The castle was too large; Belle doubted they would be able to finish walking around it today. On one side of the castle was a forest with dense trees that stretched out at the far end, and one could hear the chattering of strange birds from it. As they walked toward it, she stole a glance at the vampiress, as she did not think they needed to walk the forest path. She had only co out here to look for her chamber’s window, but from the way the building was built, she could not recognize her window. It had been dark last night when she looked out from it while she took in the breeze to clear her mind of the many things that had been bothering her.
After what Cordelia had told her about her vampire husband and that he had spent more than thirty years in the asylum after the massacre he caused in the Dagon royal castle, she couldn’t help but get curious about his age now. It was said he was thirteen when he committed that cri, yet he did not look a day older than twenty-eight. But she quickly dismissed that curiosity. She did not want to get so curious about him that she would ask questions that would only lead her to be unable to stand by his side without flinching or fidgeting.
So things were better off unknown. She would not ask questions again and instead focus on her own plans and mission. First off, she needed her ring back, that was what mattered to her.
She needed that ring so badly. When she went back, she would not only have an excuse to et Jamie but also a reason to see him and explain things to him about the marriage. She did not hold on to any illusion that he would take her back after she was no longer innocent... but she hoped he would forgive her for breaking his heart in a letter instead of eting him before she left.
She was too distracted looking for her window that she did not realize they had another company until Cordelia’s voice made her look away from the towering castle.
"What are you doing here?" Cordelia demanded from the lowly vampire who ca to walk with them—Rav, without her calling for him.
Rav bowed his head curtly, as he knew how the vampiress felt about people like him, who were turned vampires. "His Lordship wants to join you and ensure you do not venture into the forest. The fence at the end has fallen, and the forest inside the castle is now connected to the one outside it. It is dangerous for any of you to go there, we do not know what lurks around it."
Rohan rarely concerned himself with whatever this cousin of his did whenever she ca to the castle, as long as she did not cross the boundaries to offend him. But he had, for the first ti, sent Rav to co after her and his human bride he never used her na to address but called her his bunny, sothing that worried Rav, as he knew whoever was nad after an animal by his master was nothing but his temporary amusent until he got fed up and killed the person in a brutal way, just like the many slaves gifted to him and whom he had killed so far.
One had been called Rat and another Goat, and both of them had died tragically in his hands. Now there was Bunny. But then, he had never given those ones new clothes nor sent Rav to look after them. However, he had sent him here so his cousin wouldn’t try sothing funny with his bunny while he was busy dealing with the councils in the study.
They knew how the vampiress acted like soone who was touched in the head or had no brain. She always tried to get her way with things without thinking about the consequences, and one could tell she did not like the human—not that she liked anyone lower than her.
There had been an official decree from the king stating that no vampire shall bring harm to the human bride, as that would only cause an unnecessary war between the lands. But it was never said that they would be held accountable for any harm she brought upon herself. His Lordship had sent Rav knowing Cordelia could look for ways for the human to bring herself harm without her touching her.
Belle glanced toward the trees. Now that he ntioned it, the air felt different here.
Cordelia scoffed. "And you think I do not already know that the fence has fallen?" She turned away, irritated. She had hoped the human would wander too close to the broken fence behind the forest in the castle and disappear into the wild. But with Rav here, her plans had been ruined.
Belle, however, felt relieved that they wouldn’t walk into the forest. She had no interest in playing cat-and-mouse gas in a wild forest when all she wanted was her ring and so rest. She turned to Rav, who also had the hood of his long black cloak covering his head like he feared the sun would suddenly co out, just like the vampiress who wore her hat. She offered him a small smile, and his light red eyes t hers from within the shadows of his hood before he returned it with a polite bow, but did not smile.
"Don’t walk on the sa line as us. Walk five feet behind us, or I will break your legs and make sure you never get to walk again," Cordelia warned the man and huffed, then pulled Belle by the arm and began to walk away in another direction that wasn’t leading to the forest.
Rav shook his head and sighed before he began to walk behind them with the three other servants.
Belle did not give up and still tried to search for her chamber window by calculating the side it was on from the inside until the vampiress spoke with an excited voice.
"Would you like to see the Dead Garden?" she asked.
Belle frowned. "The Dead Garden?" she questioned, not quite interested in anything that was dead. She’d seen enough desolated land for today. But then Cordelia nodded and said,
"Yes, you will like it, I promise."
Before Belle could reply, Rav had spoken from where he was behind them. "I don’t think that is a good idea, Lady Cordelia. His Lordship would not like that you went in there when he had forbidden anyone from venturing into it."
Cordelia turned to glare at the stupid vampire. "I am not just anybody." She said through gritted teeth and a warning look in her dark red eyes that dared him to co and stop her if he could.
There were a few forbidden places one could not walk to in this castle, and the dead garden was one of them. In fact, it was the top one Rohan wouldn’t let anyone enter. But he had forgotten how arrogant this vampiress was and how she thought she was special to His Lordship. She acted like he hadn’t warned her and pulled Belle, who looked reluctant, with her toward the garden.
"My lady, you can’t go there!" he called after them, but knowing there was no way Lady Cordelia would listen to soone like him, he hesitated only for a mont before turning on his heels, his cloak sweeping behind him through the wind as he headed back to the castle. There was no use wasting his breath; she would do as she pleased, no matter what. His best option was to run back and inform His Lordship before soone ended up provoking Rohan’s deadly wrath this morning.
It wouldn’t matter who led whom into the garden; once Rohan found out, his anger would be unforgiving. Anyone in the vicinity would bear the consequences of trespassing into his precious garden. Rav had seen it happen before. His Lordship was not the type to listen to excuses when his rules were broken.
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