[Recommended Music: Fragile Dream]
*****
The next bright morning from Raindawn was quite bright. The rain that often shadows the land had finally disappeared as though they were frightened of something— or perhaps someone. Seeing the bright sun that rarely appear, many ladies decided on a tea party in one particular was he ladies in the house of Marquis Jesper.
"Didn't you hear? The new lord who govern the land had just arrived to that cursed castle."
"The new lord, you know what I heard? He is apparently cursed! A cursed being living in a cursed castle, it is very fitting is it not?" Laughed the women who had gathered together while having their tea party. They chattered happily, holding their teacups before their lips. Although their appearance were flowers in the beautiful garden, the words they uttered and their actions were better of mentioned as thorns. The servants who had learned that offending them will only acquire their anger had learned to act like dolls, moving their bodies more and talking less words.
"That being said, he seemed to be holding a greeting ball in the castle next week," said the first lady with the bright yellow hair and green dress. She then turned her head toward the ginger haired lady who was younger than her by two years and upon noticing her silence, she cleared her throat, "Carol, are you faring well? I noticed you were out of it the whole day. Is my tea party unwelcoming for you?"
Caroline who hadn't slept for days snapped her eyes at the eldest daughter of the marquis, offering a smile as quick as possible, "My deepest apologies, Mavis, things are just quite rough for me and I've been bothered with so many sleepless night."
"Is that so?" The curt words came from Lady Mavis, who felt annoyed as her bright mood was dampened by Caroline. Her red vampire eyes made Caroline to gulp as she was one of the pure blood vampires who live in their town. "Will you be coming to the ball held by the new lord?"
"I might if you do," Caroline smiled even though deep down she wasn't too sure if she could come. Her father seemed to be busy and she hadn't seen him for weeks, scaring her as she hoped that step sister of her was already dead so she wouldn't have to suffer humility!
"His name is Lord Magnus, do you think he might be a vampire? Or perhaps a werewolf?" Asked the other lady who had chirped into the conversation. "Do you might heard of him before, Lady Mavis?"
Lady Mavis, who had held the tea party at the afternoon in her luxurious garden seemed to have formed a smile. She loved being in the center of attention and knowing this question would arose to not keep the other girls disinterested, she nodded her head and tipped her chin high up. "Actually I do. He is indeed known to be cursed. Apparently he never drink blood despite being a vampire. He also seem to dislike going out often and some people mention that his appearance is worse than that of a monster."
"Then he must be ugly, how upsetting," said the other lady.
"But that is fine, Lady Mavis's older brother is one of the most handsome man! I would rather be loved by such a man than a mere Lord with an ugly appearance," replied some others.
Caroline looked at Lady Mavis who had tightened her grip on the teacup. She knows how the lady always hate being compared to her older brother and smiled, "By the way, Lady Mavis your dress is gorgeous. I always know you have a great taste in choosing a dress, may you tell me from where you bought that?"
Mavis who gathered attention from the ladies beside her pulled a wide smile. She seemed to be happier now that the attention was back on her and quickly entertained the ladies in the garden, replying to them with her haughty tone and Caroline made sure she would feel flattered all the time so she wouldn't lose the favor of the lady.
Far above the garden was the tall young man who had crossed his long legs upon the others. His deep red eyes seemed to have curved as he heard what the ladies spoke of about his ugly appearance. He turned his face forward, finding the sweating marquis who was the father of Lady Mavis. He didn't expect his daughter to be talking about the lord when he was right here above them! Especially to call the man ugly when everyone knows just how badly he would react to such nonsense!!
"L- Lord Magnus," whispered the Marquis, lifting his head, he felt a chill running down his spine as the handsome man in front of him had tilted his head aside, letting his black hair to be swayed by the wind.
"Your daughter is quite the jester, Marquis," said Magnus before looking at the man. "Do you think I am ugly? Monstrous?"
"Preposterous! You are not ugly, milord!" Marquis who was also a vampire felt as though he had turned into a human as sweats began to dribbled on his back and the cold temperature became demandingly higher, boiling him on his chair. "Y- You are handsome, the most handsome man I have ever lived to see," and his words weren't a lie.
Blessed with a tall stature, Magnus Blancheforth held an amazingly charming face. A face that no one would expect a human to ever have. As a child he appeared like a doll and as he grew older he was the exact copy of the angel's statue, bearing the sharp square chin and seductive almond eyes. But his actions were far from beautiful as he appeared, because the man held one of the most frightening personality in their land. The marquis had heard how when he was younger, Magnus had killed everyone in his family, and although back then he was the prime suspect, the King had somehow found a scapegoat to blame his family's death to. However to those nobles who had lived long, they all know the boy had killed his own parents and siblings, savagely by his own two hands.
Magnus spread his red lips evenly, the lips held the same crimson hue as his eyes.
He didn't seem offended— at least from outside but the Marquis also know the habit of the man who would kill while holding a big grin on his face such as now.
"As I thought, many would agree that I'm handsome too, wouldn't they?" Magnus inquired, holding a bigger smile on his lips as the Marquis nodded his head eagerly like a toy.
"Of course! Of course!" Yelled the marquis who the stared at Magnus's bright crimson eyes which seemed to be much brighter even when compared to the vampire Marquis or his daughter who were pure blood. Catching the man staring at his eyes, Magnus lifted his gaze from the big chocolate cakes to the man.
"Now tell me marquis Jesper, you offered me such a lavish welcome for me in your house but do tell me the purpose? I'm certain if you wanted to know me, you could simply come to my ball next week."
Marquis Jesper slowly lowered his eyes. Under Magnus's gaze he feel as though everything in his mind was an open book to the man. Feeling unnerved despite being a vampire like the man, Jesper finally spoke, "You see, milord I own a few shops in the famous avenue. One of it is a jewelry shop. Have you heard of the phantom thief?"
Magnus who had just arrived in the land not long than two days ago tilted his head, "Hm," his velvet voice rings, "I'm not sure if I have. Why is it?"
Marquis Jesper sighed, "That phantom thief, that bastard of a rat had been going around all over Eleventh avenue to steal from the shops! One day they will come in an appearance of a woman and the day next the appearance of an old man. Every day they will continue changing their appearance as stealing items from my businesses! Everyone are fearful for that one time this thief would come again and god knows what else he will steal! Just yesterday they stole all the new jewelries from my shop and they all costs more than a thousand gold. If this continue, I will go bankrupt! Please, milord as the new governor of our land, would you please find this thief and punish him as he deserve? It's an urgent request of mine—"
"Phantom thief, jewelries?" Magnus seemed to pay attention to some of the keywords said by Marquis Jesper but not as a whole. He hummed, looking interested as he tilted his chin, "Was it yesterday during the rain that the phantom thief stole something from your shop?"
The old marquis was shocked and nodded his head, "Yes indeed! You know about it?"
"The phantom thief?" Magnus chuckled. Even though his earlier face was fill of dark mirth and sadism, now his chuckles appear to be sincere to the point that he almost welled up tears on his eyes.
He wondered what Jesper was talking about. A thief, a smart little thief who could steal while being unscathed. He seemed to know a little thief himself, someone from the eleventh avenue who had also stole jewelries while being drenched in the rain to the point she was almost killed by being run down by his horses.
The little wet cat, also the phantom thief.
"What about the Church? The Orders? They cannot catch just one simple thief at the eleventh avenue?" Magnus inquired and found Jesper tongue tied. "They gave up? Despite being filled with so many of supernaturals whether it's pure blood vampire or werewolves, you are saying that they are powerless against them?"
"They told me that they are currently busy—"
"With what? Those vulgar Vargos?" Magnus had just uttered the name and Marquis Jesper's face turned pallid. Despite being a pure blood vampires and one of those supernatural blessed with such a powerful body and power, they all fear the Vargos, a being that was told to be made from the darkness, a frightening monster without eyes that would rip humans and supernaturals alike to pieces. They appear only at night upon the call of someone called the 'Darkling', a sumoner whose identity is still unknown for hundred of years.
"It appeared that not too long ago a group of Vargos emerged from a village in the South and they are busy exterminating them," Jesper sighed deeply, "However they are still able to use some manpower on this phantom thief although they all have failed to show their competence."
"So you are saying that this single phantom thief is so frightening that even the Vargos is as major of a problem as they are?" Magnus settled his gloved hands over his red lips and let out a hearty chuckle. "She is funnier than I thought.."
Marquis Jesper didn't hear his last sentence that he whispered and was shocked when Magnus stood up from his seat without touching anything that was offered in front of him. "L- Lord Magnus so you would be helping me to find the phantom thief?"
"Perhaps," Magnus replied while patting the marquis' shoulders. As he stood up, he looked even more daunting with his tall figure. "But I think capturing and killing the Vargos come first. As the marquis of the land, I assume you would also prioritize the safety of our people?"
Magnus knew the Marquis has no concern over the poor villagers. All he wanted was for the phantom thief to be caught so he could began his business again and start increasing his wealth. The people of the Church as well as the Orders must have been tired of his constant begging even though there are people currently fighting so they wouldn't be killed by monsters.
"We- Well," the marquis panicked as his only last hope was taken away from him. "I could help you out in anything as an exchange. Money, lands.. Lord Magnus!"
"Tuesday," Magnus who had turned a deaf ear to the marquis called the man who was dressed pitch black from the bottom of his shoes to his eyes. The man is called Tuesday by Magnus, a man known to be anything that Magnus called him to be sometimes a servant, sometimes an assassin, and sometimes a protector. When the servant of the lord was silent he mingled with the walls behind him, making him appeared as if he was one with the darkness.
"Yes, lord?" Tuesday inquired, moving his deepest black eyes toward Marquis Jesper.
"Remind this man that everything in this land belong to me now and that I don't need anything or— are you saying that I am poor, Marquis Jesper?" Magnus turned his face slightly where the smile on the corners of his lips had completely disappeared, scaring Jesper who felt the sudden shift in the air including the once bright sky that seemed to slowly be swallowed by darkness.
"N- No, I won't dare to think such a thing."
Placing the black coat over himself, Magnus whispered aloud, "First the daughter called me monstrous and now the father called me a peasant. I'm looking forward to the rest of the nobles in Raindawn."
As he marched fast with his long legs, the marquis daughter, Lady Mavis walked by the charming man, almost having her jaws open wide from shock as she had never seen such a handsome man in her life. Tuesday who saw this turned his eyes away and hide his scoff for the woman had called his master a monstrous object but now blushes over his appearance.
Hiding her red cheeks, Lady Mavis ran over to her father, "Daddy who was that? That handsome man! He was so majestic, was he your guest—"
"You dumb girl!" Yelled the marquis, "How could you call the lord monstrous?!"
"Huh?" Lady Mavis stuttered, "-Did you hear while I was talking with the other ladies?"
"Everyone could hear you!" Marquis Jesper slammed his hand over his face and exhaled heavily as he realized how he had looked so terrible in front of Magnus and how the Lord must be extremely disappointed in him. No, disappointed was still better but now he has lose all favors!
"But you told me he looks monstrous," Mavis suddenly cower in fear as she had only repeated what her father had said.
"That is the rumors, rumors! I had never seen him and neither did you. The rumors only mentioned he is cursed to be a monstrous being but that wasn't about his appearance! He love himself so much that he utterly despise anyone calling him ugly to the point of death! If he heard what you said, do you think he would leave you unscathed? He killed his entire bloodline, he could do worse!" Marquis Jesper then snapped his eyes at his butler, "Bring her back to her room. Mavis if you step out before you reflect on your mistake, I will be extremely enraged!"
"W- What? But I did nothing, da- father!" Yelled the girl while watching her father paced away in their luxurious manor out of anger.
*****
author's note: if you like the book please consider giving this book a review and collection! Next chapter is tomorrow <33 have a pleasant day ahead~