Eve and Allie had moved to the mansion's library to read a few subjects in depth, where the reference book was present. Right now, the small vampiress was reading a book at the table, while Eve wandered towards the book racks.
Wanting to find out if there was anything about the mermaid's eyes changing in these books, Eve's hand reached for a book. But she was quick to pull her hand away when she heard the clicking sound of shoes approaching the room.
It was Marceline.
The vampiress had let her black hair down with two braids-like headbands that went on top of her head. Eve offered a bow to the vampiress from where she stood.
"I thought I heard the sound of pages rustling in here and wondered who it was," Marceline offered a sweet smile while her eyes scrutinised Eve.
"The advanced book Miss Allie wanted to learn was here. Mr. Moriarty said it was okay to study here than the piano room," Eve explained to Marceline, who continued to look at her and where she stood.
"Is that so," Marceline stepped inside the library, her shoes softly clicking, "You must be excited to be here as this room is open only to the people of high status."
Marceline belittled her without using actual words, and it didn't go unnoticed by Eve. She smiled at the vampiress and replied,
"It is surely a treasure for people who seek to know more about the world we live in. You never know when it might come into use."
Marceline hummed, "But what is the point of knowing things that you will never see, touch or talk about. People from the lower and middle class don't have the slightest of idea," Marceline walked near where Allie sat, looking over the little girl's shoulder to see what she was reading.
"You think having more knowledge is bad?" Eve politely asked Marceline, who turned to look at her and smile.
"Not necessarily bad. But a person will waste time knowing something they will never discuss with another person, because it doesn't matter. It is like knowing about what a stranger does every day, which is of no concern to me," replied Marceline.
Seeing Eve not reply to her, Marceline was irked by it, but she continued to smile.
People outside the mansion and the servants were always quick to agree on what she said, yet here she was, where a mere human governess wasn't willing to agree to her words.
Marceline disliked women like Eve. Someone who acted pure, and kind, spoke to people in a soft tone. The human's nature made her uncomfortable. And it was because those were qualities that didn't belong to the vampiress.
The smile on Marceline's lips didn't quiver, and she said to Eve, "You have finally found someone whom you can talk about things with, isn't it? So silly of me. You should settle down, when you still have the opportunity, Ms. Barlow."
"Thank you for your concerned words, Lady Marceline. How about you?" Eve reversed the question. "Has any man caught your interest?"
Marceline touched the table's surface with the tips of her fingers before pulling away. She said,
"Mm, there are many eligible bachelors, sending me letters and gifts. Some handsome, some smart, some wealthy. I find it hard to pick one without breaking the rest of their hearts. Is there anyone you think is suitable for me?" She asked Eve's suggestion, while fishing for the right answer.
Eve already knew the reply Marceline was expecting to hear. She replied, "Unfortunately, I never took a look at the eligible bachelors to give you a proper answer, Lady Marceline."
"What a pity. I know just the right men, whom you might find to be in your interest," Marceline remarked. She then asked casually, "How well do you know Lady Anaya Chambers? I heard she has excellent designs for clothes and would like to get in touch with her."
"Not much. We have met only twice, but she appears to be a pleasant woman," Eve replied, and Marceline nodded.
"I see," the vampiress murmured as if deep in thought before smiling. "I should get going now," Eve watched Marceline walk away from the library. The sound of the vampiress's footsteps receded.
With Marceline gone and Allie busy reading the book, Eve returned to the rack and pulled out a book containing information about creatures that belonged to the sea. She came upon sea folklore.
'Once there lived, the beautiful and kindest Goddess Nerhys. When her son fell ill, the mermaids and mermen looked for a cure but didn't find it. Nerhys decided to look for the cure on the lands, despite her husband, Anchor's protests.
When looking for a cure, she came upon the King, who offered to help her but on two conditions. One, that she would offer her powers to his children. Two, the next daughter born to Nerhys would be married to his eldest son.
Wanting to save her son, Nerhys agreed to the King's condition. The cure was found and handed to her, while Nerhys gifted the King's children with rare abilities. When Nerhys moved near the shore, the King captured the beautiful mermaid for himself.
Nerhys's son died, and her husband's heart turned dark from grief, killing his kind and others. On receiving the news, the sea goddess turned sorrowful. She had already started to shrivel. Before her last breath, she cursed the King-- For the pain and the promise you broke, your children will wither with their dark emotions as you.
Nerhys died, but with her death came the King's death and his children. The peace between the land and sea was gone. The curse could be broken only if the--'
With the page torn, Eve couldn't read further on what happened. On a closer look, she noticed a whole page must have been torn next to it.
Eve wondered if Vincent knew about this story.
As hours passed in the library, she tried to find what the change of colour in her eyes indicated.
This morning, when Eve was in front of the mirror, she stared into her eyes for more than ten minutes. Trying to concentrate and bring out the yellow freckles, but all she saw was blue.
After some time, she returned to sit next to Allie.
A yawn escaped from Eve's lips. She had come home late and woken up early, leaving her with less sleep.
When Allie left the library to have lunch, Eve laid her head on the table to get a quick nap.
Five minutes passed when Eve was awakened by the sound of a book falling from one of the racks. She opened her eyes and got up to put the fallen book back, but no book had fallen. Her eyebrows furrowed, wondering what the sound was.
Suddenly she heard one of the doors shut close behind her, making her turn, and she stared at it.
"Miss Allie?" Eve called the little vampiress's name but received no response.
Hearing something creek from behind the door, Eve walked towards it. Placing her hand on the doorknob, she pushed it down and opened the door.
While the library was moderately bright inside, where light entered through the windows and candles were lit around the room, outside the door that Eve had opened, it was night. Before she could comprehend what was happening, she heard metal hitting the ground.
Her eyes fell on the men's backs and hands that held shovels as they continued digging the ground, lifting the mud and throwing it to the side. And then her eyes fell on the person lying on the ground.
"Mother..." Eve whispered, stepping forward. When the men picked up her mother and placed her inside the dug-up ground, Eve's lips trembled and shouted, "Stop!"
"Eve!" Vincent's voice snapped her out of what she was experiencing.
Suddenly Eve was not standing in the forest anymore, nor was she standing in the gallery. She stood on the window sill. One more step and she would fly before her body would hit the ground next to the garden.
"Testing if fish have wings?" Vincent questioned with narrowed eyes. His hand wrapped around her wrist, and he pulled her to get her back into the room, "What do you think you are doing?"
Eve stared at Vincent, feeling her heart beating loudly. She said, "My mother is buried somewhere in the forest. I saw her."
Vincent's face held a grim expression, and asked her, "Do you know where?"
"It was near the oranges... similar to the ones we had been to yesterday," said Eve.
"That's not possible. It cannot be anywhere near the spot where we went. It is because the spots there are already filled. Many years ago, the place used to be a graveyard before the tombstones were cleared. Important ones were shifted, while the nameless were left behind... Only a person of authority would dare to bury it."
There were plenty of orange trees planted in every town, and there was no telling if Eve's mother was truly buried near the Council.
"And just because we didn't get caught last night, doesn't mean you won't get caught the next time you walk there," Vincent reminded her. "Do you remember anything more specific? Something that stands out, or the men's faces?"
Eve shook her head, "They had their backs facing me."
"Too little information to find your mother, Eve darling. It's not even a needle in the haystack, but a drop of water dropped into the ocean which gets lost," he stated. Looking at her eyes, he stepped closer and said, "Looks like the flecks are back."
Eve blinked her eyes a couple of times for it to return to its original blue and heard Vincent say,
"If you have something more specific, maybe we can work on it."
Vincent wasn't too keen on digging the ground where he had buried most of the bodies and was resting peacefully. Some of the old skeletons were thrown out to make space for the new ones.
It seemed like his mermaid didn't just dream in her sleep but also during the day. The flecks appeared only at certain times.
As Vincent stared at Eve, he had doubts of what she could be, but he wasn't too sure. His eyes subtly narrowed.
