"Oh, yes, him!" Damien had met and spoken to the man personally during various occasions of their work. He was one of the straightforward men in the council and also a good man who often was found in the company of the current Lord of Bonelake, "What happened to that?" Damien poked his nose. Duke Leonard would never fall for his sweet sister Grace. Grace, Maggie and him shared the same father but it was only Maggie and him who shared the same mother. 

He didn't have to know what happened but if hot tea was spilling so readily who was he to stop it. Instead, he enjoyed his step-mother's unhappy expression. 

"Unfortunately, he didn't seem man enough to woe Grace. She has gone to visit him before the tragic death of his parents. The housekeeper at that time was polite but now they have a new one who doesn't allow guests in. You cannot expect her to wait for him," stated Fleurance, her white powdered face holding a look of disappointment, "It is only right that your father and I find the right suitor. Maggie doesn't want to marry and Grace cannot keep waiting for her older sister to marry." 

"Help your mother and Grace, Damien," his father patted his back. 

"What can I do?" Damien tilted his head in slight confusion. 

"Your father sent a letter of proposal." 

"And?" he inquired. 

His father was the one to respond, "They said that they are willing to accept the marriage but on the condition that you will marry their daughter."

Damien chuckled bringing his hand up to cover the laugh. Clearing his throat, his expression turned serious to give his answer, "No." 

Maggie already knew this was going to happen and her expression remained unchanged but the same couldn't be told about her step-mother who looked as if the word of hope had been pulled from beneath her feet. 

"What do you mean no?" asked Fleurance with her perfectly furrowed eyebrows.

"No is a response which equals to be negative that a person is not going to go through it," answered Damien as if the woman had no clue what the word meant. 

"Didn't you gift her a dress? You even go and spend time with her at her mansion. It doesn't matter if they are humans, we are a progressive pureblooded family." 

Damien coughed hearing this, "You are progressive only because of the amount of property that is there in their names. If you are looking for a human, I have an excellent candidate and trust me you will love him," his fathering knowing him well sighed.

"You should ask Grace to work hard to earn the man's heart." 

For this the vampiress answered back with, "She has been working on it."

"For what? Two weeks? That's not even enough time to know a person either," Damien rolled his eyes, "Ask her to work harder unless she's incapable." 

"You will have to take a wife in the future. Ursula is a good girl." 

"My wife is something that is concerned with the future. We are now in the present, mother Fleurance," he used his over sickly tone to emphasize the last two words. 

"Are you saying you won't help your blood sister?" 

"Half-blood," corrected Damien, "She was the one who brought it up," he raised his hand looking at the disapproving look his father gave him. 

"She is still your sister-"

"Fluerance, why don't we wait for Grace to return back," the older man placed his hand on his wife's back, maneuvering her so that there won't be a war in the family. Since the time he had remarried, Damien was the one who took the marriage to be something that was not supposed to happen. He was against it and even though years had pa.s.sed now, his anger had turned to sarcasm which his current wife was quick to flare up. 

The man knew that his son would never forgive him. In Damien's eyes, it had been a sign of betrayal to his deceased mother. A sign that he never loved his mother enough and that it had been easy to replace her which was untrue. 

Damien smiled at his father and the woman as they walked away from them. His sister standing in front of him, "How was shopping?" 

"Pleasant," came out the crisp answer from his mouth. Looking around the hall which had been decorated he asked, "Has the preparation been done for next week?" 

"Yes," answered Maggie. Herself turning around to look at the decorations, "The cards have been sent to the four lands. Relatives and some officials."

"Hmm," he hummed hearing it. 

"How is Penelope doing?" on his sister's inquiry, Damien's eyes s.h.i.+fted from looking at the room back to her with a quirked up smile. 

"She's sleeping. She's hurt her foot."

"Don't be mean to her, Dami," said his sister who saw her brother smile further.

She didn't want to tell it knowing he would only make things worse but she couldn't help herself but worry about the girl. After what happened to the servant whom she had cared for in the past and what she had done, she didn't want Damien feeling the same guilt out of any carelessness. But then her brother was different, way too different for anyone to figure out. He didn't spare even her when it came to being cruel with his words but she knew somewhere he had a warm heart that he didn't often show to people.

It took more than an eye to see a person's depth of character and unfortunately, he seemed to be the only one good at it. 

"I wasn't. I have been rather nice to her. What made you think so?" he gave her an innocent expression that didn't look innocent but mischievous. Maggie wanted to say more but talking right now would lead to a path in which Damien would only get annoyed for bringing something up from the past. 

"I was only guessing."

"Anyways, did you see Falcon?" he asked her. Damien had come down looking for the butler.

"He should be outside fixing the lights."

"Thanks," and Damien walked outside the mansion to see Falcon who was standing on the ladder with a big brush in his hand. Swis.h.i.+ng his hand back and forth as he hummed something under his breath. 

In the room, Penny who had a small nap opened her eyes, rubbing her eyes groggily as she lifted her head up to see Damien missing in the room. Looking back at the shoes, like a child, Penny reached out to it and opened the box to have a look at the shoe that was in it. Having never worn something like this before, she hoped to be able to walk in these in the future just like how women had been walking on the streets this noon. 

But would she be able to take them with her during her escape? asked Penny to herself. Her eyes moved around before it found a box on the table. With a little more than unnecessary curiosity, Penny stood up. Walking to the table where the box laid closed. It wasn't a cardboard box but an actual metal like box that appeared to have a latch on it. 

Wondering what it was, she turned to look at the door which was closed. With her heart beginning to thud in her chest, she raised her hand, hovering it above the latch before pus.h.i.+ng the latch open. 

She looked surprised to look at the little bottles which had water-like liquid inside them that were placed snuggly in a cus.h.i.+on-like arrangement. What were these? asked Penny before picking up one of the bottles in her hand.

Bringing it close she looked at the crystal tube and shook it in her hand. Suddenly the liquid like water out of nowhere changed to a color of green. 

"What...just happened?" she couldn't think more as the gla.s.s tube turned hot immediately and broke with a crack, shattering itself leaving Penny wide-eyed in trouble. 

 The k.n.o.b of the room door turned and her head snapped to look at the door where Damien only had half of his foot inside the room before his eyes narrowed down at her and then the open box.