Eugene took two steps forward, ready to protect Eve so the townsfolk wouldn't dare to do anything. Eve asked them,
"What are you all doing here?"
"Genevieve, we don't deserve what you did to us." One of the town's women addressed her with a serious face. The anxiety in Eve's body continued to build, and she felt dizzy because of the tension. The woman said, "We have been waiting for you to return to the town since the following day when the town caught fire."
Did they find out it was Vincent who had set fire to the town? Eve asked herself, and her hands clenched.
Suddenly out of nowhere, everyone bowed at Eve, which took Eve and Eugene by surprise. The woman said, "We cannot tell you how ashamed we are for what has happened until now, Genevieve. You have always been kind and polite, even after you started working in Skellington. God only knows what got into us in the past, for hurting you and driving you out of town. We are so sorry for what happened, and grateful for your big and kind heart."
Eve and Eugene didn't know what was happening, but it seemed the people weren't there to blame them for the fire that had burned down their houses.
One of the men finally said, "Thank you for requesting Mr. Moriarty help us repair and rebuild our houses. If it wasn't for you, our families wouldn't have a roof above our heads."
Another townsfolk said, "We weren't able to apologise to you properly before, Ms. Barlow, but we feel we aren't worthy enough to receive your help."
Eve hadn't said anything to Vincent.
Vincent had turned the town of Meadow into a bonfire himself and was fixing it after they repented for their life mistakes. Many more in front of Eve apologised, while also thanking her. If there was one thing she understood, people easily changed one's opinions. Sometimes from good to bad, and some from bad to good. Nothing was ever fixed.
She noticed that people respected her more compared to before when she was publicly humiliated. She said,
"I have already forgiven you... which is why Mr. Moriarty is helping you."
"You are a wonderful woman, Ms. Barlow, and we will never believe anyone who speaks badly about you!"
Once the townsfolk dispersed from the front of Dawson's residence, murmuring among themselves about Eve being a kind soul and scolding the Humphreys and Edwards as they were the ones to instigate that particular day in the past, Eve let out a sigh of relief.
"For a moment there, I was worried that something bad was going to happen," Eugene confessed, "But it seems like they like you more than anyone in the town right now."
"I wonder until when it will last," Eve murmured because people's thoughts were fickle. They quickly turned on the other by just a word of someone and having experienced it firsthand, and she took it with a grain of salt.
After almost an hour, Marceline finally spotted her carriage parked at the edge of the forest and near the road. Not too far behind her, Timotei followed her while keeping a good distance, as he didn't want to be the animal sacrifice.
Marceline made her way towards her carriage and caught sight of her coachman, who was sleeping with his mouth open.
The vampiress barked in anger, "ADAM!" And it sounded nothing less than a roaring bloodhound to the coachman, who woke up startled. "What do you think you are doing here when I ordered you to wait for me?!" She caught him by his collar and he pulled him down from his seat.
The coachman didn't know what was worse. If it was the bear or Marceline. He gulped, "Milady, this is where we parked since you left."
"Do you think I am a fool?" Marceline's eyes blazed. She was in no mood to be played around. "If I didn't have to return to the mansion now, I would have torn your neck by now. Which I will do once we reach the mansion!" She snapped.
When Marceline released the coachman from her hold, he quickly pulled the carriage door open. Marceline continued to glare before she climbed inside. Timotei quickly pranced towards the vehicle and climbed on the back side of the carriage, as he wanted to keep a close eye on the vampiress and report the same once he got to the mansion.
But when they did get to the Moriarty mansion, Timotei quickly ran inside and looked for Eve, Eugene or Vincent. Neither of the three was in there, and he wondered where they had gone. He then reached the room where Lady Annalise, Lady Aurora and Rosetta were in the room.
Rosetta stood in front of them and on the stool, while another woman stood next to her with a measuring tape in her hand.
"Where did the governess go? I don't think I have seen her for some time now," Lady Aurora asked with cunning eyes.
"She has gone to her house in Meadow," Lady Annalise answered.
"To her house?" Lady Aurora looked impressed, "It is good to see that she's finally moved out from the Moriarty mansion back to where she belongs."
"She is only visiting," Lady Annalise corrected the Marchioness, and Lady Aurora turned grim with this information. "Ms. Barlow is still Allie's governess, and we would like the human to continue to work for us."
"I am sure you do," Lady Aurora smiled slightly. She turned her gaze back at her daughter and the seamstress who had arrived and ordered, "I want you to include pearls in Rosetta's dress, Ms. Woode. The finest of them all, and maybe even have precious stones like diamonds in them so that it glitters when Rosetta walks down the aisle. What do you think, Lady Annalise?"
Lady Annalise didn't know how she had earlier decided to go with the Hookes as their equal. She responded with a tight smile, "If Ms. Woode can embed it into the wedding gown..."
"Of course, she can!" Lady Aurora laughed and looked at the seamstress.
"I will see what I can do, Marchioness," the seamstress bowed.
Lady Aurora smiled, then proposed, "Lady Annalise, you should get your dress for the wedding from Ms. Woode. She seems to have excellent dresses and gowns to choose from. Your daughters can get one each too." This way, Moriarty would pay for all the dresses, including Rosetta's wedding gown.
But Lady Annalise politely refused, "Thank you for sharing your seamstress, Marchioness, but we have already bought the dresses. It would be best for Ms. Woode to concentrate on Rosetta's wedding gown as it is important."
Timotei, on hearing that Eve wasn't here, decided to go to Meadow and left the front of the room.
In the meantime, Marceline reached her room and changed her clothes in anger. The vampiress had been thinking about the other two sacrifices when she was walking in the forest in pain. She murmured,
"I know exactly whom to use as a sacrifice."
When a maid knocked on her door, Marceline said, "Come in."
As the maid entered the room, her face scrunched, and Marceline noticed this. Her leg was leaving a move pungent smell in the air, and she snapped,
"Why haven't flowers been replaced in the room?!"
"Milady, I changed the flowers in the morning," the maid bowed, and her voice trembled.
"Then did you forget to change the water in the vases and open the windows?! Where is the smell coming from?" Marceline demanded from the maid, who continued to look down at the ground.
The maid didn't have an answer to the vampiress's question, as the room didn't stink. She apologised, "Forgive me, milady. I will change the water right away!" But before doing that, she walked to the windows and opened them all to get rid of the smell.
When the maid was about to leave, Marceline questioned, "Which is the smallest animal that we have in the mansion?"
The maid answered, "We have chickens and rabbits, milady. Would you like me to inform the cook to prepare something for you?"
"That won't be required," Marceline wanted to finish the sacrifice quickly, and she then asked, "Where is the human governess?"
"Ms. Barlow?" The maid asked, and she only ended up receiving a glare. "S--she, uh, she's gone to her town, milady."
"Did she now," Marceline hummed in delight. It seemed perfect, and she said, "Also another thing..." Her eyes shone, and once she found the information, a sly smile appeared on her lips. "This time I won't miss."
