Music Recommendation: Time Dilation- Fredrik Jonasson

The young boy with silver hair, who was twelve years old, stood in the town of Crowburry. His coppery-red eyes skimmed through the place. Not too far behind him stood his trusted servant cum coachman, Mr. Briggs next to the carriage, waiting for him.

The place looked nothing far from Heaven, with snow that had fallen early this morning, making it appear almost peaceful if it weren't for the town folks walking down the streets.

The boy turned to the side and informed his coachman, "I will be taking a stroll."

"Would you like me to accompany you, Master Vincent?" Mr. Briggs politely asked his young master.

Though the boy looked young, he was a little older than that, unlike the humans, whose age reflected in their appearance. He responded, "No. I will be fine by myself."

"Of course. I will be here waiting for your return," informed Mr. Briggs. The coachman watched his younger master walk away from there, his hands slipped into the pockets of his thick black coat. He was unsure why they had come here today as they had already visited the town yesterday.

A young Vincent walked on the snow-covered ground, which held footprints of people. But he looked for the imprints of smaller shoes that belonged to the little girl he had met yesterday.

And though he spent a good hour looking to catch a glimpse of the girl, he was unsuccessful in finding her. When he returned to the carriage, Mr. Briggs bowed his head and politely asked,

"Were you able to find what you were looking for, Master Vincent?"

"No. Finding it seems harder than I thought it would be," stated Vincent with a barely fazed expression before stepping into the carriage.

Mr. Briggs politely asked, "How about I try looking for this thing?"

The young boy stared at his servant, "Where does one buy clothes that have sewn patches on it."

Mr. Briggs blinked at the unexpected question. He cleared his throat and said, "I don't think they sell clothes with patches, Master. It isn't what people prefer, and you will only find the people of the lower-class wearing them."

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"We can return to the mansion, Briggs," ordered Vincent, pulling out the black gloves from his hands.

"Right away, Sire," Mr. Briggs bowed and closed the carriage door.

Inside the carriage, the young vampire put his hand in one pocket of his coat and pulled out to reveal a pearl that held a silver gleam.

When the carriage reached the Moriarty mansion, the coachman stopped it right in front of the mansion's entrance. The coachman quickly opened the door for his young Master while bowing. The young vampire stepped out of the carriage and entered the mansion, walking through the hallways.

"There you are, Vince!" A woman's voice came from the opposite side of the hallways.

The woman's slender physique was dressed in a floral chiffon dress that softly ruffled as she walked. Her striking ash-grey hair was tied up, and her warm eyes met the young vampire's eyes. She was Katherina Moriarty, wife of Eduard Moriarty.

She gave Vincent a pointed look and said, "I was wondering where you went."

"I went to town, mother. Is there something that you wanted?" Vincent's words were nothing but polite to his mother, where he exuded high manners instilled as he belonged to one of the pureblooded vampire family. His mother bent down and kissed his cheek.

"Without having breakfast? How many times have I told you not to skip the meal in the morning?" His mother raised her perfectly shaped eyebrows at him. "I get worried when you and Marcie skip it."

"I wasn't hungry. Did you eat?" the young vampire asked his mother.

"How could I when my child's stomach is empty?" His mother asked with a smile.

Young Vincent stared at his mother, and he said, "I am a vampire, I will survive. You shouldn't wait for me. There's Marceline to give you company."

His mother frowned at his words and said, "It seems like you still don't like your governess's company. If you did you would know how important it is to have your meals with your family. Speaking about your sister, she's taken the opportunity of it being a Sunday and has gone to visit Mr. and Mrs. Anderson's mansion."

"To meet the puppy," remarked Vincent, and his mother softly chuckled. "Father wouldn't be pleased about it."

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"Now now. Let us not look down at any kind. It is important we all get along fine to maintain peace and harmony. And you are the Viscount's son, it is important to set an example," stated his mother as they started to walk towards the dining room.

"Isn't father doing it?" Questioned Vincent and his mother smiled.

"You are right, he is doing it. But one day, there will come a time where you will take his position. To carry the title--"

"I don't want to be a viscount, mother," said the young vampire, and his mother looked surprised.

"No? What do you want to be then?"

"I don't know yet. When I know I will tell you," came the young vampire's opinionated response.

"Okay. There's no hurry to decide now when there's still plenty of time. For now you can be my adorable son," his mother hugged him. Noticing the servants look at them, Vincent's ears turned red in embarrassment.

Vincent protested, "Mother!"

"Can't a mother hug her son? Look how cute you are," his mother laughed noticing the awkwardness on his face. Though the young boy could use force to get away from his mother's hold, he tried to bear it because of his love towards his mother.

"Can we eat?" he asked in hopes of being released and his mother finally let him. He let out an internal sigh of relief. His mother had always been overly affectionate, not caring who was there when showering him and his sister with affections.

Upon reaching the dining room, the young boy and his mother sat next to each other at the long table. The maids brought food and drinks, placing them on the table. Katherina raised her hand for the maid to leave her and her son alone in the dining room.

The maids bowed their heads and stepped outside the dining room, closing the doors while waiting for them if they needed anything.

"So tell me about what you did today and where you went," asked his mother, picking up the bowl of boiled potatoes and serving it to herself.

"Crowburry," Vincent's reply was short as he picked up his fork and knife before starting to cut piece of meat.

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"Isn't that where you and your sister went yesterday? Is the fair still running in the town?" The woman then picked up a loaf of bread and a jar that had jam in it.

"Yes and no." Vincent put a piece of the steak in his mouth and started to chew it.

"I see," his mother nodded. She said, "I know you are wise but it would be good for you to avoid stepping on lands that have no support for vampires. The friction with one of the human factions is increasing, and it would be best to stay safe. The humans have created a sub faction, trying to instigate war."

"Why are they doing it?" Asked Vincent.

His mother sighed and shook her head, "People find it hard to find themselves in the bottom of the chain that we live in. And people from high society don't make it easy either."

When Katherina finished her meal, she picked up the napkin and dabbed the corner of her mouth. It was then she noticed her son staring at the surface of the table as he continued to eat his breakfast.

"Is something bothering you, Vince?"

Vincent's gaze raised to meet his mother's eyes. He answered, "No. Why?"

"You have been quiet since you returned from the fair yesterday. I wanted to make sure that everything is okay," his mother offered him a smile. Raising her hand, she gently stroked his silver hair that he had acquired from her. "You know you can talk to me about anything, and I will always try my best to help you. No matter what. All you have to do is ask."

Her son had grown too independent and intelligent, and she could tell it was hard to mingle with the children his age. Be it humans or vampires or werewolves, and sometimes even adults.

The young vampire stared at his mother and said, "I went through some books yesterday that are in the mansion's library. About the creatures from the sea."

His mother smiled and asked, "Did you find something interesting in the fair that sprung your interest in it? What did you want to know about them?"

"Aren't they supposed to be in the sea?"

"Some of them get lost and drift to the land before they get captured. Which is how the vampires and werewolves get their rare and delicate blood and meat to consume," his mother answered with a thoughtful expression. Seeing Vincent place his silverware on the table, she asked, "Are you finished eating?" Because there was still a good portion of meat left on the plate.

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Vincent took out the pearl from his pocket and showed it to his mother. His mother looked surprised and she remarked,

"It's a mermaid's tear. Is that why you went to Crowburry?" Young Vincent slipped the pearl back into his trouser pocket and stood up from his seat. His mother asked him in slight concern, "Where are you going?"

"Need to make space in my room to keep a small mermaid."