章節 31: Not permitted to talk about it

"And you should stop concluding on things that you aren't sure of. Did you see the boy's body for you to assume he is dead or dying already?" Mary fired at Gwen for her insensitive statement, but the latter was not ready to relent.

"The fact that he was considerate with you does not mean he is like that with everyone else. I have first-hand experience of his cruelty so I know what I am talking about." Gwen countered, firing a mild glare at Mary. "You have seen him slaughter people with no iota of pity or remorse. You know what I'm saying is the truth and just so you know, I heard from a reliable source that a young child was brought to the palace last night."

After Gwen said this, she shifted her attention to Ellie, whose eyes had stretched wide due to the last words she just heard drop from Gwen's lips. "I'm not saying that the child is your brother. I just don't want you to get your hopes high. Master Storm is the cruelest being I have ever seen or imagined."

Just as she finished saying this, a bell rang, echoing throughout the building.

"Break's over. Time to go." Gwen pushed herself up from the bed and walked out of the room.

"I'll see you later, Ellie." Ginger patted Ellie slightly on the back before also leaving the room.

"Don't get yourself worked up for nothing. I, at least, know that your brother is too young to be turned into a vampire. He may still be at home in the company of your neighbors, and I'm sure they will find help for him while you're away." Mary tried to shake Ellie out of her despair, but the latter was already sinking deep.

She just couldn't get what Gwen said out of her mind. What if the child truly was Nicholas? She had to find out, but how?

"Hey! Did you hear me? Snap out of it. Don't let her words get to you. You'll only become miserable and get yourself killed even before you can regain your freedom and reunite with your brother. Don't believe anything you hear until you're very sure your brother is not safe out there."

"Ellie finally nodded in agreement but her mind was still not slowing down. She didn't mind being imprisoned but she needed to be sure Nicholas was safe, and the only way to achieve that was to find a way to escape from this place.

"Alright. Are you still going to show me around?" Ellie probed, and when Mary nodded, she sighed in relief. There had to be a way to sneak out of the palace without anyone noticing. But in order for that to happen, she needed to look around and familiarize herself with the place. "Can we go now? Maybe looking around will help me clear my head and relax.

"Of course. Come on." Mary moved toward the door, and Ellie stood up, ready to follow her out.

"Let's start from here. This is now your room. You will be staying here for now until the authorities decide to change it. That bed is yours." Mary pointed to the bed Ellie just vacated. "And this building is the maid's quarters. There are about sixty or more maids residing here. This ground floor is for those of us who couldn't turn into vampires, the upper level is for those who successfully turned into vampires." Mary paused, sensing from the look on Ellie's face that something was not clear to her.

"Wait! They tried turning all of you? And you are a maid? How? I thought you're the daughter of the chief of state." Ellie threw the questions one after another without pause.

"As you rightly heard, we are paying for the sins of our fathers," Mary spoke, then stepped outside and started walking down the corridor. "It was either to be killed, or be turned, and no way I was gonna agree to be killed for a crime I didn't commit, a crime I strongly opposed when I found out the truth. But unfortunately, my body rejected the venom, that's why I'm still human, even though I can't say I am still the same person I used to be." Mary's face turned slightly sad and thoughtful for a moment. "I feel pretty much the same, but I can't help this nagging feeling that something is missing and I don't know what."

Ellie eyed the girl for a brief moment before setting her eyes straight, looking at the long corridor before them. There were doors on both sides, and they had passed by three of them already. All the doors were closed, and the corridor was as quiet as a graveyard.

"I'm confused about something. The chief of state made a live broadcast a day ago from this palace, assuring everyone that everything was under control. How is that possible if vampires are in charge?" Ellie probed.

"He did?" Mary asked, puzzled. "That's weird. I'm not sure how that's possible. Are you sure it was him?"

"Yes. Very sure." Ellie confirmed.

"I will have to ask Enrique about that. We have absolutely no idea what is happening in the outside world."

"One more question. You said a man planted the idea of eradicating the vampires. Who is this man? And what did he stand to gain from doing that?" Ellie threw a question, just as they reached the end of the corridor, and stepped outside.

She quickly shielded her eyes from the harsh rays of the sun with her palm, squinting until her eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. She, however, noticed that Mary was not affected. The girl only blinked twice, a white veil coming over her eyes after the first blink, and disappearing after the second.

"That question, I can't answer, because I'm not permitted to talk about it," Mary answered like a robot being controlled. "Why are you looking at me like that?" Her voice became normal again when she noticed the strange way Ellie was staring at her.

"Nothing." Ellie shook her head and turned away from the girl, a small frown settling on her face. Truly, the girl felt like a normal human, but what the hell just happened with her eyes and voice a while ago?