Here’s the chapter~

Penumbra's POV

I literally have a world of my own; a world inside a s.p.a.ce of an abyss where only I and Umbra knows. I don't even know where the end of this wide s.p.a.ce is. And at the top, which I called ceiling is full of so many holes.

And those holes are connected to the shadows of each being on Earth which I can use as a tunnel to glimpse to the outside world.

Even if there are billions of them, I still know whose holes are which. I've chosen a hole to enter. I swam out of the hole and slightly raised my head to peak outside.

I am inside the shadow of one of the elder member of the vampire council.

He is facing the other elders who are all wearing white robes, and all of them are surrounding a huge pentagram. It seems that they are currently meeting.

"-The prince's proclamation will be held soon, is there any news about Antonia?" one of them asked.

"We haven't heard anything yet but the Counts are still hunting her—"

"—Counts? Why not send the Dukes after her?"

The elder whose shadow I'm currently in joined their conversation. "—Tsk tsk…Why are we still bothering about that? Let us just kill the declared prince after all he is just a damphir!"

"Stop your nonsense Zandros! Do you know what you are talking about?" scold the oldest of them all.

They all become silent when the oldest elder spoke. He is probably the chief councilor.

"Listen, all of you, since the death of the last prince who was supposed to be the king, our forces weakened. Like a cripple whose legs has been hacked off. We should not just rely on the princess—"

"—And will rely on who? On a damphir whose human side is dominant?" cut off Zandros.

"It is because of that, that we should capture Antonia and bring the blood of the prince's line back!"

"Honorable Chief Councilor… Why don’t we just let fate have its way to suit our purpose?" said of the only woman of the group.

The chief councilor stroked his beard on contemplation. "What do you mean by that Katerina?"

"From what I can see, Antonia will pursue the prince no matter what, to give him the blood. Why don’t we just let it happen? And then let Galatea dispose of her afterward."

All of them nodded.

"A good suggestion Katerina, indeed what is significant is that the prince will be ours in the end."

Glob…Glob…Glob…

I sank and swam again towards my own world then I swam out again in another hole.

"Umbra, I have to tell you something—"

Hio's POV

Someone is poking me.

"Don't bother me Kape. I will whack you." I threatened while my eyes are still closed.

The poking is still not stopping.

"—Kuya? Kuya?" Called a voice of a woman

I opened my eyes slightly and I saw a CHIX!

"Oh, what is it?"

"Kuya, have you seen…Ahm…"  looks like she's getting embarra.s.sed or something.

"What?" Be specific Beautiful.

I sat down and rub my eyes. It's already four on my wrist.w.a.tch.

"The…ahm… underwear…" she almost whisperingly said.

"Ah…the panty?" where is it again?

"That's it!"

"Ah, eh I haven't seen it. Can't you see that I just woke up?"  You want me to look for it? Scram. Go home without your undies.

Her face's redness is so obvious because of her shame. "Is that so…"

She then straightly went out of the door without even saying goodbye.

Sigh life…

Am I really going to sleep on the sofa every day from now on…I thought while lighting a cigarette.

You're so pathetic Hio.

Since I'm already awake, I will cook the rice in the rice cooker and fried the tuyo1. I also prepared a dip of vinegar full of so many chili and ground pepper.

It looks like we're out of food so I need to go to the grocery. It's good that we're off tonight then.

Kape came into the kitchen when I'm already done preparing the food.  Okay… I'll make him wash the dishes later.

"—Wow tuyo! Do you know bro' Heyo, dis' is da' best thing dat' you have cooked?"

Why won't he just say that it's the only thing that I can cook aside from instant noodles?  Such a suck-up.

When he's the one who's cooking, the only thing that I can stomach is his saluyot stew.

A saluyot2 boiled with water then mix with fish paste.

Kape and I were eating when the door in my room was blasted open.

This dollface is really destructive. Why won't she just do something carefully for once?

When she entered the kitchen, Kape and I choked on our food.

Cough…Cough…Cough…

s.h.i.+t, looks like some rice went in my nose.

Why won't we choke, when this woman who looks like a p.o.r.n star stands in front of us?

She's wearing a pair of red underwear full of black laces. Yes, she's wearing a robe but s.h.i.+t, it's f.u.c.king wide open!

I glanced at Kape.  This moron is already drooling.

I went near her then rolled her in her robe then tied its sash.

"—House rules for you, you plastic surgery shorty, it's forbidden to loiter around the house while ONLY WEARING AN UNDERWEAR." Most of all with Kape around who's a real pervert.

Kape dismayed at what he heard.

"What are you doing bro', you covered a beautiful view!"

"Fool." I answered.

Dollface sat with us on the table.

"I don't understand you people…Did you know, on the training ground, the outlook of men and women's body is equal? You humans can't really restrain your desires."

Weirdo… She talks as if she doesn't want to belong to the humans.

"Okay, you win. Let's just eat."

"What's that?" she pointed the tuyo.

"It's food, what else?" I brazenly answered.

"How do you eat it?" This doll is really stupid. Even the rich eat tuyo, right guys?

"This is how you eat it; first you pinch a piece of it then dip it in the vinegar and then mix it with the rice…" it comes with a demonstration.

The doll is scowling. "Just using my hand? Are you serious—-?"

I shoved the food inside when she opened her mouth.  So finicky!

"Oh, taste good right?"

She chewed the food then faced me.

Pwoooooh!

She spits out the food in my face.

MOTHER F*CKER! I'M FURIOUS!

I'm really going to beat this plastic surgery shorty!

"DUDE, RELAX!!" Kape pacified me while trying to get me to go back to my seat. I grab a napkin and wipe my face with it.

The shorty is unaffected. "—I want a cereal for breakfast" she demanded.

"We have no cereal Shall. But Heyo will go the grocery later—"

I'm not in the mood to eat anymore. I stood up and wash my hands.

"I'm going to take a bath. Kape, you wash the dishes."

It's exactly 6 pm when I come out of the house. I'll go to the grocery then loiter around to cool my head.

Someone touches my arm.

"I'm going with you" It's Dollface.  She's not wearing any laces on her get-up today.

She's wearing a black mini-skirt with full of pleats and an over-sized white top.

Son of a—

CAN'T SHE FEEL THAT I'M FURIOUS AT HER?!

I took a deep breath. Calm down Hio… She's just a woman.

Just like that, I took her with me to the grocery.  She looks like it's her first time going to the supermarket.  She's looking at all the displayed goods on the aisles. She's also touching them sometimes.

I made her push the cart as a consolation for me.

We stopped at the aisle where the cereals are. "What brand of cereal do you want anyway?" I asked her.

"Kellogs… That's what my maid always bought for me."

Just as she said it, I immediately saw it. I then grabbed the largest box.

I put it in the cart. "Oh there, I already bought your cereal; perhaps we should already part ways later."

"Why, do you have a date?"

"No, I don't. I have a curse; all the women who got close to me dies. That's why I'm warning you now while it's still earl—" I hope that she'll get scared so that she will leave me alone.

She laughed at what I said. "I, will die because of you? You wish…" Look at her, so conceited.

When I thought that I already bought all that I needed, we waited in line at the counter.

"Do you want an ice cream?" I don't know what bug came to mind but I asked that to Dollface.

"Ice cream…I haven't tasted that yet!"

Really?

After we finished at the counter, I bought two strawberry flavored ice creams in a stall just after the counter.

I gave the other one to the doll.

"It's sweet" she said.

She looks so innocent. How amusing.

Then as if magic, my anger for her is gone. Well she's really is just a brat and there are times that she's fine to be with.  I wonder…where will I take her next?

Outside the mall, there were people giving out flyers. I took one of it.

My heart really beats differently whenever I gazed at Medea's beautiful face.  It's a waste though, that I can't see her.

"Why are they still giving out flyers if the tickets were already sold-out?"

Dollface grabbed the flyer from me. "Swan Lake ballet…Do you like this kind of shows?"

"Ah, not really…It's just that the female lead is the person I always wanted to meet again. But unfortunately, when I called for a ticket, they said that they're already sold-out."  Maybe it really isn't the time for us to meet again but I'm still waiting for a chance to do so.

"—You know… Medea?" she worriedly asked.

"I have known her seven years ago…how about you?"

She frantically shook her head. "I do not know her…but I have a ticket for this show. Do you want to watch it?"

This is the first time that Dollface has made me so happy, so much that it made me kiss her cheeks because of happiness.

FOOTNOTES:

1 Tuyo- I didn’t translated it as a ‘dried fish’ because there are so many variety of dried fish in the Phiilippines but when you say tuyo it can mean only one thing, and that is this: (It is sometimes matched with champorado, they said it’s the best combination.)

←

2 Saluyot- an edible leafy vegetable that is a member of the genus Corchorus, cla.s.sified under the subfamily Grewioideae of the family Malvaceae. Saluyot is widely found in tropical and subtropical areas from Asia to Africa valued as food and for its strong fiber.           ←