As the night falls upon my dominion, I rise from my slumber wrapped in Sophia's reddish bedsheets. At this point, they could very well be mine as it has been days since I last sought my coffin. A little irresponsible of me because of the superior security a coffin provides however for somewhat lewd reasons I prefer to sleep here.
Feeling the call of thirst upon me, im quick to rise and pick a common red linen dress from my wardrobe. Upon my arrival in the hallway, the delightful smell of fresh blood enters my nostrils. Laudine, yet to appear in my sight, is on her way bringing a majestic goblet filled with blood harvested as soon as the moon came out.
Slightly late today hm? Well, a minor delay is irrelevant.
I follow the wondrous smell through the hallways soon reaching my headmaid. My greetings catch her by surprise as she is yet to arrive at her destiny and after properly greeting me, she proceeds to hand my goblet containing my meal as foreseen in her duties, however today she brings a message which I believe is the reason behind her delay.
"Mercurio wishes to speak in thy presence, my lady, he awaits at the cellar" Laudines says politely.
Hopefully, it is nothing related to accidentally killing one of my thralls again. He promised me the last time would be last.
"I see. And where can I find Sophia?"
"Having lessons with Lambert in the living room" She answers politely.
Maudit Lambert, he thinks of himself as a great scholar. Hmph, always 'fix this' and 'fix that' he should fix that height of his, short scoundrel. He is lucky Sophia is always around, if not I would smark that smirk out of his face. That time he said 'Something so simple, how thou could get it wrong?' Ughh! I swear in Lucifer's name, I was this close to ripping his spine off in front of Sophia. One of these nights I should pay a visit to him while he sleeps, scare him to death and laugh at his face. If only he weren't a valuable asset, I would have done that a long ago sigh... The truth is, he is necessary even though I despise him.
After leaving Laudine to her duties, I make my way to the staircase leading to the first floor in order to reach the cellar. On my path, I pass by the living room to briefly greet Sophia with a wave of my hand and a smile while passing by the door which she retributes, returning her attention to Lambert shortly after. Lambert in all his shortness, just glances at me for a moment before returning to his boring never-ending speech about the sounds of each rune.
My track continued and soon, I was outside my doorstep gazing at the surroundings of my house. There are a lot of tents serving as temporary shelters for Mercurio's people. A few unfinished buildings alongside piles of wooden boards too. It is dark now but during the day this place must be filled with hammering noises all over.
While walking toward the back of my house, I take the time to appreciate the view of my fields brimming with countless crops from the most various types. A view that grants me a great sense of accomplishment every time my eyes fall upon them. It wasn't easy but with time and patience, the workers succeeded, maybe because this is the food they eat too. So in a way, they are working for themselves and I only take the part they do not need to sell for profit.
I feel at peace here, I have a lovely woman, a spacious house, an infinite supply of blood, and everything one could ever ask for, maybe even more. Something about having my own things for once makes me feel satisfied with my current life, my mind is filled with an odd sense of pride for my accomplishments although some of them are very minor. The Sanguine Roses are a little mad but they make for good citizens, it is because of them that my manor is growing sooner than expected. I would like to take Lambert aside but other than that attitude, he is similar to them.
I made a promise to my maker but now, my feelings tell me to do otherwise. Forget about Lucifer, forget about everything, and just live my life here for the rest of my days alongside Sophia. Perhaps I should, my maker's only wish is for me to expand our race but soon enough, Marie and Revgnir shall be able to pass the blessing upon who they see fit and my role shall be forgotten. Well, I could just pass it to a few of the Sanguine Roses, im sure Mercurio would be delighted to have his little minions with powers beyond comprehension besides they seem responsible enough to not make me go around cleaning their messes.
Arriving at the cellar, I knock on it a few times waiting for Mercurio to open it from inside. A little inconvenient but a small price to pay to keep Sophia away from this cellar, she must never find out about the deeds performed down there. They are quite... grotesque, to say the least. And I fear that her long-term stay with humans made her sensitive to their lives.
Hearing his robe and with his usual unhealthy-looking physique, Mercurio answers the door seeming uncommonly eager to receive me. We briefly greet each other and I go inside, Mercurio closes the door as soon as Im in. As we walk past the cell, I give a side glance at a few of my thralls standing around drooling with minds more empty than a blank piece of paper. Further inside, there is an improvised laboratory with a table in the middle holding a tied body with his guts open for the world to see. On another table holding a few 'alchemic' components as Mercurio calls it, there is a very notorious book. It is engraved with a rose on the cover and is quite thick too, however, that is not all. The book is made of human skin and was found years ago by the founder of the Sanguine Rose, Mercurio's grandfather. Mercurio said something about this book containing spells and incantations... I believe he is just mad. I tried to read it but the damn thing is not even in Franconian, and my mind could barely comprehend when Mercurio tried to explain so from then on, I stopped trying to understand.
"What is it that thou wishes to speak?" I ask casually as he walks a step behind me
With pride and eagerness in his tone, Mercurio answers while we walk toward his little laboratory at the end of the cellar.
"With the instability and the perfect subjects provided by thee, I finally was able to make a huge advance and as foreseen in our agreement, I wish to, not address, but show"
A little taken aback, my eyebrows pinch at Mercurio's prideful statement.
Now im awfully curious... hopefully this does not end up as a waste of my time.
We arrive at the table, and I stand on the side of the gutless body as Mercurio eagerly grabs his book. He then opens it in his left hand while extending his right one toward the head of the body. Mercurio takes a last glance at his book closing his eyes right after while I stand with a curious expression waiting patiently for something to happen.
...
As time passes, my curiosity begins to fade into dissatisfaction while watching what I think it is a madman pointing his hand at a corpse for what it feels like an eternity.
This is maddening! The expectation is killing me. What exactly is this? Something is already happening and am I just unable to see it? Or nothing is happening at all? He didn't explain what I should expect here.
When I was about to intervene, something astonishing happened before my eyes. A rose, slowly coming out of the corpse's right eye. It gently gets longer and when it finally reaches the maximum length, it blooms with beautiful red petals without leaving the corpse's eye.
I stand frozen, astonished with my mouth open staring at the flower while Mercurio finally opens his eyes with his nose up in the air puffing his chest proudly.
"Behold! The reason behind the name given by my grandfather" says Mercurio pridefully
After taking in the impossible feat that just happened before my very eyes and analyzing it again with a clear mind, I say confused.
"Well, it is indeed amazing but... thou said it was a book describing spells related to dark arts, this does not look very 'dark' to me, and how one would even use this what? Spell? Growing roses on corpses does not seem very useful to me"
My doubts strike Mercurio's pride like a sudden breeze blowing dust and the man stripped of his pride, put his head down with a sigh that seemed to blow away his own soul.
"This is only the first spell described in this book, in other words, it is the foundation for the remaining ones which are yet to be revealed" He says lifelessly.
All this talk of spells sounds too complicated, im still learning how to read properly. Growing plants with bare hands just by reading a book is a whole different level of scholarship. Perhaps as my education further increases, I might be able to grasp this knowledge Mercurio is always eagerly speaking of. For now, im going to focus on matters I can actually comprehend.
"Diresgarding its usefulness, this is fine work indeed and I would like to..." I casually say while extending my hand to grab the rose
Mercurio seeing what im about to do, tries to stop me but it is too late. I pulled the rose expecting to bestow it as a gift for Sophia however to my surprise the rose didn't come alone. The rose comes out alongside the man's eyeball, attached at the base of the flower by penetrating roots extending themselves through the whole eye.
"Oh, so this is the 'dark' part hm?" I say with a sarcastic-serious tone
Mercurio sighs in relief and proceeds to speak.
"This... was extremely dangerous, this is a spell cast by a person who barely knows what he is doing, a light mistake and we could have died"
Startled, I let go of the flower immediately and it fell on the dead body's chest.
Mental note, never touch anything related to Mercurio ever.
"In any case, wouldn't thou happen to have one of these roses lying around?" I ask casually
Mercurio puts his book on the table again while speaking.
"Unfortunately no, these roses feed on the blood of its bearer, if- oh, look at the rose and it shall be made clear soon enough"
With a puzzled expression, my attention changes to the rose again resting peacefully at the body's chest. Shortly, petal by petal the beautiful red flower begins to crumble before my eyes, and soon the whole flower rots and the eye attached to it follows the same pattern.
"I see, so it can not survive without a host"
"Hard to say, it might be a mistake on my end or im just unfitting to practice dark arts, perhaps it needs another spell to make it last. The options are endless" Says Mercurio explaining
My eyes roll far into my skull as my annoyance grows in parallel with the uncertainties this subject brings. Without further ado, I bestow my congratulations upon Mercurio for his fine job, leaving the cellar soon after with a damn headache result of all this incomprehensible talk of spells, it is quite interesting but oh boy, definitely not easy for someone poorly educated such as me.
Speaking of education, I should go back and watch lessons with Sophia. Im close to reaching scholar-hood, my writing and reading are almost perfect after a few lessons. Definitely not Lambert's doing, I studied very hard to beat him in his own game and I shall study even more in order to make him jealous of my superior intellect.
...
Lessons taken, I and Sophia went back to have a nice and relaxing chat in our room around the small wooden table. Our spontaneous chat takes us through various topics however one in particular stood out for its peculiarity.
"What?! How come thou never had a dance before?" Says Sophia in disbelief
Well, truth be told, I never had much of a chance to dance. After all, leaving the basement in which I lived was not an option, much less taking off my bindings. However, im going to refrain from speaking about my harsh past for the sake of it staying there, in the past.
"Is it uncommon?" I ask with a tone of confusion
Sophia, with determination in her eyes, rises from her chair and walks up to my side in silence. My stare of confusion follows her path and out of nowhere, she kneels extending her palm up for me to take while speaking imitating a nobleman.
"Fine lady! Would thou grant me the pleasure of thy first dance?"
Finding her imitation amusing, a giggle comes out of my mouth and without dwelling much, I gently take her hand. We both rise and she takes the lead, putting her left arm around my waist while guiding my arms and hands to the appropriate positions.
"Good, now follow my lead" Says Sophia joyfully
With simplistic steps, we dance around the spacious room illuminated by feeble lanterns. Our shadows float around the walls as we dance. Sophia's cheerful smile never got out of my sight while we twirled around the room letting out small cheerful giggles. A hypnotizing smile, capable of charming my lifeless heart like none other. At this moment, not a single detail about her goes unchecked. Our motion creates waves on her soft hair, her touch on my hip and hand, her after-bath floral scent, and her beautiful yellow eyes, everything down to the last minor details can not escape my senses. We dance both in light and darkness as the world around us feels wrapped in a fog made of happiness and warmth.
*Knock Knock*
The magical moment was short-lived as a knock on the door came pulling me away from my kind trance resulting in us stopping moving yet in our dance stance to hear the message that just arrived.
"My lady, Marie arrived and she awaits in the living room" Laudine politely says standing on our doorstep
Oh, now that my head has come back to its place, I can indeed feel her presence. What a reunion this is going to be, feels like ages since our last talk in person however we do tend to talk a lot. Previously by messengers and recently by letters after I sent a scholar to teach her as she too was interested in learning how to read properly. I would be more pleased to see her if it wasn't for the fact that she is probably here to insist that I rethink the content of my last letter.
After asking Laudine to bring some wine to the living room, she made her leave. When my gaze came back to Sophia still holding my hand I perceived her distress by her sudden change of demeanor. A normal reaction since Sophia is not very fond of strangers, even worse because this stranger is a woman who makes her feel threatened. Sophia tries her best to hide it but her jealousy is quite notable, even when maids are around she tends to become a little protective. When I first spoke of Marie to Sophia, she got very... well I had to reassure her many times for days. However, as I thought, her worries are still far from gone.
Attempting to calm down her worries, my right hand gently falls upon the right side of her face, caressing her while I lean forward for a light kiss on her lips. Feeling at ease while resting her head on my tender palm, Sophia closes her eyes to meet my lips. After pulling away, I continue to softly caress her with a peaceful expression however with both of her hands, she grabs my right hand kissing my palm gently. She starts with the palm, then my fingers, the back of my hand, then kisses her way through my whole arm while staring directly at my eyes until she eventfully arrives at my neck. Sophia wraps both her arms around my waist passionately while kissing my neck and I follow suit by wrapping my arms around her neck. Our lustful gazes meet and we freeze for a moment both appreciating the other face but it does not take long until we kiss once again this time however with a greater level of passion.
Noticing my lateness to my appointment, I pull away from our kiss however Sophia unsatisfied continues to lean forward trying to catch my lips while enhancing the tightness of her grip around my waist. Giggling slightly, I say with a tender tone.
"Love, I have-"
"Visitors, I know... but a little longer" Says Sophia with a lustful tone
I turn my head to the side hindering her assertive attempts to reach my lips successfully but she takes it as an invitation to continue on my neck. Taken by surprise, a light moan escapes my mouth.
"Hold on a little... we can finish later" I say ashamed
After a sad sigh, Sophia prevents herself from going any further and loosens her grip around my waist while resting her head on my shoulder.
"Mmhm" She murmurs in agreement with a depressed tone
...
After arranging our appearance to meet my visitors, we leave the room walking side by side in the hallways until we eventfully reach the living room where Marie stands at the window bathing in the moonlight with drinks in hand. Upon our arrival, she turns around to greet me with a friendly smile to which I retribute. After greeting me she goes to Sophia who stands at my side timidly.
With a polite demeanor expected of Marie, she extends her hand to Sophia while speaking with a cordial tone.
"It is a pleasure to finally meet the one Carmilla speaks so fondly of, my name is Marie"
Sophia, a little apprehensive, extends her hand back and they both shake hands normally while trading a few words. After the common blather that comes with these kinds of meetings, I kindly invite Sophia to leave as it would be dangerous to have her around Marie for a variety of motives but mainly because of the reason why Marie is here today. Sophia as expected, didnt quite enjoy the idea of me alone with Marie but after my incessant insistence, she finally agreed to leave. Upon Sophia's withdrawal, I had an odd impression of a smile appearing on the corner of Marie's mouth but brushed it off as my imagination. I politely offer a sit to her which she gladly accepts and we are now sitting across one another both with goblets in hands sipping casually on it while we speak.
"Thou seem oddly different when she is around" Marie says sneering-serious tone
"Perhaps, love can be quite changing" I say casually
Marie rolls her eyes in silence before returning her gaze to me expressing her dissatisfaction.
"Sacre bleu... Carmilla, hear thyself. Put this foolishness behind, why settle for a crumbling house and a mortal when we could achieve so much more"
Sending a sharp stare toward Marie, I speak with an antipathic tone.
"My choices are mine to make and she is not just any mortal, know thy place"
"Here she is finally, I was starting to wonder when the true Carmilla would appear. Perhaps wanting to take my head off because of a comment? Is she aware of that side of thee? She must be, right?..." Marie says sarcastically
Angered by Marie's petulance, my gaze evolves from subtle anger to complete irritation however even though she perceives my fury, she still proceeds.
"After all, she is not just any mortal"
The hard truth came to light painful as ever. Does not matter how much I try to run from it, I know how it ends. Sophia would feel repulsed, she would never accept me fully. Im a monster, not because of the blessing but because of who im. Truth be told, some nights are just insufferable to hold the beast at bay. It pleads for slaughter, for trickery, but when I hold Sophia in my arms it feels like love. Perhaps not enough to keep the beast at bay but enough to make me feel happy. Maybe im being foolish but I truly cherish the time we spend together however in the back of my mind, I fantasize about a world where Sophia would not feel disgusted by the trail of bodies left in my wake and for the pleasure I felt while stacking them.
After the harsh reality being thrown at me by Marie, the anger that I was using to shield myself from the truth faded showcasing the melancholy hiding underneath.
"Is it so wrong to want to be loved? Perhaps not by who I truly im but... it is all I can get" I say with a bitter tone
"Car-"
"Enough, the content of that letter is my final decision. From now on, in respect for our kinship, I shall support thee from afar as I have already been doing but do not expect me to abandon my peace here"
Marie let out a sigh of distress while rising from her chair. She comes toward me slowly with a serene expression putting her hand on top of mine snatching the goblet out of my hands placing it on the small table on my side.
"She is not worthy of thy love" Marie muttered
Puzzled by her sudden actions, my gaze leaves my cup to stare at her in confusion. As soon as my attention turns to her, Marie quickly leans forward putting her body in front of me successfully connecting our lips forcefully. The odd reality takes time to sink into my mind so I stay still paralyzed there with an astonished expression while Marie's lips press against mine. When I finally understood what was happening, my first response was to push her away. She tries to fight back against my push by pressing forward but my superior strength wins resulting in the separation of our lips and as she backpedals, I rise from my chair quick to express my indignation.
"Outrageous! What is the meaning of this?" I shouted
Marie stands in front of me with a calm expression and demeanor that just serves to aggravate my fury and when she tries to speak again, I interrupt her fuming.
"Forget it! I do not want to hear a thing coming out from thy mouth, leave"
Without arguing, Marie calmly walks out of the room, leaving my house soon after. Upon Marie's departure, my legs give way due to all the chaos going on inside and outside my mind and I fall back into my chair with a look of astonishment on my face.
I-... what? ... She kissed me, how dare she? Im no harlot. I would never allow her to leave this room unscathed if she wasn't my kin. Disgusting... I feel tainted, a kiss is something reserved for lovers only. A woman's lip is sacred, yet she dares to deceive mine.
With aggressive motion, I snatch my previous goblet off the table pouring all its contents inside my mouth, putting my throat to work with each swallow. When it finally ends, I clean my mouth using my sleeve, leaving a subtle shade of red on the black fabric of my simple dress.
'Not worthy' What does she mean? Who is then? Im the one who is not worthy of Sophia. She is kind, gentle, caring, and loving. A person far better than I could ever hope to be, compared to her, im just a monster whose heart can not beat. Marie is the one who is not worthy of the blessing, not worthy of my blood, not worthy!
I throw my empty goblet at the wooden wall strong enough to shatter the metal cup in pieces that spread across the whole room.
My own blood, yet she still dares to speak against me in a feeble attempt to convince me to pursue whatever goal she is too weak to attain on her own! What if I just want to stick around here? What if I like it here? It is not of her damn concern! She thinks that promises of castles and luxuries are enough to make me follow her blindly! A bed without warmth is useless, be it from a palace or under a fucking bridge.
I rise from my chair making my way toward Sophia with quick and impatient steps soon arriving at our room in which she lies beautifully in our bed awaiting my return with open arms to receive me.
~~~~~~~~~~
Marie walks under the veil of the night with calm steps on the road toward Letusa, her expression shows her contemplative mood.
'Something is wrong' Marie thinks
Although for a brief moment, Marie was in Sophia's presence. She seemed and felt like any other mortal but the cunning woman couldn't shake out the freakish feeling Sophia gave her. Not only that but the changes in Carmilla's behavior are uncanny. After all the mighty blabber about Lucifer this and Lucifer that now she suddenly wants to settle down?
'Changed by love? brainwashed would be a more suitable term'
Alongside the oddness, Marie feels something much more powerful growing within herself. An old emotion that always seems to drive those who seek greatness in the realm of men.
An overwhelming sense of envy. Although Marie hardly lets it come to light, she has a thing that can only be deemed as a twisted and sick obsession with Carmilla. Her whiteish and cute eyelashes look like they are snowy, her long smooth hair seems to be the work of an ancient spider who made it thread by thread, her pale skin emits a godly perfection no person could ever hope to achieve, her delicate legs, and roughly the same height as Marie making it perfect for skinship. Everything about Carmilla spells 'delicacy' yet she is fiercer than a tornado.
Her appearance aside, something much deeper attracts Marie to no end. The duality between a naive frail commoner and a ruthless destroyer never fails to be adorable. Naive as they can come and bearer of such an incredible amount of power, Marie delights herself in the thought of turning Carmilla into her pet.
Marie fantasizes about Carmilla kneeling at her feet with a yearning expression as she licks her crotch eager to plead, Carmilla staking mountains of bodies at Marie's mere sigh of distress, her beautiful crimson gaze brimming with burning lust while Marie enjoys each section of her body carefully.
Powerful women being submissive is a constant fantasy in Marie's mind but in her entire life, she has never been able to find one as suited to the role as her own sire. She finally finds the perfect prey however, even though Carmilla can be quite naive, she is far from being dumb. Marie knows how impossible most of these scenarios are and that is why she stands around fantasizing about it yet hoping to reach Carmilla's heart using a more gentle approach. However, today something changed.
'How can she choose someone other than me?'
If Marie didnt know better, she would think that Carmilla is blind. She was eagerly awaiting a chance to make a bold move toward her sire but now, all of a sudden she finds a lover that snatches her away in a blink of an eye. Ending all her chances to feel her beloved touch and damaging all her plans due to the now absence of Carmilla in most of it.
Marie slowly raises her right hand using her fingers to gently caress her lips with a malicious subtle smile she doesn't dare to show in public.
'Love, curse, brainwashing, whatever it is. If I can not have her, then no one can'
Marie continues to follow her path soon arriving at Letusa however what she fails to notice is a shadowy figure hiding in the darkness watching her from afar with great care while holding a strange piece of mirror that seems to reflect Carmilla's current self, lying on a bed careless. However, what is truly odd is the angle by which Carmilla's image is being conveyed, almost as if it is lying down in the same bed.