Two of the handmaidens prepared her a warm bath. They added a scented oil to the water which she liked because it was only mild. There were also rose petals floating in the water which she knew helped in soothing one's skin. Why do vampires live in such extravagance that even a wealthy human being like her feels like her life back in the world of the living really couldn't compare with it?
She liked how warm the water was and she almost fell asleep while soaking in it as they scrubbed her skin clear and washed her hair thoroughly. She did not want to be assisted in a way that she would only sit there while they did everything, but the handmaidens insisted. They said it was their job to do so and that she only needed to sit there and relax - which she did. They did their job like they had been doing it for such a long time and she couldn't imagine how long, because they obviously had existed even before she was born.
It doesn't hurt to experience such service and pampering for a while, does it? Especially when she has always preferred to do things on her own. Her mother, Helena, once suggested that they should hire a personal maid for her, one who will solely help her with everything that she will ever need especially with her situation at hand being unable to go under the sun, but she strongly declined it. She has never wanted to be served in a way that she will be left with nothing to do at all.
"What is your name, both of you?" She inquired out of the blue, wanting to make a conversation.
Without her knowledge, the handmaidens who are helping her looked at each other because they didn't expect that she would talk, more of like she would ask them and make a conversation. Because, based on their experience, most of the ladies they served didn't engage in a conversation with them because of their difference in status. Female vampires can be truly rude most of the time, because it is in their nature to act according to the status they hold in society.
When they did not say anything, Eona opened her eyes.
"I mean if you wanted to tell me, I would like to hear them but if you don't, it is fine. I just wanted to know the names of those who are helping me this much," she said awkwardly.
"Oh, no, my lady! We would love to introduce ourselves to you. My name is Yelena."
"My name is France, my lady. And the other two are Terra and Ofel."
"Have you been working in the House of Lohengrin for a long time?"
"In a human time frame, yes, we have, my lady. It was more or less fifty years since we started working for the Duke. But, we sometimes do our jobs in the manors owned by the Duke around Aceldama, including the Lohengrin Duchy and his mansions at the world of the living, alternatively with the other servants. But in a vampire's time, it is not that long," France explained.
"Terra and Ofel are one of the new ones," Yelena added. "They have only been here for twenty years."
"Are all of you sired by Cohen?"
They both shook their heads.
"There are only a very few who have been sired by the Duke of Lohengrin himself. One of them is the butler, Yule. The rest of us were accepted into the House of Lohengrin even though we have been sired by another, while the others have worked at other houses before."
"Aren't you obliged to follow every word of the one who sired you? What if they order you to kill the Duke?"
"All of the First Bloods and the vampire borns have the ability to nullify the hold of our creator over us once they accept us as a member of their house, my lady. They call it forced transfer of rights as long as the vampire in question is in agreement to undergo with it. It is a way to prevent such things like the one you said from happening. And that ability is the sole fact that the houses where Dukes are the family leaders with vampire borns as heirs have more members than those of the Gentry, even if they don't have to sire anyone for a very long time."
"Do you need to have a reason for them to turn you?"
"It depends on the situation at hand, my lady. Some vampires who have the ability to turn a human into a vampire will give you a choice and it is mostly during the time when you are about to die as a human from whatever circumstances you have. They also consider how much you can be of use to them once you turn. It is not like when a human says they want to become one, a vampire capable of doing such will turn them immediately. After all, it is a give and take."
"Some vampires, you said. What about the others?"
"The others, my lady? Those vampires will unknowingly turn a human into their kind after they have feasted on their blood once they lose control of themselves due to their thirst. Because at that time, quenching their thirst always comes first compared to the importance of another person's life. A vampire can be selfish like that, because the pain we suffer when we are deprived of blood when we need it is like losing your life in a way that you can't."
Does that mean wanting to die due to excessive pain but was not able to? Or maybe being stabbed a thousand times but still end up alive feeling it all? That would have been horrifying. One who suffers such great pain would surely go crazy.
"Every time such an occurrence takes place, a vampire would always leave a trail of victims until he regained his senses back."
She was left in her thoughts as she remembered what Rouen told her yesterday. "I never drink from a human's vein, not unless I lose control of my own self, which happened a few times in the span of two centuries. I am far from perfect, gem. My instinct as a vampire sometimes surfaces and no one, not even Sin can stop me from killing. And every time I get my rationality back, it is only after I have killed my victims by sucking their blood dry from their veins. Remember what Sin said this morning? That is him telling you in the most subtle way about my killing spree."
Those gruesome things happened to Rouen, too. For a few times, as he told her, he did. And since he doesn't actually drink blood directly, he must have suffered the repercussions greatly, especially since he is a Gold Blood. What she knew so far was that, in exchange for their abilities, is a curse they had to bear along with it. Rouen obviously is more gifted than the rest. It only means he carries a curse far greater than the rest of them. Didn't he have a blood donor? He is entitled to have one, isn't he? After all, he is a Gold Blood and the kingdom of Aceldama's crown prince.
"What happened to human beings victimized by vampires who have lost themselves due to their thirst?"
"Humans who have the misfortune of experiencing such an incident either die immediately due to blood lost or because a natural's body doesn't have the strength to fight off a vampire's venom by themselves. Only some were able to survive where very few remained as human beings, suffering a permanent memory loss regarding the incident, while the others turned into one of us, but most of the victims turn into Lepers - vampires who have lost their rationality in the middle of transition and are only ever on the hunt for their victim for the rest of their life. Their existence has been prohibited. King Azael himself, the king before the present King Mikhail, issued a law to hunt them all down because they pose a threat to all of the beings out there. Lepers can't differentiate friends from foe because they are nothing but mutants who only know one thing, and that is to drink blood through the means of killing their victim in the end."
They talked as if the Lepers completely lost their rationality. But how come the ones who had threatened her life before looked like they still had it - only that they chose to follow their instincts as vampires. The one who pulled her into the forest from the metropolis even talked to her as if he was aware of what he did. And by that time, he was angry. She couldn't have been mistaken. Besides, he toyed with her that night. He made her think she could run away even though in reality she couldn't. In addition, his companions even took their time as they looked down at her from the top of a cliff when she fell. If they really had lost the use of their brain, the one who pulled her into the forest would have devoured her immediately the second he took hold of her, the one who pushed her off the cliff would have pulled her back and bitten her neck immediately, and they wouldn't have just wasted time looking down at her when she fell off the cliff because her blood permeated the place then. They may not have looked human, but they still acted like such.
Cohen told her they were Lepers and vampires described them to be such monsters. But how are they able to play with their prey if they have completely lost their rationality as they have told her? Could there be something they were missing with regards to the New Bloods they branded as Lepers?
While Yelena and France helped her with bathing, Terra and Ofel prepared everything she would need once she was done. They brought out the expensive champagne-gold colored gown she was going to wear along with all of the accessories and mask that came with it. When she got out of the bath almost thirty minutes later, she already smelled like roses and the tulips which Rouen had gifted her. Wouldn't it entrance him to bite her? He said the tulips smelt like her blood, didn't he? Is it a good idea to be literally smelling like the blood he unashamedly told her that he wanted to devour for himself?
They made her sit in front of the vanity table and she did so without any other word. Ofel helped with drying out her long white blonde hair which she curled in a more elegant way than its natural curls before she tied it in a loose messy fishtail from behind her towards the side of her face where some of the short strands of her hair freely fall on the side accentuating her face. On the other hand, Yelena tended to the nails of her feet while Terra did the nails of her hand.
France was the one who took charge of putting on her make-up, which almost looked like it was nonexistent but was still able to enhance the natural beauty of her face. While waiting for her nail polishes to dry, they all but spent their time leisurely talking about everything they could think. Eona was kind and gentle, making the handmaidens feel relaxed while tending to her and they opened up to her.
The handmaidens talked about their lives when they were once humans until the time they were turned into vampires while Eona talked about the hardships of being unable to stand under the sun even though she is a natural, in which they can sympathize as vampires. After a while later, they made Eona flush in embarrassment when they told her about the spreading rumors about her and the prince who had just come back to the kingdom after disappearing from the court for a very long time. They squealed in excitement at the mention of the crown prince's name and Eona chuckled. She is seeing versions of fan girls on them.
"Who would have ever thought that the first time we saw the prince outside the confines of his office when he came back in the kingdom after being gone for such a long time, we would see him going around the capital of blooming flowers with a beautiful human being beside him? No wonder a rumor immediately went around the kingdom regarding the prince. Some vampire ladies may have seen you both together as you spend your time leisurely around Laudicea."
She blushed red at that and smiled shyly when she remembered the ones they saw at the cakeshop. "They must have been the ones we met at Dulciuri. I remember Rouen talked to one of them. I think her name is Delilah Eberstein."
"Lady Eberstein?" They all asked simultaneously and she nodded.
"It wasn't a surprise that the prince would talk to her. She was an independent lady who didn't depend on the men around her. It was known around the kingdom that she was fighting her cousin over the title of Duke, which her father held at the moment. Plus, she is not one of the prince's admirers."
Eona laughed at how France said the last sentence. "And why do you sound happy?"
"Oh, you know what I mean, my lady."
She chuckled. "Right."
"But vampires are vengeful beings, my lady," Terra reminded her. "The ones who hurt you last night have harbored romantic feelings towards the prince for a long time which he himself ignored. They must not have accepted the fact that the crown prince gives his time and affection to a human girl instead of his own kind who belongs in the same race as him, so they resorted to doing such things with the help of another."
"But it is such a relief that the prince didn't let them off so easily after what they did. He even led the investigation himself. In fact, the kingdom became chaotic last night with the arrest order issued by Prince Rouen."
"Did they think that since you did not share the same blood as the prince, he would abandon you? Had they not seen how he treated you differently from the rest?"
Eona just smiled timidly at that but did not say anything. She just thanked Rouen that he didn't bring her with him in the palace to witness what happened to those who had threatened her life.
"We would love to see the reactions of those who tried their best to get the crown prince's attention but failed miserably. They will surely stare daggers into your direction once they see you standing beside him tonight. After knowing what the prince did to the ones who dared to harm you, they might die in their place alone out of envy because they can't harm you without the repercussion of enraging him."
"What made you so sure that I'd be standing beside him?"
"His highness, the crown prince, adores you, my lady. Don't ever think that we didn't see how he looked at you when he brought you here in the manor yesterday. He looks like he did not want to leave you, only that he had to. Gosh! We were watching yesterday from the windows, you know? Hearts were literally overflowing. Besides, he threatened Yule just to make sure of your safety. He will never do that if it is anybody else, we're telling you."
"Yes. We're sure he'd tell them to go die himself," Terra seconded France before they giggled.
"And there's a rumor going around the servants here in the manor, my lady. They said that the prince showed his vulnerable side last night when you were attacked by a night walker."
She glanced at Yelena. "What do you mean?"
"The manservants who witnessed what happened last night said that the prince cried in silence while you were bleeding in front of him."
"He… did?"
Yelena nodded. "The Duke himself just issued an order that what happened will never be retold, so no one is speaking freely about it. We think it is better for you to ask those who were there with you last night, my lady. They are the ones who knew the full extent of what happened."
She nodded. Yes, she should do that. Because even Rouen stayed silent with regards to what happened to her last night. He told her his plans for those who threatened her. He told her that he had put them all into eternal sleep one way and the other, but he never told her anything about what happened to her during the time when she was under the control of someone.
When her nail polish had dried, all four handmaidens assisted her in putting on her gown which the queen herself had gifted her. How did they even get her size? It fitted her perfectly as if it was meant to be hers from the moment they had drawn its design. Even though it was a little heavy, she knew she could wear and carry it just fine. As a finishing touch, the handmaidens adorned her hair with an accessory which looked like a fragile golden vine because of how thin the gold stems and leaves are. It has small diamonds and crystals in its leaves and flowers that shine every now and then because of the light. They even helped her with putting on the pair of drop earrings and a choker necklace which was also given by the queen before they gave her pale champagne-colored gloves that hugged her hands like second skin and reached slightly above her wrist.
How many precious stones exactly is she wearing right now? From the jewellery to the ones embedded in her gown? She couldn't tell. And she is sure the materials used to make the gown she is wearing are also expensive because it wouldn't have looked as beautiful if it wasn't.
"I don't remember this hair accessory from last night when Yule showed me the queen's gift," she said as she touched a part of the hair ornament which she could see at the side of her head.
"It is from His Grace, my lady. A gift from the House of Lohengrin to the daughter of Helena Lorentz, his present blood donor."
Cohen? Did he visit her when she was still sleeping? Like her mother, she did not see him for the whole day and she understood it because he was the host of the soiree that was going to be held here. As Yule had told her this morning, the duke must have been overseeing all of the preparations himself to make sure that nothing would go amiss because it would be their family's name that was going to be put to shame if something went wrong tonight.
How easy for them to give such expensive things as gifts as if it isn't something that worth millions? That even if they gave it away on an occasional basis, they won't run out of wealth. If they had given it to the orphanages in the world of the living - even a single piece of jewelry or a single stone from the gown she is wearing at the moment, they would have been able to help a lot of children who have no one to call their parents. But then, why would vampires help people who don't share the same blood as them, even though they were once human too? She thinks vampires would rather silently watch a human being perish because they know that in the end, no matter how much they help, naturals are meant to die and leave them behind.
"Does he usually give gifts to the children of his present blood donors?"
If he did, does it mean a bribe for them to agree to follow in the footsteps of their parents once they reach the age where they can no longer serve him as a blood donor? Is he somehow silently telling her that he can give her more of these things once she decides to take her mother's place? She fisted her hand when anger started to bubble from deep within her. Is Cohen even a person like that? With the short time that she had known him, she knew he was not that kind of person at all.
"As far as we are aware, my lady, His Grace is not the type to give gifts - one that can be considered a family heirloom, to people he doesn't care about," one of the handmaidens answered.
What Terra told her immediately erased her negative feelings towards the duke, but then she frowned. She did not mishear her, did she? Terra just said family heirloom. Why on earth did Cohen give her such a thing? He is not competing with the queen, is he? The things they have gifted her only had the purpose of being used once and afterwards they'll all end up in the closet as a remembrance of tonight. On the other hand, Rouen may have chosen to give her a ring but she knew it was something worth more than their own house.
She gave out a sigh. Another thing she learned during her stay here in their world is that vampires truly are extremely wealthy beings - ones who don't care about the words "how much" because they never really cared about the price in the first place. It's more of like "I have the money, so what is the problem?"
"In fact, you are the first human, one that is not his blood donor at the moment, to ever receive something from him."
"Hmmm…"
She was left in her thoughts. Why would Cohen be treating her differently? And now that she is thinking about it, why did he ever want her to meet Rouen? Why is he so adamant about helping her meet their prince? Just why? It's not like he knew what happened between her and Rouen in the world of the living. Looking back, it all started when Cohen heard her sing. Does he know something they don't?
"You can ask Yule, my lady. He served the House and the Duke himself longer than any of us."
Eona nodded absentmindedly then stared at her reflection in the mirror. Something in her physical appearance screamed that she was not human. With her glammed up, she looks more closely to a supernatural than a natural. She almost laughed at that thought. But how many times have people mistaken her for a supernatural being since she arrived here? She couldn't tell but at times she knew they doubted what blood exactly ran in her veins. It always shows in the eyes of those who stare at her openly - those who want to judge her but end up questioning themselves regarding what they see in front of them.
Lastly, she wore four-inch high-heeled pumps and a mask that covered the upper part of her face aside from the eyes. Both of which with the color close to her dress. When she stood up from her seat, the handmaidens were in awe. They knew the daughter of Helena naturally looked beautiful, but looking at her now all glamoured up, wearing a floor-length dress while she was also adorned with precious jewels, she looked otherworldly. She carries herself elegantly with her head held high as if she was a born royal. They didn't know if Eona was aware of it but she has attributes that come out once in a while which say she is not someone to be looked down upon. The elegance that exudes from her is something only the royalties in Aceldama have. Maybe it's because she's the only daughter from a wealthy family? But they knew throughout the duration of her stay in the manor that she was a down-to-earth person, so that couldn't be it. With her looks enhanced by everything she is wearing along with the way she carries herself, she doesn't look human at all. How many have ever seen her this way? That anyone who stares at her wouldn't believe that she is a natural?
The sweetheart neckline accentuated her chest and the color of the gown made her complexion stand out because she is even paler than some of the vampires of Aceldama. Her height justified the floor-length gown she is wearing, which was decorated and designed with pearl beading, sequins, small diamonds, flowers and with sleeves that are literally strands of crystals as if it was custom-made just for her. Who would have thought that the daughter of Cohen's blood donor looked like she was one of them? Seeing her at that moment, no one will actually think that she is only a seventeen-year-old human being - one of whom hasn't even debuted in society yet.
Eona looked like someone whose blood running through her veins was that of a supernatural being. She even looks more noble than some of the female Silver Bloods who are born as vampires. She moved across the room swiftly and the handmaidens followed her with their eyes silently. She went towards the terrace and from there, she watched as Cohen's guests now started to arrive one by one through elegant carriages pulled by two horses which were driven by a coachman. With the manor, the carriages, large front garden and wealthy guests, she felt like she was transported back into the Victorian Era. The only difference was that the carriages the vampires used are more modern and more comfortable to ride in compared to the old ones.
She knew some of them noticed her. They saw her standing there on the terrace on the third floor while she was watching them from there. They stared at her but never said a word, only that curiosity glistened in their eyes. They must have been asking themselves who she is, whether she is Cohen's guest or not. As the guests entered the banquet hall, their names, blood and houses were being announced to acknowledge their presence. Vampire men wore three-piece suits and the others were even wearing a trench coat above it which was just simply put above their shoulders. Vampire ladies wore extravagant ball gowns while they were adorned with expensive jewelry. All of whom are wearing masks with the same color as their clothes.
Eona can't help but silently extend her thanks to the queen for sending her the gown she is wearing because if she had gone through wearing the simple gown she brought with her from home, she'd be a laughing stock. And she was thankful enough that she herself had her own realization that the design of the gown she brought with her was just a vampire lady's daily attire. She inhaled deep. The breeze is chilly but it carries the scent of flowers around the city. The moon now softly glowed from above and a peaceful ambiance seemed to have enveloped the place. The atmosphere feels like nothing horrifying is ever going to happen tonight, even though the guests are all predators in this world.
When she went back inside her room, the handmaidens all stood there waiting for her next command.
"How do I look?" Eona asked her handmaindens, which made Yelena, Terra, Ofel and France look at each other, probably thinking why on earth she is asking.
"My lady, you are simply stunning."
"You look like you belong here."
"All eyes will be on you the second you enter the banquet hall."
"No wonder the prince has been enamored by you."
She concealed the blush that immediately painted her face with a chuckle. "I guess I won't be out of place then?"
"Of course!"
"It was thanks to all of you."
France shook her head. "No, my lady. You are naturally beautiful. Don't ever think otherwise."
When she was all but ready to go down the banquet hall, the handmaidens left her alone in her room when she asked them to. She would just go down there later because she knew Cohen nor her mother weren't there yet at the moment. She can't risk herself being feasted upon by the eyes of vampires who will all surely stare at her without shame. She didn't want to be the center of attention and she had a feeling she would be if she went down there right now that the soiree had only begun.