479 Leaving Holy Oak
Eve covered her mouth with her hand, when another yawn escaped. She couldn’t get a wink of sleep until early this morning, which was barely for two hours. After almost stabbing Vincent with the dagger, she couldn’t go back to sleep, fearing it would repeat, even though her pureblooded vampire husband had assured her that she didn’t have to worry about it.
Right now, she stood in front of the mansion, watching Mr. Briggs and Adam loading their trunks in the back of the carriages.
When another yawn escaped from Eve’s lips, she heard sharp clicks of shoes from the hallways and turned to notice it was Lady Ravette. The woman remarked, “Looks like my grandson has taken after his grandfather in the art of keeping his wife awake.”
Eve offered a quick bow to the old vampiress. Not knowing how to respond to the vampiress’s words, and an awkward smile made its way to her lips.
Lady Ravette’s eyes briefly moved to look at the two servants next to the carriage, and she said, “A pity that you both aren’t staying here longer.” She then turned to Eve and asked, “Don’t take too long to return here, Genevieve. We look forward to both yours and Vincent’s visit.”
Eve nodded, “We’ll try our best to return sooner, grandmother.”
Eve’s words were music to the old vampiress’s ears, and though she didn’t smile, she nodded with her dull eyes staring into space. The vampiress said, “It is good to see that Vincent chose you to be his wife. Even as a boy, he was always picky with his company, not letting anyone close to him except for his mother. My husband and I often wondered… on what kind of woman he would end up marrying, if he decided to marry that is. Always stay by his side, and I can assure you that he will love and protect you.”
“I know,” Eve replied with a smile, “Vincent has proved it time after time, that I can always count on him.”
Before Vincent and his grandfather Strix showed up, Lady Ravette took out something from her dress pocket and offered it to Eve, “Stretch your hand, Genevieve.”
Eve brought her hand forward and felt something cold drop into her hand. It was a small, transparent vial with a colourless liquid. She asked, “What is this?”
“This is a wedding present from me to you. This is a concoction that I was able to get my hands on. It is a once in a lifetime potion, and it could be anything, depending on what the user wants it to be. But it can be used only once,” Lady Ravette curled Eve’s fingers so the younger woman could secure the vial.
Staring at the glass vial, Eve asked, “What did you mean, when you said it could be anything?”
A slow smile made its way to the old vampiress’s lips. Eve’s eyes met the woman’s eyes, who said, “It could be a potion of love, or it could be a potion of luck. If a person intends, it could be used as an elixir for you to live forever. If you think it’s water, then it will be water. It is called the liquid that takes the shape of the person who uses it.”
Eve was surprised that something like this existed. She said, “This seems to be something very valuable… why aren’t you keeping it for yourself?”
“Why do you think I am not?” Lady Ravette questioned her back, which brought a slight frown to Eve’s face. “What is precious to me, you have it next to your side.”
Vincent, Eve thought to herself.
“Let us hope that you use it for something worthwhile, and if you don’t, you can always pass it down to someone you care about,” Lady Ravette said in a lowered voice.
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Strix cautioned them, “Be careful on your way back.” Suddenly, Timotei ran out of the mansion and jumped inside the carriage. “Oh, you are taking the cat with you? We were hoping to have it in our company. Something to hold hostage so that you two would come to visit us quickly.”
“It’s sad that we don’t have a pet of our own,” Lady Ravette murmured, and Timotei glared at one of the carriage walls from inside the carriage. The black cat felt shivers run down his body, as he didn’t want to be the pet of this crazy old vampire couple.
“Mm, I would have loved to leave him here, but Eve is attached to her cat,” Vincent replied to his grandfather. “We should get going now.”
Strix nodded and then said, “Have a good journey.” The old couple watched the young couple enter the carriage before the two carriages rode away.
Eve watched the Moriarty mansion grow smaller with every turn of the wheel that moved forward. Once it disappeared behind the trees, she turned away from the window and relaxed on the carriage’s seat. She asked Vincent,
“Where is the dagger?”
“In my coat pocket where you can reach,” Vincent joked before he said, “I spoke to grandfather about it, and he told that they had tried to destroy the dagger many times before, but it was of no use. Nothing ever works, and it is too strong. I will keep a better eye on it, now that we know that your siren side is attached to it.”
Eve nodded. She would have suggested locking it and throwing it somewhere where she couldn’t reach it, but she doubted that it would work.
“The dagger will find you,” Timotei said to Eve, who sat right in front of her in the opposite seat.
“How do you know?” Eve asked the black cat, whose tail cautiously moved in the air.
“The dagger has been thrown into scorching liquid iron, into the sea and everywhere else possible. But somehow, the dagger makes its way back to the family. One of them at least,” the black cat purred. “By the looks of it, it will fall into one of the King’s kin.”
“How very convenient,” Vincent remarked. “It is good that we had it saved and locked in the drawer of the Moriarty mansion until now. Eve’s siren side wants to kill me, for she thinks I am the one who killed her mother and sister.”
“What if it was the other brother who killed them and the blame just happened to fall on you?” Eve asked him.
“That could be a possibility, but your siren side sounded very sure about it,” Vincent let his jaw rest on the edge of his palm. “As if she saw me kill.”
The uneasiness in Eve’s mind increased. Noticing her turn anxious, Vincent held her hand and squeezed it to reassure her.
Timotei said to Eve, “Maybe you should talk to her. Bring her out so that you can clear all the misunderstandings. I mean that would save us having to travel up to the Royal family.”
Eve shook her head, “I didn’t even know the siren was someone from the past. I don’t know how to channel her.”
Vincent was curious, and he pulled the dagger out and offered it to Eve, whose eyes widened. But even though a minute passed, with nothing happening, he put it back in his coat and said, “It was worth a try.”
Eve sighed and murmured, “I hope we can get the answers when we reach the royal palace.”
Hours passed when Timotei quickly stood on his hind legs and his front paws on the windowpane. He said in an excited voice, “Look! Look! It is the House of Purgatory. Do you think we’ll be dropping by there anytime soon?”
“Not now,” Vincent didn’t care about Marceline, not right now, as he had other pressing matters to attend to. “I am sure she’s having her own good time and working on herself,” he said in a nonchalant tone.
Eve, who was now familiar with what Vincent’s ‘good time’ meant, she wondered if Marceline felt a speck of regret and remorse for her actions.
But as expected by Vincent, back in the House of Purgatory, Lady Katherina’s letter that Vincent had given to Marceline was left in the corner of the room, untouched.