n

n

n*Creak*

nThe door made a rather quiet creak, which echoed into the hallway allowing him to fully peak through.

nThe hallways were dark and empty, not a single person could be seen in sight.

nAs Xavier walked out into the hallway, he noticed a change in the air around him. Being in the room made him feel comfortable, but once he was out he felt like he was being watched.

nHe ignored the feeling and walked down the halls, staring at the old furniture. The lamps overhead gave off ancient antique vibes.

nThe paintings shown were quite old but rather interesting to stare at and interpret.

nOne of them was a painting of blood pouring down on a fang. That was quite an obvious one.

nBut the other was a red figure standing over the a dark cliff in a world where there’s mostly darkness. That one was a little hard to understand.

n*Grab*

nXavier’s eyes withered away from the paintings and instead over to the many doors around him. The house was without a doubt big, there also seemed to be something in the air messing with his senses making it so that he couldn’t pinpoint his mother and sister’s location by scent.

nAs Xavier turned to the closest room to his left and placed his hand on the doorknob, a voice called out to him.

n“Don’t you know it’s rude to go through rooms in another’s house without permission?”

nXavier turned to the right only to find the dark-blonde haired maid standing just a few meters away from him down the hallway.

n“The house belongs to my wife, does it not? What’s wrong with going through it?”

n“Your wife is asleep, just because she is yours does not mean that you can go through her belongings without permission… Besides you are not yet officially married, only bonded.”

nXavier let go of the doorknob before walking over to the maid.

nHe came to a stop right before her face and stared her right in the eyes before asking. “You know what I’m looking for… Where are they?”

nThe maid narrowed her eyes at him before turning around and walking away. “Follow me.”

n–

nThe two walked across the halls, turning a left and then a right from Sangrea’s room before descending down the stairs.

nAs they went down the stairs, Xavier began to see more and more Vampires wearing servant clothes walking around and carrying out their tasks.

n“Why were there no servants upstairs?” Xavier asked.

n“The young lady was asleep. They did not wish to cause any noise to bother her.”

n“Fair enough.” Xavier muttered as they reached the bottom of the staircase.

nThey were inside of a giant hall with tinted windows covered with curtains hiding the outside. It was clear to Xavier that it was the bottom floor.

nQuestion is, why the hell was his mother and sister’s room placed so far away from his? Were they even in their room?

nXavier continued to follow after the maid with the questions rushing through his mind.

nTo his surprise however, the questions were completely wiped off his mind as they ended inside a giant library room filled with shelves of books.

nHis confusion grew when they came to a stop by a book shelf filled with cobwebs in the corner of a room.

n“What are we doing here…?” Xavier asked.

nIgnoring his question, the maid extended her arm out towards one of the books before pulling on it.

nThe moment she did so- Xavier was dumbstruck.

nThe entire shelves of book began to tremble as if an earthquake had struck.

nXavier watched with a look of surprise as the shelves shifted over to the right, portraying a hidden stairways leading downwards.

n“Really? Does it not occur to you how suspicious you look?” Xavier asked the maid as she walked ahead.

n“You scared?” The maid questioned with a smile as she turned back to look at him. “I thought you were fearless-”

n*Grab*

nXavier interrupted the maid, grabbing her by the arm from behind before pulling her up and pushing her against the wall beside him.

nHe slammed his hand into the wall beside her before leaning in towards her.

n“Yeah… I’m scared. I’m scared of what I’m going to do to you if this turns out to be some sort of trap.” Responded Xavier with a grin.

nThe maid glared at Xavier her bloodlust seeping out as she did so.

nSeeing this reaction, Xavier gave her a pat before walking ahead. The maid quickly clenched her hands into fists before following after him.

nXavier could feel a pair of eyes glaring at him from behind along with the bloodlust as he walked down the stairs, but he ignored it with a smile spread across his face.

n“…”

n“…”

nThere was nothing but the sound of the footsteps echoing in silence as they descended in silence.

n“Hey, do you hate me or something?” Xavier asked.

n“…”

nSeeing the maid’s lack of response Xavier sighed.

n“Suit yourself.”

nBetween the two there was without a doubt tension. Xavier didn’t know what was causing it and he honestly didn’t care but having someone like the maid on his side would definitely be a beneficial connection.

nBased on how she was acting the members of the house wouldn’t just come to like him because of the fact that he was who Sangrea had chosen.

nIn fact, it was quite honestly the opposite of it. Xavier could feel the glares from the other servants piercing through his back as he walked.

n‘I’m going to have to sort their attitude otherwise I won’t be able to consider this safe place…’

n“Tell me your name.” Said Xavier as he suddenly turned back towards her.

n“…”

n“I won’t move until you do.”

n“…”

n“…”

n“…Anastasia.” She responded.

n“…It suits you. I’m Xavier.”

n“I know.”

nXavier narrowed his eyes and continued his descent.

n–

nOnce they finally reached the bottom of the staircase, Xavier stopped in his tracks.

nBefore him was a giant door with strange patterns running along it from bottom to top. Without saying anything he extended his arms out and slowly pushed them open.

n