It was one of those cold mornings in the small kingdom of Hatia. Just like any other winter season, the snow had fully decorated every corner of the land with snow and most of the folks had locked themselves up in their houses while trying to get themselves warm.
This was one of the seasons that most people hated but the same could not be told about Richard who was at the cemetery while standing in front of one particular grave. His usual cold demeanor had not changed as he continued to stand there rooted in one place with his fists clenched.
"I will rip all their heads off and feed them to the wolves for what they did to you." He declared lowly while looking at the tombstone with the name engraved on it "Barbara Conley." It had been almost a century since his mother passed away but to him it still felt like yesterday and after some few minutes of standing there, he heard some footsteps from a distance that were approaching him but he did not bother to turn around to check who it was.
"Master, everything has already been set and the Davis is in the carriage waiting for you." He heard the man say and after a moment, he turned his face to look at the short thick_set man wearing a brown hut.
"Tell him to go on. I will use a horse." Came his words. "You can leave, Matthew." He ordered and the man hesitantly walked away.
After spending some minutes in the cemetery, he finally left and headed back home but before he could get into the house, his footsteps halted and he changed his direction and headed towards the horse sheds.
Walking past the horses, one by one, he came to stand in front of a midnight black horse and after giving a few strokes, he pulled it to the other side and mounted it. It did not take long before the horse made its way towards the large black gates and Richard who was on its top turned to look at the front of the mansion in which the butler stood by the door while waving good bye at him.
His journey to the west was not a pleasant one especially with the snow that was increasingly falling but the cold weather seemed to have no effect on him as his horse continued to gallop on the lonely snowy alley.
Though his journey had taken longer time than usual, he finally reached his destination at the time of midnight and his horse came into a halt in front of a large white walled mansion. Still on the top of his horse, he scanned his surroundings and upon seeing his carriege parked not too far away from the house, he finally dismounted from the horse and his coachman who had made his way towards him took the horse away.
A few steps away from the mansion's main entrance, the door opened and an old woman who had tied her grey hair into a bun came into view with a smile adorning her wrinkled face.
"How have you been Rachael?" He initiated the greetings and the old woman stepped aside for him to get inside. "I am fine but now I am much better that I have seen you." The old woman said enthusiastically while closing the door.
"Master, your food is still warm. Should I serve it?"
"There is no need for that but you can send a glass of blood to my room." With that, he walked to his room.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed while uncuffing his shirt when he heard a soft knock on the door and upon answering, a young maid came in holding a tray in her hands. When he lifted his face to look at her, Laura could not get her eyes off him. She had been working in this mansion for three years without ever seeing the owner of the house and when they were informed that the master of the house would be coming, she had expected to see a man in his fifties but here she was, staring at the most handsome man her eyes had the pleasure of seeing and when she realized that she had been gawking, she looked away.
"Place it at the table." He said as he pushed himself to stand up and once again, her eyes landed on him after she had done what she was told. His raven hair had been disheveled with some fringes falling on his forehead right below his dark thick eyebrows that were slightly arched.
"What are you doing standing there?!" He asked in annoyance which brought Laura back to reality.
When she placed her hand on the door knob ready to twist it, she heard a right thud on the door right above her shoulder. His palm was now resting on the door and she was trapped in the middle which made her to instinctively turn around to face him.
"Don't you know that you are not supposed to leave before you have been dismissed."He asked in a low voice that made her toes to involuntarily curl and Richard who could see lust written all over her face pulled her by the wrist and pushed her on his large bed with her back against the soft mattress.
Just by looking at her, he could tell that she was used to being taken due to the way she was coyly looking at him. Discarding the shirt that he had been wearing, he climbed on the bed.