Eve didn't know how this happened. One moment she had been safe, where Lady Annalise despised her presence in the mansion, and the next moment she was ordered to attend the ball.

"Master Vincent, please," Eve pleaded with him because she had never attended a ball, less a ball hosted by the family of night creatures.

Vincent stared at her, "Something the matter? Unless you have suddenly acquired a sense of fear towards my kind," he hit the bull's eye.

"It's not that," Eve denied, and her words caught Vincent's curiosity.

"What is it then?" His cold coppery eyes stared right into hers. When Eve took a second more than the response time he expected from her, he said, "You should be happy that the woman decided to invite you. Word has it that my dearest mother has decided to not complain about you for the next few months because of some sort of agreement. These are your days of peace, Miss Barlow. Yet here you are worried."

Eve blurted, "I do not have a suitable dress for the ball."

On hearing Eve's words, Vincent's lips curled. His eyes held mirth in them that looked at her cooly, "I hope you haven't spent all your earnings in the inn's of Hollow Valley. I am sure you already have a decent dress, considering you don't look homeless. If I am not wrong, you must already have one which was given by someone?" He gave her a knowing look.

It seemed like nothing went unheard or unseen by Vincent regarding what happened in the mansion, even though he wasn't in the mansion that day and hour when Lady Marceline had given her gowns.

Vincent's eyes crinkled before he dismissed her, waving his hand, continuing to walk with the butler following him as they headed in the direction of the main entrance.

When Eve reached near the piano room, she heard music coming from inside the room. When she got nearer, she noticed it was the little vampiress who was playing it. On missing a music note, she suddenly stopped in frustration.

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"You should continue playing because not everyone notices the errors," said Eve, who was leaning against the side of the door while watching the little girl.

Little Allie's head turned to the direction where Eve stood, and she shook her head before quickly standing and bowing her head.

Eve smiled at the little girl, and she stepped inside the room. She placed her things on the table and made her way to where the pianoforte sat with the young vampiress on the bench.

"You don't believe it?" Asked Eve, and she took a seat next to the girl. "Not everyone knows how to play the piano forte, and if you continuously play, no one will notice it."

"I am scared," whispered Allie, her shoulders stiff. The little girl didn't make an attempt to look at Eve and continued to stare at the black and white keys. "I will be asked to play during the ball" these were the most words the little girl had ever uttered to her until now.

The girl was worried of failing and bringing shame to herself, but more importantly to her family, if she was to fail to excel. Eve didn't brush the girl's worries as if they were not important. She tried to embrace it and said,

"How about we start from the beginning then? I am sure it wouldn't be too bad if we were to learn only music for today," she offered Allie an encouraging smile, who turned to her with slight astonishment before agreeing with a nod.

Eve played the keys on the right and Allie played the keys on the left side of the instrument.

Eve moved her fingers slowly so that the little girl knew where to place her fingers, and when Allie looked up at her, she nodded that Allie was doing it right. For Allie to speak so many words with her, she must be very nervous, Eve thought to herself.

After practising for two hours, Eve said, "You are concentrating too much on the keys, Miss Allie."

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The little girl turned to look at Eve with a small frown, not knowing until now that it was a bad thing.

Eve softly chuckled, "It isn't bad, but while you are concentrating on the keys, worried about your mistakes, you forget to enjoy the piece that you are playing." She placed her fingers back on the piano keys and suddenly started to play to create beautiful music before slowly halting her fingers to stop the music. "When you are doing something, pour your heart into it and even if you make mistakes, no one will notice it but will enjoy the music along with you."

She placed her hand on Allie's head, who looked like a little puppy that was trying hard. She said,

"If it helps, I will be there in the room attending the ball with you."

Allie looked surprised and after a few seconds said, "Don't"

"Don't?" Eve repeated the word.

Eve had been worried because the little girl had told don't the day Lady Marceline had given her the invitation as well as her gowns to wear.

"Don't wear those shoes," Allie's eyes were fixed on the keys.

Eve was more than taken aback by what the little girl actually meant. Her eyebrows subtly furrowed and she asked, "The one which Lady Marceline gave me?"

Allie turned to look at Eve and nodded, "They will tear easily." It was not about her attending the ball, Eve thought to herself.

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This was probably one of the first times where Allie turned to look at her and speak without hiding her face.

Eve was happy about the little progress that they made, and when Allie was going to say something, the little girl's eyes turned wide. Allie quickly closed her mouth and faced the piano keys again.

Suddenly Allie looked vulnerable, and her small hands clenched into fists on her lap.

Not knowing what happened suddenly, Eve asked in concern, "Are you alright, Miss Allie?"

"D-don't look at me" uttered the little girl.

The hostility in the room returned to the same way when Eve had first set foot into this room. The little girl didn't speak nor did she look in her direction right now.

Eve didn't look away from Allie. Instead, she asked, "Is there something that I can help you with? Do you want me to fetch the butler or someone from your family?"

Allie's eyes widened and she quickly shook her head.

"Okay, I won't. How about I get you a glass of water?" asked Eve in concern, as she couldn't offer her blood for the girl to drink. Receiving no response from the little vampiress, she stood up from the bench and poured a glass of water. She offered it to the little girl, "You will feel better drinking it."

The little vampiress reluctantly took the glass of water and took a sip from it.

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Hearing the faint clicking sound of shoes against the floor outside the room, Eve turned to look at the door, wondering who was passing by in the corridor.