Music Recommendation: Betrayal within- Johannes Lehniger

Eugene took a walk with his hands in the pockets of his coat. Strolling on the darker side of the streets where the lamp post's light didn't reach. He wore his ragged coat that had two sewn patches on it. Though the fabric had turned old, it still gave him the warmth he needed, and he didn't feel the need to throw it away.

A few snowflakes from the sky drifted in the air, moving past Eugene.

When he changed the colour of his eyes from black to bright red, he could hear the wind much more clearly than a few seconds ago. It felt as if his vision had magnified a step forward.

As he breathed in the cold weather through his lips, fog escaped from it. When his fangs ached, he clenched his jaws before shifting himself back to his human side.

"How far are you planning to walk?"

It was Timotei, who had followed the newly turned half-vampire.

Eugene stopped walking and turned to notice the black cat standing on the soft snow, "What are you doing here?"

Timotei clicked his teeth, "Did you forget that I am your nanny until you feel better? I cannot leave a newborn out in the open, especially when the wedding is tomorrow and we have to focus on it."

Eugene responded, "I don't need you to nanny me. I am fine."

"Mhmm," Timotei drawled before he said, "You think you are fine, but I can clearly see you aren't fine. Let me give you a demonstration. Now where can we find a human at this hour," the black cat moved its head left and right, while its ears stood straight.

"That sounds more like an instigator," Eugene replied, and he started to walk, soon to be accompanied by the cat, who walked beside him.

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Timotei asked, "What are you even doing here? Having a hard time sleeping? Even I haven't been able to in the worry of when I will be turned into a vampire. It has been sleepless nights."

"I needed to go somewhere," Eugene murmured with a serious look.

Timotei raised his head to look at Eugene, "Where to?" he asked as they continued walking.

And when they finished walking, they came to a stop and Timotei stared hard at the mansion that was in front of them. The black cat asked, "Whose mansion is this? Are we here to hunt blood? If we are, I am not going to dirty my fur, but I would like to have a cup of warm blood. It will be just splendid to have some heat in this cold wea--"

"This is the Wright's mansion. This is where the Hookes are staying," Eugene revealed to the cat.

It had been three days since Eugene had seen Rosetta and he couldn't help but wonder how she was doing. The vampiress had saved his life and he would forever be grateful towards her. The woman was kinder than most of the vampires he had come across, and though naive, he had built a bond of acquaintance with her.

"Ah--ha!" Timotei nodded and snickered, "I am guessing it is for the fair maiden?"

Eugene didn't respond, but walked towards the mansion.

Timotei was quick to follow him. He said, "As much as Rosetta will be ecstatic by seeing you after three days, you know her parents will throw you out."

"Who's come here to meet them," Eugene stated, and he jumped over the compound wall of the mansion surrounding it.

The black cat climbed up the creeper plant and jumped on the ground. They hid behind the bushes when they noticed three guards who were making a circle around the mansion. They were the guards who were assigned by Lady Aurora to make sure her daughter would not leave the mansion, nor would anyone enter.

"Do you know which one is her room?" Timotei asked in the dark.

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"I will find it out," Eugene replied and came to stand next to a pillar.

The black cat didn't want to trouble itself by getting caught and said, "I think I will wait for you right here. If I see anything strange, I will call you."

"Suit yourself," Eugene replied. He climbed the pillar, getting himself on one of the balconies, and disappeared from the cat's sight.

On the other hand, Timotei decided to find a good spot, but then he paused and muttered, "What if he attacks a human? What if a vampire attacks him?!" He was on duty to look out for Eugene, and he walked towards the pillar, "Even though I am such a small being, I am doing such a remarkable job. Is there anyone as amazing as me?" He then started climbing up the pillar.

When the black cat found Eugene in the room, he noticed the man standing at the desk with a burning lantern on it. Timotei asked, "What are you doing standing there? We need to find her!"

"She's not here," Eugene replied with a frown.

"Of course, that's because this is not her room," Timotei answered with a huff and jumped on the bed, so that he could meet Eugene's eyes. But instead, he caught the man holding a parchment in his hand. "What's that?"

Eugene looked up and said, "She ran away..."

"What?" Timotei blinked.

Eugene read the parchment letter Rosetta had left behind for her parents. The content in the letter read--

'Dear mother and father,

By the time you two see this letter, I would be gone far away from here. Forgive me for leaving without informing you both anything, but I doubt you understand how I feel right now. I have always been wrapped in the cocoon in which I thought you were protecting me. But it is only now that I realise there's a world outside that is more accepting and kind.

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I thought I would be okay marrying a man of your choice, but it is the fact that you are willing to trade me to solve the problems when I am unhappy, which deeply hurts me. You might call it to be circumstantial, but I doubt there would be a change if things were different. I have always dreamt of marrying a man, who would love me. Who would place me first, but I cannot expect it when my parents discard my happiness for theirs. Maybe I am not a lovable person, which is why these things are happening to me.

Forgive me again. I will miss you both.dearly.

Don't look for me because I don't want to be found.'

Eugene noticed a small drop of wetness on the parchment, that was on the verge of drying and ready to leave a crisp surface behind. His eyebrows furrowed, and he said, "She should be somewhere nearby and not too far."

Far away from Skellington, Rosetta walked in the cold as she dragged the luggage in her hand on the snowy ground. With the non availability of the local carriages at this hour and her parents keeping a close eye on their only carriage for tomorrow's wedding, the vampiress had no other option but to travel on foot.

It had taken her more than an hour just to get away from the mansion as she was scared of being caught. Thankfully she had escaped from the guards sight, and had also placed pillow in her bed before covering it with blanket. She hoped her parents would have the heart to forgive her. She wondered if she would ever be able to see Eugene again...

The tears she had earlier shed before jumping out of the balcony without anyone's notice, had turned her cheeks cold. She used one hand to wipe her cheek when a fresh tear slipped from her eye now, and her heart felt heavy.

Even if Vincent didn't marry her, Rosetta was aware that her parents wouldn't stop trying to use her for marriage to another wealthy family, forcing her into a marriage she didn't want to partake in. Her nose had turned red as she continued to sniffle, trying to stop her nose from dripping. While leaving in a hurry, she had forgotten to carry her handkerchief in her hand. Getting away from the mansion without anyone's notice had been the hardest.

The vampiress didn't know how far she had walked, but she was sure she had walked past some town. Not to mention, her stomach growled out of hunger. She murmured,

"I should have eaten something."

Earlier the day, during the time of supper, Rosetta's mother had given only the minimum food to eat, so that the young vampiress could fit into her wedding gown, which had a narrow waist.

Rosetta's legs ached because until now, she had never walked this much. She huffed for air, wondering if she could get some rest for a few minutes before continuing her journey. On hearing a distant sound of a tower bell, she quickly headed in that direction and sat down at the edge that was built around the tower bell.

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"Was it always this cold?" The vampiress murmured to herself, with thick fog escaping from her lips, and she pulled her black coat closer to her body.

An eerie silence spread in the atmosphere, with not a single person in sight. Rosetta, who sat alone there, turned scared when she heard some noise. Worried that her parents had found her missing from her bed, she quickly pulled her luggage and walked up the spiral stairs of the tower bell, where the bell was attached.