As the evening was pa.s.sing by for the night to take over with some of the lanterns which were already burning outside and inside the houses. A lantern was put similarly outside the magistrate's office. Damien noticing the lack of the presence behind him turned his face to find Penny who stood without following him c.o.c.ked his head.

"I want you to collect the keys to your house." 

Keys? What was he going to do with it? thought Penny to herself, "Follow me," he said before turning his head and reaching the door. 

The magistrate of the village was a man who had made money by being a fraud and cheating the other villagers who were poorer and could barely reach the taxation that was put up at the centre of the village which was collected once in every month. 

The man sat on a chair which was made of thick leather which helped in cus.h.i.+oning his healthy self which was more than necessary. A thin moustache that was on his upper lips which looked nothing less to two sticks that were placed on either side as it was straight in nature. Wearing the fur-like coat which he had only bought from the black market at an affordable price, he sat in the cold weather of the Bonelake while warming his bottom behind his desk. 

Counting the spreadsheet of money which he had drawn upon to see how to swindle more money for himself so that he could fulfil his wife's wishes of buying more jewellery and clothes as she demanded from him.

As he calculated the money with a quill in his hand, the front door of his office suddenly burst for a silhouette to stand at the door in the dark as the face wasn't visible with only half the light of the lantern falling on the person. 

The magistrate wasn't happy with the sudden outburst of the door where the imbecile fool of the villager had the audacity to step inside his office without even knocking on the door. It was only a month ago did he punish the man who had even tried to enter the office to negotiate about the taxation and also the repair that was needed for his house. It seemed like threatening the man hadn't been enough, "You must have not understood when I said you won't get the funding for the rat-like house of yours," said the magistrate, his eyes still squinting to see the man standing there until the person stepped inside the room. 

The tall stature of the man baffled the magistrate who in comparison looked like a heap of a ball. The man wore expensive clothes but that didn't deter the magistrate of the village. He himself was a  rich man even though his means were crooked. Not letting the man daunt him who had another person standing right behind him, he asked,

"What do you want now?" there was a certain air of arrogance with the question he asked the person who stood in front of him. 

Penny who stood behind Damien in the shadow stayed quiet without a word coming out of her mouth. Having stayed here for many years, she knew the kind of man the magistrate was. It wasn't just her but a lot of them didn't like the man but in truth, a lot of people didn't like each other in this village and there were hardly a few whom she could count in one hand. 

It seemed like the magistrate had no clue about who Damien was as he still continued to ask, "Are you going to speak, you ignorant human."

Human? 

Penny wondered if the man had hit his head across a wall or if someone had hit him on his head for him to be incapable to see that the man in front of him was not a human but a pureblooded vampire. She then realized why there the man had mistaken Damien to be a human. It was the setting down of evening where the lantern that was placed on the table didn't reach far enough where Damien stood at the moment. 

Penny's mouth slightly parted when she heard a gentleman's like voice come out of Damien's body, "Forgive me for intruding on your time but one of the village men came to speak to me on how you have been unfair when it came to spending the money for repairing his house," she couldn't believe the way he had decided to play along with one second of time by taking in a few words of what the man had just said. 

She noticed that the magistrate hadn't changed much since she had seen him. On closer observation, she realized she was wrong. He had added a few more kilos to his body turning himself fatter.

The magistrate scoffed, rolling his eyes as the light from the lantern on his table reflected on his chubby face, "The villagers forget that I am the one to sanction the money as well as the approval that has to go through me. Bringing a third person who isn't part of it is unnecessary. You can see yourself way out of the room now so that I can get back to my work," said the man but Damien did not move from there. 

"Isn't it your job to help the villagers? You are their only source of hope," continued Damien with his gentle demeanour, making Penny realize that he was indeed a good actor and wasn't being his narcist self when he had praised himself. 

"The villagers are born in that life. It is their fate that they live through like this without our help. You go helping every one of them there won't be any money left to be sent to the council."

"You refuse to help them?" asked Damien making the man roll his eyes again before dropping the quill that was in his hand on the desk. 

"What did I say about minding your business?"

"You don't have to be rude, Mr Magistrate. I heard the council provides sufficient money to each of the magistrates for the good fare of the towns and villages they are a.s.signed to. It is the duty of the magistrate to look after and plan for the betterment of what he has been given responsibility with."

The magistrate pushed the chair from the desk, letting it creek nosily before he stood up which pushed the desk forward due to his belly, "Do you want me to call the village guards to help you show yourself out? Or will you do it yourself?" the magistrate threatened Damien.

Penny who stood behind her master knew that this was not going to end well.

Her master was only playing the man for his own kind of entertainment and amus.e.m.e.nt until he would be bored and toss the magistrate out of the street. On second thought, Penny liked the idea of it. For some who had treated her mother and her lowly, torturing them and taking the money and not let them live in peace this might be an atonement.