The Grand Elders are gone to take the Grand Elder's body home and bury him properly. A few minutes after their departure, Lionel arrives on their doorstep. The elite vampire guards immediately open the doors from the outside upon seeing him approaching the mansion. They align themselves in two rows facing each other with a pathway in the middle as they do a neck bow.
From the moment that Lionel steps put on the island, Milla abruptly opens her eyes. Then she shuts her eyes again and buries herself with the pillows. Even when she hears him downstairs, she has no intention of getting off her bed. When Milla feels she's now parched and starving, it's already close to noon.
Milla doesn't bother to look in the living room where Lionel is seating as she dashes into the dining area. She sits in the other head seat which is facing the entrance to the dining area. The servants give her a glass of blood at once and the set of plates. She consumes it in one go as the servant keeps refilling her glass after. Suddenly, Milla frowns-
*swish*
Lionel takes the seat on her right side as Milla complains and downs another glass of blood, "Go away. Don't ruin my luncheon, arse-worm."
"Did you forget? I told you I will come back for you, Milla." Lionel professes with his expressionless face.
Milla leans on her chair with the glass of blood in her hands- swirling it, "I have a proposition for you. I'll be willing to be the Vampire Empress if you answer my question, truthfully."
"I'm listening," Lionel leans on his seat, too, while sniffling the glass of blood given to him by the head servant.
Milla smirks in an inconspicuous way as she drinks the blood, 'I said that I'll be willing to be THE Vampire Empress and not YOUR Vampire Empress.' Then, she asks him right away, "Where are the other vampires that I knew?"
"We killed them," Lionel apathetically says it like it is not a big deal.
Milla doesn't like those vampires, but that doesn't mean she will rejoice if they die. Anger- that's what she feels because the only people she knew are all dead, "What gives you the right to kill them!? They were all living peacefully and hiding from humans. Tell me, why?"
Lionel smiles sarcastically and scoffs before he speaks, "For our family to be the only ancient vampires alive, the strongest of all. What I didn't understand is that no one mentioned to us that you are still alive, just buried. Those foolish vampires made us believe that they killed you, the Milla Valentiana who killed thousands of humans."
Milla suddenly laughs in a horrifying way, then she suddenly pounces on Lionel while her red irises are almost covering her black pupils. Lionel manages to kick his chair out of the way before Milla pounces on him.
Milla and Lionel both drop to the floor, with Lionel on the bottom, and on top of him is Milla who keeps punching his face. She, fortunately, lands a lot of punches on his face and chest; until Lionel restrain her hands by holding her wrists, then pulling her close to him. Milla continues to struggle, but it seems that Lionel is not a vampire who should be underestimated.
The Vampire Royalties and some of the elite guards arrive in the dining area, only to see the two deadly vampires they know on the floor with Milla on top. If it isn't the two of them, it might have been a sweet moment between two people. But, instead of twinkling eyes, Milla's eyes are almost to the point that it's all dark red.
"Shadow," Lionel calls out to one of the Shadows who has a long chain in his hands. "Tie her up."
Milla struggles once again, tries to use her legs to hit Lionel in the middle. However, Lionel prevents her by using his legs to lock her lower legs on the floor, "I will kill you! I will kill all of you!!" Shadow successfully ties her up, despite all her tussles.
They make a terrible decision, letting her go without even restraining her. Milla deftly spreads her arms even if her wrists are tied. In the first few seconds, it's like nothing is happening. But, for Milla, she knows that it will be so easy. Then the next thing they know, the chain breaks down into multiple pieces scattered everywhere.
Milla disappears into their sights, causing Lionel to sprint after her. Underestimating the vampire emperor, Milla doesn't expect him to catch her just before she gets off the island and into the ocean. Thus, exactly before she dives into the water, someone hugs her from the back. Lionel lifts her up and turns towards the island.
"Let go of me, you f*ckin' arse-worm!! Let go!!" Milla tries to wiggle her way out of his arms, but Lionel tightens his hold on her. He whispers in her left ear, "You know that they're going to kill you, why choose to stay?"
Milla answers while she clenches her teeth, "I can protect myself. And I know that you're informed by your Shadows that I killed one of their Grand Elder. I can even kill all of them, including you."
"Fine. I will leave with you, now, let go of me. I don't even have a choice," Milla speaks rather calmly and dejected.
Not wasting any second, Milla twirls around and fake a punch. Instead, she kicks him in his lower left leg close to his feet using a lot of strength which makes Lionel drop slightly to the ground into his knees. Milla, on the other hand, turns around and kicks Lionel on the head with her right shin. He didn't expect it, that is why he's currently in a bowing position.
With her rage, she plans to take his heart out when her right hand is stopped by one of the Shadows. She pushes him away, but another two Shadows grab both of her arms. Exhausted, Milla cannot pull her arms from them, "You're a coward! All of you! Why not fight me one-on-one, huh!!?"
Lionel stands up with his hand on his head, "You really live up to my expectations of THE Milla Valentiana. Move out, Shadows."
Milla looks around her and sees plenty of masked vampires with all-black clothing surrounding her. She cannot possibly fight them all with her current strength that decreased. For now, Milla lets them take her to the vampire emperor's mansion.
But, Milla is giving them a hard time for not moving. Lionel looks at the two Shadows holding Milla, "Let go of her. I'll carry her and no one is allowed to touch her except me. Understood?"
The Shadows bow their heads to him as a response. In one swift move, Lionel carries Milla on his arms- one arm on her back and one under her knees. He let her lean on him as he looks forward and walks to his yacht. After they arrive on land, he carries her again and runs with all the Shadows following them. All the humans that see these many blurs can not help but hide into their homes.
Meanwhile, Milla has her eyes closed and she's trying to sleep despite everything. It doesn't take too long for them to reach Lionel's mansion which is far more different than the Vampire Royalties' mansion. The large fountain outside isn't turned on for quite a while, with no lights and stagnant water in it. The mansion doesn't have a single light coming from the inside and all the curtains are drawn.
The Shadows remain outside as the two deadly vampires go into the mansion. Lionel lets Milla down and leads her upstairs with his arms on her back. But, Milla being herself whacks his arm away, "I can walk on my own."
"Oh, you can? Then, did you just want me to carry you earlier?" Lionel says this in a serious way possible with a raised eyebrow.
Milla glares at him and looks away, "Just lead the way."
Lionel shows her room which is not so different from her room before. After Milla goes inside, she looks at him who is behind her, "Where's your family? Are they here? All of them?"
"No, it's just the two of us here. If you need anything, call the butler." Lionel closes the door behind him after he leaves the room.
Milla scans the room with the help of her enhanced senses, in spite of the pitch darkness and all-black thick curtains. She walks to the windows and peeks in between the curtains, only to see several hidden Shadows guarding outside. Heading to the bed, Milla feels hungry, "Butler?"
Someone knocks on her door after a few seconds and a young man's voice asks, "Lady Milla?"
"I'm hungry and I want some fresh blood," Milla orders the butler.
The young vampire butler answers before he runs downstairs, "Sure, Lady Milla."
After five minutes, the young vampire butler knocks again, "Can I come in, Lady Milla?"
"Hmm-hm," Milla mumbles without even opening her lips, whilst sitting on the bed.
Instead of a usual butler who is old and white-haired. A young vampire butler who looks like the same age as Lionel enters wearing a black suit and tie. He has a messy comb-over with classic tapered sides platinum blonde hair and brown eyes. He's pushing a trolley for foods and drinks- on it are a glass pitcher full of fresh blood, steak, fried chickens, fries, and mashed potatoes with gravy.
"Should I set it up here on the table, Lady Milla?" The young vampire butler asks her as he's walking towards the round table in the middle of the room.
"Bring it here," the young vampire butler complies immediately. Milla can not wait to eat these since she smelled it from the outside of her bedroom, but some of it isn't familiar to her. She points to those foods, "What are these, this and this?"
The young vampire butler can not help but smile a little in a quick span of seconds, "Those are chickens' legs that were deep-fried in oil, this is potatoes cut in slim long pieces then fried, and this is mashed potatoes with a sauce called gravy."
"Do you need anything else, Lady Milla? Do you want me to serve you the food?"
Milla shakes her head, "Stay there. I have some questions for you." She tries the fried chicken first as she bites at it, it's crunchiness can be heard by the two of them. It is the first time that she tasted something like this and she loves it as she keeps eating more chickens.
She finished half of the chickens which are six pieces before she starts to question him, "How old is your master?"
"He's 123 years old, Lady Milla."
"Where is his family?" Milla drops her second question right away.
Something changed for a second in the young vampire butler's eyes, "They're dead."
Milla stops eating her fries and looks at him, "When? Why?"
"It's almost a hundred years ago, they were killed," the young vampire butler becomes more serious.
A swishing sound can be heard by the two of them coming to their direction. Milla senses that it's Lionel, but she doesn't know why he's in a hurry. Until the doors are opened by him and Lionel looks at the two of them, "Josh, you may go."
Josh bows to him a little and to Milla before he goes on his way. Milla glances at Lionel with squinted eyes, "Your family's dead? Who killed them and why?"
"I don't have to answer you."
Milla still doesn't stop, "Why do they age? Getting old?"
Lionel glares at her, "You have so many questions. Just finish eating." Then, he walks out of her bedroom just like that.
While Milla continues eating, all she can think about is, 'I will get all the answers to these questions of mine.'
Meanwhile, Lionel keeps thinking about something, too. 'I will know all the answers to these questions about you, Milla. Your reasons.'