Chapter 9 I am not safe here anymore

“The Lord said you never came to visit him today! The meeting was very important. How could you not go?”

“I was dealing with something more important.”

“What could be more important than your job?What is wrong with you, my son?”

“My mother is more important than my job.My life is more important than my job. Those are the things more important than my job.”

“Zeke!”

“Mother,please,” said the duke nonchalantly. He sat in one of the armchairs as he sipped his blood tea.

“Do you realize what you're doing?It took you so long to earn this title for yourself. Are you just going to throw all that away? This is your life, my son. Can you please put yourself in my shoes?”

Mrs.Donovan was standing as she gathered her long, flowy skirt in her hand so she could walk effortlessly.

A deep line was in the middle of her brows as she stared at her son;anger boiled beneath her skin.

“You’re just creating drama,”deadpanned Ezekiel. He didn't even spare his mother a glance. All his focus was on his blood tea and the newspaper he was reading.

Mrs. Donovan's grip on her dress tightened as she gritted her teeth.

“Hmm,you'll never be like your father!” said Mrs. Donovan as she walked towards the stairs.

“Never wanted to be like him.”These words alone were enough to freeze Mrs. Donovan. Her leg, which wanted to step onto the first stair, hung in the air. She retracted her leg and spun around, facing her son, who didn't bother to raise his head.

“You…”The word caught in her throat. She turned around and walked up the stairs.

When she was no longer in view,Ezekiel tossed the newspaper onto one of the armchairs.

“Tsk.”

…

Evan's Room

She sat on her bed as she hugged her knees. Her mind couldn't stop thinking of what she had come to learn today. Black witch? It was so scary. She couldn't sleep. Her mind was totally consumed by the thought. It was raining outside the mansion. This land was always raining, filled with cold.

Hours passed without Evan moving.Not even her beautiful eyebrows twitched. Her lips were creaky and unmoving, and she was just staring into space as if she were traumatized.

Knock!Knock! Someone knocked on her wooden door, bringing the girl back to reality.

“Evan!Get out immediately!” came the loud voice outside the door.

She could tell who it was. Her worst nightmare. She wished a magical power would drop onto her. The first thing she would do was turn the annoying housekeeper into a cat.

She hurried to the door.Upon opening it, a sharp slap landed on her face.

“I sent you to get groceries!Where are they? What were you doing all this while?” His voice was sharp and stinging, blending with the painful slap that descended upon her angelic face. Her hazel eyes welled up with tears.

“Humans like you should never be set free,” said the housekeeper as he stretched out his hand, gripping her hair and pulling her along with him.

“I'm sure the master will lock you up this time for sure!”

“Let me go,let me go!” Evan couldn't stand it as memories from the market flashed in her head, tormenting her as she tried to break free from the vampire.

The vampire succeeded in bringing her to the sitting room where Zeke was.Seeing the Duke, Evan thought maybe he would come to her rescue, but to her greatest surprise, he remained expressionless and unmoving. His pitch black hair was messy, and some strands scattered on his slinder forehead.

Seeing the Duke wasn't coming to her rescue, Evan tried escaping herself. There was a saying, ‘no one can fight for you better than your own self.’

“Let me go;I did nothing wrong,” her voice came out creaky. When the housekeeper's eyes met Ezekiel's gray eyes, he let go of the girl before he was even told to do so. Evan was slightly taken aback. Her hair was messy and her face was sweaty. She took steps away from the housekeeper and then sent him a glare. She finally understood why Mrs. Caviar never sent her to the market.

The woman had been trying to protect her because she was too young.Now the puzzle was fixed. She now realized why the housekeeper had sent her to the market. It scared her. Her heart pounded multiple times as her breathing came out heavily.

She couldn't imagine the kind of thing she saw today. She saw the housekeeper give a slight bow and leave, leaving her bewildered.

“Huh?”came out of her lips. She glanced at the Duke, who was sitting in one of the gray armchairs. That was when she realized why the housekeeper had let go of her so easily.

‘Oh,the other nightmare,’ thought Evan, also giving a bow and about to leave.

“Come here,my pet,” said the Duke, sitting with crossed legs as he watched the maid girl, waiting for her impatiently. Evan's eyes flew open.

‘Oh no!Not again.’ She had just left the frying pan for the fire itself.

She hesitated but did as he wished.When she was in front of him, she stood like a statue, keeping her head down, far away from his eyes.

Zeke tapped the space beside him, indicating that she should sit next to him.

“No,haha, I possibly can't,” she rejected the offer. A maid found sitting next to her master? That had never happened in history.

She shook her head.Lately, she found herself doing what she wasn't supposed to, like entering the same carriage with the Duke, following him to his room, and so on.

“Sit!”Ezekiel demanded angrily, seeing the servant girl's hesitation.

“But milord,I...”

“That's an order!”This time his voice came out a bit louder than usual, making Evan sit on the spot.

“Give me your right hand.” This time she didn't hesitate and willingly stretched forth her right hand. A smile formed on the Duke's face. He loved this straightforward obedience.

He didn't want to pressure the girl,so he decided to drink from her hand instead of her neck. Evan wasn't looking, so he immediately pierced his sharp fangs into her skin. Evan felt a little pain that drew her attention back to the Duke. She saw him drinking her blood. This time lasted a bit longer than the previous time when he had drunk from her. Evan was a little scared, but not like last time. The Duke pulled away, licking the spot he had bitten.

He let go of her hand. Evan quickly adjusted herself, putting a gap between them, making the Duke chuckle silently.

“Do you feel scared?” he asked.

“Yes,”Evan didn't think twice before answering. After all, it was true, thought the girl in her mind.

“Why?”

“I am not safe here anymore.”