"Have you seen Belle?" Samuel asked, his face etched with worry as he approached Nicholas. "Mother sent a maid to get her from her room, but she wasn't found there." Nicholas furrowed his brows, humming thoughtfully, he knew Belle couldn't have left the mansion, she wasn't that stupid.
"I haven't seen her." He then summoned a nearby maid and ordered her to search for Belle.
"Very troublesome," Samuel mumbled. "Indeed," Nicholas agreed. "She should be around somewhere." He said confidently.
The maid hurried off to search for Belle, checking the lounge and tea room, but she wasn't there. As the maid walked back towards the backyard, she bumped into someone and looked up to see it was Belle, the person she was searching for.
"Ah, milady," the maid bowed her head low. "I'm so sorry, I didn't see you coming."
"It's fine," Belle smiled, rubbing her forehead. "I should say sorry; I was rushing and didn't see you coming. My apologies." She smiled warmly, "Raise your head" she ordered. The maid did as instructed and said,
"Milady, Lord Nicholas sends for you,".
"Oh," Belle's eyes gleamed. "Where is he?" "He's close to the dinner hall, I suppose." "Okay," Belle nodded and began heading there, her steps a little shaky. She was still terrified and vividly remembered the chilling sensation she felt, it was something she couldn't forget and she was definitely going to discuss it with Nicholas.
Belle walked and finally spotted Nicholas standing at the entrance of the dinner hall, he was leaning at the edge of the wall with his hands shoved in his leather pocket. "Nic-Lord Nicholas," Belle called cautiously. Nicholas turned and faced her with a warm smile. "Still so troublesome, I see. You had your mother worried."
"She should know I couldn't get lost in your mansion, obviously. It's not like I can escape as much as I want to," she said with an eye roll.
"Mhmm, what's up with the title?" Nicholas narrowed his eyes.
"Alright," Belle began, "Mother said I shouldn't address you by your name."
"She isn't here, you know," Nicholas leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"Nicholas," Belle called playfully with a low voice, and they both laughed.
"That reminds me," Belle said thoughtfully, gazing seriously at Nicholas.
"What is it?" he inquired.
"I saw something weird, like a pair of red eyes peeking at me from the window close to the garden," she revealed. Nicholas could see the confusion in her eyes. He knew who the eyes belonged to and he pinched the skin between his eyebrows,he had hoped the person would stay hidden but it seemed like he only wanted to cause trouble.
"Forget what you saw, Anna," Nicholas said feeling tired.
"How can you say that? Red eyes, Nick, red," she said hurriedly.
"Listen to me, that was nothing. Don't just wander around in dark places without me, understood?"
"Yes," Belle nodded.
"But that's not all," she clicked her tongue. "Tell," Nicholas nudged her to go on.
"In the bathroom, on the wa-"
Before Belle could complete her statement, Lady Kena called out, "Annabelle!" interrupting her.
"Where have you been?" Lady Kena asked, scrutinizing Belle from head to toe.
"I was at the garden," Belle answered while giving Nicholas a knowing look. Lady Kena gave Belle a scolding gaze and scrutinized her from head to toe ensuring that there were no dirts on her cheeks or hands,before nodding in satisfaction and giving her a hug. "Be more careful." Lady kena warned.
"Yes, Mother."
Lady Kena turned to Nicholas and gave him a tender smile. "Congratulations on receiving the Lordship title."
"Thank you, Auntie," he chuckled. "It's just a title, though, Father still possesses the power over the land."
"With due time, you will have full authority," Lady Kena assured.
"I believe. Let's head in for dinner, shall we?" Nicholas requested, pushing the door open.
The dining room was vast, with a long table centered in the room. Her brothers and father were already seated, and the table was decorated with various meals, including deer meat and Belle's favorite vegetable soup. Belle's mouth watered as she sat down, allowing the maid to serve her then she dug in but of course, she ate with caution in order to avoid her mother's scolding.
"Has the invitation been sent out?" Belle heard her father ask Nicholas.
"Yes, I did send out the invitation, and surprisingly, the Royal Family honored the invite." Nicholas replied.
"Splendid!" Lady Kena exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "That is great news".
"The Royal Family will be attending Belle's coming-of-age celebration," Edward explained.
Belle let go of her spoon, and it made a clanking sound. Everyone set their gaze on her, wondering why she made a noise.
"The Royal Family, you say," she breathed out, noticing all the attention on her.
"Yes, dear, and it's amazing news. The royal family hardly accepts invites from anyone, especially humans," Edward replied. "They are vampires, as you know. Your coming-of-age celebration will serve as a means of bringing humans and vampires closer together, both races under the same roof."
"Don't you think a catastrophe might occur?" Belle asked worriedly.
"Nothing of that sort will happen," Nicholas assured. Annabelle continued eating her food in silence, listening to their conversation about the invitees and the number of people they were sending invitation letters to. They were inviting vampires, creatures she had never encountered but had heard gruesome tales about. To her, they were blood-sucking monsters with insatiable hunger, and the idea of inviting them to her coming-of-age celebration didn't sit well with her. A vampire might just become hungry and decide to suck blood from any random human they see passing by.
Belle knew that vampires had distinct red eyes...
Red eyes...
She wondered if the pair of eyes she saw belonged to one. But what would a vampire be doing in Nicholas's mansion? She looked at Nicholas suspiciously, and he returned her gaze with a wide smile. "Are you enjoying the food, Anna?" he asked.
"Yes, well prepared. I must say," she complimented the cook indirectly, shoving a piece of deer meat into her mouth. Nicholas nodded and continued conversing with her parents, discussing the celebration. Belle listened, pretending to be interested, but her mind wandered. Her mother mentioned matchmaking her with one of the princes, which made Belle choke. She couldn't imagine getting married, especially to a vampire prince.
Belle didn't have anything against vampires, but she couldn't stand the fact that they depended on humans for food. Who knows if the prince would consider her as food one day? But that wasn't going to happen, she'd make sure of that.
"Water," Brandon passed a glass of water to Belle.
"Thank you," she gulped it down and requested more.
"This is why you shouldn't rush food," Lady Kena reprimanded.
"It was just too good, Mother," Belle laughed awkwardly, resuming her meal. After dinner, they prepared to head to their respective rooms to rest. Nicholas offered to escort Belle to her room, and she agreed without hesitation.
"Tell me about your life these past three years without me, cousin sister," Nicholas asked with interest. "What do you think?" Belle questioned nonchalantly.
"Boring without me, of course. I'm an amazing guy," Nicholas responded proudly, and Belle smirked.
"Quite the opposite... my life has been better," she joked.
"Oh, has it?" Nicholas raised an eyebrow, going with the flow.
"Of course, who do you think you are?" She playfully slapped his shoulder. Nicholas ran away, and she chased after him, laughing. They had nearly gone two laps around the dining room when Belle fell to the ground. Nicholas rushed to her, worried. "Belle?" he called, nearly panicking.
Before he could lift her up, she bit his ear, and Nicholas groaned. "Ah!" Belle laughed triumphantly. "I should get you a spot in my cage of wolves," Nicholas harrumphed, and they both stood up, walking hand in hand to Belle's room.
"Seriously, though, how has life been?" Nicholas asked again.
"Oh, well, trying to live the life of a lady," Belle said in a sad tone. "You know how it goes, Nick." Nicholas nodded and squeezed her hand lightly. They reached Belle's room, and Nicholas hugged her gently, kissing her forehead.
Belle lay on her bed, facing the ceiling, lost in thought. Suddenly, she heard a light sound come from outside her door. She sprang up and rushed outside to investigate, but found nothing. Annabelle walked cautiously along the corridor, still finding nothing. As she turned to go back into her room, she felt that chilling sensation. The candles around her flickered and soon went out, leaving her terrified.
"Show yourself," she commanded. A whoosh of air passed by her ear, and she heard an eerie whisper, but she couldn't make out what it meant. Belle began to quiver in fear as she heard a couple of candles fall to the ground. The windows opened by themselves, letting the wind blow in.
"Annabella."