Music Recommendation: Sol Mata a Francisco- Ivan Palomares
Eve stared into Vincent's dark red eyes, that now stared right back at her. When the mermaid on display cried out in pain when another cut was made on her wrist to draw some more blood, Eve tore her eyes away from Vincent and looked at the mermaid in pain.
She felt her hand pulled by Vincent, making their way towards the closed double doors of the ballroom. She stared at the back of his head while being able to hear her heartbeats drumming in her ears. Every step she took felt nothing less than her soul being shredded because of the glass piece that moved further into the sole of her foot.
Eve's blood continued to drip on the clean marble floor. When they reached the double doors, which felt like an eternity had passed, Vincent and she paused.
"M-master Vincent," Eve whispered his name.
"Do not speak a word," Vincent ordered, and his eyes moved to look at where his family stood. His eyes met Marceline, who looked at him and Eve with slightly narrowed eyes.
Marceline looked at them with suspicion because she had brought a splendid gift that appeased every person's eyes and other senses. She had believed that there could be no one who could look or walk away from something so rare and magnificent.
The vampiress couldn't believe her brother was leaving the ballroom abruptly, and that too with none other than the lowly governess, the woman who had turned to be the talk of the ball. She had been waiting for the human governess to leave the mansion and return to where she came from, but it seemed like the human had not worn her shoes but another pair for the glass piece to not hurt her.
On seeing one side of Vincent's lips quirked upwards, Marceline's eyes only narrowed further.
Was he doing this governess? Marceline questioned in her mind.
Vincent turned the knobs of one of the double doors and stepped out with the governess while the doors behind them closed. When Marceline's lips parted, ready to speak, one of the servants in the ballroom ended up dropping a tray with several filled glasses of wine on the ground. The wine fell on the spot where Eve's blood had trailed on the floor, camouflaging it. Some of the guests turned and looked at the servant scornfully.
"Can't you watch where you are going?!" One of the guests harshly questioned the servant, who quickly bowed and apologised.
"I swear the servants seem drunker than us. This is not the first time one of them is dropping the glass. What a mess," one of the ladies harrumphed before moving away from the mess.
"Please pardon us for the mess," this time it was the butler of the mansion, Alfie, who quickly appeared next to the servant and said, "We'll get this cleaned right away."
The few guests didn't bother themselves with the lowly servant and turned back to do what they were doing, that was watching the delicious mermaid. Alfie signalled two more servants, who quickly came to clean the floor, covering the trail of blood that led towards the ballroom's double doors.
On the other side, Eve felt like her head was spinning because of the adrenaline rush she felt coursing through her veins. Now standing outside the ballroom with pain shooting up her foot, she could dully hear the mermaid's cries, and she turned to look at Vincent, who was watching her.
Vincent noticed the light perspiration that had formed on Eve's face and her breathing was laboured. He smelt the scent of blood from her.
"I-I should go home," Eve stuttered with a quick bow, ready to head towards the mansion's entrance.
But when Eve turned to leave, she couldn't go more than one step. Not because of the pain from her injured foot, but because Vincent hadn't released her wrist.
Eve believed that Vincent didn't know what she was, and she wanted to return to her carriage and go home. She said, "Thank you for bringing me out of the ballroom, but I think I should retire from work for today. Please," she added.
"Didn't I tell you that you owe me your life, Ms. Barlow? And what makes you think you are safe once you step out of here?" Vincent calmly looked at her with a serious look on his face. He said, "With a foot that is bleeding, and the scent of the blood so rich and potent in the air, do you think you will be spared once you step outside this mansion?"
Eve knew it wasn't an easy feat to get to the carriage, but she couldn't stand around here, waiting for people to find out. Her heart squeezed when she thought of how she was leaving a mermaid behind at the mercy of the creatures who were waiting to rip the mermaid apart.
"Ms. Barlow," she heard Vincent speak to her. He said, "Your foot needs to be fixed before you decide to step out or in front of anyone."
"I cannot walk anymore," Eve's other hand came to place on his hand, making him stop before he would drag her again.
Eve desperately tried her best not to cry, but she doubted she could continue holding in the pain she felt from her flesh being probed by the glass piece. Since she was little and as she grew up, she learned to control her tears and stop herself from crying in front of people.
Vincent raised his eyebrows and said, "I thought you would be fine walking back to your carriage. No?"
He then did something Eve hadn't imagined in her wildest dreams. He bent near her, hooking one hand under her legs and used his other hand to support her back so he could carry her.
Eve turned alarmed, and her hand quickly wound around Vincent's neck so she didn't fall. Her scared eyes turned to look at him. He said,Â
"It's good that you didn't try to protest because I would have dropped you, and you would have to worry about your back apart from your foot."
Eve wasn't exactly ecstatic to be carried by her employer because if someone saw them in such a compromising situation, it wouldn't take long for ill rumours to spread. But she couldn't walk, and even she knew that her foot needed to be tended.
If it weren't for her injured foot, where Eve's face scrunched in pain, she would have been utterly embarrassed for being carried in a man's arms. Not any arms but her employer, who was an annoying vampire. The same annoying vampire who had rescued her from the ballroom.
Vincent turned to the guards, who stood at a distance and ordered them, "If someone asks for me, tell them that I have retired for the night." The guards bowed their heads in acknowledgement.
"Yes, sire."
"Your family is going to wonder why, Master Vincent," Eve looked at Vincent with a frown.
"Don't fret. It isn't anything new. In fact, they would be surprised that I even stayed there for so long," Vincent responded to her and ordered the guards, "And if they ask about Ms. Barlow, tell them she went home."
Vincent then started to walk, carrying Eve in his arms.
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