Music Recommendation: Choices- Kris Bowers
The butterflies that were flapping in Rosetta's stomach disappeared. She felt her stomach drop on the ground. Her nervous smile and hope vanished and was replaced with an ache. She stared at Eugene, who stared back at her.
Rosetta asked him, "You don't like me?"
She knew she wasn't as pretty as Eve or smart compared to the other vampiresses in her society, but she was ready to work to achieve it. There was nothing she couldn't achieve if she put her mind to do it.
"Lady Rosetta," Eugene drew a sharp line between them, subtly hinting at the difference in their status, "You shouldn't be expressing such things with me when you are very aware of my status. Your family will be disappointed if they hear about it and it would be better if you don't mention it to them or anyone else."
"My family doesn't hold my heart, but you do. I don't care about the difference in our status and if that is what worries you, you shouldn't pay attention to it, Eugene," and when Rosetta took a step towards the man, he took a step backwards to maintain a distance between them and his action hurt her.
Eugene didn't know if this was a ploy by the Hooke family and if it wasn't, he didn't know what action of his misled the vampiress to think that he would be okay with her feelings for him. Clearly the young, spoiled vampiress lived inside her own world, not realising the reality they were part of. He said,
"I think it would be best for you to forget about your feelings for me and marry a man who belongs to your status."
"You didn't answer my question, Eugene. Do you not like me?" Rosetta held her breath.
"I only see you as Miss Eve's friend, and nothing more than that. I hope that answers your question," Eugene curtly replied, and the vampiress shook her head, with hurt starting to brew in her chest.
"That doesn't answer my question. Do you not like me?" She repeated her question, her words more firm.
"I don't."
A chill passed through Rosetta's body, and her heart broke from hearing his answer. Was she unlovable? She asked herself. Was it her being unappealing? She asked him,
"Why not? Do you like someone?" Was it Eve? Was that why he was protective about her... and the thought left a pinch in her mind.
She then said, "I am ready to improve myself to be a better person for you. I don't ask much from you but you. Yo--"
"Lady Rosetta, it is only because you are Miss Eve's friend and the only reason I exchange words with you. Else for what your mother did to Lady Aubrey, I would have never looked at your face. Miss Eve might have a kind heart, but I only possesses kindness to the ones who are close and dear to me," noticing Rosetta's confused expression, he said, "Your mother crushed two toes from Lady Aubrey's foot and she has made it clear to Miss Eve to steer away from you. If you really care about us, then you will stop thinking about this to avoid any trouble."
Rosetta's heart broke for the very first time, and she stared at Eugene, the man she believed would accept her. After all, he had shown her kindness without expecting anything in return. His words and polite actions had won her over, and now she was hurt. She said,
"I didn't mean to bring any trouble to you or Eve... I didn't know that my mother mistreated Lady Aubrey in such a harsh manner..." Rosetta noticed how Eugene looked serious, as if he wasn't going to change his mind.
"It is something you wouldn't have known, milady. But now that you do, I hope you understand the gravity of the situation we are all in," Eugene responded to her. If it weren't for her, Miss Eve would not have killed the vampiress, and things wouldn't be complicated. And who knew how close the dead woman was to this vampiress. There was no assurance that she would still be friends with Miss Eve if she knew the truth.
Rosetta's hands clenched just like her heart did and she apologised, "I would like to ask for forgiveness on behalf of my mother. What if I said I will leave my status behind and would like to make a life with you?"
Eugene stared at the vampiress and offered her a smile, "Are you willing to mop the floor? Serve food for the people who belong to your status like a maid, milady? Can you carry the dirty clothes to the river to wash it?"
"I can try..." Rosetta whispered, who looked like an abandoned puppy.
"I don't believe it is what you truly want, milady. You deserve a better life, not one that belongs to the servants," Eugene tried to make her understand and continued, "Love is never enough to lead a life. There are many other things that need to be taken into account that you haven't. You should go back and forget about it because what you wish for, it cannot happen."
More importantly, Marquee and Marchioness Hooke would hunt him, Lady Aubrey, and maybe even Miss Eve as she wasn't married to Mr. Vincent Moriarty yet. And Eugene wasn't willing to put the only family he knew in danger.
Rosetta looked embarrassed but more importantly, hurt. She didn't stay there for a second more and ran away from the corridor and out of the Moriarty mansion with tears in her eyes.
"Tsk tsk! Don't you think you were a little too harsh on her?" Timotei jumped on the edge of the open window with his tail swishing back and forth. "Imagine the wealth you would acquire if you were to marry her. From rags to riches, how wonderful. Yet you turned out to be a heartbreaker, tch."
"It is for everyone's good. Her mother will hunt us down, if she even gets a whiff of her daughter's thoughts," Eugene responded with a deep frown, while he looked in the direction in which the vampiress had run away. "And I don't want to die this soon."
