Allure Of The Night

Music Recommendation: Following the Target- John Powell

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Another hour had passed, when Eve finally looked at the wall clock in the room. More than an hour had passed, and it was only a matter of time before the dead body would start to stink.

The room didn’t have any big cupboards to hide the dead body until Vincent returned. To clean the blood, the only fabric available were the curtains, her clothes, and the scarf tied around her lunch box.

The sun had set, bringing darkness into the sky.

On the same floor where Eve was, Marceline stepped into one of the galleries. She stood there drinking her third glass of blood tea when she noticed the earlier carriage still next to their mansion.

Marceline raised her chin, wondering whom it belonged to. It was odd to park the carriage next to their house when no guest was visiting them. Stepping away from the gallery, she walked through the corridors and down the stairs.

On her way towards the entrance of the mansion, she met Vincent, who had arrived at the mansion a minute ago.

“Where are you going at such speed, sister?” Vincent questioned, noticing Marceline walk in haste.

“There seems to be a carriage that has been standing outside our mansion since before the time I arrived here. Maybe the carriage has a problem and the person needs help?” Marceline replied as if she was an immaculate person.

pan-da-n0vel.com Vincent coughed, placing his hand on his chest. The butler, who stood behind him, turned to look at his master and then the young mistress, who frowned. His master exclaimed,

“Don’t speak such words, Marcie. I worry I might get a stroke by just your words.”

Marceline rolled her eyes, “Just because you don’t want to see good in me doesn’t mean good doesn’t exist, brother.”

“Oh, I do believe goodness exists, but your goodness only comes from ulterior motives,” Vincent offered her a smile.

Marceline turned slightly annoyed by Vincent’s words and asked, “What would it take for you to speak nicely to me?”

“Would you really like to know?” Vincent’s eyes glowed in amusement.

For a moment, Marceline wanted to ask what it was, but then she knew it would be something mean. She said, “You are my only brother, Vince. You and I are supposed to help each other.”

“Just because you need help doesn’t mean I need it,” Vincent pointed out before continuing, “But if support is what you need, my advice as your brother is to turn into a better person.”

“I already am. You can ask anyone and they will tell you the same,” Marceline was confident about it, because she had built a facade that no one would find fault in. The people of the high society loved her. She was the kind and polite vampiress, who had won people’s hearts over the years. Even the people who had once looked at her with wary and hateful eyes when she was small.

Vincent turned to look at the butler with a calm expression, while the butler of the mansion turned slightly tensed. He questioned, “Do you think what Marceline said is true, Alfie?”

The young vampiress glared at the butler, who tensed. Though Marceline couldn’t kick him out of his job as Vincent employed him, it didn’t mean the lady couldn’t turn his life into hell.

“Find someone else other than the butler. You ask questions where you know you will get the answers you want,” Marceline rolled her eyes, not having little faith in the butler, while Alfie looked at the floor next to where the lady stood.

“Ah ah ah!” Vincent shook his head, “You said ‘anyone’ and Alfie is someone in that anyone. I think first we need to make sure your words and thoughts match. I can pay the governess double if you want to join Allie. It might help.”

The vampiress’s lips twitched, and she stated, “I will if you will come with me.”

Vincent chuckled and said, “I will keep a stuffed toy that will smell like me for you to get through the time.”

Marceline gritted her teeth and turned on her heel, heading back to her room, forgetting why she had come down in the first place.

Vincent watched Marceline as she stormed out of there. Even before Marceline had mentioned about the carriage, he had already noticed it. He questioned Alfie,

“Did you check whom the carriage belongs to?”

Alfie shook his head and replied, “I didn’t get an opportunity to look at it, Master Vincent.”

Vincent turned to the butler, “Find out.”

“Yes, sire,” Alfie bowed. He walked towards the entrance.

Vincent walked towards the long stairs at the end of the hallways.

He climbed the stairs, his footsteps firm on every step he took, and when he reached the top of the stairs, he stopped walking in the direction of his room. He heard a heart trying to beat normally, but it wasn’t. His eyes narrowed, wondering which maid had broken what while cleaning.

Taking the right side of the stairs, Vincent started to walk in the corridor. Soon he came to stand in front of the piano room.

On the other side of the door, Eve heard the doorknob turn again. Her breathing turned shallow, wondering who was on the other side of the door.

“Looks like I have to break the door open.”

Hearing Vincent’s voice, relief washed over Eve’s face, and she quickly reached the door and opened it.

When Eve saw Vincent, worry marred her face.

Vincent’s eyes narrowed on noticing her bloody neck. Before he could ask her, his nose picked the scent of a dead body, and he tilted his head to the side. His eyes fell on Lady Camille’s dead body, and his eyebrows raised. Now he knew whose carriage stood outside the mansion.

Vincent stepped inside the room and closed the door behind him. He remarked,

“I know I told you to practise killing. But did you have to find a woman belonging to a high profile to practise? I didn’t know you were ambitious?”

Eve nervously spoke, “I—I, I tried to keep her away from me. She found out that I was a mermaid and attacked me.” She shook her head, “I swear I didn’t mean to kill her.”

Vincent stared at the dead body, and the blood on the floor that belonged to Lady Camille.

Eve stared at the dead woman, who continued to stare at the ceiling as she hadn’t gone near the dead woman to close her eyes. She was terrified of what would happen and wiped her clammy hands against her skirt.

Hearing the increase in Eve’s heartbeat, Vincent turned to look at her. He stepped near her and placed his finger below her chin, before turning her head to the side. He stared at the wound, which was covered with her dried blood.

Seeing how the dead woman had bitten Eve, a hint of annoyance passed through his features.

“Take a seat at the table, we need to fix your neck,” Vincent ordered, and Eve frowned.

“What about Lady Camille’s body? She is—”

Vincent interrupted her, “My priorities are different. Go on.”

Eve’s worried blue eyes stared at him. Hesitantly, she left the dead body’s side and heard Vincent ask, “So, what happened? What was she doing in the piano room?”

He walked next to her, picking up the water jug. He next pulled out his handkerchief.

“Lady Camille came across Rosetta’s letter. Rosetta mentioned something about heart. Lady Camille thought I knew what Rosetta’s words meant. She felt I was stopping the marriage between you and Rosetta,” Eve’s words were small from the shock of what she had done, that hadn’t left her mind. She couldn’t normalise the feeling.

She sat in the chair that Vincent turned to face him with his foot and stared at him. The vampire before her had killed people when he was a young boy. She wondered how much pain had been caused that had pushed the young boy into the path of darkness.

“It is a mystery that you haven’t been caught with a dead body with a mansion full of servants walking back and forth in the corridors,” stated Vincent, and after dipping the handkerchief in the jug of water. He placed the wet cloth on her neck.

“Will I be sent to the dungeon?” Eve asked him, feeling him dab the cloth on her neck.

“Most likely. You killed a woman who is related to a high positioned member of the society. First you will be questioned, but you and I both know that people don’t listen to the weak, but the powerful ones,” Vincent explained in a nonchalant tone. “After that you will be put to dungeon, tortured. If you mention why you did what you did, you will be sold and killed after it. Both ways you are going to end up dead.”

Eve clenched her hands and her face turned even paler. She heard Vincent say,

“Unless, we go for another option.”