Thank you for asking <3 I am doing better now ^^ Another chapter will be posted, post reset hour
Alfie carried a burning lantern in his left hand, which was hung in the air at the level of his head. He walked through the underground of the Moriarty mansion, where the walls were made of dark uneven stones. Not far behind him walked Vincent, his footsteps quieter than the paws of a feline.
The butler took out the key to the cellar in his right hand. Inserting the key in the gate slot, he turned it around and opened the grill-like gate of the cellar.
"Light the place," Vincent ordered, and he went inside along with the butler, who bowed.
The front part of the cellar was built with racks of different coloured bottles that held liquor, like treasure being stored for many years. When the butler lit the room by burning the torches placed against the wall, the place soon brightened and gave a golden hue-like glow.
"Get me a glass of blood," Vincent ordered again.
"Right away, Master Vincent," Alfie bowed, barely bothered with the number of commands given to him.
Once the butler left Vincent alone in the cellar, Vincent made his way to the other side of the room, which held racks of parchments tied with thread to hold it still. On another rack sat files and books, which held labels of the years when the information was collected and stored.
Vincent walked towards the rack where the books with years were present, standing in front of the rack, he picked one that belonged to his mother and father. He took a comfortable seat by sitting on the edge of a table that hadn't been used in some time but was still clean. The front of the book read-- Eduard and Katherina Moriarty.
The book wasn't big like the others, but it had information about his parents. Small portrait-like pictures were placed in the book, bringing memories that Vincent kept close to him.
Vincent stared at the picture long enough for Alfie to return with a glass of blood, and the butler offered it to him.
"Is that Lady Katherina's picture?"
"Mm, must have been when she was with grandfather and grandmother," Vincent replied, taking the glass of blood from Alfie and sipping it. The picture belonged to the time when his mother was young.
Alfie wondered if Master Vincent was here to reminisce about his late mother's memories.
"Are these all the family record books that we have in the mansion?" Vincent questioned, pulling out the picture of his mother and slipping it into his pocket. He closed the book and pulled another book from the rack.
"These are all we have, Sire. Are you looking for something in particular?" Alfie inquired, with his hands folded in front of him.
"I met a cat that talks, which said some very curious things and I thought to take a look at the history of the Moriarty family," Vincent finished the entire glass of blood within seconds and handed the empty glass back to the butler.
Vincent's lips twisted while his eyes appeared to be holding a great concentration before he picked the book that aligned with the time when the Gauntlet family existed. He turned the pages and said,
"Looks like the Moriarty family did work along with the Gauntlet family," Vincent hummed, while Alfie still didn't know what was going on. He continued, "The Moriarty family worked as the King's advisors. Don't think they did a good job advising the King to not meddle with the Goddess of the Sea. Or the King was just a pure idiot who didn't care about the consequences."
"Most of the families that belong to the high society must be closely connected to the great King back then, sire," Alfie put his thoughts, to which Vincent nodded.
"That's how it is now, but with the centuries and generations that have passed and arrived, no one is certain of where they stand. Present yes, past not too much," Vincent stated as he turned the pages with his eyes moving across the coarse pages. He said, "There are some notable family names here, whose families still exist. Like Marquee Hooke's ancestor was a lord back then, and now the family is a Marquee. The Quintin's were in the ministry, while there are others. Not too high in ranking, but on the lower end. Mm, and the Sullivans."
"The Duke of Woodlock's family, Sire?" Alfie asked who knew the names of the men his master worked with.
"Mhm," Vincent hummed with interest. This wasn't the book record of the Moriarty family. This has recorded the time when the King was alive and his family existed. The ones who worked closely with the King were notable enough to be mentioned in the book. He murmured, "The Sullivans and Moriarty's seem to have worked together far in the past," and a slight smile appeared on his lips and he closed the book.
The next morning, as usual Eve arrived at the Moriarty mansion along with her lunchbox and her purple umbrella in hand. When she entered the hallways, she noticed some of the maids curiously stare at her. But when she turned to look at them, they quickly offered a bow before scurrying away. She wondered what that was about.
Before Eve could head towards the stairways, the butler quickly appeared in the corridor and greeted her with a bow,
"Good morning, Ms. Barlow. May I take your umbrella and your lunch box?" He offered in politeness.
Eve greeted the butler with a smile, "Good morning, Alfie. I think I can carry it myself, don't worry about it."
"The Moriarty family expects your presence in the dining room, milady," Alfie politely informed her, who continued to bow at her. He then said, "I will have your things brought to the piano room."
Eve finally nodded and handed him her things. She then made her way towards the dining room. When she reached the front of the dining room, a servant pushed the door open for her and she stepped inside and offered her greetings to the family,
"Good morning, Viscount Eduard. Good morning, Lady Annalise. Mr. Moriarty," Eve's eyes met Vincent, who looked amused by her morning greetings. When her eyes fell on Marceline, ready to greet her, the young vampiress stared at her with no hint of her usual polite and kind smile she always wore on her lips. "Good morning Lady Marceline. Good morning, Miss Allie."
"It seems like you are a meticulous person, Ms. Barlow," Eve heard the Viscount remark and he then waved his hand towards the empty chair, "Have a seat, and join us for breakfast."
Eve bowed, and walked around the table. She saw a chair pulled for her by the servant to Allie's immediate right.
Marceline clutched the silverware in her hands, and if she was alone with Eve, she would have stabbed this human for bringing her humiliation. Unable to look at the hideousness, she pushed her chair backwards and stood up, ready to leave the dining room.
"Where are you going, when the breakfast isn't served yet?" Lady Annalise questioned her eldest daughter, not liking Marceline's rude manners at the table.
"Sit down, dear sister," Vincent said looking at Marceline, before he added, "The blood served now is fresh, and it is the most fresh you will be able to drink for the rest of your life."
Marceline's face turned red in anger and shame that she was punished to carry since last night. Her eyes narrowed at Vincent. She turned to her father and complained, "Isn't last night enough that he's trying to hurt me more?"
"Vincent," Eduard warned his son, not wanting to pick on Marceline as it was a sensitive matter, even though he knew there was a way to get back his daughter's fangs if she would change her attitude. He then said to his elder daughter, "Sit back in your seat, Marceline"
Marceline didn't want to have her meal with Eve at the same table. Anger bubbled in her mind, and though she wanted to protest, the vampiress was aware enough to know that her words would not go down well with her family after being exposed to what she had done to this human.
Before the breakfast could be served, Eve heard the Viscount address her, "Ms. Barlow, Vincent told us that you have agreed to marry him. Is that right?"
Everyone's eyes fell on Eve, including the two maids in the room, who couldn't wait to gossip about this. She nodded, "Yes, that is right, Viscount Eduard." The Viscount stared at her as if gauging something. It was because Eduard had doubts if his son would ever take a wife, as no woman in high society could endure with his nature until now. If Katherina was alive, she would have been the only one.
"Why do you want to marry him?" Lady Annalise questioned Eve in an interrogative tone, her lips set in a thin line which almost seemed invisible from a distance. The older vampiress said, "I hear you are very popular in Meadow, in being wooed by many men. Why not settle with them? Unless you are aiming for status and wealth."
Lady Annalise couldn't help but be suspicious about their governess and, somewhere, found it unbelievable.
When Eve looked at Vincent, the pureblooded vampire was busy enjoying drinking blood. She answered, "I like him for who he is. We compliment well together."
"That isn't a strong enough reason to marry someone," came the curt words from Lady Annalise.
"Anna, I thought we had already discussed this," Eduard tried to stop his wife.
"I am questioning what a mother would generally ask. We don't know anything about her intentions," Lady Annalise frowned before her questioning eyes fell on Eve.
"I think Vincent is a man of good character. Most men don't hold the same intellect as Vincent. Though a little grey and odd in some things, he brings me peace, and I hope I bring him peace too," Eve's eyes fell on Vincent, whose lips curled as if loving the words that fell out of her lips.
Eduard said with a smile, "Ms. Barlow, we look forward to you being part of the Moriarty family."
Eve was grateful for the acceptance from Vincent's father. Noticing that Lady Annalise wasn't belittling her with her being a 'human', she could only guess that she was coming around after hours. But it wasn't out of willingness, but because the vampiress knew Vincent would marry her anyway without her approval.
The older vampire then continued, "I have always wanted my family to be close knit, and if mistakes have been made, it can be fixed and forgiven so that there's no bad blood within the family. It is a Moriarty family rule to keep feuds within the family, while also standing strong against the outsiders."
Marceline gritted her teeth. The same rule could have been applied to her because the human was an outsider, while she was Moriarty blood. Her mother's favourite was slowly changing to Allie, and her father's favourite had always been her brother, leaving her all alone.
Eve nodded again, "I will keep it in mind, Viscount Eduard."
But Senior Mr. Moriarty's words weren't for Eve; as he turned to look at Marceline and met her eyes, that turned curious. He said, "Marceline."
Marceline looked like a willing wolf who had been wearing sheep's clothing until now, and without knowing where it would lead itself, it now stood ready to be butchered. She blinked at her father,
"What is it, father?"
Eve wasn't unaware about what was going on. She looked at the Viscount and then at Marceline. When she turned to look at Vincent, it appeared as if he was having a good time, as he sat back and enjoyed the scene in front of him that was satisfying his sadistic needs.
