Bambi and the Duke

The last thing she expected to see was the ghoul Everest holding an unknown woman's neck. The ghoul had its hand wrapped around her neck firmly in a death grip where whoever it was was struggling to get out of the hold but the ghoul was too strong.

"Everest," she whispered its name for the ghoul to look up at her.

The woman had tears in her eyes, blood blocking her head with her red vampire eyes turning redder. Even for a vampire, the ghoul was no match as it didn't exactly reside in this part of the realm. It was born out of pain and chaos of a little boy with blood surrounding it which it had consumed. Seeing the woman fight back, it reminded her of the time when she had been in the snow mansion. Flashes of what happened that day running in front of her eyes which made her throat hurt by jut remembering.

She didn't know why the ghoul was trying to suffocate the woman in hand but she looked innocent and Vivian didn't want any innocent's blood spilt in front of her.

"Stop suffocating her," she said taking a step forward for it to let out a threatening growl to not get closer. No this wasn't Everest, this was Narcissus his brother. But before she could tell anything more, the ghoul's hand moved from the stranger's neck to the top of the head and her eyes widened, "Stop it-" to pull it apart from the body where blood gushed out from the neck. The body fell down on the ground but the head was still held by the ghoul. 

Unable to see the gore, she turned away for her to vomit the bile that had come to rise in her throat from the pit of her stomach at the sight of it. She coughed, wiping her mouth with her sleeve and unable to see the ghoul nor the dead person who had been beheaded. For the ghoul to tear away a vampire's body in such ease only showed the strength it carried within its self.

Holding the bark of the tree, she stared at the carriage which was waiting for her and also Leonard's return. Turning around wasn't a sane idea as she vomited more to hold her stomach which was now empty. 

Covering her face with her hand, she sat for a long time. Hearing the rustle again, she went to see the ghoul had disappeared and so had the headless woman with her head separated. Her eyes knitted together and her head snapped left and right but there was no trace of it. Strangely there was no blood on the leaves nor the ground which made her confused. She had seen the blood falling on the ground but where did it go?

A small gasp escaped her mouth when someone placed a hand on her shoulder. 

"What are you doing here?" Leonard had come to fetch her when the coachman had relayed the message of her going for a little walk. 

"I..." his eyes fell on the ground where she had puked and it turned him worried.

Stepping closer to her, he placed his hand over her head, "You're burning," how had he not noticed it? She had been so happy and excited that he had failed to notice her rising temperature, "Let' get you some rest, Bambi. Are you able to walk?" he asked her. She nodded her head. 

As they began to walk she was still confused with everything, she asked him, "I have a favour to ask of you."

In a heartbeat, Leo responded back, "Anything," his eyes didn't look away for even a moment as he waited for her to speak.

"Can you take me to the Rune's mansion?" she asked. Not exactly wanting to take her there when she was sick he pursed his lips but gave her nod.

"Okay," he replied back. Reaching the carriage he asked the coachman to take them to the Rune's mansion. Vivian hadn't noticed her fever but as time passed by in travelling to the Rune mansion, her head started to feel heavy and her eyes wavering that she laid her head on Leo's shoulder.

Leo gently moved his hand on her shoulder. Looking down in his arms he saw her closed eyes, her face turning a little sour making him worry if she was in pain. Her hand had clutched his shirt tightly, "Tell me what you're feeling, Vivi," he asked her soothingly while keeping her close. 

"My head hurts. A lot, like I haven't slept in a long time. Do you think something is wrong with me?" she asked him.

"Why do you ask that?"

"I don't know," she said, and he knew that she knew what she was talking about and instead of pestering her to speak, he gave her time, "I don't like this..." her voice whispered above the moving wheels of the carriage and the knocking hooves of the horses on the ground as the carriage rode towards the Lord of Bonelake's mansion. 

"I don't want this ability," Vivian whispered with her head laid on Leo's chest. She didn't like it, more than the memories of happiness she had only picked up pain and death. The amount of death that she saw was making her stomach twist. She wasn't even sure if what she was her imagination or it was something that took place before her eyes. 

Her gloves were in place so there was no chance of her having seen in it the past. Was her mind playing with her? In the beginning, she had thought it to be a gift but now it seemed like a curse which she didn't deserve to see. Which sane person would like to see the body being tor, blood gushing out and the stench of death all over the place.

Once they reached the Rune's mansion, the butler came to greet them and Leonard sent a quick for him to fetch the priestess from the Church near his town. Vivian wasn't a mere human but pureblooded vampire who had been turned to a human. A mere doctor wouldn't help and he wasn't going to take chance by delaying whatever was to come. His best shot was taking Sister Isabelle's help. 

Vivian who had stepped down the carriage looked up to see the Rune's mansion with blurry eyes. She had been alright until the time of evening but out of the blue, she had fallen sick. Wondering if it was because she had puked that she felt weak, she felt Leo guide her inside the mansion.

Nicholas who had already been informed by his pet bird, Toby about the arrival of Leonard he came to meet them at the entrance.

"Could you excuse your butler for some time so that he can fetch Sister Isabelle here," Nicholas nodded his head, giving his butler a look so that he could go right away while Leonard helped Vivian take a seat in the dining room as it was the closest. 

"What happened? It looks like she has a fever," Nicholas asked, flicking his finger at the passing maid he asked her to ready the bed the guest room if the couple would stay the night. Reaching for the jug of water, Leonard poured the water into a glass to give it to Vivian. Taking the glass of water, Vivian sipped the water which took time to soothe her dry throat, the acidic taste reducing in her mouth. 

"I am okay," she whispered but all the three of them knew she was far from being okay. She looked tired and weak, her eyes not holding that bright light which she usually had. 

Pulling the chair, Leonard sat in front of Vivi to ask, "Would you like something to eat for your stomach? Porridge might help," she shook her head. She doubted she could eat anything at the moment, not for two hours or more. 

Nicholas leaned against the wall looking at the human who sat quietly on one of the dining chairs. The lord was going to head out on work and after hearing the caws of his bird he had stayed back to see what was the matter. She was sick yet she refused to take rest now. Her eyes that were staring at the table slowly shifted one after another object before it came to meet his. It seemed that the girl had something to ask. 

"I have something to ask you, Lord Nicholas," both the men didn't fail to notice the title she had used, her voice feeble but firm at the same time. 

"Please," smiled Nicholas waiting to see what it was that she wanted to know. 

She clutched the glass she held on her lap, the glass wasn't empty which shook the water inside it slightly on her lap, "Where is Narcissus now?" 

"In Valeria," he answered. 

"W-when did he go there?" she asked him.

"Two days ago. I needed to check on the Lord of Valeria on what he was doing as he was on something, that being your lineage. Seems like you caught his eye, your ability," he cleared his gaze moving to Leonard with a smile and then back to her," at Lord Nicholas information, Vivian looked surprised. Lord Alexander was helping her find her parents? "I wasn't able to find it so I doubt he'll be able to find it either. Why were you asking about Narcissus? If Everest were to hear-" and as if on cue they sensed the ghoul who had been lurking in the shadows at the corner of the dining room. 

Lord Nicholas dining room could be considered the darkest of all places, therefore, it was one of the favourite places for the ghouls to be in. 

"Don't sulk, Everest," Nicholas teased looking at the ghoul for them to hear a garbled voice come out of it, "I was only joking," he chuckled looking at the ghoul as well as the couple who stared at him. 

Leonard had asked her to stay near the carriage but he knew it was too much to expect with Vivian's curiosity. Rueben hadn't called him for the taxation but to talk about the witch trial that they had been following. Oddly the head council trusted to hear the information from him and not his superior Lionel. 

Vivian bit her lip, "He hasn't returned back since then?" 

"Not that I know of. Compared to that one, Narcissus is very obedient and efficient. He wouldn't fall astray."

Then was she hallucinating? asked Vivian to herself. Reality, past and her thoughts were giving her a headache now, "Did you see something?" Vivian met Leo's eyes and at times she often wondered how he knew what was running on her mind. 

Her brows knitted together in thought and after a while, she said, "I think I need to sleep..."

Once Vivian had gone to rest, Leonard stood outside the room with Nicholas. With his teeth clenched, Leo asked, "What did you do you this time?" There were frequently times when the Lord went on a killing spree with people who would have got under his nerves and sometimes out of joy. 

"Hey, hey! I did nothing," the Lord raised both his hands, "Narcissus is really away and I haven't asked him to hunt anyone."

"She was fine when I left her to meet Rueben but when I returned back she had fallen sick and wanted to meet you," explained Leonard with a low voice so that their voice wouldn't wake her, "She must have seen your ghoul," he concluded.

"But he isn't here. I doubt he would do anything out of line," pondered Nicholas. Leonard worried about her. Something or the other kept happening. Either she fell sick or she had fallen into the river to hurt herself, "She's here," they heard the main door open.

The woman stepped inside the mansion, being led by the butler who had fetched her from the church.

~Mass release: If the book falls in top #3 power ranking I will give you 5 chapters as a mass release. Top #2 I will give you 10 chapter release. The rank must stay until the Sunday result~