Bambi and the Duke

Leo bent down to pick Vivian who was on the ground. The smell of blood was fresh as he carried her to his room instead of her room. Having better medical items in his own room, he walked straight to his room to find his mother who was walking down the hall with one of her sister Priscilla.

"What happened, Leo?" asked his mother, Mrs. Carmichael looking down at Vivian who hung around her son's neck with her big eyes that looked at her innocently.

"She fell down," informed Leo where they were shortly joined by Charlotte who came bouncing on her heel.

"I see. Make sure you wash the wound well," advised Mrs. Carmichael for Charlotte to say,

"Won't it heal by itself?"

Mrs. Carmichael gave a sweet smile at her niece's words, "No dear, it would cause an infection if the wound is not cleaned and aided. Humans are fragile creatures and their body composition is very different from what we vampires or pureblooded vampires are made of. If you don't treat it well there are chances of the skin and the underlying tissues going bad," Renae and her other two sisters had been brought up differently than the other pureblooded vampires who were pompous to show off on how they were much better while the humans were nothing more than dirt below their shoes.

Renae bent down to take a look at the wound. It wasn't deep but the girl had scraped her skin quite harshly due to which the skin around the knee had turned red, "I have some supplies placed in the closet of the kitchen. Charlotte dear, would you go get it?"

"Ungh," Charlotte nodded and in no time the little vampiress had run from there in a blink of an eye.

"Let me take her, Leo, she seems to be in pain while you carry her like that. Your shirt has been touching it," Mrs. Carmichael said to her son noticing the red stain on his sleeve. It was then that Leonard realized the awkward position of the little human who was hanging around his neck, "Give her to me," Leonard didn't let the girl go right away but after two seconds, he let his mother take hold of the little girl, carrying her like she was carrying books in her arms.

Mrs. Carmichael took Vivian to her own room where she first took the little girl to the bathroom. Washing both the knees of the girl.

Given that the Carmichael's had only one child who was Leonard, there were times when Renae had wanted a girl child. Of course, there was Charlotte who was the only girl in the offsprings she and her sisters had but this one, who now sat quietly on the slab wasn't less than a child of their own. The lady didn't know if it was because of the lack of a girl child in their house with the absence of Charlotte after they left for their own mansion.

Vivian was brought in by her maid Martha and until now she didn't have any complaints about the girl's presence. Partly the reason was that Leo often hid the things little Vivian broke to replace it with something else. Opposite to her husband's upbringing, Renae was fond of humans and rather envied the liberty they shared to live their life to the fullest. She believed that vampires, unlike humans, didn't value their lives living it due to their extended mortal immortality while humans had the freedom to breathe and live as they wanted.

This little one was adorable, her speech broken and her voice that reminded her of the wind chimes that crinkled itself in the air sweetly. She sat in silence, as Renae washed the girl's knees with warm water while taking the towel which was lying in the cabinet to dab the knee gently.

Seeing the girl cringe Mrs. Carmichael asked little Vivian, "How did you fall, dear?" her son stood close behind her watching them with Charlotte who had come to accompany the friend she had made since her eyes had fallen at the human girl.

"There was ghost," little Vivian replied, her eyes burning with the tears that threatened to spill when the Lady continued to dab the cloth on the knee. Leonard who had been looking at his mother working on the girl's knees shifted his gaze to look at Vivian, his eyes slightly rolling. He had told her there was no ghost but she had continued to claim there to be one.

"Ah!" the girl flinched and brought her hand to cover her knees.

"Does it hurt? Let me have a look," the woman gently took hold of the girl's wrist, "Charlotte and Leo, why don't you come to hold her hand to support her hmm?" both the children came to stand on either side of the girl, Charlotte being more willing than Leo to hold her friends hand. After seeing her son who very reluctantly took the girl's hand, Lady Carmichael smiled. Her son was really odd, she thought to herself. He was ready to carry the girl on his back but was hesitant when it came to a simple thing like holding the girl's hand.

When she took a closer look at the girl's leg, she spotted a small piece of wood that had made way into her skin. Taking the tweezer from the box, she crouched down to have an easier reach as she concentrated on pulling the little piece out of the leg. She wondered why the room hadn't been cleaned or if one of the children had brought the piece of wood to leave it on the floor unknowingly when they were playing.

"Ghost?" asked Lady Renae trying to distract the girl as she started to pick up a ball of cotton which was dipped in the orange liquid bottle, "I am sure we don't have any ghost in here," she assured the girl but the girl looked scared.

"It must have been Rhys. He was half drenched in water," suggested Charlotte knowing herself that ghosts didn't exist. At least not where they lived.

Seeing little Vivian shake her head, Lady Renae continued to ask, "How did this ghost look?"

"White color. Tall," the lady nodded her head, "But sometimes black."

"Black?" questioned the Lady without moving her eyes on the knee as she had started to dab as gently as she could on the girl's skin. The girl gave a small nod.

Once the wound was completely cleaned with the ball of cotton, Lady Renae smiled at the girl who was as cute as a rabbit. She could see why the other children were fond of the girl. It wasn't her appearance but also the way she talked and responded made one's heart squeeze which made Renare wonder if ever both she and her husband Giles decide to have a child, she would love to have someone like this.

"Don't worry. I am sure this mansion has no ghost. If there was one, Charlotte and Leo would have been kidnapped by now," she joked which had her niece immediately nodding her head, "And if there are, they must be friendly ones."

"Friendly?" asked little Vivian.

"That's right. Every kind has good and bad, which would mean that there some ghosts who are good too. The good ghosts watch over you and pray for your good health. You have nothing to fear. There we are all done," Lady Renae announced while putting away the cotton that was used in the bin, "Let it be left open now. And avoid water, I will have the kids look after you," she brushed the girl's head gently before leaving them to their own play.

What Vivian had told wasn't a lie that she had noticed the ghost only that the white ghost didn't exist but the black did which at times moved in the shadows at night.

During the time of night, Vivian slept in her room while keeping the bedsheet away from her both her knees that stung every time something came in contact with it. Still getting used to the thunder and lightning that came to pass through the little window, scaring her with the bright and dark objects in the little room.

Unable to sleep, she saw something that passed by her door. She saw the shadow of the person walk from right to left making her wonder who was outside.

Curious she sat up from the bed and went to walk towards the door while limping with the sheet which she hadn't let go. God only knew what the child was thinking by taking the sheet everywhere like protection as it swept the floor. She turned the knob of the door with her small hand and peeked to see no one there.

Hearing some rustle that came from the corner, she stepped out of the room to follow the sound that came from the other side of the corridor. As if suddenly brave after what Mrs. Carmichael said, she walked down the corridor of the servant's quarters. The corridor was deserted as most of them had gone to sleep except for some guarding servants who roamed outside the mansion to make sure no one broke through the house. The lights that had been burning in some of the lanterns had either dimmed out or were in the process of exhausting that let the very little amount of light where the little girl bravely walked.

The little girl stepped out of the quarters and entered the room when she caught in time to see something exit the door of the kitchen. Curiosity picking her interest, she continued to walk, following the shadow while cleaning the already cleaned floor of the mansion.

She walked up the stairs to the side of the mansion where she had previously gone to play with the rest of the children. Her feet stopped. Looking front and back, she wondered if she should go back as there was nothing else to do. Like a cat that followed a ball of wool, the little one had followed the shadow to be left standing alone right now.

Growls from the sky could be heard which shuddered her heart. Ready to go back to her room with the sheet she had carried from her room which tangled at her as she had turned round and round. Untangling herself, she started to walk when she noticed something went below her feet. She looked at the closed window and then her feet.

Taking a step back she caught sight of something black on the floor. When she took another step back, she heard the sound of plop coming from the shadow.

Bringing the sheet close to her chest she stared for more than a minute until she took a step front for a dark creature to come out from the darkness. The dark creature was dark in appearance that stood as tall as the building in front of her small self. Its hooded body was covered in a rag like clothes, another plop sound coming where the little girl with her beating her heartbeat looked to see a black liquid. Though it was made of bones, it didn't mean that the bones couldn't be hurt.

Little Vivian was innocent to know the difference between what was what.

"You hurt?" she asked the creature. The ghoul garbled something deep which was equal to the sound of thunder that came from the clouds. Not understanding, she asked, "Where you hurt?"

"I am hurt too," she said looking down at her knees and then looking up at the ghoul. Hearing another plop sound with the creature garbling something, the little looked at it worried, "Show," she said for the ghoul to garble again, "No?"

The ghoul after some time took covered its hand with its ragged cloth before giving her its hand. It hid its bony texture from touch and sight. When its hand got closer, Vivian took hold of it. Mrs. Carmichael had told there was no bad ghost, this must be a good ghost thought little Vivian to herself.

She held it's hand as if wanting to console, "Get better. I go sleep," the little girl left the corridor with the sheet being taken along with her while leaving the creature healed and forgetting its memory as it didn't come in front of her for several years.

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