Music Recommendation: Family- Ben frost
Once Vincent and Eve stepped inside the bathtub filled with water, Eve rested her back against Vincent's front. For once, it felt like there was no one in this world except them. They were in their own world, secluded from any harm or worry.
But when Eve's right wrist submerged under the water, she noticed the left wing mark that Vincent had given her, temporarily disappearing from her skin.
"Even without the mark, you will always belong to me," Vincent kissed the side of her head when he heard the pause in Eve's breathing and noticed her eyes move to look at her hand.
"Always," Eve whispered, and Vincent nodded.
"Always each others," he hugged her from behind.
While Vincent and Eve spent their time together on their own, where no one dared to disturb them, on the other side of the mansion, where Viscount Eduard and Lady Annalise's room was located, they held serious expressions on their faces.
Viscount Eduard had folded his arms across his chest, while he stood in front of their room's tall and wide glass window. Lady Annalise stood four steps away from him, watching her husband's stiff back. Even though they were happy for one of their children, there was another child of theirs that needed attention.
"If the decision you have decided upon is weighing too heavily on you, it isn't too late to change your mind on it, Eduard," Lady Annalise said to her husband.
The Viscount didn't speak immediately, and when he did, he seemed tired. He said, "No. I know what has been decided is the right one, but it hurts to see how things have transpired so far and for so long." He took a moment of pause, and then continued, "We raise our children with love, and with rules. Now it makes me wonder if the rules were not enough…"
Lady Annalise stepped closer and placed her hand on Viscount Eduard's shoulder. She said, "We did what we thought was best for them. You don't have to be hard on yourself. Vincent and Marceline strayed away in different directions, one still on the right path, while the other fails to acknowledge what she has done."
Like many others, Lady Annalise had been fooled by Marceline's false facade, which was why there was never a reason to discipline the young vampiress. But the longer she spent time thinking about it, she had recently come to wonder if she subconsciously was aware of it. If that was why she was strict with Allie and had not let loose of herself.
"Marceline has already readied her bags and ordered the maids to have them in the carriage," Lady Annalise said to her husband. She had received the news from Alfie a few minutes ago.
Viscount Eduard knew that if his first wife were still alive, she would be disappointed and hurt over how much Marceline had strayed. He wondered what his wife would have told him or their daughter… He sighed and then said,
"Let us have breakfast together."
Lady Annalise nodded before accompanying her husband, as they stepped out of the room.
Little far from their room, and on the opposite side of the floor, where Marceline's room was located, the young vampiress ordered the maid in her room, "Did you pack everything I told you to? What about my jewellery? Was it locked?"
"Yes, milady," the maid answered while her eyes were on the floor.
Marceline walked towards her cupboards, checking every single drawer and when she came upon one of the cupboards, where her shoes were lined, her jaws clenched. She glowered and demanded, "Why aren't these packed?"
"That, milady… I didn't know if…" the maid fidgeted from where she stood. "If you would be able to wear—"
Marceline's eyes narrowed, and she picked up one of the shoes before turning and throwing it at the maid, who dodged it in the nick of time. She scolded the maid, "I will wear them or not, that's my decision to make. How dare you insinuate that I won't wear them at all! Are you telling me that because I have lost my foot?! Do you want to know how it feels? Let me break your leg!"
The maid turned terrified when Marceline walked towards her, but in rage, Marceline put too much pressure when she walked and the two wooden sticks that acted as her leg got stuck, refusing to move as the bolts connecting the two wooden sticks had jammed. It ended up looking as if the vampiress had a short leg.
"GET OUT!" Marceline snapped at the maid, who quickly ran out of the room. "Somebody get the physician right this instant. Bring Mr. Pepper here!"
Once the maid stepped out of the room and closed the door behind her, Marceline hopped towards her bed and sat down. She pulled her dress skirt, which revealed her wooden foot. It wasn't one wooden stick but made out of two, shaped to look like a leg while there were bolts and screws in the middle, which was where her actual knee would have been, and it was now jammed.
Marceline touched the wooden leg, which was cold and stiff, and right now, all she wanted to do was wail and scream. But she had caused too much commotion in the last few days. If she was planning to have a clean image in the South mansion, she would need to start fixing her expressions from here so that her actual feelings wouldn't spill out for others to see.
After several minutes passed, the physician, Mr. Pepper appeared in front of Marceline's room.
"Milady, the physician is here," the maid returned with Mr. Pepper.
"Let him in," Marceline ordered, and the physician stepped inside the room. The maid bowed and left. Once the door was closed, she glared at the man and said, "Mr. Pepper, did you use cheap quality wood and screw bolts that keep jamming and hindering my walk?"
Mr. Pepper shook his head with a frown, "Of course not, milady. I put the best ones and the most expensive ones as you wanted. You should be extra careful when you walk. You probably used too much force which was why it snapped back. Like I said before, you shou—"
"What do you mean force, I am walking as gently as I can but it keeps on getting stuck," Marceline replied in frustration.
"More gentle than that, milady. Right now, these are the only ones available. I am working with metal to create an artificial leg so that it can grasp when it comes to movements. The Council is keeping a watch over it too," Mr. Pepper explained, and Marceline turned interested.
"With movements?" The vampiress asked, wanting something better than these stiff wooden sticks.
The physician nodded and continued to explain, "That's right, milady. The metals are going to create movements, however you like. Just like an actual hand, leg or fingers, but it is still under initial stage. Until it is ready, you will need to bear with what is available. Please, let me fix this one," and he bent forward to oil and refixed the screws.
