Music Recommendation: Forgiveness- Hyunpill Shin
The following morning, the old flowers were replaced by fresh flowers. There was a quiet peace that hung in the air of the Moriarty mansion, and news about Vincent and Eve's wedding had spread across the towns and lands, along with the news about the Hookes.
Alfie brought the town's newsletter from outside, walking through the corridor, and he stepped inside the drawing room where Lady Aubrey sat by herself with her morning tea. He bowed and offered the newsletter,
"Milady."
"Thank you, Alfie," Lady Aubrey smiled.
"Would you like me to pour you some more tea?"
"That's fine. I would like to have some room for breakfast," the older woman replied and watched the Moriarty's butler step out of the room. After two seconds, Eugene appeared in the room. "Oh, I didn't expect you to be awake this soon, Eugene."
"Good morning, Lady Aubrey," Eugene offered her a bow, and Lady Aubrey gave him a nod of acknowledgement.
"Good morning. Come, sit with me. Where is Rosetta?" Lady Aubrey inquired, while still holding the newsletter in her hand.
"She's sleeping. She slept rather late last night and I don't think she's used to waking up this early in the morning," Eugene answered, and he took a seat next to the elderly woman.
Last night, Rosetta kept turning around in her sleep and apologising when she moved too near or was about to fall from the bed. Earlier, when he had just woken up, he didn't have the heart to wake her as she seemed deep in sleep. He also came to learn that the vampiress spoke in her sleep.
"Mm, it will be good to have her rest before the day starts and reality strikes her," Lady Aubrey murmured before her eyes fell on the newsletter. "There are good things written for the wedding that took place, but Rosetta... she will need to be looked after and taken care of. You know how people are, especially the ones in high society."
Though Rosetta had no hand in taking debt from people or killing anyone, she was the marquee and marchioness's daughter. And because of the relationship between them, society wouldn't let her be and would pick and blame her.
"I will do my best to protect her, Lady Aubrey," Eugene bowed, and Lady Aubrey nodded.
"I know you will. Have tea with me, I have missed having tea with you," the elderly woman said, and Eugene was quick to pick one of the empty cups and pour himself a cup of tea.
On the other side of the mansion, in the newlywed couple's room, Eve and Vincent were still wrapped in each other's arms in the bed.
Vincent's arms were wrapped around Eve's waist, holding her body snuggly as he spooned her, with his head buried in the crook of her neck. When he felt her stir awake, he whispered,
"There's no hurry to wake up if you want to sleep some more, the world can wait until you catch your sleep," Vincent planted a kiss on her shoulder.
Eve turned in his arms such that she now faced him, and she whispered, "Good morning, my husband," and a wide smile spread on his lips.
"Good morning, my lovely wife," Vincent watched the clear blue eyes stare at him, which looked the same as they did when they first met. Beautiful and gentle.
"How long have you been awake?" Eve asked him because he seemed to be awake for quite some time now.
"Since your heartbeat slowed down and your head rested on my arm," Vincent replied, bringing a frown to Eve's face.
"You didn't sleep at all... You should have woken me up."
Vincent caressed the side of Eve's face and said, "I am used to the little sleep, and you needed more rest than I do." Partly, he was excited to have her in his arms, knowing nothing could come between them. They were married to each other. "When you know you have the most precious thing in the world, sleeping would be a folly."
A soft smile graced Eve's lips, and she said, "I am not going anywhere."
"There is something I would like to give you," Vincent said, lifting himself, and Eve sat upright on the bed. "A memory gift."
"A memory gift?" Eve repeated, not knowing what it meant.
"That's right," Vincent responded and stretched his hands forward with his palms facing the ceiling. "I want you to place your hands on mine and close your eyes."
Curious and at the same time excited, Eve did as she was told and placed her hands on his. Taking a deep breath, she relaxed, and soon the memory that her mind had faded with time returned to her through the help of Vincent. It was their first meeting in the snow when her hand reached for the bun at the fair, and she was caught by the vendor. And like many other times, Vincent rescued her.
Eve opened her stunned eyes and asked him, "How was I able to look into your memory?" She had never done this before.
"Most of the memories are often locked away by people, or because their walls are high and strong that you cannot penetrate through it. But opening the memory to a person like you, a reader, makes it possible for you to see it without hindrance," Vincent explained to her and then said, "This moment of ours, it is a pivotal one that I have held close to me."
"Thank you for remembering it so clearly," Eve thanked him because she could see every little detail he had captured in his mind even though he was young when they first met.
The truth was that when the young pureblooded vampire boy dragged the small mermaid away from the crowd, the boy had thought of getting her things to eat. So that she wouldn't get into further trouble by trying to touch any other food from the vendors around them.
