Any person who was a human or any other creature who wasn't another pureblooded vampire or a werewolf was meant to be scared of a pureblooded vampire. In the past, Eve respected Marceline like any other person from high society, as she knew where she stood compared to the other people around her. But she didn't have to hold the same respect or wariness towards the vampiress.
Marceline had humiliated her in front of every person in Meadow, causing Eve mental and physical pain. But it ended there. Knowing the vampiress didn't have fangs anymore nor her family's support in hurting Eve, Eve didn't have to bow her head to this woman. The vampiress was reduced to nothing less than a human, who drank blood from the glass.
"Love is fickle, Eve," Marceline stared back at Eve with a stubborn and arrogant glint in her eyes. "Don't think it will always stay like this just because you think everything is good now. The love my brother has in his heart might burn too bright now, but you should also be aware that the things that burn too bright also exhaust fast."
Marceline knew she couldn't do anything to Eve because her brother was still not married to Marquee's daughter, which was why she would have to wait for proper time. And that time wasn't too long.
Marceline took another step further inside the study room, her red eyes scanning the room much more carefully. There was no way this woman was taking a nap in here, when she had her own room. Her eyes went back to meet Eve, and she said,
"Vincent and you cannot stay in the same room, alone anymore. It will be reported to the Hooke if you do something out of line. We don't want to make things difficult for you. Tell my brother that too, that I will be keeping a close eye on him and so will this maid."
Eve noticed how Marceline's arrogance had returned twice in amount since they had returned from the Council's quarters. She calmly replied, "You can tell it to him yourself."
Marceline's eyes narrowed. She threatened Eve, "Don't forget that you are still a lowly human and will always stay like that. So don't try to act superior."
Eve offered the vampiress a polite smile and stood up from the couch, making her way to where they stood, near the door and replied, "I wonder what it is, but you seem to be intimidated by me to take my simple response as an act to threaten you." Not forgetting her manners, she offered a slight bow and stepped out of the study room.
The vampiress turned furious with Eve's behaviour and wanted to show Eve her place. She ordered the maid,
"More than keeping an eye on Lady Rosetta, keep an eye on this woman and my brother. Make sure they are never alone in a room. Vincent has to get married to Lady Rosetta and I wouldn't take any other lowly person as my sister-in-law," Marceline glared at Eve's back.
"Of course, milady," Blythe bowed, complying with the order.
Away from the study room, Eve walked in the corridors, not knowing where Vincent had flown away. On her way, she met Lady Annalise, who held a grim look on her face.
"A moment with you, Ms. Barlow," the older vampiress's words surprised Eve, and when she nodded, the woman said, "Follow me."
They walked away from prying ears and eyes, towards a deserted corridor, where there was no sight of a single soul apart from them. Eve asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Lady Annalise?"
Lady Annalise's red eyes looked left and right. The woman said, "As you are already aware of the recent arrangement and agreement that has been drawn between the Moriartys and the Hookes family, there's a mansion that has been vacant which you can use if you want to use for the time being."
Eve wondered if the vampiress was trying to send her out of the mansion or if she was making arrangements after taking pity on her. She offered a bow and responded, "Thank you for your concern, Lady Annalise, but I will be fine here."
On feeling the older vampiress stare at her, Eve asked, "Is there anything else that you wanted to talk about?"
Lady Annalise pursed her lips, somewhere appearing as if her lips were glued, and she tried hard to pry it open and said, "I commend you for being able to shoulder and accept someone so wild as Vincent."
"Vincent is a good man when you pass through those wild sides of him," Eve carefully replied, not expecting Lady Annalise to even think about it, considering how the Hookes had planned to marry Rosetta into the family.
Lady Annalise softly harrumphed, "There's no need to tone it down. The Moriarty children's turbulence cannot be passed, but you live in it. It is about managing." The older vampiress tipped her chin and stared at Eve, as if trying to read something before she said, "I don't know what Vincent is up to, but steer clear of Marquee and Marchioness Hooke, young lady. They aren't people whom you would like to play or test with. It would be good to sleep with an open eye, you don't want to know what they are capable of."
Eve was already aware of what Marchioness Aurora Hooke could do if someone tried to go against her. She nodded, "I shall take your advice, Lady Annalise."
"You better do, unless you don't like your life or don't want your close ones to live," Lady Annalise warned in a low voice and said, "The higher the society goes, the more pristine it looks and the blood on their hands is unimaginable. There are barely a few of them who are sheep." She muttered under her breath, "Heaven knows why he killed the woman," and she brought her hand to press her temple.
Having watched Vincent grow up in front of her eyes, Lady Annalise had an idea that something bad was brewing behind the curtains. It seemed like she was the only one who cared about their family reputation, while the others were intent on ruining it.
Eve watched Lady Annalise giving her another look before she softly harrumphed and walked away from the corridor.
That was all? Was the lady here to warn her about Hookes?
Did it mean the vampiress had pulled her to the side to give her a word of advice? The woman was confusing with her actions, making it hard for Eve to infer the kind of person Lady Annalise truly was. At the same time, it made Eve feel there was something on the vampiress's mind, but she hadn't delivered it.
After finishing dinner, Eve stood with Rosetta on one of the many balconies of the mansion. But even though they tried to stay away from people, Lady Aurora's informer maid didn't stop tailing them. She stood at the far end of the corridor, keeping an eye on both the young women.
When a chill breeze passed where they stood, Eve pulled the shawl around her shoulders closer and Rosetta mumbled in question, "Have you ever thought about running away, Eve?"
