章 18: Apologize
"Eve?"
Ophelia's voice brought a sense of relief flooding through her.
Eve immediately turned around and looked at the woman walking her way. Tears welled up in Eve's eyes. "Mistress?"
"You— How could you come here? I have been looking for you?"
"What— What about the spawn?" Naturally, Eve deftly changed the subject before Ophelia could even bring it up.
"Ah…" Ophelia took her own coat and gently draped it over Eve's shoulders, using it to cover her. This made Eve realized that she was actually wearing her thin nightgown!
She had been with the Prince wearing nothing but her nightgown!
Horror flashed in her eyes but she quickly hid it.
"They were able to deal with it. Thankfully, only two women died in our room."
"In our room?"
"Apparently, there were groups of spawns that suddenly arrived; they attacked the other rooms as well, killing a few women." Ophelia sighed. "It has been a long night. Let me take you to your new room."
"What about—"
"The fire nearly consumed it. The aftermath will be dealt with tomorrow." Ophelia ushered her to another hall that looked exactly the same and soon, they walked inside another room. This one was significantly better than the previous one.
The bed was surprisingly decent, with a soft duvet and warm blanket, indicating some thought had been put into their accommodations.
The room was equipped with just five beds, each separated by what appeared to be flimsy walls made of paper. It was enough to give them privacy.
This was a definite improvement compared to the previous accommodations they had endured.
To her surprise, Willow was not inside the room.
"What about Willow?" she could not help but ask.
"You're not here to make friends," Ophelia's words were icy, devoid of any warmth.
"I apologize," Eve uttered.
Ophelia said nothing in response. Instead, she looked at the others who seemed to be avoiding her gaze before she left the room.
That event only confirmed Eve's suspicions.
The spawns were intentionally unleashed to eliminate the women, to further reduce their already dwindling numbers. It was cruel, but it worked. There were now five beds in this room as if this had been prepared in advance.
She scanned her surroundings and noticed that a window was positioned above each bed.
As she approached the window, she peered outside and noticed that sturdy grills guarded the opening, preventing it from being used as an escape route.
How convenient.
So this was indeed the vampire's plans.
"Hey… how many do you think are left?" She heard someone ask another woman.
However, not one of the women had the strength to answer.
Oh, what a cruel world. Eve thought inwardly as she removed Ophelia's coat and laid in her bed. She was too tired to wash her face or even change into new clothes. All she wanted now was to sleep.
She could only hope that tomorrow will be a little bit better than today.
When the morning came, they were ushered to another dining hall that was obviously better than the previous one. During breakfast, she saw Willow with the other women. Seeing her alive made Eve smile.
After breakfast, they were led to another room, where Miss Susinda was waiting for them, ready to conduct their examinations.
The questions were surprisingly easy. However, Eve feigned difficulty as she didn't want to arouse suspicion by finishing too quickly. After all, she had missed the earlier lectures.
Aside from this, instead of giving all the right answers, Eve intentionally made a mistake.
One mistake.
Making two mistakes was simply too much even for her.
After the exam, Eve expected Miss Susinda to tell them their scores. Instead, the woman started calling out names and asked them to stay in the room after the class.
Regrettably, Eve's name was among them.
"One mistake. I am impressed," Susinda started. She was glaring at Eve as if she just committed a serious crime. "Who was it?" Susinda asked.
"Pardon?"
"Who gave you their notes?"
"No one," Eve uttered. "I am certain that you were aware of what happened last night…" They were running for their lives! Who would think about something like this when a spawn who wanted to drink your blood was chasing after you? Was this woman stupid?
"I was not asking you about what happened, Miss Lucrecia. I was asking you who gave you the notes."
Eve frowned. She couldn't shake off the feeling that Miss Susinda had intentionally targeted her from the start. At first, she thought this woman's dislike for her was caused by some broken nonexistent rule. It seems that she was wrong.
Why was Miss Susinda showing such emotion towards her? Was there a hidden agenda behind it all?
"Are you deaf?" Susinda asked.
"I believe I already gave you an answer earlier," Eve blurted out. She tried to control her emotions but she could not do it. The woman's strange behavior was irritating her and an irritated Eve is not something that many people will like. "Are you perhaps having a hard time hearing?" Eve continued.
She refused to be intimidated by some woman! Eve had never been the one to back down from a challenge.
If this woman thought she could easily bully her into submission, then Eve was going to show her how bullying really works!
Seeing the surprise expression of the woman, Eve smirked.
"Perhaps, you wanted me to repeat my words?"
"Get up!" Susinda hissed.
Eve complied.
"Apologize," Susinda said.
In response, Eve squared her shoulders and looked at her straight in the eyes, her own gaze unwavering.
"For what?"
"Apo— lo— gize!"
"I was showing my concern, Miss Susinda. If that was a mistake then… I apologize for caring."
"You—" Susinda's expression turned even colder, her tone grew sharper. "You are playing a very… very dangerous game, Miss Lucrecia. I suggest you watch your step from now on."
To her surprise, Eve did not back down. She stared at Susinda with a blank look on her face. If this woman was not going to back down, Eve was prepared to do a few methods to make her suffer!
In response to her actions, Susinda's eyes narrowed. "I will give you until midnight to apologize or you will regret it."
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