Bambi and the Duke

Somewhere it was twisted on how some of the pureblooded vampire children were the devil in disguise since they were little. Like how Eleanor, Leonard’s second cousin had ill intentions on hurting Vivian when she had been jealous to the point she had used her brother that had costed a fang, the same way Leonard was no less when it came to dealing with things.

Leonard was a quiet person who held in emotions except for the rare temper that came out when he was angered. Being disciple to the Lord of Bonelake, he held similar characteristics when it came to the art of manipulation but the only difference was that Leonard didn’t use it extensively as Lord Nicholas did.

”What are you doing here?” little Leo asked the girl to come and stand next to her where she had crouched on the ground with her head slumped between her knees. He had been walking to one of the spare room to visit his tutor who had come to teach him about the council when he had found her in the garden.

”It flew away,” little Vivian mumbled, sighing as if the world had come to an end she got up to look in a certain direction and he followed her line of sight but there was nothing eye-catching. Vivian turned to see him holding a book, ”Are you going to study?” she asked him in a small voice.

”Un,” he nodded his head in response still trying to look for what she had been looking at, ”What’s got you upset, Bambi?” he turned his sight to her.

”Hmm? Ah, the butterfly!” she replied, turning her head to see if it was still around, ”I followed it from back to the front but I couldn’t catch it. It was right here,” she pouted.

”Don’t you have flowers to pick or complete the errands which Martha has given you?” he asked her. She was so childish that he couldn’t help but worry about her stupidity and waste of time. Worse than his cousin sister, Charlotte and he thought she was bad. Leonard was the child prodigy, for his age and kind he held better knowledge and perception around him, therefore, making the others stupid around him.

A wide grin formed on her lips, happiness as if bouncing of her she said, ”I finished all of them,” so she had decided to chase a butterfly?

”Did you learn to write the new words I gave you yesterday?” he asked in a nonchalant tone.

At the same time, Paul who had been walking by the corridors where the garden was adjacent to it, he slowed down his footsteps to see Leonard and Vivian outside talking to each other.

Though at that time Leonard hadn’t realized wanting to keep her, his behaviour over her had made Paul worry over them. Surely, the young master didn’t speak to Vivian so openly when they were in front of others, also because Vivian would have hidden somewhere away from the main family and guests. Paul knew the closeness the two children shared between them and it was something he worried about their future. He also knew Mrs Carmichael noticing them together but the lady was kind enough not to keep her son away from befriending the lowly human who was only a maid.

At Leo’s question, Vivian looked away as if wanting to search for the butterfly, ”I don’t know,” Leo frowned.

”What do you mean, you don’t know?” the young boy narrowed his eyes. Apparently, the young master had been trying to teach Vivian what he knew, pouring his knowledge into her which was too much for the young human who had only begun to learn. It looked as if he was ready to give her an earful when both Leonard and Paul who was hidden from their sight heard her,

”You weren’t there. I can’t do it without you,” she looked up with her innocent black eyes and the boy’s eyes widened before composing it back. He turned his head, making the girl confused. He had turned to hide the blush that had formed due to her unexpected words.

”You must be really stupid to not know how to do it without me. I won’t be here all the time,” he cleared his throat and gave her a look to see her play with the grass beneath them with her bare feet. Leonard doubted if she even touched the books. The amount of distraction she was attacked with was something he found to be very intriguing, ”I will help you catch the butterfly,” at his words, her eyes came lit up in excitement.

”Really, Leo?” she beamed in question.

”Yes. That will be tomorrow but in return, you need to finish what I gave you to write without my help. At least try,” he wasn’t going to offer his time without getting anything in return. She might have a low attention span for her age but somewhere he found potential in her which no one knew would come handy in studying and preparing for something much bigger than for pure knowledge.

”You will help me catch the butterfly?” she asked in conformation to see him nod, ”I will finish it soon!” not waiting for his response, she dashed back inside the mansion to her room. Leo stood there watching her run with her little feet, wondering how simple his Bambi was.

Paul who had been watching them silently saw the little boy smile which took him by surprise. Who knew that the young master had it in him to smile like that. He looked much more alive than a handsome doll made of stone.

The servant came from a low background, a poor family whom he had to look after and support. Knowing the harsh reality which both the children wasn’t aware of, he wondered if he should overlook the matter but they seemed attached to each other. And if time went by, at this rate, he knew how difficult of heartbreak it might be when they grew into adults.

The man meant well for both of them and with that reason, he decided to keep them apart for a day or two as a test. As expected little Vivian had diligently finished her homework that night by taking possible help from Mrs Carmichael. Leonard had told her to not take his help but he never told not take others help.

The next morning Paul baited Vivian of meeting Thomas her new friend who was his nephew. Forgetting about the butterfly, the human had gotten ready to leave the mansion along with Paul who was going to meet his sister.

Leonard wouldn’t have told it openly to her or anyone but he unconsciously he was looking forward to catching the butterfly for the girl. When he went to meet Vivian at the servant’s headquarters, he came to find her dressed and ready to go out with Paul.

This idiot, thought Leo in his mind for forgetting his words on them catching the butterfly. It wasn’t that he was interested in catching one, but doing it for her somewhere brought him solace.

”Where are you going?” he asked in an uninterested voice at her door.

”Paul said, we going to meet Grace and Thomas. Will you come?” she asked him eagerly.

”No,” came the quick and sharp response. He was irked. He had completed all his work for today by staying up at night so that he could chase away his tutor for the day for the sole reason he could have free time but here she was ready to leave him.

”Okay,” she said consciously to feel the shift in the atmosphere.

Okay? thought Leonard in response.

Before she could leave, Leonard said, ”The people in the village have ghosts hidden in there,” this caught her attention, fear coming to linger on her face.

”G-ghost?”

”Don’t you remember what happened last time when the boy went missing,” the truth was that it was the witch’s doing for abducting the neighbourhood boy from the village but the girl wouldn’t know about witches and therefore he twisted it to ghosts, ”The ghosts are looking for children to eat them up,” at the news Vivian bit her lip not knowing what to say.

Seeing Paul walk towards Vivian’s room, Leonard decided to stay quiet and give her some time to sink what he said hoping this would deter her plan for the day.

”Paul, there are ghosts?” she asked the servant to receive a confused look.

”Ghost? Where Vivi?” the man asked at her innocent question.

”In Thomas’s home!”

Paul laughed, looking down at Vivian who had to crane her neck up to look at the tall man, ”No, Vivi. They aren’t any and if there are I will be sure to keep them away from you,” Vivian nodded her head with a smile.

She looked at Leonard as if wanting to assure that she would be safe, ”Paul is with me. I will be safe, Leo,” the servant looked at his young master wondering what conversation they were having before he had arrived at the little girl’s room.

Leonard didn’t bother to respond to her words while he internally scolded her.

”I will be waiting outside, Vivi,” Paul informed her while giving a look at Leonard as if figuring out something. Paul had to go visit the market therefore, Mr Carmichael had given his approval in taking the carriage which was old and rusty that was used for the servants during rare occasions.

Vivian climbed on to her bed to get the paper where she had drawn for Grace and Thomas. To show them what she had done and how much she had improved in her drawing which in truth wasn’t much. But then it wasn’t the talent but the effort she put into it which made them praise her.

With Paul out of sight, Leonard walked out with Vivian once she was done with grabbing everything she was taking along with her. As they walked, Leo spoke,

”What happened to you catching butterflies?” he asked her.

”We will catch them later,” so she had decided to put that Thomas first and him second, thought Leo to himself.

Coming out of the servant’s rooms and away from it, they walked heading towards the main door with no one but Martha in sight who was cleaning the stair holdings. Leonard then spoke to Vivian, ”We actually keep butterflies in the vase here,” he made up a white lie to see her snap her head.

”Eh? But the butterflies will die,” she said to see him shrug.

”Go look at that blue one,” he jerked his head towards the blue vase that was not far from where they were walking, ”Go on,” he said calmly to her.

Having calculated her reaction, he saw her bounce on her feet to go to the vase and take a peek but she was short. Going to pick the vase, she was about to look when she shrieked and dropped the vase from her hand.

”Vivian!” Martha looked at the little girl in absolute horror.

Vivian looked scared, running behind Leo to see the cream coloured lizard crawl on the floor which had come out of the broken vase. Leonard already knew the residence of a lizard that stayed in the vase as he was the one to put it there but he would have never thought for it to come in handy.

”What did you do? You can’t go breaking every vase in the mansion!” the housekeeper scolded her in a strict and unapproving voice. She looked around to see there wasn’t anyone in sight, ”Didn’t I tell you to stay away from the vases?”

”B-but Leo said-”

”Vivian,” Martha used the voice as if one would use on their own child for misbehaving and listening to them, ”You cannot call young master by his name. It’s master Leonard,” she tried to correct the girl, ”What is it?”

”Master Leonard,” muttered Vivian looking down with her hands folded in front of her while she stood behind him.

”Ah, the vase,” the woman looked down worried. It wasn’t once or twice but she had come to notice that the girl was terrible when it came to holding on to delicate things in her hand. It was as if her hands were made of butter to drop everything. Due to this, she had avoided giving any delicate work, after all, she was a child but she couldn’t justify it to the owners. Every item in the house was one of value which would cost the wage of the servant. Already tired with work that she had been doing, she said, ”As punishment, you won’t be going with Paul.”

Vivian looked up suddenly with a sad face, not only had she been scolded but also been denied to go out.

”I won’t do it...” came the small voice but Martha didn’t listen to it no matter how cute the girl was. If the housekeeper didn’t rectify it right now, the little girl would only continue to repeat her mistakes.

Martha had a stern look on her face, ”I will go to tell Paul. Go to your room, Vivian...”