"Excuse me?" Mallory questioned as the person's words sunk further into her mind.
"How about no?" Hadeon leaned closer, his mouth slightly open, revealing his sharp fangs.
Mallory swiftly dropped herself to the ground before he would suck her dry to a corpse. Crawling away on all fours, she straightened up after reaching a safe distance away from him. That was close! She thought to herself. She laughed nervously,
"I believe there has been a misunderstanding. You see, I am not your servant. I am Mallory Winchester, the daughter of Lord Ezikel and Lady Leora Winchester. Not a servant, but a lady of high society."
Her attempt to clarify was met with Hadeon's low chuckle, a sound that turned her uneasy, and her stomach twisted when she caught the sly smile appearing on his lips. He stared at her unblinkingly, which made her skin crawl. She then saw him raise his finger and remark,
"I believe what you meant to say is 'the lady who almost died'? Because, from my view, you were about two seconds away from a public beheading, just like a chicken. What landed you there? Dug their families' graves too? What a naughty woman," he clicked his tongue.
Mallory's cheeks burned, and she shot back, "For your information, I was wrongfully accused of murder!"
"A servant who can kill. Excellent qualification," Hadeon clapped, his hands echoing morbid enthusiasm. "You'll fit right in—assuming you're more competent than my last few disappointments. They're now part of the garden decoration, you see. Sometimes for Hallow. Aren't I generous?"
"It wasn't me! It was the Baron!" Mallory protested, her voice tinged with exasperation. "And I—I don't need your employment." Firstly, she was not a servant. Secondly, considering the short conversation they shared, she believed she would be discussing him with his previous servants in the afterlife!
"There's no need to feel inadequate, because you are already hired." Hadeon waved her off.
"No." This crazy dead person! Mallory shouted at him in her head.
Hadeon feigned a gasp, placing his hand on his chest and said, as if deeply hurt,
"You wound me, truly. And it hurts more than when I discovered that garlic merely adds flavour to my meals, not demise. That was a true betrayal. But don't fret, my dear. The position is yours, much like a coffin that has a person's fate written on it. Now, how about we have your job orientation? Over a cup of blood tea sounds wonderful."
"I haven't quite reached my daily iron overdose. Thanks, though," Mallory mentioned, while feeling like she had hit her head somewhere after sharing a few words with him.
"Good to hear that I will have convenient access to refreshments," Hadeon mused silkily, his tongue running over his sharp canine.
Cursing her luck, Mallory squared her shoulders under the man's predatory eyes. She asked,
"I put the mud back on and covered the coffin. How did you come out of the grave?! You were dead! Are you a ghost…?"
"Who said I was dead?" Hadeon tilted his head. "I was merely taking a nap in my coffin. You know, beauty sleep and all that."
"What are you?" Mallory braced herself, feeling her heart race in fear.
A devilish smile flickered over his lips, his golden eyes flickering to a colour of stormy dark red. He responded with a sly voice, "My servant is so eager to know me. I love your enthusiasm on the first day of your job! Rest assured, I'll bear it in mind when it's time for your performance review. Wouldn't want your...dedication to go unrewarded."
But she didn't want to do anything with him! Right now, all Mallory wanted to do was bang her head against the wall. She started,
"Okay, Mr. Not-so-dead-but-dead-person. This necklace? It was a gift given by my grandmother, and she didn't come from a line of servant families. Not even close. Even if she were your supposed servant, it has been a few years since she passed away. Maybe if you hopped back into the coffin, you would find her."
A laugh escaped from Hadeon's lips, one that was dark and rich, that filled the air around them. Mallory shifted her legs.
"Let me tell you a little story, you foolish servant," Hadeon tried to enlighten her with a serious tone, and Mallory gritted her teeth. He continued, "In an age forgotten, rare stones were found amidst fire and ash, crafted from unusual elements. Those stones were given to certain people to serve ancient families, which were then handed down to the next generation. Of course, some tried to steal them but eventually met with their deaths. The stones came to be called Cross Souls."
Hadeon then leaned closer, his voice a velvet caress of menace and mirth, "Now, your dear grandmother or her grandmother might not have been my employee, but the fact that you have that pendant around your neck means only one thing: you come from the server's bloodline. Welcome to the club, my loyal subject of torment. No money is needed for the membership... aside from your eternal soul, naturally."
"No," Mallory shook her head. She held up her pendant that was around her neck and said, "This is not some family heirloom. This is just a regular pendant, and it might look similar to what you think it is. You have been sleeping in the coffin, you have just got your head—"
Hadeon's eyes narrowed, and he raised his hand to snap his fingers.
For a moment, Mallory wondered if he was going to summon something from thin air. Was that even possible? But then she saw him stare at her pendant. When she looked down, the stone at the heart of her necklace began to glow ominously.
"Oh…my… God," Mallory whispered, feeling dizzy.
"Finally, you recognise me," Hadeon said, looking at her with a pleased expression, while Mallory looked like she was losing her mind at the turn of events. "Come, now. You have a house to clean."
Neither did Mallory want to follow a stranger to his house, nor did she want to work for a dead being. Though she understood that her current position was better than the one she had almost been in a few hours ago, that didn't mean it was any better. Who in their right mind would even agree to be a person's servant who had just gotten out of his coffin? Not her!
But here stood Mallory now, outside the tavern, with the man who claimed himself to be her employer.
It was hard to defy, especially when she had witnessed him kill people. And to think the pendant that she wore was connected to him. Perhaps she could hand it to someone else who was eagerly looking for a promotion. Or, in this case, would it be a demotion?
"It appears we require transportation. Unless you can carry me," Hadeon mused, stealing a glance her way before surveying the empty street.
She would carry him right back to Reavermoure's graveyard! Mallory thought to herself, before asking, "You have a carriage…?" It was probably how he beat her to the tavern first. But it was nowhere in sight. "How long have you been sleeping?" He didn't know her grandmother nor her grandmother's grandmother. That was already long…
"A few years," Hadeon answered vaguely before whistling.
Mallory, who stood one step behind him, observed his pale, smooth skin and lustrous dark hair. She asked him carefully, "How aren't you old? I mean, you don't look old." There was no way one could stay in the coffin and have that kind of skin.
Hadeon turned to meet her eyes, and he replied, "That's what good skin and hair care does. A routine you should consider starting, I already see frown lines there," he pointed to her forehead. "You don't want your ghost wearing that in the afterlife. Don't worry, there's plenty of aloe vera in the estate."
Mallory wished to smack his head, and her hands even clenched. But then her stomach growled from the lack of food.
"Sounds like we have a troll nearby," Hadeon remarked in a nonchalant tone. He then asked, "Why didn't you eat?"
Mallory stared at him. Maybe she could see if she could stuff a pillow over his face while he was sleeping. The image in her head was appealing, but then she had to remind herself that one couldn't kill the already dead.
She caught him looking at the sky, when a crow swooped in.
"Milord!" croaked the crow, flapping its wings erratically to keep itself in the air.
Mallory's jaw almost hit the ground. She couldn't believe her ears. A talking crow!
"Where is the carriage, Cawlin?" Hadeon's tone was dry, with an unfazed expression.
"It should be here soon! I informed Barnby right away, but he must be having trouble stealing the horses," the crow answered.
"Stealing horses?" Mallory asked with a frown.
"You surely don't expect the horses to be alive in my stables after these many years, do you?" Hadeon inquired. "I had wagered that your hands aren't as clean as you make them to be," he stated, the corner of his lips tugging.
Mallory's lips set themselves in a line before shifting the subject, "So who is driving the carriage then? Another crow?" She asked, not sure what else to expect from the night.
"Don't be absurd. Everyone knows crows lack the finesse for carriage driving. They're dreadful with direction," Hadeon rolled his eyes at her question.
Before long, the unmistakable sound of carriage wheels reached their ears, growing louder with each passing moment, and then it finally came into view.
Though in the dark the carriage almost looked black, when it passed by one of the burning lamp posts, Mallory caught the glossy, deep purple and blue body of it. There were intricate, twisted iron vines. It had an elongated and narrow window, while the roof held delicate little spike-like towers. The wheels were gold in colour and a lantern hung at the front. A gaunt man, appearing to be in his late thirties, sat in the coachman's seat.
The carriage skidded to a halt, as the reins of the four horses were pulled. The coachman's face brightened at the sight of Hadeon, and he jumped down from his seat and quickly bowed.
"My deepest apologies, milord!" the coachman apologised, before adding with excitement, "Welcome back to the living, Lord Hadeon!" Did she hear the name right? Mallory asked herself.
Hadeon smirked. "Well, look at you, Barnby. Not yet withered and eaten by insects," his voice dripped with morbid amusement. His words made the coachman smile, which Mallory believed would do really well during Hallow.
"Thank you, milord," Barnby felt appreciated. His eyes fell on the woman who stood behind his Lord and his smile lowered. "Is this food?" he asked.
"Whom are you calling food?" Mallory glared at the coachman. First servant, and now food! She took a step forward to swing her hand. But she felt Hadeon pull her back, before giving her a narrowed look that had her quickly pull away from him.
"She is a Serphant," Hadeon responded.
"I am a human, not a snake," Mallory muttered.
"Not a serpent, but s.e.r.p.h.a.n.t. It is the lineage you come from," Hadeon explained before adding, "You are slow. You need to catch up. Chop chop."
Barnby looked stunned as he stared at the woman. He then quickly opened the carriage doors before Hadeon climbed inside and took a comfortable position. Seeing Mallory not make an effort to step inside, Hadeon questioned,
"Are you planning to ride the carriage with Barnby or in the luggage section? Don't worry, I won't bite." A sly grin appeared on his lips. "Not yet at least."
Mallory weighed her options. Tonight, she needed a place to stay, and she could certainly benefit from the accommodation being offered. Furthermore, she was exhausted and in need of some rest. Once she gained her full strength, she would set out to find Hattie and ensure her safety.
She caught sight of the crow named Cawlin flying away in the direction she believed was where this person's house was. She was going to ride in the carriage with a corpse, because there was no way a living person could spend years inside a coffin buried in the ground.
"What about that dead man? People are going to find his body there," Mallory pointed out.
"So?" Hadeon's voice drawled as he crossed his legs one over the other, and Mallory tried to hold back her scowl.
"So, you can't leave him there," she explained.
"Ah, are you telling me that you want to dig a grave for him? You seem to be more passionate about graves, hm," Hadeon hummed, his voice rich and smooth against the slight darkness of the carriage.
"Ha ha, so funny," Mallory commented wryly before continuing, "I didn't kill him. You did."
"And I don't care that the body is lying cold on the ground. I am bestowing the townsfolk with the gift of gossip for tomorrow morning," Hadeon stated in a nonchalant tone, and this made Mallory blink at him. He had not a single speck of remorse over his action! She saw his demeanour darken as he said in a daunting tone, "Now, get inside, unless you want to join him."
Before he would lose his patience, Mallory climbed inside the carriage, and the coachman closed the door. She felt her heart race as the wheels of the carriage began to move. Never had she done this before, but never had she been in this situation.
As the journey continued, there were moments when Mallory felt as if she were being constantly watched by her employer. But the second her eyes shifted to him, she found him with his eyes closed. Having already witnessed his skills, her hands squeezed in her lap, feelings of uncertainty hanging over her head.
"Something you needed?"
Mallory heard him question her when she looked back at him, and this time his golden eyes looked at her, the glow similar to that of a predator in the woods. She confessed, "I thought you would be someone with a higher status of nobility."
A chuckle escaped from him. He mused, "Titles are merely human constructs, little more than fancy labels for the living. My status," he paused, "exists in realms far beyond such mundane concerns."
God? His mind was definitely not in the right place, Mallory thought to herself. Recalling something, she said, "I don't know your name."
The immortal being then remarked, "My name is Hadeon Van Doren, and to some, I am known simply as Hades. And to you it would be Master Hades."
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