"Lucas...I need to tell you something," said Belle and he gave her a nod for her to go on.
But Barron didn't shut up, "Do you think she would catch the infection if she touched me right now? For a young mistress of the house, she appears to be very close to you. Oh, wait! I know that look on her face!"
"Earlier in the kitchen you called me Belle," said the girl.
He did remember that. Lucas remembered the choice of words and it was used in a strict tone for her to listen "Isn't that what everyone calls you?" The girl had the habit to rebel and not listen, doing things on her own accord.
Lucas could see a sense of disappointment that came and went away with the blink of her eyes.
"No, not that," she corrected to shake her head, "I.."
"Why does it look like she wants to confess something. Pink cheeks, starry eyes. My my, you know what they tell about that look," Barron sang in a very annoying voice and Lucas felt an invisible nerve pop in his forehead.
"I- Did you hear something?" Belle had a frown on her forehead as she asked Lucas. Her eyes darted behind his room but Lucas stood at the front that didn't allow her to see everything that was in there.
Barron suddenly turned quiet and Lucas' eyes subtly rose up, "Hear?" he gave her a questioning look.
Belle's lips pursed, "I thought I heard someone talking right now," though she was a creature of the living, for a moment Belle had picked on Barron's voice that faded back again.
"SHE CAN HEAR ME!" Barron screamed loudly but this time Belle heard nothing.
"It must be the wind, Miss Belle. I have the window open," he gave her a smile to throw her off from what she might have heard.
"HE LIES! HEAR ME!" and Belle heard nothing.
Belle had heard very faint whispering that came from behind Lucas that came and went like the words had been tuned in one second and the next second it had been tuned out. She noticed that the window was indeed open and her gaze s.h.i.+fted back to look at him to nod.
"You wanted to tell me something?" He reminded her of what she had come here for.
Belle nodded and then said, "Once you start working in the other mansion, will you come to visit us? Here. Once in a while," she added the words.
"I don't know why anyone would be even interested in wanting to meet you," Barron muttered under his breath grumpily as the excitement of someone noticing him apart from this butler had come down.
He bowed at her as if to tell a yes, "Have a goodnight, Lucas."
"Goodnight, Miss Belle," he returned back the greeting and Belle finally turned around to go back to her own room. When the door clicked close, Lucas went back to sorting his clothes as if nothing happened.
And after a while, Barron asked, "Where are you going?" he had no one to speak to or have anything to do, therefore he decided to talk with the butler who continued to ignore him for the next few minutes.
When the next morning arrived, the day started like any other where the servants of the mansion were the first ones to wake up to start their routine work. The day went by and towns away, in the house of the Stlinkson's, Mr. and Mrs. Stlinkson's sat worried in the hall as their daughter had not returned back after she had gone to a soiree.
"Are you sure she's gone missing, Mrs. Stlinkson's?" asked the town's magistrate who was called to their house to find where she was.
Mrs. Stlinkson looked at the magistrate, "I told you she hasn't returned back to the mansion since last evening."
"Did you check with her friends or other acquaintances who might know? Perhaps the last person who saw her?" inquired the magistrate. It wasn't his job to have checks like these but the Stlinkson's family had sought out for him just when he had reached the office to be brought to their mansion. The pureblooded vampires were mostly demanding and they called the officials for silly reasons. One would lose their necklace or one would have lost their cat for it to come after a week.
"The last person was our coachman who is right here," said Mrs. Stlinkson's, showing her hand towards the man who stood near the wall with both his hands together, "Where did you drop Olivia? Tell the magistrate!" she asked angrily as he had come back to the mansion without the girl.
The coachman appeared to tremble under the gaze of Mrs. Stlinkson's and it was the magistrate who gave a look at the vampiress before asking the servant, "Tell us what happened last night?"
"We w-were returning back from the soiree and on our way, the carriage broke down. Lady Olivia asked me to fix it and she took a walk," answered the coachman.
"Where did she take a walk to?" questioned the magistrate.
"It was towards the mansion, Sir. It took me some time to fix but I did. When I started the carriage, I couldn't find the lady anywhere on the road and I believed she probably took a ride to get back to the mansion."
The magistrate wondered if their daughter had run away from the house but it seems to be the case, "But she never came home."
"No, Sir. That is what I found out."
"Has there been any time or case that your daughter left home to come late?" the man asked to see the woman glared at him.
"How many times do you want me to tell you that she has never done anything like this before. Olivia is a good daughter who has always returned back home," said Mrs. Stlinkson's, which was true because they had spoiled the girl giving her any and everything, "Something bad must have happened to her!"
