The room was a simple one with a table and two chairs on it. The windows behind Casimir had been covered with black curtains and the only thing illuminating the room were the candles on the wall. It was not as bright as the outside, but it was enough for her to see Casimir's serious expression.
"There's no reason for me to feel anxious since I haven't done anything wrong."
Casimir nodded. "Or you did it and you were confident that you would be able to get away with it."
"I did not harm anyone."
"The others said Susinda seemed to dislike you. In fact, some described a confrontation where she demanded an apology."
"They were telling the truth."
"I expected you to lie."
"Is there a reason for me to lie?" Eve blurted out. "I did not harm anyone."
Casimir snorted. Then he leaned towards her. "It will be up to me to determine your innocence or guilt."
"You are wasting your time. While you are here talking to me, the one who did it is out there."
Casimir leaned back. "Tell me what happened last night."
As Eve gazed into his eyes, she felt a subtle discomfort that gradually grew into a piercing pain. She sensed that he was attempting to ensnare her! However, her soul quickly fought back. To avoid complications, she made the decision to let down her guard.
"She asked me to apologize," Eve said in a monotonous voice. "I refuse to."
"What happened?"
"Miss Susinda asked me to visit her study after having dinner and… I did."
"Did you hurt her?"
"I did not."
"What did you do when you arrived inside her study?"
"She asked me to apologize. Again, I refused. She told me to watch my step and be more careful in the future. Then she let me leave."
"That's it?" Casimir frowned.
"Yes."
"Are you certain?"
"Yes," Eve had seen Lucius ensnare someone in the past and the victim acted like a puppet.
"Did she say anything else?"
"No," Eve said.
"Anything about serving other vampires?"
"No." Now, that was unexpected.
"Good." Casimir suddenly broke eye contact and the pressure vanished.
"I—" Eve immediately paled. She covered her mouth as if she was trying to stop herself from vomiting.
"How frail."
"You— what did you do?"
"There is no need to be concerned about it."
Eve frowned.
"You may leave now."
Eve rose from her seat and left the room without saying another word. Once she left, the expression on her face changed. Her eyes turned colder, sharper.
She quickly made her way into the room where the others were waiting.
When she walked in, she immediately sensed the palpable tension inside the room.
She ignored it as she sat down on her bed. Then her gaze landed on her things. Each bed had its own storage where they were allowed to store anything that they deemed important.
This was also where they store their nightgowns and undergarments.
She used sorcery as a detection tool in case someone would open her storage and just now, she immediately sensed that something was amiss.
She wasted no time as she used magic to examine the contents and just as she expected. She found something.
It was a piece of paper.
Sadly, she lacked the ability to discern its contents as her magic could only do simple tasks that did not require too much control. Reading the contents of a paper that was kept at the bottom of her storage was not one of them. She gritted her teeth and opened her storage.
She took a new nightgown and undergarments and placed them on top of the bed.
To the others, she was merely preparing her things for the night. The true nature of her actions was known to Eve alone.
As if on cue, the door burst open. Knights wearing black armor walked in along with Sinas.
"Stand with your back to the wall," Sinas instructed, his tone as harsh as his physique.
"What is happening!?" one of the women asked as the others had a panicked look on their faces.
"We are going to search your things," Sinas said. "These female knights are going to search your clothing."
With that, he turned around and stood by the door as he told the knights to start searching their storage.
Eve frowned as she observed the suspicious timing of the search and the presence of something hidden in her storage.
Was she just overthinking things? Or... was someone trying to frame her for a sin she did not commit?
"We found nothing," the knight reported after a thorough search that involved throwing all the contents of their storage on the floor. Since the knights were vampires, searching through everything only took them a few minutes.
One of Sinas's eyebrows shot up.
"Very well…" Sinas said. He then looked at the women who had a mixture of emotions in their faces. "This will be the end of it. You shall not talk about this again. Do you understand?"
Seeing the women nod, Silas continued.
"Expect a few maids to come and prepare you for tonight's events. The mansion will be graced by the presence of high-ranking vampires in a few hours." Sinas said before leaving with the knights.
When Eve heard the word high ranking, she immediately thought of Lucius.
Would it be possible that he would come too?
The thought of it, made her heart race. Her palms started sweating.
Was it really possible that she would see that traitor again?
She gnashed her teeth as she lowered her head.
After a few minutes, she lifted her gaze, the anger in her eyes was nowhere to be found. Without saying another word, she started fixing her clothes, arranging them back in her small storage.
Just as Silas mentioned, maids arrived to assist them with the event tonight. As there were fewer than thirty women remaining, each of them was now given two to three maids to make the preparation even faster.
"So, everyone is ready?" Ophelia walked in with a beautiful smile on her face. She was wearing a long red dress that accentuated her curves. She glanced at the women and for a moment, her eyes stopped at Eve. "Good." She beamed with joy, as though she hadn't lost someone she knew just a few hours ago.
"The two Dukes will join tonight's festivities,' Ophelia continued. "Even the eccentric Duke Lucius has decided to come!"
A feeling of dread washed over Eve at the mention of Lucius's attendance.
She balled her hands into tight fists, her nails dug into her palms.
She would finally see him again!
Eve expected nothing but blood on the menu for tonight's event.
To her surprise, however, the banquet highlighted a feast for the senses.
A table filled with platters of both vegetables and meat, delicately cooked to perfection and all presented with the same elegance as the table where the vampires were socializing with each other. Savory meat, and exotic dishes filled the table that should be for the humans in attendance.
Meanwhile, the grand hall was just an impressive sight to behold.
Illuminated by beautiful chandeliers that hung from the high ceiling, a vast ballroom space can be seen in the middle where the guests could dance and socialize. The floors were polished to a high shine, reflecting the chandeliers from above.
The edge of the ballroom space was adorned with seating areas, where the guests could relax and enjoy.
This event seemed to be so grand, she could not help but wonder what the event was.
She eyed the vampires that were talking with each other. They kept to themselves, showing little interest in the human attendees.
Upon their arrival, some vampires stared at them with both curiosity and awe but they would immediately turn towards the vampire next to them and would once again engage in their own conversation.
This was too different from the first event, Eve thought inwardly.
Relief flooded through her when she realized Lucius was still nowhere to be seen.
She contemplated how she would react if she saw him again. Soon, she realized that none of the possible responses would end well for her. So, she composed herself and controlled her fury.
She could not let her emotions win.
In this game, she could not let them win!
"Go on…" Ophelia ushered them to their seats. "Enjoy the wine. Tonight is the Prince's day."
So it was Max's birth date?
Eve snorted inwardly. Vampires live a very very long life, some of them already forgot the day that they were born.
However, there are some who would celebrate their day.
They were going to have a grand celebration on a certain day— usually, the day that they became a vampire. Of course, there were some peculiar vampires who would still celebrate the day they were born.
She wondered if Max was celebrating the day he was born as human or the day he turned into a vampire.
"Baron Ivan Draven and Baroness Marete Draven are entering!" A loud voice announced just as the big wooden door opened. Despite this, the soft music did not really stop.
A man that looked like he was still in his late twenties walked in, a beautiful smile was plastered on his face. He had blond hair and sharp features yet it was not enough to dampen his good looks. The woman next to him was equally as beautiful with the same blond hair and blue eyes.
"Baron Dante Thorn and Baroness Concepcion Thorn are entering!" There was another announcement and another couple walked in. They were both wearing black elegant clothing, both had black hair and dark brown eyes. While they were smiling, the sinister glint in their eyes was pretty apparent.
"Baron Gideon Petrov and Baroness Analissa Petrov are entering!" A brown-haired man and a beautiful dark-haired woman with exotic features walked in.
Eve lowered her gaze.
She had scanned the room for any handsome vampires to ogle, hoping to distract herself from the thought of Lucius's looming presence. But even the most striking of them failed to hold her attention for long.
Wasn't she simply too pathetic?
Her anger was devouring her from the inside.
Can someone blame her?
Her lips thinned as she thought of the past when she saved Lucius Martelli from death.
How could one betray their savior?
How could one betray the person that would do everything for them?
Perhaps only Lucius and those people could answer that question.
"Hey, do you want me to get you some wine?"
Eve lifted her head when she heard Willow's voice. Since that night, she did not have the chance to talk to the woman.
"No, thank you."
Willow gave her a wry smile as she sat next to her. "About that night—"
"I don't think there is a need for us to talk about it," Eve immediately cut her off.
"I apologize, I did not want to sound rude. Thank you for saving me."
Eve nodded.
"I owe you one," Willow said. Before she could respond, Willow got up and went back to her seat.
The timing could not have been more perfect, as the herald's booming voice cut through the air like a knife.
"Behold the Duke of Imperion, His Grace Kier Antonecu!"
Just like everyone else, Eve turned to face the entrance, watching as the Duke made his grand arrival.
"Greetings to the honored one," the vampires greeted in unison.
Out of nowhere, a movement caught Eve's attention. She turned her head just in time to see him.
Lucius.
Lucius Martelli.
The man whom she had treated as a brother for tens of years!
The very same man who watched her die with a disgusted look on his face.
"Behold the Duke of Imperion. His Grace Lucius Martelli!"
"Greetings to the honored one." For the second time, the other vampires greeted those that were entering the ballroom. Even though she had braced herself for this moment, the sight of Lucius still threatened to overwhelm her. She felt her blood boil, her heart raced as her hand shook.
She quickly lowered her head as her face twisted with fury.
A sudden urge to lash out and make him suffer like she had suffered filled her.
Control, she chanted inwardly.
The sound of the Prince's arrival was drowned out by the deafening roar of Eve's rage to the point where she did not even realize he was there until she lifted her head and saw him standing next to Lucius.
Eve was lost in her thoughts for a few seconds before she became aware of the sudden silence in the room. When she looked up, she saw that all eyes were on her, filled with curiosity and interest.
"And that woman…" Lucius' voice echoed in the air. "You can stay. The rest can leave the banquet now."
Eve's heart sank as she scanned the room and realized that Lucius had chosen her with four other women to stay behind at the banquet.
Dread settled in the pit of her stomach like a lead weight.
....
A/N: Ehem... I really like this cliffhanger. I might lock in the next chapter. hehehehe
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