Bambi and the Duke

At night after dinner was served, Vivian looked outside the window where the clouds poured rain since she had last gone to sleep last night. She didn't understand how the clouds could rain non-stop. Her childlike mind wondered from where the cloud picked that much amount of water and if it was borrowing from someone.

"All cleaned up," a man came entering the kitchen with his hands carrying used plates. His short black hair was tied into a pony which made his hair look pointy, "We might need to refill the water there."

"Don't worry about that. I have asked someone to do it. Please pass me those glasses, would you?" Martha picked the large container from the boiling place on the slab to cool it.

"When did we start boiling this?" asked the man, about to dip his finger in the container which was filled with blood before his hand was swatted away. Being a vampire, the sight of it didn't repulse him but he looked at the girl who had turned to see it before looking away as if it was a pot of vegetable which didn't have blood right now in it. For a human child, it was one of the blandest reaction he had seen.

"The Easton's drink it warm at night," Martha answered, taking the glass and pouring the blood into it, "I heard Lady Renae say something about Woville not being so easy when it comes to acquiring blood. Some humans are trying to corrupt the blood which affects the young vampires," Paul raised his brow in question.

"Is that even possible? What about here then? Shouldn't we be heating up the blood here too to make sure young master doesn't get inflicted," he voiced his worries, " Mr Carmichael must really have faith with our Lord if he hasn't asked us to boil every blood we feed the young master with."

"It must be so," the woman murmured. Placing the glasses on the tray, she called for Vivian, "We need to pick up the wilted flowers. Let me show you where it is so that you can do it before you go to sleep. Come on now," and like a cat, Vivian followed Martha close behind her.

In one of the rooms, Mrs Carmichael was narrating a story to her niece Charlotte before she could go to bed. It was something that had turned out to be a habit for the family every time one of her youngest sister's children visited them. Her nephew and her son both sat in the corner of the room who were playing chess,

"As the young fawn says that, Bambi's mother gently rubs her child's neck in assurance to say not to worry as she would always be there to keep her safe. That is all for today," Lady Renae closed the book in her hand whilst Charlotte sat up in her bed to ask her curiously,

"What about the hunter? Does he come back again?"

"Of course he does," Leonard, the only child of the Carmichael's answers his cousin's question.

"So what happens when he does?" the young vampiress asks Leonard.

"What is the point of having aunt Renae read the book to you if you're going to hear it in pieces?" Julliard, Charlotte's elder brother asked her who was the same age as Leonard.

"I won't be able to sleep if I don't know now!" Charlotte exclaimed before giving her cousin a persuasive look who smiled back at her. The door to their room was knocked.

"Come in Martha," Lady Renae didn't wait for the maid and walked up to her to pick the glasses from the tray the maid held to give it to the children and she then spoke to Charlotte, "I believe Julliard is right, dear. You will have to wait until tomorrow night or read it in the morning once you complete a good night's rest. You didn't tell us what you wanted for your birthday tomorrow."

The little blonde vampiress didn't wait a second before voicing her wish, "I want Bambi!" Lady Renae chuckled at the wish.

"And why would you want Bambi out of all things? Here I thought you wanted the wolf last time," says Lady Renae.

"If I have Bambi, then Bambi won't be killed by the hunter," Mrs Carmichael bent down to drop a kiss on her niece's forehead before murmuring, "Aren't you the sweetest child."

"She's asking us to get inside a book to get her a gift," Julliard commented at the ridiculous request of his sister. The young Carmichael who was drinking blood from his own glass found something strange behind at the door or rather behind their maid when he lifted his eyes up from his glass. It felt far more like a shadow and the more his eyes spent time looking at what it was the more the shadow hid behind the maid until black eyes met his which were wide in surprise when it met his gaze.

"Let us see what your brothers and I can do about it," Lady Renae smiled down at Charlotte as she tucked her into bed, "It's time for you boys to sleep too. Both your father's wouldn't take it well if they found you boys wandering in the corridors unless it was of importance. Go on now," she waited for the boys to leave the room and following them to make sure they got into their room.

But children of the vampires were never one to listen not the ones of Easton or Carmichael's. Like every night, the boys usually stayed up in the glass room of the mansion, taking their seats on the narrow wooden board below the ceiling.