Bambi and the Duke

When the door to her room shut close, Vivian’s back hit on the bed with a poof on her blanket. She stared up at the ceiling which was painted white. Leonard had riled her up first and just before he could give her the treat he had taken it back to only deny her. Deep down in her mind, she felt agitated. She had come to be so used to Leonard kissing her that it turned nothing less to a drug.

Moving out of the bed, she began making her bed without waiting for a maid to come and get it fixed. Pulling the blanket, she muttered under breath, ”Stupid, Leo!”

When she turned around she caught sight of Jan who stood at her door.

”Master Leonard is asking if you would be joining him for breakfast.”

She nodded her head, ”Yes,” did he hear her calling Leo stupid?

”You can leave the bed, Ms Vivian. I will have the maid fix it. If you go to the dining room,” he stood waiting at the door.

”I will be there in a few minutes,” she hadn’t washed her face nor her mouth yet. Her hair must be looking like a nest, she thought to her self and when she did look at the mirror that hung on the wall she couldn’t help but cringe at the way her hair stuck around like dry twigs.

The housekeeper had already left her door and she made her way to the bathroom to wash her face, rinsing her mouth she dabbed her face with the towel which was placed by the side of the water. Going down the stairs and heading to the dining room, she saw Leonard who was already seated with a cup of tea in front of him. Picking up the saucer, he took the cup to let his lips touch the surface of it. When they made eye contact, Vivian looked away quickly for what he had done earlier. If he was going to play the game she was going to play it too.

Taking a seat, she quietly had her breakfast as the maids and the housekeeper served the couple breakfast.

”How did you exam go?” asked Leonard casually as he buttered the toast.

Hearing this, Vivian forgot that she was trying to give Leo a cold shoulder and spoke with a wide smile, ”I passed the exam!” she exclaimed to see him the proud smile on his lips which made her smile that much more.

”Good work, Bambi.”

Leonard didn’t need to know it from her as he was already well informed about the candidates who had passed. He always kept his ear open when it came to the details that took place in the council rooms and the buildings. Now that Vivian was concerned he had made sure to have an eye on her by sending his friend Maximillian Gibbs. A strange as the man was, he was one of the trusted pureblooded vampires in his circle he could rely on.

It wasn’t that Leonard didn’t want to stay around Vivian but being with her there would be doubts of suspicion caused that she had passed the exam by mere influence of the higher ups which would only bring trouble in the future. After all, she was a woman and men in the council didn’t take the presence of a woman easily due to their ego.

The written exam was never an easy fleet as many always failed such a simple task.

He hadn’t found much about the second part of the exam. With just a few hints that as usual it would be conducted differently. If what he heard was right, and if it was about the hunt or survival, it wouldn’t be that difficult unless they would ask the participants to harm each other to finish the test. It worried him, yet it was something he believed that Vivian could achieve unlike the rest of the women. He had seen his deer grow from a young age, he had subtly raised her under his care. It was his duty to look after and care for her. At the same time, he would give her room to grow.

As if in realization, she lowered down her excitement and took a bite from her bread.

”I think we need to celebrate quite grandly that you have passed the exam. Don’t you think Jan?” he pulled his housekeeper into the conversation who was standing there in a halt position.

The housekeeper bowed his head, ”Yes, master,” his master’s words were absolute to him. That’s how most of the servants were taught by their masters.

”Shall we go out tonight?” Vivian couldn’t resist his charms when he was so openly asking her out for the night.

”Where to?” she asked curiously, removing the crumb of bread that had stuck at the corner of her lips.

”It will be a surprise. Something nice,” the way he stressed on the word ’nice’ tingled her mind. Yet for a show, she narrowed her eyes before looking down at her plate with a smile on her lips. Leonard called Jan to his side, whispering a few words as the housekeeper nodded his head to the orders given to him.

Maximillian Gibbs had arrived home to discuss something with Leonard, with both of them going out for a walk, Vivian went to the study room of Leonard where she could read something from there. Though the written exam was done, she couldn’t help but want to read something to kill some time. She went through the bookshelves again, peeping through the glass case as she read the titles of the book.

The fire crackled softly in the room, and silence followed her like footsteps behind her as her fingers stuck to the glass like she was tracing it. She remembered that she had to ask Leo about her ability to touch and read objects. He would know for sure where to go and find the answer.

She wished she could understand the pattern of why and what was happening. Why was she one of the rare type to be able to do things not everyone could? There were a lot of questions that were yet to be answered. And then there were her parents whom she was yet to find and know about them.

Her finger that had been tracing the glass suddenly pushed a particular glass case forward which moved back when she retraced her hand. She stared at the books that were in there. They looked like torn books that were ragged and overused to the point that if one would keep them out in the wind it would break into pieces due to the brittle material they were made of before withering away in the wind.

Angling her head to the side to see what was written on one of the copies she realized it was the famous title that had been lost in the four empires- Curse of the humans. Intrigued by its presence she wished to read what it had that many scholars had tried to find it. The place she now stood was in the corner most of the room, and if one did observe they would never know this side of the books.

About to open the glass case, she used her nails to pull it open to hear Leo speak, ”What are you looking for?”

Vivian twirled around to see him standing at the door. She stepped back away from the glass case, ”I was searching for a book to read,” she said to see him nod, he smiled.

”We have a chess match due, let’s have a board game,” he offered her.

”But I will lose,” she frowned.

”You won’t know until you play. Give me your best moves,” he smirked making her puff her cheeks. He was on the game of teasing her again, ”Come,” she let her hand drop to her side, leaving the books where it stayed in the dust.

Just as Leonard was about to close the door to his study room, his eyes fell on the glass case Vivian had been standing in front of. The books that lied in that glass wasn’t any ordinary books he had piled and saved. It was a memento of death, from the people he had killed.

With Vivian’s touch, there was no saying what amount of gore she would be able to see. The dark side of him.