{Chapter Note: In case you are confused reading this chapter, the main protagonist lost her memory of the last five chapters.}
Just as she had desired, everything was an erased memory by the time she flipped her eyes open.
She had opened them to her resting carefully back on her queen-sized bed. She had opened her eyes to her memory wiped off by a certain person. She had woken up to forgetting events of the past twenty-four hours, including one of her encounters with the Duke before her arrest.
It felt as though she skipped one day until the next.
Ember moved in her bed, feeling a sharp pain in her waist. She wondered what caused the pain because she had slept in a rightful position the previous night and gotten up in a rightful position.
Before she got off the bed in her undergarment to prepare for the day, someone opened her room door and headed in.
Her eyes widened when she saw who it was. Her maid. Her ex-maid, Grace.
She had dismissed her and paid her off. What was she doing in her home, in the servant's uniform?
Grace had seen Ember and immediately abandoned the bowl of clean water and bucket in her hand, rushing over to Ember to trap her in a hug.
When she pulled away, Ember still had a huge frown on her face, waiting for her to give an explanation.
"You are finally awake!"
Finally? Ember's frown deepened.
"What are you doing, Grace?"
Ember demanded, stepping away from her to find a robe.
"I was called back, Miss."
"I never called you back. I dismissed you last month, Grace."
Ember pointed out, putting on her robe.
"I know. Lord Barrett did."
Ember froze, unable to comprehend what Grace had just said.
"Lo-lo-lord Barrett? My brother?"
Ember stuttered, collecting tears in her eyes.
As soon as Grace confirmed with a nod, Ember darted out in her undergarment and robe, racing down the stairs.
Voices and laughter emerged from the break room. Voices that she recognized.
Only her brother spoke with such charisma and aura even when he was cracking jokes.
She padded towards the break room, her heart thundering against her rib cage.
She had last seen her brother ten years ago, at the send-forth of her mother. He, alongside her other siblings - Edward and Sharon - had moved to Hadham for a greener pasture.
As she pushed the door open and stepped inside, setting her eyes on Barrett and Edward for the first time in ten years, tears slipped down her face uncontrollably.
She sprinted towards them, wrapping them desperately in a soul-shattering hug.
Barrett was the eldest - broad, tanned, and a towering height. Edward was the youngest, and he carbon-copied their father's features the most with dark, brown eyes, average height, and an average lean body shape. Ember was the last born.
And Sharon wasn't around again.
She tried not to pick a distaste towards Sharon and her irresponsibilities. Sharon hadn't shown up at their mother's send forth just as she ignored their father's like a plague.
"Brothers! I told you not to worry, that I was fine coming over by myself in my letter."
She had assumed they were there to pick her up and together move to Hadham.
Barrett's slight grin settled.
"We didn't come here to take you, Ember. We are here to settle."
Ember frowned.
"What? Why?"
Barrett sighed, and a frown touched Edward's lips. She didn't know what the issue was, but she was sure as hell it was a bad one. Any subject that had her brothers sighing and frowning was certainly a bad one.
"Come, sit."
Barrett pulled her to settle on a three-seater sofa at the corner of the breakroom and sat beside her. Her brother, Edward, took the armrest.
"Father wrote us a letter before his passing."
Oh, it was not good.
"He asked us to move to Belmont as soon as that devil comes for you."
"So? Why would it come for me?"
Barrett sighed.
"I'm afraid he has already."
Ember scowled, moving away from Barrett.
"No, it hasn't. I'm—"
"Em, Barrett came over at dawn to pick you up when he found you unconscious before the entrance."
Ember gasped in shock.
"What?"
She whispered her disbelief and fisted her palm anxiously.
She was sure she had retired to bed the previous night like every other normal day. But, when she thought about it more, her memory from last night felt fainter and farther than normal.
It felt like it had happened a few days back.
Something was missing.
She rose to her feet.
"Barrett thinks the devil might have made a move on you but couldn't get you."
Edward continued.
"But. But. But, I-I-I went to bed last night, I didn't..."
Ember's voice trailed off.
"You had been well dressed, but it was dirty. Muddy. You also had makeup on. Which implies you were headed out."
Makeup? But, she hadn't stepped her foot out ever since her father's demise. Why would she put on makeup?
Ember took a step back in shock, trembling down to her toes.
"So why can't I remember anything?"
Ember asked, her lips quivering.
"He erased your memory. Definitely probably compelled you to forget."
"Compel? What's that supposed to mean?"
Barrett took her hands in his.
"You have a lot to learn about that creature, Em. First, they are called vampires, not devils. They possess a lot of supernatural powers. And, one of them is compulsion."
He paused, gazing down at their entwined fingers.
"They tell you something they want you to believe, and you believe it magically. It is similar to spell or hypnotizing. They also erase memories. They tell you to forget a certain event and you do. I believe that is what happened to you."
Ember swallowed, trying not to faint out of shock. She had had an encounter with the renowned devil - vampire - and she didn't recall what exactly it was.
"So, what now?"
"We hunt it down."
Edward responded with determination and rage dead in his gaze. Ember was taken aback by his sudden switch.
"How? You mentioned earlier that this vampire or whatever you call it has supernatural powers. How do you plan to hunt it down?"
"Edward and I have plans. And, we know a method to kill it."
"First and foremost," Edward suddenly stepped away, walking towards the table to grab a pen and a piece of paper. "we have to get you married."