council. And one of them belonged to her mother.
Eve wore a grim expression, a frown on her forehead as she stared at the front inner wall of the carriage they were riding in. She asked Vincent,
“How do you know it is really my mother?”
Until now, she had believed that the skeleton they had buried earlier was her mother and with that thought, her mind had been at ease. It was partly why it was easier to leave the place behind so that she didn’t have any unresolved matters.
“The way the stitches were done on her clothes, it was similar to what I saw on your coat many years ago when you were small. The criss cross stitches is a little peculiar than the most I have come across till now,” Vincent explained to her, and he said, “Before I came looking for you, I had told Clarks to keep it aside so that I could reexamine it. I thought you would like to see her. And bury her.”
Eve nodded, not knowing what to say, and she stayed quiet. She knew for a long time that finding her mother wasn’t easy, as the bodies could be easily mistaken. She was a little relieved knowing Vincent had found the right one and had confirmed it to be her mother’s skeleton.
On the Council’s grounds, far away from the main buildings, was located the Council’s dungeon, which was more stringent than the other dungeon-like prisons. Located in the forest with just two floors visible to a layman’s eyes, but in truth, it had three more floors built below the ground. Guards surrounded the place, keeping tight security.
Noah Sullivan stood on the first floor of the dungeon, which was below the ground and in front of one of the cell rooms.
“What are you doing here, Duke Noah, when you should be looking after your town and people?” Sylvester asked the werewolf, who stared at him.
“You haven’t answered why you killed Fowler. Uncle James said he doesn’t have anything to do with it,” Noah stated, his calm eyes staring at the member of the Inner Circle. “Did you do it for your own benefit, or on someone else’s command?” He asked the vampire who was inside the cell.
“I did it for my own benefit. Fowler was trying to come between what I had planned, obstructing me and I thought it was time to take him out. Though a pity that I was caught,” Sylvester answered Noah with a small smile, and it was apparent to the Duke that the vampire was lying to him. “You shouldn’t worry about me, Duke Noah. I will be just fine. If not now, I will be out later.”
“You were thrown in here by Vincent Moriarty, do you think it will be easy to get out?” Noah questioned Sylvester, who only continued smiling with a relaxed expression on his face.
“He is another pain, isn’t he, Duke?” Sylvester questioned back, before he said, “Just because he is favoured by Clayton doesn’t mean his word will follow. Not when he can be dead or be placed in the same predicament as me.”
Noah’s eyes narrowed, “What did you do?”
“I haven’t done anything, young Master Sullivan,” Sylvester looked barely bothered with the fact that he was in the main dungeon.
“Whom do you work for?”
“James Sullivan. You ask the obvious—”
“I know you work for someone else apart from him,” Noah didn’t receive an answer from the man, as if he was tightlipped about the matter.
The smile on Sylvester’s face remained, somewhere proud of who this werewolf had turned out to be under his pressure and words.
Noah was only here because Sylvester was his mentor before he had even filled in his father’s shoes of being the Duke of Woodlock. It wasn’t his father who had guided him in the matters of the Council but this vampire. The only thing his father did to him was beat him so that he didn’t cross a line or breath more than what was required.
Noah’s thoughts went back to when he had already begun his adolescent age.
Many years ago, one day, a young Noah, who was the age of fourteen, had bandages around his fingers. He sat outside his mansion, trying to fix his bandages, when someone interrupted him.
“The bandages are worn out. You should change them unless you want to wear them for pity.”
Young Noah turned to look over his shoulder, noticing a man whose hair was pushed backwards and his face lean, red eyes carrying a hollowness with pale skin. The man offered a bowed, introducing himself,
“I am Sylvester. A friend of your uncle.”
Noah, who wasn’t in the mood to talk, stood up from where he had been sitting. He picked up the crossbow, which he had placed against the wall earlier. Ready to take a walk into the nearby forest. The adult man followed him.
“I didn’t know my uncle instructed you to keep a watch on me, Mr. Sylvester. It doesn’t suit a member of the Inner Circle,” Noah remarked, while he didn’t bother himself to turn around.
“Looks like you already know about me,” Sylvester looked pleased.
“I have ears and eyes, so do the servants. I also know you are the one who has been helping uncle to hide the bodies,” Noah stated with a dull tone.
“Impressive. I heard that you often like to get yourself in trouble. Do you enjoy the pain? You should rather enjoy the pain of others than damage your own,” Sylvester said, while their footsteps on the forest ground made soft crunching noise because of the dried twigs and leaves that snapped under their shoes.
“Is that what you do?” Noah asked calmly.
The young werewolf pulled an arrow from his back and drew it back against the bow, aiming at the small animal that hopped from one bush to another.
Sylvester stated, “As strong as your stance is, I can tell by the look of your position that your legs are in pain and your fingers in a far worse condition. If you do not like something, you swim with it, young Master Noah. Behave as they want, while also doing what you want.”
The young boy turned around. His arrow was now pointed at Sylvester. He asked, “What do you want?”
“A mere chat, nothing more than that,” Sylvester smiled with the same calmness as the look in Noah’s eyes. And though the young boy looked calm, the fire within him had not extinguished, and he let go of the arrow for it to fly towards the vampire, who stood not too far from him.
The arrow flew in the air and moved right next to Sylvester’s head before getting stuck in one of the trees at the back.
“Did you purposely miss your aim?” Sylvester asked the boy, a soft chuckle escaping from his mouth.
“I am still learning to aim. Next time I won’t miss,” Noah responded.
It was only the next day did the young werewolf find out that his father had decided to put him under the guidance of Sylvester to learn and understand the matters that would be useful in the future. And he learned many things from the vampire, forming a closer bond than his father.
Noah returned from the memory and heard Sylvester advise him, “You should go back and complete your responsibilities. Your family wants you to take the position of the Inner circle member and now there are two open. I hear that Vincent Moriarty has been hanging around a woman. His governess, I am sure something can be used.”
Noah’s hands clenched that the vampire didn’t notice. He firmly said, “It is time to stop using other people and focus on only the ones that relate to us. No need to harm the ones who are not involved.”
Sylvester smiled, “Mm, I forgot the governess is your acquaintance too.”
“Yes, she is. So let her off the hook and find something else,” the calmness in Noah’s eyes changed to a serious one.
“It is not I who decides. But I will see what I can do, if I come out of here,” Sylvester offered him. He then said, “You have been visiting the Council quite often. Worried?”
The reason why Noah kept visiting the Council often wasn’t only because of Sylvester, but because of the three bodies that had been dug out from near the Council’s building, and all of them were his Uncle James’s kill, where this man in front of him had helped his uncle in covering his tracks.
And Noah was aware that one of the three bodies belonged to Eve’s mother.
The day Eve had appeared in the Council on the day of the burial of all the bodies in the local cemetery, he knew that the person she had buried was not her mother. He had hoped for her to let go of the matter, and had watched her from afar.
But recently, her mother’s actual body had been dug out by the people of the Council. Before he could take matters into his hand to control the situation, Vincent Moriarty had beaten him to it, and it was under his eyes.
One side was the sense of duty to his family, whom he had grown up with. And on the other side was the woman he loved and wanted to protect from his own family. It was a never-ending conflict that had been eating him up from the inside.
Noah stared hard at Sylvester, wanting to find out whom he was working for, but the man was tightlipped and getting an answer was impossible. Noah said,
“Your execution date has already been set at the end of this week.”
Sylvester stared back at Noah and said, “I see.” And after a moment of silence, he asked, “Will you be there?”
“I will,” Noah replied.
Turning around, he walked away from the cell, knowing the next time he would see Sylvester was during the day of his execution.
Not too far from there, Vincent’s carriage moved closer and closer to the Council. Eve stared at the trees that passed behind them and said, “Do you think people can be turned to animals?”
“Some of the witches have the ability to do it. Why the question?” Vincent tilted his head, “Someone you want to turn into an animal?”
Eve shook her head and said, “Lastnight, Eugene and I met a talking cat.”
“Talking?” Vincent raised his eyebrows, and Eve nodded.
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