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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 366 Light Better Than Before
Music Recommendation: Chiyo's Prayer- John Williams
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Rosetta, who could hear Eugene's breathing, used it to divert her attention from the darkness. She said, "Let me try to open the door. Maybe it is only stuck. Else I can break it open."
Eugene heard Rosetta shift in her seat before she stood on her feet as he listened to her footsteps against the marble floor. "I don't think it will be easy to explain to others why you were here with me, or why I broke it, Lady Rosetta," he stated.
Though Rosetta's heart was beating loudly, as she still felt suffocated in this place, she moved her hands in front of her before feeling the wooden door. She excitedly said, "I found the door, Eugene!"
"Good work, Lady Rosetta. But do not break the door," Eugene warned her.
"Okay..." Rosetta tried to turn the doorknob in every possible way she knew she could. But even though a good two minutes passed, she couldn't open the door.
"If no one comes for us, the only way to get out is to break the door open, isn't it?" Rosetta asked.
There had been times in the past when the servants of her mansion and her parents left her for hours, even hungry, until the following day, she was let out, mostly unconscious as she would have fainted.
"They will find us, milady. Miss Eve isn't someone who will not look for us. You have my word on it," Eugene assured the vampiress, who sounded dejected. "She won't leave you behind."
It wasn't that Rosetta didn't realise the kind of person Eve was, but hearing it out loud and knowing there was someone looking for her made her happy. She said, "Eugene."
"Yes, milady?"
"I am so happy to have met you all. To have come here to Skellington even though initially I came here only to get away from my parents' controlling hand. So that I could see the world and make friends, and I am happy that I came across all of you," Rosetta smiled as she leaned against the wooden door. "I never would have come to Skellington. I wanted to go to my distant relatives' home, where my parents would have less control of me."
Eugene took a moment before he uttered, "I am sure Miss Eve and the rest feel the same."
Rosetta smiled in the dark.
Before coming to Skellington, her life had been monotonous and mundane. She was Marquee Walter and Marchioness Aurora Hooke's daughter, that was all she was. She had been reduced to it since she was small, but after meeting Eve, she knew she could be something else. Maybe not a governess, but choose a path she carved for herself and not what her parents wanted her to walk in.
"Thank you for your kind words, Eugene. They mean more than you would know," Rosetta spoke softly in the dark.
In his life, Eugene had come across plenty of men and women of high society. Their families were wealthy who came from high-status or old and powerful bloodlines. And though one would think that they had everything, most of them were trapped in a cage. Either by responsibilities or their choices that had been puppeteered when they were children.
This was one of the reasons Eugene found himself to be on the fortunate side of life. Even though he was a servant, he still could choose for himself.
"You still have a choice, Lady Rosetta," Eugene said to her. "If it is what you really want and have set your mind, remember that it will be hard. One without luxury, you will be leaving your old life."
"I told you I would leave it all behind. I want to find the happiness that the wealthy can't find," Rosetta murmured the last words.
There was a time when Rosetta enjoyed being the daughter of highly positioned parents, who were close to the King and the Queen. But as she grew up, the emptiness grew in her heart, which she replaced with her own view.
Silence filled the room, and Eugene said, "A vampiress is often suited to be with a vampire."
"Is that your way of rejecting me, Eugene?" Came the quick question from Rosetta. A small frown appeared on her face.
She then heard Eugene reply, "I am stating facts and compatibility, milady. A human is better suited with a human. It is true that a vampire and a human are better, when it comes to protecting, but the nature of who they are, will always come between them."
"Do you not approve of Eve and Vincent's relationship?" Rosetta asked him.
"You seem to speak better in the presence of darkness compared to when there's light," Eugene noted, and Rosetta, who heard this, her cheeks suddenly turned red, which the human couldn't see. With only their thoughts being heard, there was no barrier between them. He said, "Mr. Moriarty and Miss Eve's relationship is different. Their elders approve, but yours won't. They will hunt the person."
"I will protect you with my life, Eugene," Rosetta promised him earnestly. "My parents are only trying to use me... for their own gain. The more time I spend with them, the more I draw away from them, where I am failing to connect to them. And... I am tired of having to prove, knowing it will never be enough and in the end I will be blamed for it. There was a time when I wanted to marry someone of great status and position, someone who would be good looking."
"But now you don't," Eugene said, to which Rosetta nodded.
Rosetta didn't answer immediately. She said, "In the world where people were kind to me only because they wanted to gain something, the person made me feel that I was worth being offered kindness. I met someone who made me feel that I could be liked despite my flaws. That person was you Eugene."
"You think too highly of me, Lady Rosetta. There are plenty of people who could have done what I did," Eugene reasoned with the vampiress.
The vampiress nodded, "Maybe. Maybe you are right, but out of everyone, I was destined to meet you. That out of everyone, it was you who offered me something I have always wanted. I don't need a boat of treasures."
Her words sank in Eugene's mind, seeing her be someone who craved love and acceptance. He had done what anyone would have done for her that night, but his actions and words had left a deep impact that no other good-looking or wealthy man had left.
Eugene asked Rosetta, "You are a silly woman, Lady Rosetta." Even women from Meadow would think twice about him, especially if he used 'Eggs' as his last name.
Rosetta's eyebrows rose, "Why do you say that?" she asked him.
While Rosetta wondered what Eugene must be thinking, as she couldn't gauge because of the darkness that surrounded them, suddenly she felt something crawl on her back. Her eyes widened, remembering there was another spider in this room. She shrieked,
"AH! The spider is on my back!" But it wasn't the spider, but it was a rope's end that was hanging from the wall that had touched her back.
Eugene quickly stood up, wanting to help her. But in darkness, it resulted in them crashing into each other and falling to the ground.
Hearing Rosetta's shriek and crashing sound coming from inside the room, Eve and Timotei heard it in the corridor. Eve pointed ahead of her, "They are here!"
"I told you that you can always rely on my sharp nose," the black cat boasted. When Eve opened the room's door, their eyes fell on where Eugene was on top of Rosetta on the ground. "It seems like they didn't need our help," he coughed.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 367 Whispering Sympathetic Rumour
Music Recommendation: Very Elegant- (K)NoW_NAME
Feeling the sudden brightness in the dark room, Eugene and Rosetta stared at each other. Eve watched them scramble and struggle to stand on their feet. The vampiress's cheeks looked red, and she quickly exclaimed,
"We weren't doing anything!"
"That's what people who are doing something say," Timotei muttered under his breath, and when Rosetta's eyes moved from Eve to look at the black thing sitting next to her, the black cat meowed.
"Thank you for finding us, Miss Eve." Even though Eugene's words sounded composed, he looked a little troubled because of what happened a minute ago. Rosetta's heart was beating loudly because Eugene had not just fallen on top of her, but in the darkness, his lips had touched hers, and she found it hard to look into his eyes. Eugene cleared his throat and explained, "The door got locked and we couldn't open it from the inside."
Eve nodded, without knowing what to say, because Eugene and Rosetta didn't look at her or each other. Rosetta then said,
"Thank you for searching for us, Eve!" Her voice was higher than usual, almost making it feel squeaky. She fidgeted before remembering, "Yes! The milk and cookies. The milk has turned cold. I will take it with me."
Eugene turned to look at Rosetta and stopped her, "You don't have to. I will take it from here."
"No, no. I brought it, so I should be the one to take it." When Rosetta's eyes finally met Eugene's, she turned flustered, remembering his soft lips against her own.
Picking up the tray, her eyes looked around the room in weariness to see if the spider was in the room, and she stepped out. She said to Eve, "I will see you at dinner."
Eve nodded. She noticed Rosetta taking a quick look at Eugene before hurrying away from the corridor.
"What was that shriek about? Did you finally decide to consider the vampiress's wish?" Timotei questioned Eugene.
"She thought there was a spider in there and was worried about it," Eugene explained, staring in the direction where Rosetta had walked in. "The rooms in here needed to be cleaned and the locks haven't been changed," he repeated. Eve smiled at his words,
"That's fine, Eugene. We are just glad that you both are safe. Lady Aurora came to the mansion looking for Rosetta, now thinks she ran away alone," she said with a hint of worry. Eugene's eyes widened at this. This wasn't good at all.
Soon in front of Moriarty's mansion, two carriages entered inside the gates before stopping in front of the mansion's entrance. One of the carriages belonged to Vincent, and the other belonged to the Hookes. The coachmen stepped down from their seats and opened the carriage door.
Alfie was quick to appear at the entrance, reaching where Vincent was, he offered his deepest bow. Seeing Lady Aurora get down from the carriage, the butler turned to look at Vincent, who looked calm.
"You are wasting your time here, Vincent. Instead of searching for my precious daughter in the other towns," Lady Aurora's words were curt and impatient.
Vincent raised his hands, and he let Alfie remove his outer coat. He said,
"Lady Aurora, you said I should look for her, the way I look for others. Then you should let me do it my way, unless you want to look for her all by yourself, which you are completely free to do," he turned to look at the Marchioness and offered her a polite smile, "Okay?"
Lady Aurora pursed her lips, ready to retort, when her husband placed his hand on her shoulder and said, "Our son-in-law knows what he is doing. He will find Rosetta."
"I knew you were a wise man, Marquee Hooke," Vincent smiled, indirectly calling Lady Aurora a fool, and she was ready to snap her fangs at him if it weren't for her husband's hand that gripped her shoulder.
Vincent and the others stepped inside the mansion's hallways, walking through it, and he ordered the butler, "Alfie, go and find where Lady Rosetta is in the mansion. Check every room, even the ones that are not in use."
The butler had already done it with others and Lady Aurora's maid, but he still complied. When he was about to leave, Rosetta appeared at the top of the stairs, holding the tray of cold milk and cookies.
"Well well well, look who it is," Vincent remarked with a lack of surprise, turning to look at the Hookes.
As relieved as Lady Aurora and her husband looked, at the same time, Lady Aurora turned angry. She walked forward and demanded, "Rose!"
Rosetta turned startled and asked, "Mother?"
"Where have you been?! We have been looking for you all over the place," Lady Aurora's gaze pierced into her daughter's eyes.
Were they looking for her? Rosetta realised she couldn't tell she had been locked in a room with Eugene for hours. She responded, "I was in my room. Did something happen?" She asked innocently.
Lady Aurora's eyes narrowed, and she remarked, "You weren't in your room." Noticing the tray in her daughter's hand, she questioned, "What are you doing?"
"This is for the Moriarty pet. The black kitty," Rosetta softly laughed, and she said, "I was in the room, mother. I have been in my room since lunch. I have been sleeping and just woke up."
The exact time Eve, Eugene and Timotei reached the top of the stairs and watched the scene unfold on the floor below.
"Earlier, Blythe went to your room, but you weren't there. Don't lie to me, Rosetta," Lady Aurora glowered, and Rosetta felt the heaviness in the air around them. It was something she was used to.
Usually Rosetta never lied to her mother, and because of her direct words and actions, her mother always believed her. Her direct words had also often gotten her into trouble. This time, she would have to lie, not for her but for Eugene's sake. To keep him away from her mother's furious gaze. She then turned to look at Blythe and questioned in authority,
"Did you check my room?"
"I did, milady. You weren't sleeping on the bed," Blythe promptly answered.
The young vampiress laughed. She moved closer to her mother and whispered, "That's because I wasn't sleeping on the bed. I fell asleep in the bathtub. You said I should appear better, and I was trying to do that, mother."
Lady Aurora gritted her teeth. She turned to her maid and demanded, "Did you check the bathtub?"
Blythe was sure that she had stepped into the room, but with the bathtub behind the room's divider, she wasn't sure if the young miss was in there. She stuttered, "M--Milady, I am sure I ch--chec--"
Rosetta squinted her eyes when her mother slapped her maid, which echoed in the hallways. Lady Aurora glared at Blythe, "How could you have missed something so simple?! You unfit mongrel," she said in a low voice. She could feel Vincent staring at her with that smirk on his lips, and it got on her nerves.
As if that wasn't enough, the Skellington's magistrate arrived at the Moriarty mansion, and he entered. Reaching where everyone was, he cleared his throat to get everyone's attention, and the people turned to look at him. Mr. Welbeck bowed.
"Mr. Moriarty." He then looked at the Hookes and said, "The butler in your mansion told me that I might find you here or in the Council. As this place is closer, I decided to check here first." He then informed them with a polite smile, "I have sent my men to look for your daughter, and have asked them to do it discreetly."
"Which daughter are we talking about, Mr. Welbeck? Because if I am not wrong, the Hookes have only one daughter and she's right here," Vincent remarked, turning to look at Rosetta and then back at the magistrate, who turned confused.
"Ah, you found your daughter?" Mr. Welbeck asked the Hooke couple, slightly annoyed that the pair had made him stop his men from the work they were doing to work on their demand.
Lady Aurora felt like she was being humiliated now because of her maid's inefficiency. Then there was Vincent, who continued to stare at her as if wanting her to admit that she was in the wrong. Hiding her rage, she offered a polite smile to the magistrate and said,
"Pardon us for causing your trouble, Mr. Welbeck. We didn't know she was right here, and as parents, we thought she went missing and became worried. But we sincerely thank you for your quick assistance in our difficult time."
Though not pleased, Mr. Welbeck maintained a polite smile and offered a bow, "We are always happy to help Marquee and Marchioness Hooke."
"It is good that we found Lady Rosetta in the mansion, else Lady Aurora would have sentenced me to death," Vincent's smile was as bright as the flames in the candles that were soon going to be burning in the mansion.
Mr. Welbeck looked surprised by this information.
Marquee Hooke covered it by saying, "My wife was joking with you earlier, Vincent."
"That I was responsible for Rosetta's absence, and I might have killed her?" Vincent asked nonchalantly. "If Rosetta went missing, I would be subjugated to execution."
"That was all a joke. There's no need to take it to heart," Marquee Hooke tried to lower the impact of his wife's reputation being ruined in front of the magistrate and patted Vincent's back.
"Seems like Lady Aurora is a humorous person," Vincent laughed, looking at the Marchioness.
Lady Aurora and Marquee Hooke thanked the magistrate again, soon they left the mansion before Vincent would say something more. Rosetta returned to her room, while the maid followed right behind her.
The magistrate sighed, and he said to Vincent, "It seems like I will be heading home late today. I will need to send out a word to my men to stop looking for the vampiress. Earlier today, they came to my office and sounded very upset."
"Pardon them, Mr. Welbeck. The Hookes haven't been doing that well. With the recent loss of their close relative and losing money because of gambling. They seem to suspect anyone and everyone they come across," Vincent casually threw in the information, and Mr. Welbeck raised his eyebrows.
While Vincent accompanied the magistrate to the mansion's front entrance, Mr. Welbeck responded, "I did hear about Lady Camille's death... but what is this about gambling?"
"I don't mean to spread news about the unfortunate, but as this is you, let me share it, but don't tell it to anyone else," Vincent's voice lowered, and he continued, "I heard from this man named George Salford, who lives up in the North. The Hookes, at first gambled only for leisure, but then it became a habit. It runs in the blood, and they pawned almost everything, and have no money. This man Salford said that they are in dire need of money to uphold their status, you know how badly it will look on them."
Mr. Welbeck nodded, "That is very true, Mr. Moriarty. I thought they were wealthy enough, but it seems like the story is otherwise. It surprises me."
"True, such a thing to do and happen," Vincent put a long face, and he said, "Salford also insinuated that Lady Camille's death was orchestrated by the Hookes."
"You don't say! How is that possible? I thought they were in the North until recently," Mr. Welbeck looked more than surprised.
Vincent nodded, "I told the same thing when I heard it. But he said that the Hookes had hired people to kill..." He noticed the horror on Mr. Welbeck's face and then said, "Of course, these are rumours and we shouldn't believe in it. After all, the Hookes are upstanding members of our society. It is better to stay quiet about it."
Mr. Welbeck only nodded and said, "We will never know. I will see you at the Council, Mr. Moriarty. Always a pleasure to meet you," he bowed and climbed inside his carriage.
Vincent stared at the leaving carriage and slipped his hands into his trousers pockets. Turning around, he stepped back inside the mansion.
That night, Mr. Welbeck passed the little information about the Hookes to his wife, while skipping Vincent's name. A piece of information that was soon going to spread in and out of Skellington.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 368 Person In Snow
Eve sat in her room and at the desk where the candle burned brightly. Right now, she was reading the invitation card that Lady Aurora Hooke had purposefully sent to her, along with the invitation envelopes sent to the Moriarty family members. The invitation read--
'This invitation is on behalf of both Hooke and Moritaty family, where we would like to invite you to the soiree that is going to be held this Friday evening in the Moriarty mansion's hall. The soiree is to hold the event of the announcement of my dear daughter Rosetta Hooke, who is soon going to be married to Vincent Moriarty. We would appreciate your presence in the soiree with your family.'
Below the parchment of the invitation message, Marquee Walter Hooked and Lady Aurora had signed her name along with a seal. Even though the Hookes wanted to hold the soiree in two days, they had pushed it forward with four days.
Knowing Rosetta was in love with Eugene, eased Eve's thoughts when she read Vincent's name with a woman who was not her. It seemed like Lady Aurora was trying her best to trap Vincent in every possible way so that he wouldn't be able to escape, but Eve knew her pureblooded vampire had a plan and she had faith in it.
As Eve was busy staring at the invitation card, at the same time, one of the windows of her room opened, and she heard the whistling wind. It had started to snow, and the sudden air that blew inside the room made her shiver. She walked near the open window. Before her hand reached to hold the window and she could pull it backwards to close it, she felt the cold bite her skin before closing it.
There were barely any carriages moving on the streets, while the people had gone back to their homes because of the snowy weather.
Before Eve could turn away, a figure of a woman outside the mansion caught her eyes, wearing white dress. The woman's hair was golden blonde and eyes that were blue as the sky. Her eyebrows furrowed, and on a closer look, she noticed the woman looked like her.
Eve shook her head as if to clear her eyes and mind so that she wasn't hallucinating, but the figure stood with snow falling on her. The next second, she noticed the figure turn to look at her, and her lips moved.
"Who are you?" Eve asked, even though the figure couldn't hear her nor could the other person because of the distance they had between them. The only sound she did hear was the fire crackling in the fireplace and the windows slightly shaking because of the wind turning harsh.
The woman continued to move her lips, making Eve open the window that she had closed and for a moment, she felt as if she heard the person's voice,
"....the promise..."
"Promise?" Eve asked, and suddenly the figure held a burning lantern.
When the lantern turned brighter, Eve's eyes caught the streaks of blood on the woman's clothes. There were blood drops smeared across the figure's cheeks while the person's blue eyes looked cold and lifeless.
Eve wondered if she had fallen asleep and was dreaming. When the figure moved her lips once again, she pursed her lips before saying,
"I don't know what you are saying. Who are you?" Her voice turned louder.
The woman in the street turned angry. When she opened her mouth, the wind suddenly moved in Eve's direction along with the snow, making her raise her arm to cover her face and protect herself. The wind had blown in such intensity that it had extinguished the flames of the fireplace and the candles, turning the room cold and dark.
"Are you planning to fall sick?"
It was Vincent who had just entered the room, and he noticed snowflakes on the room's floor where Eve stood.
When Eve turned back to look at the street, the figure had disappeared as if she had been dreaming. She said, "I saw a woman standing on the street outside the mansion."
Vincent raised his eyebrow and walked to where she was. He looked outside the window and asked her, "Was it a dream?"
Eve shook her head, "I don't think so... She looked like me."
"Just like you?" Vincent stared at her in curiosity, his eyes slightly narrowing.
"It felt like me. She was right there with a lantern," Eve was sure about it. Vincent said,
"Let me go and take a look."
"I want to come with you too," Eve said, wanting to check if something was there too.
Soon the two of them stepped out of the mansion with Eve's purple umbrella. They came to the spot where Eve had earlier seen the figure. The lantern on the nearest lantern post near them had gone cold, which had been lit but the flame couldn't protect itself from the wind, which was soon going to turn into a blizzard.
"Anything peculiar the person, or you were doing?" Vincent asked her as he looked at the ground.
"There was blood on the clothes," Eve murmured, remembering the figure of her standing in the snow.
Vincent whistled, "Looks like your future has picked up to murder. Anyone special you have on your mind?" He asked, and he sat on his heels.
Eve slightly frowned. Last time the feeling of killing someone had left a bad taste in her mind, and remembering it, she became worried. Vincent used his hands to push the fresh snowflakes off the ground and stood up before stretching it forward. He stated,
"Doesn't look like it was one of your visions."
Eve's eyes fell on the snow Vincent held in his palm and then noticed blood. It was very faint, but there was a pinkish-red stain. She asked him, "You think it was a witch?" That was the only explanation to it, because only a witch who tapped into dark magic was capable of doing something like that.
"A possible answer. But the question is, why would a witch want to turn themselves to you? Unless it is to lure you out of the mansion and trap you, but whoever must have tried, isn't stupid," Vincent's thought went to Marceline, who had recently visited the witch in Palavista forest, and his eyes narrowed. He said, "I might know who might be behind it," he caught a snowflake that had drifted near them, escaping underneath the umbrella and was going to settle in her hair that she hadn't tied, "Let us get you back in."
While Eve went to her room, Vincent made his way to Marceline's room. He knocked on the door as if it was someone docile and polite at the door. From the other side of the room, the vampiress snapped,
"I said I want to be left alone!"
Hearing the vexed voice of his sister, Vincent raised his eyebrow.
On the other side, Marceline was sitting on the bed and had removed the bandage in hope that her foot would have improved by now. Instead, time was against her and her limb had started to leave a foul smell that had her frown deeply in worry.
Her beautiful, porcelain skin had not only turned green with pus, but now the pus had an outbreak with liquid dripping down. The arrogant vampiress couldn't see her decaying foot herself. She couldn't ask the maids to wrap the bandage, as she didn't want anyone finding out about this.
The person knocking on her door didn't leave her alone and continued knocking, making her frustrated. Limping to the door, she fixed posture and facial expression, while hiding the leg beneath her dress skirt. With a glare, she opened the door and found her brother standing in front of her room, who had a bright smile.
"I don't want to talk to you right now. I am tired and want to sleep. Whatever it is, it can wait till tomorrow morning," Marceline pushed the door that she had just opened.
But Vincent stopped her from closing the door by placing his palm flat on the wooden surface. Though it had barely been ten seconds since she had opened the door, he noticed Marceline's discomfort, and a strange smell drifted in the air of her room.
The odour was similar to the smell of a dead rat, that had been killed many hours ago, and was now rotting in here. Vincent doubted that his sister was into witch magic to conduct one herself, considering how she prided herself as a pureblooded vampire.
Deciding to play oblivious, he stepped inside the room, while Marceline gritted her teeth and demanded, "What do you want, Vince?"
Marceline's mouth parted in shock. She couldn't let Vincent know about her foot!
Vincent doubted what just happened to Eve had anything to do with Marceline. But with his sister who had gone to meet a witch in the middle of the night and then noon, who now appearing to be agitated, he decided to play and remarked,
"Marcie. I just realised that it has been days since we spent some time together. Talking and laughing like how we used to do when we were little. I have been harsh with you, and I have decided to be the brother you need." Vincent walked to the couch and patted the space next to him, "Come sister, let us bond together," he smiled.
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 369 Kinder Of The Two
Marceline stared hard at Vincent, but her gaze barely did anything except for him to take an even more comfortable seat on the couch. The thought about her foot starting to smell had completely escaped from her mind, as somewhere she had gotten used to the foul smell wafting around her since this afternoon.
"I have already forgiven you," Marceline said just so that Vincent would leave her alone, and Vincent's eyebrows rose in question.
"Really?" He asked her.
"Yes," Marceline asserted, as she put a fake smile on her lips, "I thought a lot on what you said and why you did it, and have decided to accept my faults towards Ms. Barlow."
The smile on Vincent's lips slowly lowered, and he said, "Why does it feel like you are only saying it because you want me to leave you. You don't mean it, do you, Marcie?" A smile cracked again on his lips.
Vincent took a deep breath before exhaling the air through his lips, but when he had inhaled, he tried to find where the stinking smell was coming from. The smell was spread to every corner of the room. Marceline clenched her fists, knowing she would have to put more effort in having him leave the room. She said in a convincing voice,
"You have always been right, Vince. My hate towards humans has stemmed because of the loss of our mother, when she did nothing wrong. You did the right thing by choosing Ms. Barlow, and you should know that I am always going to support both of you. In fact, I was just thinking a moment ago on how I should talk to the Marchioness, to agree to not go ahead with the agreement made between our two families."
The snow that had earlier begun falling from the sky had picked up speed and momentum along with the wind, which had turned the atmosphere into a slight blizzard.
Vincent smiled, which was calm and kind, and Marceline almost fell for it when he stood up from the couch, "Okay." Finally! He believed her enough to leave her alone. But then she heard the next words from him, "Tell the woman to make another invitation to the guests, that what she sent earlier was a little prank and wasn't true."
Marceline's mouth fell open, "N--now?"
Vincent gave her a nod, "Yes, you are the one who said you are ready to go now. So why wait when it can be done right away." He then continued, "Also, it is going to take quite some time for the envelope to reach some of them and it would be rude to invite them here when there's no soiree being held."
"How about I send a letter to Lady Aurora through a servant to cancel the soiree? There's a blizzard outs--"
"But Lady Aurora won't listen to a servant, will she? It would be better if you directly talk to her, lest she thinks the servant was sent by me," Vincent watched Marceline's unwillingness, and he asked her, "What's the matter, dear sister?" He walked to where she stood, as she hadn't moved an inch since she had opened the door for him.
Marceline couldn't say no, as he would call her bluff. But surely he wasn't expecting her to step out of the mansion in this blizzard!
Marceline said, "Even in this dire weather, I will go and meet her myself, to show that I am on your side."
"Let me accompany you to the Hooke's mansion. I don't want you to be bored in the carriage," Vincent offered, but Marceline quickly shook her head.
"You don't have to do that, Vince. You have been far too kind to me, and I can do this myself," Marceline said to him in haste. "Let me--let me go and get my shoes."
"Why don't you let me, your amazing brother, help you with that?" Vincent walked to where the shoe rack was, and he picked up a pair of her shoes. "How about I help you wear them?"
"No!" Vincent frowned hearing Marceline's high-pitched scream.
"You woe me, Marcie. I was only offering to help. You don't have a husband to look after you and father is disappointed with your previous actions and so was I. But seeing how you are repenting over your past actions, I believe I should be a good brother to you," Vincent threw in a few facts that made Marceline feel bitter.
Marceline grabbed the pair of shoes from Vincent and said, "You don't have to do that. Don't you have something else to do? Go spend time with Eve and in the meantime I will try to be useful to you."
Vincent stepped closer to his sister, who wearily looked at him. He then put his arms around her and hugged her, "I knew I could count on you."
Seeing how Vincent didn't budge from there, Marceline cursed at her luck and her family for putting her through a wretched time in her life. She saw her brother patiently watching her wear her shoes, and she turned away from him, before slipping her good leg into the shoe and then came the bad leg. A squelching sound was heard when she put her bad foot in her shoe, and Vincent's eyebrows rose.
"What was that?"
Marceline panicked and quickly covered it by saying, "The snow from earlier must have slipped into the shoe, and there must be water in it."
Vincent didn't react as he could only guess something had happened to his dear sister's foot. Noticing how she had not moved from her spot, he realised the foul smell was coming from her leg.
"I shall go now, before the blizzard gets harsher and it is harder for the carriage to move," an unwilling Marceline remarked as she stared at the weather through the nearest window. "It will be difficult for Adam to drive the carriage in this snow," she added, hoping that Vincent would stop her from going to the Wright's mansion.
"Briggs is much more efficient in riding the carriage in the snow. You should take him along with you," Vincent offered his coachman for her to take, and Marceline's face turned paler.
Marceline could feel the sides of the shoe scraping the already worsened skin on her right foot, and all she wanted to do was scream in agony. Instead, she held it in and said, "I shall be going now."
Vincent nodded, "Have a safe journey and make sure to convince the Marchioness."
The smile on Marceline's face faltered, and she said, "I will try my best to do that. I will go now."
"You should before the snow storm gets worse," Vincent suggested. For a moment, Marceline wanted to strangle her brother. "Go on."
Marceline turned and tried to walk as straight as possible without fumbling. Suddenly Vincent stopped her by saying, "By the way, I met two of the councilmen who met you today. What were you doing in the Palavista forest?"
The young vampiress's eyes widened on hearing it, and she slowly turned to look at him before smoothening her expression. She smiled and asked, "What was I doing there? I was taking a stroll in the woods like many others."
"Lucky you. The witch there was killed before she could come in contact with you," Vincent watched the anger and disappointment pass through Marceline's face. He then said, "Catch this," and threw something at her.
Marceline caught hold of it with both her hands and looked down at her hands. It was her bracelet. She had been worried about her foot that she hadn't noticed her bracelet was missing. She said, "Did you get this from the forest? I must have lost it in there while I was taking a walk," she smiled and put the bracelet in her dress pocket.
She asked her brother, "Did the councilman give it to you from when I met this afternoon? Send them my thanks."
"It wasn't them who gave it to me," the smile on Vincent's lips disappeared.
Marceline looked at her brother with a questioning gaze, "Who found it then?"
"I did," Vincent responded, and he made his way to where she stood, staring at him. He stared back at the woman, who shared blood with him, his parents. He said, "I had a little case to work on because of missing girls and women. A young girl went missing early this morning from the village that comes after Palavista, and to my surprise, I found this expensive looking bracelet. Just like the one you wear."
Vincent didn't question her if she was there, but every word of his pointed to the obvious subject that made Marceline's face rigid. He said,
"If you are committing a crime, at least learn not to be caught like an idiot."
Vincent stepped away from her and took a few steps forward when he heard Marceline demand from him, "What do you mean by that, Vince?!"
"When did you turn this vile, Marcie? I wonder if you can even recognise yourself and it is a true pity that you destroy yourself."
Vincent's words were cold and his eyes looked soulless as he said those words to Marceline, that didn't let her rebuke him. He said, "Do you know what the difference is between you and I? You claim to love our family by words, while I show it by actions. It would have taken a minute to put you in the dungeon," he whispered the words at the end.
Marceline's hands turned into fists, and she gritted her teeth, while feeling even more humiliated than when she had been defanged.
"I saved you from being thrown into the dungeon for Lady Camille's death! You are selfish enough to not see what I do for you," Marceline spoke in anger, and hearing her, one corner of his lips pulled, and he said,
"So quick to agree that I killed the woman. Question is," Vincent paused for a moment before continuing, "If you did it for me, or for your own selfish reason to keep your reputation clean."
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ALLURE OF THE NIGHT
Chapter 370 Controlled Environment
Within the next two days, Lady Aurora's invitation that had been sent out had reached the receivers belonging to a high status family. Most of them were surprised seeing the invitation hold the Moriarty and the Hooke's name in one card. While some believed it was an excellent decision. One of the families was the Sullivans, who was right now, having breakfast and Lady Hilda Sullivan said,
"Looks like Vincent Moriarty decided to uphold his family's name by marrying the Marquee's daughter. Rosetta Hooke. I don't think I have met the girl before. Have you met her at Moriarty's ball, Noah?" She asked her son, who was having his breakfast.
Noah looked up from his meal and replied, "I haven't."
Lady Hilda nodded and then remarked, "We will see her in the future. I am sure the wedding will be grand."
Lady Anaya, who sat next to her future mother-in-law, moved her gaze to look at Noah, who held a faint frown on his face, but he didn't comment on it.
James Sullivan, who sat at the same table, having breakfast with his brother's family, softly chuckled, "It is good that in the future he will be busy with the Hookes and there will be one less thing to worry about. Marquee Hooke holds a decent position in the society and has a good reputation, apart from the almost tarnished name of his sister who recently passed away."
"So much better than marrying a woman who is from a lowly family with no proper family background," Lady Hilda remarked, agreeing to her brother-in-law's words.
"What background?" Noah asked his mother, catching her a little off guard.
"The background of the girl that he wanted to marry," his mother answered him with a gentle smile. She turned to Anaya and said, "No offence to your friend or your friendship, Anaya dear, but I only speak the truth when I say that the girl you have befriended is someone who comes from Meadow. A place which falls on the lower side, more rightly, the other side of the society scale. She lives with her aunt and a servant, and her parents, there wasn't much about it." Lady Hilda's words were calm and collected as she let the young she-wolf know her thoughts.
Anaya was surprised that Lady Hilda knew about it and replied, "Forgive me for my negligence, milady. But Ms. Barlow is a wonderful person, and there is a reason why Mr. Moriarty chose her—"
"But he isn't marrying her anymore," Lady Hilda interrupted Anaya, smiling at the young lady. She said, "There is an obvious reason why the Marquee's daughter is well suited to a pureblooded vampire family."
Noah's father agreed with his wife and stated, "It is better to have the like kind married than the unlike kind. No one wants to repeat history."
"What history?" Anaya curiously asked the former Duke.
"Viscount Eduard Moriarty married twice, as the first wife was a human, who couldn't defend herself or her children when they were abducted. Mind you, this abduction was operated by humans," Noah's father said, before adding, "If the Viscount had married a vampiress, nothing like this would have happened. But see what has happened."
Lady Hilda said to Anaya, "Anaya dear, you have already been introduced as Noah's future wife, and we will find good dates that will not clash with others."
Anaya gave a nod to Lady Hilda.
The former Duke's brother remarked, "The human girl, she reminds me of someone in the society but I haven't been able to place my finger."
"It was during the councilman's soiree," Noah's father answered.
"A woman of low background and being invited to such a high-class soiree," Lady Hilda clicked her tongue.
Noah gripped the cutlery and responded to his mother, "I don't understand why you need to bring her class and position into the picture, mother. She is Anaya's friend; the least you could do is be considerate about that fact, than speak ill about her."
Anaya noticed Noah's hands had turned white. Though Eve had been introduced as her friend to the family and not Noah's, Lady Hilda had gone so far as to make a background check on her friend. This only showed how controlling the Sullivans were. Even though she came from a similar positioned family, there were some things that she couldn't speak back to with the Sullivans.
Lady Hilda softly laughed as if realising her mistake and smiled at her son and Anaya. She said, "I was only stating the truth about the young lady, Noah. You cannot erase the fact that she comes from a lowly town."
"Eve has had an excellent education. Better than most of the women from our society, and she's a decent person, whom Anaya considers worthy to befriend," Noah's expression didn't change. Still, Anaya could sense that he was upset and slightly angry.
Anaya said, "Noah is right, Lady Hilda. If the opportunity presented itself, I believe that Eve would be an outstanding person in our society."
The smile on Lady Hilda's lips faltered before she fixed it again, and she replied, "Very well then, if that is both of your opinions."
Anaya offered a slight bow to the older woman at the table and noticed Lady Hilda stare at them before her husband placed his hand on her hand resting on the table, which got the woman to return to her meal.
When everyone finished their breakfast, Noah excused himself first to leave the dining room, and Noah's uncle, James Sullivan, said, "It looks like Noah has started to worry more about you, Anaya."
Anaya turned away from the door to meet James's eyes.
James said, "My nephew has always tried to stay away from conflicts or diffuse them. Never to be one to create them, and for him to have spoken for you, it means he likes you very much."
Lady Hilda smiled at her brother-in-law's words, "Noah and Anaya make a perfect pair, don't they? It is good to see that he's paying attention to your feelings. He is, isn't he?" She asked the young she-wolf.
Anaya smiled and gave a polite nod, "He is, milady. He's a wonderful person."
"I am sure he is," Lady Hilda softly chuckled, "Noah will never do any wrong and is a perfect gentleman, I am sure you will be very happy with him. And I am not saying this because he is my son." The woman patted Anaya's back before leaving the room with the others.
Once Anaya was alone, a frown settled on her forehead, remembering the invitation sent by the Hookes and the Moriartys. Noah's family thought he had stood up on behalf of her, but in truth, he had stood up for Eve. She quickly left the dining room and caught up to where Noah was walking in the corridor.
"Duke Noah," Anaya called him from behind. Noah paused his footsteps and turned to look at Anaya, who hurriedly came to stand in front of him, and she asked him, "Are you alright? I mean about back in the dining room…"
Noah offered her a smile, "I am. Thank you for asking. I will talk to you later, I need to go to Darthmore now." Anaya gave a nod, trying to gauge the Duke's reaction, wondering if he was relieved or worried.
Anaya was impressed by Noah's resilience over whatever he was holding in. To see a person love another, so selflessly, she couldn't help but admire it and she smiled where her smile didn't reach her eyes.
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