Download App
10.31% Beauty and the Immortal: It started with a dig / Chapter 13: Darkly Delicious

Chapter 13: Darkly Delicious

Mallory, who was holding the apple in her hand, shook with anger. Seized with a burst of annoyance, she threw the apple at Hadeon. It soared not into the carriage, but comically over it, landing with a dull thud on the ground.

"Aiming for the birds, are we?" Hadeon questioned, barely concealing his amusement. He then added, "You must be filled with self-loathing for that terrible aim." 

She couldn't believe, out of all the times, her aim had missed this time. She said, "Master Hades, I need food."

"How ungrateful!" Hadeon sighed dramatically. "I gave you a perfectly good apple. Not any apple, but specially hand-plucked by me, and you decided to throw it away. The dead are weeping for wasting their apples."

Mallory muttered softly, "I suspect they weep more for the hospitality you have provided them."

"That they are, without a doubt. Especially after my boundless generosity towards them," Hadeon remarked with a devilish grin as he waved a dismissive hand. "You would have liked some of them," and his lips pursed, "Pity that they had to die. But you know, some of them are better under the ground than on it."

"You don't say…" Mallory replied sarcastically.

Shifting focus, Hadeon recommended, "Come on. I know a place less appealing than my hand plucked shiny apples for you, you picky eater."

The journey to the intended town was nearly an hour long. Upon arrival, Hadeon and she stepped out while leaving Barnby to stock supplies for the castle. As they strolled down the streets of the town, Mallory noticed the passersby cast more than a second glance at Hadeon's compelling presence. 

They eventually reached a tea house, a building that displayed sophistication with its clean white exterior and one part of the front made of transparent glass. Hadeon stepped through the doorway, and Mallory walked right behind him. 

A male attendant greeted Hadeon with a practiced smile, "Good morning, Sire. May I take your coat?" while ignoring Mallory, as she appeared to be a servant. 

"No need," Hadeon responded. 

"Then let me take you to your table," and he led them to a table meant for one, with a single chair. Before the man could utter the list of choices for breakfast, Hadeon questioned calmly,

"Blind, are we?"

The attendant stammered, "Uh—no?"

"Fascinating. Did your brain stop working, that it decided to turn the woman here invisible?" Hadeon's tone was as smooth as silk. "Or is there dust clouding it that needs urgent cleaning, which I would be more than willing to help?"

A troubled expression came to the attendant's face, and he clarified, "This area is only for the high class people, Sire. The servant's table is on the other side. We don't seat servants here."

"Well, then, problem solved," Hadeon declared, a smirk playing on his lips. "She is nobility herself. Lady Mallory Winchester."

"Mallory Winchester?" A customer nearby echoed, his voice a mix of horror and intrigue. "The infamous family murderer?" The air thickened with murmurs and disdainful glances aimed at Mallory. Preferring to dine among those with possibly more compassion, Mallory informed Hadeon, "I will go sit there."

But Hadeon's voice halted her, "I don't recall releasing you from my side. Sit."

Cornered by his commanding words, Mallory sank into the chair. The uproar escalated when the same customer bellowed, "A murderer breaks bread with us? Summon the guards!" 

"Get the witch out of here!"

Mallory could feel her face turning red. The same moment, someone got up from their seat and made their way to her. Ready to drag her out, he was about to place his hand on her, when Hadeon intervened and caught the man's wrist in an iron-clad grip. 

"Ahh! Ahh!"

"Lay a finger on her and I will break it into little pieces and feed it to the chipmunks. Very gourmet. Do you understand? Or would you like a little demonstration?" Hadeon gave the man a dazzling smile with his fangs, that scared people around him. "Now you either sit down and eat quietly. Or," he let out a feral growl. 

The very next second, customers fled, leaving their dignity and half-eaten meals behind.

Dragging a chair to the table, Hadeon sat down with all the grace of a theatrical villain. "Ah, nothing quite like causing a scene to assure quick service. Fetch us your finest dishes," he waved a dismissive hand at the attendant, who ran off like a startled rabbit. 

Mallory stayed quiet as her spirits had been pulled down, but she realised this was how people who would hear about her would react. She wished to run far away from this land, to start her life afresh, while not knowing if it was completely possible. Where are you, Hattie? She asked in her mind. 

"What's gotten you down, monkey?" Hadeon asked in an unconcerned voice. That dreadful nickname… 

Mallory pointed out, "You drew unneeded attention to yourself by doing that."

"I couldn't let you steal all the limelight and drama. Besides, I enjoy the sheer look of terror," Hadeon responded with a gleam of mischief in his brilliant golden eyes. "Just because you are my servant doesn't mean you are a servant to others. Only I get to torment you."

"Aren't you worried about people coming after you with pitchforks and fire?" Mallory couldn't resist asking, half expecting him to take offence.

Hadeon laughed, a whisper of darkness in it. "Oh, they have."

"Were they the ones to put you in the coffin?" Mallory leaned in with curiosity.

"They wish," Hadeon rolled his eyes. He continued in a nonchalant tone, "It was a quiet night, and innocent me was sleeping in bed after a modest supper of killing a few people. I was suddenly woken up by the commotion outside the castle, with torches ablaze. Honestly, the nerve. So I had to put them to rest so I could go back to my sleep."

Mallory briefly shielded her eyes with her hands. To think he believed he was innocent in all of this...

"Aw, how touching," Hadeon commented dramtically. "My very own servant, moved to tears by my tragic story."


Chapter 14: Flight of the monkey

Music Recommendation: The Norweigian Ridgeback and a Change of season - John Williams

Mallory and Hadeon's breakfast arrived with speed—thanks to the now empty tea house. Hungry, Mallory devoured her food, and each bite was tastier than the previous one. Meanwhile, Hadeon took his time to savour each dish by taking no more than a bite. 

When Mallory's mouth was full and busy, Hadeon stood up from his seat and instructed her, "Continue eating, monkey. I will be back after inquiring about my main course." 

She saw him make his way to the back door of the room they were seated in before disappearing behind it. 

Mallory's fork paused mid-air in realisation. He wanted blood. He was going to kill someone! And as relieved as Mallory was that he hadn't pounced on her, she didn't trust him enough to keep her alive for long on his kitchen shelf. Especially after hearing his nightmare stories, which he would possibly call bedtime stories. 

Mallory's eyes darted between the wide-open entrance door of the tea house and then at the door behind which Hadeon had vanished. 

Was this an opportunity for her to escape? Did God make Hadeon thirsty so that she could get the time to run? Say no more, God! Mallory Winchester doesn't need another sign! She said it in her mind. 

Stabbing the pancake in front of her, she quickly put it in her mouth. 

She then got up from her chair, carefully making her way to the main door while keeping an eye on the back door. Taking a peek outside the street, instead of looking at the people, her eyes moved up at the rooftops before making a run without looking behind her again. 

Mallory's heart raced as her steps echoed softly on the streets. Spotting a carriage ahead, she quickened her pace.

"Wraithwood! Reavermoure! Hemlock! Ghoulsville!" The coachman shouted to pick up passengers for the last time. Seeing Mallory, he asked, "Where to, young miss?" 

"Wraithwood!" Mallory blurted out, trying to avoid the one place Hadeon might expect her to seek shelter.

"Five shillings," the coachman stated matter-of-factly.

But Mallory's pockets were as empty as her hopes. With a quick glance over her shoulder, she knew she had to think fast. "How about my earring?" she proposed, while moving her hair away from her ear to show the sparkly gem. 

"Works for me. Hop on!" the coachman said, and Mallory climbed inside where three passengers were already sitting. The women in there gave her a disapproving look, while the male passenger had his eyes fall on her shoulder when her sleeve slipped. 

Soon the carriage left town, and it reached Wraithwood in less than ten minutes. Mallory removed her chain and hid it in the corner of the seat before climbing out of the vehicle. She handed one of her earrings to the coachman and slipped out of there. 

"How am I going to find Hattie?" Mallory asked herself as she walked in the alleys while keeping her eyes wide open to make sure there was no crow around. 

On the other hand, Hadeon stepped back into the room only to find the place empty. His red eyes narrowed, and he licked the corner of his lips to remove the remnants of blood he had just drank. 

"Stupid monkey," Hadeon murmured with a hint of irritation. "Ready to leap at the first opportunity, aren't you? But how far do you think you'll get before being caught?" His words dripped with dark amusement.

Back in Wraithwood, Mallory took refuge inside the church as if it were going to protect her from the dead man from the grave, who might try to find her. Every footstep in the church sent her head spinning to look over her shoulder. But, much to her surprise, Hadeon was nowhere in sight, and the longer she was alone, the more relieved she felt, as if her trick had worked.

In the evening, once she deemed it safe enough, she hitched a ride on the last carriage out of town, bound for Reavermoure. She didn't know if she would find Hattie, but there was some money in the manor's garden that she had buried two years ago. She recalled a memory. 

"What are you doing, Grandmother?" A curious young Mallory came to see her grandmother, who had dug the ground. 

"Burying money, Mal," her grandmother replied casually, as she closed the lid of a box.

Her grandmother's words brought a little giggle out of her, and she said, "You don't bury money in the ground, Grandmother. It is only for seeds and plants."

"The ground is one of the safest places. One where no one will know what lies beneath it," her grandmother stated, dropping the box and putting the mud back. "And besides, a little stash of coins can come in handy when you least expect it."

Arriving at Reavermoure, Mallory hid the lower half of her face as she walked with quick footsteps. When she reached the Winchester Manor which was locked, she noticed it was left in the dark because no one lived there except for the memories. It felt as if she had fallen into an abyss, where there was no returning. 

Finding the specific plant in the back garden, Mallory dug it out and pulled out a box, which softly jingled with coins. At least this would help her survive for some time, she thought to herself. 

Mallory decided to leave Reavermoure and made her way through the alleys of Reavermoure as people didn't walk often there. 

"As weird as Grandmother's ways of life were, something came to be useful," Mallory said to herself. She promised to visit the manor again once the crazy person would stop hounding her. Under her breath, she muttered, "Crazy dead man from the grave."

"Whom are you calling crazy, monkey?" 

Mallory's heart almost paused at the voice and her footsteps froze on the ground. Kill me! She looked around and then behind her, but he was nowhere to be seen. Don't tell me he is… invisible. Because she had cursed him more than a couple of times since she had run away from him. 

She then heard a little creak above, and finally her eyes caught Hadeon sitting on the edge of the roof of a building with one of his legs pulled up and the other dangling as he ate something that she believed to be an apple. 

"Did you enjoy your little day out?" Hadeon drawled, his voice dripping with sarcasm. His eyes glinted ominously against the backdrop of the evening sky. His voice then changed to a dramatic one, "I was heartbroken when I saw you had left without a word and even shed a tear. I mean, we spent such good moments sharing our love for the ground. You know, you digging and me burying people. You wound me."

Mallory could hear her heart ringing as loud as the tower bells in her ears now. "I think you are delusional to think that," she retorted, trying to keep her tone steady despite her unease.

Hadeon clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Now now," he chided with his eyes gleaming with mischief, "I am sure we can work it out with discussions you might find very enlightening. Also, it isn't good to badmouth your employer unless you are looking for trouble. Especially after the little stunt you pulled today. Not even twenty-four hours have passed, and you have tried to escape twice. Such reckless courage deserves an award. What do you think?"

"I think a smart person would be understanding and relieve their employee from all the duties," Mallory explained to him.

She saw him nonchalantly toss the apple behind him, the sound of it hitting the roof echoing through the place. He then jumped on the ground, facing her, and it spiked her heart rate. Hadeon's grin widened, his eyes glittering with dark amusement.

"Speaking of smartness. I believe you left something behind," Hadeon remarked, before throwing an object in Mallory's direction. 

As Mallory caught it, she felt the chill of metal in her hand. Slowly unfurling her fingers, she saw the chain with the cross pendant that she had abandoned. "I was right," she whispered.

"You know," Hadeon remarked in a nonchalant tone, "at first, I was annoyed. But then I decided to be generous and let you have a head start to finish your day out. So I did some shopping, some drinking, and then some more shopping. Managed a little nap too with a little extra activity."

Leaning in closer, he lowered his voice, "And when I finally decided to look for you, guess what I found?" He paused for effect before revealing, "You left the pendant behind in the carriage, as if to give me the impression that you were on the move. I'll give you an apple for that," he chuckled, "but you were rather silly to think you could escape."

"Lord Hadeon," Mallory began hesitantly. Upon noticing his narrowed gaze, she fixed her previous words, "Master Hades, you might consider finding another snake."

Hadeon corrected her, "You mean Serphant." As he started to advance towards her, Mallory nervously stepped back. "Do you know," he continued, "that it takes only a second to snap a person's neck? And your neck seems rather delicate."

Mallory continued to step backwards and nervously said, "My neck is indeed pretty. It is my best feature so let us not do that…" 

Before she knew it, he was standing before her, and she cursed his long legs. Hadeon leaned in, his expression positively wicked, and he asked, "Want to hear what else I did today?"

"I think I'll pass," Mallory replied, inching away from him.

"Oh, but you're going to love this," Hadeon chirped. "Yesterday, when you were asleep, you were sleep talking and muttered names in your sleep, so I decided to check it because I need to take care of my employee. Found this person named Hattie."

Mallory's eyes hardened, and she warned, "Don't you dare hurt her."

"Hurt? Don't put such evil ideas in my untainted mind!" If it was possible, Hadeon's smile only broadened, and he remarked, "Now how about we return to the castle, hm?" 

"Where is Hattie?" Mallory pressed. 

"If you are asking her status, she's alive and breathing," Hadeon replied in a nonchalant tone. "But let's be real here. Did you really think you could skip town and build a mansion with the pocket change you've got?" He chuckled darkly. "That's barely enough for a quarter of the foundation."

If only Mallory could wring his neck like a wet towel, she would now. He had a way of getting under her skin. As she took a deep breath and tore her gaze away from him, she spotted something on the wall. 

"Crap…" Mallory whispered with her eyes wide.

"Oh, won't you look at that!" Hadeon exclaimed in an excited voice upon seeing Mallory's picture there with the caption below, 'Dead or Alive'. 

Mallory couldn't believe she had turned into a wanted criminal poster in Reavermoure. This only meant she could never return here. She clenched her hands, when she noticed another poster nearby. 

There, depicted with hair like a bird's nest in a windstorm, was a man who looked nothing like the person beside her now. By now, even Hadeon had caught his supposed poster, and his eyes narrowed in annoyance.

Above the 'Dead or Alive' of the poster read— Gideon Vand. 


Load failed, please RETRY

Gifts

Gift -- Gift received

    Weekly Power Status

    Batch unlock chapters

    Table of Contents

    Display Options

    Background

    Font

    Size

    Chapter comments

    Write a review Reading Status: C13
    Fail to post. Please try again
    • Writing Quality
    • Stability of Updates
    • Story Development
    • Character Design
    • World Background

    The total score 0.0

    Review posted successfully! Read more reviews
    Vote with Power Stone
    Rank 200+ Power Ranking
    Stone 301 Power Stone
    Report inappropriate content
    error Tip

    Report abuse

    Paragraph comments

    Login

    tip Paragraph comment

    Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.

    Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.

    GOT IT