Marceline was shocked to put the smile back on her face right now. To share a table with someone beneath her in status and kind, she would never be able to digest the same food again.
Charles was busy staring at Eve as if trying to remember something while Eve looked nowhere in particular.
Senior Mr. Moriarty stated, "Last night, Vincent and I talked about how Ms. Barlow has shown remarkable results in helping Allie improve in such a short period. I think it would be a loss to not have her work for us permanently as the Moriarty family's governess. This is an appreciation for putting effort and also upholding the Moriarty name that she serves." He then turned to Eve and said, "We hope for you to continue working the same"
Eve quickly bowed, "Thank you, Senior Mr. Moriarty."
Lady Annalise shot daggers at the lowly human but more at Vincent because she knew he was the one who was behind this. She said,
"I just remembered that I need to get ready for a soiree held this afternoon. Excuse me," she dabbed her lips with the napkin. Like a dutiful wife, she kissed her husband's cheek and left the room.
Eve could feel people staring at her, and she wondered why Vincent had dragged her into the frying pan. There was nowhere else to jump except in the fire, and she tried to keep a composed expression.
"Sit down, Ms. Barlow unless you are waiting for the King to ask you to do it," Vincent asked her sarcastically. "What would you like to eat? Unfortunately, your favourite fish soup has already been consumed."
Eve's face slightly turned pale at Vincent's words. It seemed like she was going to die soon...
A wicked smile appeared on Vincent's lips, seeing Henry staring at Eve and wanting to make conversation with Eve. He stated,
"Mr. Quintin, maybe you should give the flowers before they start to wilt and lose their fragrance."
The last thing the young man wanted was to offer wilted flowers to the lady. He got up from his seat to get the bouquet.
Senior Mr. Moriarty, who was done with his meal, excused himself and left the room.
In the meantime, Marceline quickly tucked the loose strands of her hair behind her ear while sitting straighter and busying herself with her tea. So that when Henry would come to her with flowers, she would behave as if she didn't know the flowers were for her.
The vampiress waited for the footsteps to approach her, but instead, it only turned distant. Feeling something not right, she looked up, and her eyes widened when she saw Henry Quintin standing next to Eve. He said,
"Ms. Barlow, I would like you to accept these flowers from me. Even though they aren't as beautiful as you."
Eve, who was drinking water, didn't expect this. She spat the water from her mouth before quickly apologising and wiping her lips. In the room were three shocked people-- Eve, Marceline and Charles, each one for different reasons.
"It seems like our governess has become famous. Don't you think so, Marcie?" Vincent rubbed it in his proud sister's face, whose jaw had fallen. "All thanks to the ball you organised."
Eve looked at the man and then at the flowers. Henry said, "This morning, when I saw these, it reminded me of you. It is just for you to keep, and you do not have to add any meaning to it."
Marceline gripped the fork that she held on to. Last year, this same person had told the exact same line to her, and now he was using it on another woman in front of her. She said, "It seems like you are running out of lines when it comes to praising woman, Mr. Quintin."
Henry scratched the back of his neck and he said to Marceline, "Forgive me for my lack of tact with women. I hope you don't mind it."
"Why would she?" Vincent jumped into the conversation. "Just because my dear sister didn't return your affections doesn't mean you cannot pursue another woman. What do you say, Charles?"
Charles raised his hand, shrugging his shoulders as he agreed, "That is true."
Eve wondered which trouble Vincent was pushing her into. It was like the longer she spent with him, her calm fate was turning to a chaotic one.
"Please," Henry pleaded.
When Eve turned to Marceline, the vampiress offered her a sweet and supportive smile. She said, "You have to thank me for changing your luck Ms. Barlow like a fairy God."
While Marceline and Charles's attention was on Eve, who was thanking Henry, Vincent turned to his youngest sister Allie, who had been quietly eating her breakfast. He called her,
"Hamster, do you know what's the opposite of fairy God?"
The little girl swallowed her food and turned to her brother before asking, "Witch?"
Marceline, who heard this, her eyes snapped to look at her two siblings with a sharp glare. Vincent patted Allie's head,
"What a smart girl you have turned out to be," he praised her, and when his eyes met Marceline's, he asked innocently, "What?"
Henry went back to sit in the seat he had been sitting in earlier.
When Eve turned to look at Vincent, his eyes twinkled in amusement, and he offered her a bright smile.
Remembering Vincent's earlier words, Henry asked Eve, "Do you like fish, Ms. Barlow? It was only this morning that my servants brought in fresh fish from the sea to my mansion. If you like, I would like to invite you for lunch sometime this week."
"I will be busy," Eve replied, subtly refusing Mr. Quintin's invitation.
"So fast, Mr. Quintin," Vincent clicked his tongue. Even though he was amused with how things turned out this morning, that didn't mean he was keen on Eve visiting Mr. Quintin's house. He said, "Inviting Ms. Barlow when your parents aren't home, it would be quite scandalous. You wouldn't want that, would you? She has many chivalrous admirers."
"Is that so? I wouldn't be surprised though," Henry laughed, and Eve laughed out of awkwardness.
Marceline intervened by saying, "It feels more like you don't want Ms. Barlow out of your sight, brother Vince."
"That might be true, you never know," a wicked smile appeared on Vincent's lips, and Marceline wanted to smack him. It was because it was hard to decipher what he was thinking for her to retort. "She's Allie's governess and you know how hard it is to find a good governess. Isn't that right, Henry? Sometimes we need to protect what is rare."
Henry nodded before saying, "I will work hard to gain Ms. Barlow's affections. I have never come across a beauty like her."
Vincent turned to Marceline, "You heard that, Marcie? All thanks to you."
Marceline smiled and said, "I am happy for Ms. Barlow. The path of true happiness for me is to make others happy, and that's what I tried yesterday. To know that my efforts bore fruit, what else can I ask for?"
Once everyone finished having their breakfast, Eve was making her way to the piano room, when she heard a voice behind her,
"Little girl."
Eve bit the inside of her cheek and turned to look at Vincent making his way to where she was. She had wanted to avoid seeing or meeting him today, because she couldn't forget that he had sucked and licked the blood off her foot.
She politely asked him, "How can I help you, Master Vincent?"
At her question, a smile cracked up on his lips as he ran his tongue over the tip of his fang, "You ask the obvious."
