.

It took Penny about a day more before she was allowed to walk in the room and outside in the mansion with Damien's eyes keenly staring at her every time she walked around to make sure she was feeling alright. Somewhere Penny felt as if she were pregnant with a baby with the way Damien kept a watchful gaze on her. She wondered how things would turn out to be if the day came in the future. 

To have a baby together, Penny's mind drifted, feeling her stomach unconsciously which reminded her of how flat it was. She hadn't thought about children as both Damien and her had only started to move forward from their relations.h.i.+p. Enjoying the time with each other. Though the word had spread about her and him being engaged to each other, they hadn't spoken about getting married or engaged yet. It seemed like Damien automatically considered her to be his wife. Insinuating a promise which didn't need direct words. 

She walked in the garden, having Sylvia next to her. Penny knew she would miss Sylvia's company once they would go back to the land of Bonelake. These days weren't a walk in the meadow but that didn't mean it was as stressful as it was back when they were in Bonelake. Or was it just her mind that had exaggerated the scenarios were now that she was away from it, she was able to look at it much more clearly without the fog of clouds hovering in her mind. 

"The bush looks healthier than before," Sylvia commented while she was speaking something that had Penny's mind drift away into her own thoughts. 

"I am glad to see it worked," Penny smiled looking at the blue roses which were quite unique in color. She might have seen blue roses but this color was more radiant. It made one turn their eyes and look at it, "Can I ask you something?" she asked Sylvia.

"Please," Sylvia replied back, wondering what Penny wanted to ask. 

"The maid who was there that day, the one who sabotaged the plant…"

"You want to know where she is?" Sylvia asked when Penny trailed her question, "She was killed and buried in the nearby forest. People don't walk there, the villagers as well as town folks men or women," so the girl was killed, thought Penny to herself, "Do you find it to be evil?" asked Sylvia in return to her previous question. 

"Not much," Penny smiled, pa.s.sing by the roses to walk ahead of them in the garden of the mansion, "Though I think things could have been handled a little more delicately but then at the same time I am just a guest and the roses hold much more meaning to Lord Alexander than it would to an outsider."

The woman gave her a thoughtful nod, "That is true. I didn't know what was the obsession with the plant until I found out why he takes care of it. Lord Alexander might come out to be harsh but the man holds dear values when it comes to the things that belong to his family. I think it is a very common behavior for children to hold on to the last things of their parents. He grew up to be very alone and sometimes it worries both Elliot and me that in the end, it would just be him and the butler in the mansion."

"Why not find a suitable wife for him?" on Penny's suggestion, Sylvia chuckle as if Penny had cracked a joke. 

"Pardon me for laughing. Pureblooded vampires don't get engaged or married soon unless it is for political reasons or if they are madly in love,' Sylvia answered Penny's questioning gaze, "Lord Alexander has been nice enough to not bring a woman home right now as you are here or maybe it's just that he's occupied with work right now to not find time with a woman but like many other vampires he enjoys things, a life of luxury. I do hope one day he finds someone he falls in love with so that he doesn't feel alone. So that he doesn't seek meaningless comfort from people who are not worth it which even he knows," a sigh escaped Sylvia's lips. 

Penny was glad to see that people in this mansion cared about each other even though they weren' related to blood.  

"I am sure one day he will find the right one."

"Yes. I will make sure to help when that time comes," Sylvia gave her word. 

She hoped one day Lord Alexander would be able to fall in love than be a man who intimidated men and women, scaring them by his looks without speaking a word to the people. 

Though the villagers had burnt Lady Isabelle who was a white witch, the same villagers were scared and slightly respectful towards the Lord. After all, if he wanted he could have them killed with a blink of an eye, with or without the help of the council. 

"Are you feeling better today?" Sylvia asked, changing the subject, "How are things going with the black witcher?"

"I actually haven't seen him for two days now since we returned back from Valeria," she wondered where the black witcher, Isaiah was. 

"I am sure Elliot is giving him a good company," said the vampiress and Penny nodded her head. 

"I see, that is good to hear."

Penny and Sylvia were only walking when she sensed a shadow from the corner of her eye. At first, she had taken it to be one of the shadows of the tree but when the same shadow moved, following them, her head snapped to find nothing there. But that didn't mean she missed the dark robe that swept on the ground. 

"Is this mansion haunted?" Penny surprised Sylvia with the question. 

Sylvia smiled, "I don't think so. Did you see something?" 

"I am not sure. I sometimes feel like there's something in this mansion," she murmured that was enough for Sylvia to turn to look in her direction to find nothing but the corner of the mansion.