Chapter 38
Chapter 38
Anastasia fell to her knees, observing the wound. Eva's eyes were squeezed shut, and her breathing had turned ragged.
"How are you feeling?" she asked the maid.
"I'm in pain," she replied. "It feels like there is an heavy load on my shoulder."
I turned to the other maid. "Get the carriage ready. We're taking her to the clinic."
The maid bowed her head and left.
I returned my gaze to Eva. "You'll be fine," I said.
"Thank you," she said, closing her eyes.
The maid returned, and we both helped Eva to her feet.
"Be careful," I said to Eva as we helped her walk out of the room.
When we reached the carriage, she suddenly fell to her knees, vomiting blood.
"Oh no!" the maid exclaimed, rubbing her back.
"I'm thirsty," Eva said in a soft voice.
The maid hurried to bring a cup of water for Eva. As she handed it to Eva, Eva grabbed the maid's arm, shoving her to the ground.
When Eva raised her head, her eyes had turned black and her fangs shot out. "When I told you I was thirsty, I meant your blood," she said, grabbing the maid's neck and sinking her fangs into her skin. She began to suck her blood.
Anastasia hurried to save the other maid, but Eva grabbed her, pinning her to the carriage door.
"Eva? What's happening?" I asked.
Before she could sink her fangs into my skin, an arrow landed on her back, causing Eva to fall. She was dead.
The maid burst into tears as she reached for Eva on the ground. "No! No!" she cried out, shaking Eva's lifeless body.
She placed her hand on the maid's shoulder, rubbing her back.
"You will be fine," Anastasia assured, her voice soft and comforting.
"She's dead... My sister's dead," the maid mumbled, her eyes filled with tears. "She's all I have."
"What is your name?" Anastasia asked gently.
"Is... Isabella," the maid replied, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Isabella, I promise that your sister will be given a proper burial," Anastasia said, her expression sympathetic. "Now go inside and try to cheer up. I will invite the physician to look at your wound."
"Thank you," the maid bowed her head before leaving, her shoulders slumped in grief.
Anastasia sighed, turning around to meet Cassius' gaze. "Cassius," she called out, her voice firm.
"What are you doing at the servant's quarter?" he asked, his eyes falling on the maid's lifeless body. "What happened here? Another attack?"
"No," Anastasia shook her head. "The maid... she was bitten by a vampire."
Cassius' expression turned grave. "What happened to her?" he asked, his voice firm.
Anastasia explained what had happened, her words concise and clear. Cassius listened intently, his eyes never leaving hers.
He shifted his gaze back to the maid's body. "This does not look like she injured herself," Cassius said, raising his head. "And you mentioned that she attacked a maid?"
"Yes."
Cassius' eyes did not move from the body, and he observed it for a while.
"The story doesn't add up," he said after some time. "Why would she attack a maid because she was thirsty for blood?"
"What do you think?" Anastasia asked.
"I don't know," he shook his head, before turning to the guard. "Take the body to the lab to study."
"I already promised Isabella to give her sister a proper burial," Anastasia spoke up. "You can't take her."
"We need to understand what went wrong," Cassius said. "After that, the body can be buried."
Anastasia didn't argue more, and she let the guard take the body.
Cassius walked closer to her. "How are you?"
She stared at him for a moment before she opened her mouth to speak. "I was scared when she attacked the maid. I didn't expect her to snap all of a sudden. But she's a vampire."
Do vampires go to any length just to take your blood? Was that why Eva acted that way?
"And you think she attacked the maid because she was hungry for blood?" he asked.
"That's how vampires act," she replied. "I'm not surprised."
"Vampires aren't as bad as you think," he smiled. "Take me for example."
She narrowed her eyes at him. "You are no different from a demon," she joked, and the both of them laughed.
When the laughter died, Anastasia found herself staring into his black eyes. They were quiet for a moment before Cassius decided to break the silence.
"We should go to the castle," he said, guiding her to the castle.
As they reached her room, Anastasia sat down on the bed. "What are you thinking about?" she asked.
"I just remembered something," he replied. "What is it?" she asked.
"The wound," he replied. "It is an infection."
"Infection?" She was surprised because the maid was a vampire and vampires rarely got sick.
"Yes," he replied. "Hundred years ago, there was a similar case like that of the maid. A vampire with such deep wound. The vampire was infected. When vampires are infected, they snap out, not realizing what they're doing as they suck blood and kill people. They act like rabid dogs."
"If she was infected, why did she take blood from her sister, who is also a vampire?" she asked.
"I thought vampires only feed on humans?" she added.
"That is what I'm trying to understand," he replied. "Once the physician brings any news, I will know what to do."
"We should go down for dinner," he said.
"I'm full," she said. "I ate some snacks before sleeping at the library."
He left her to sleep, and once he was gone, she let out a sigh. She kept thinking about how Eva had attacked the maid and tried to kill her. She turned to different sides of the bed, feeling too restless to sleep.
She sighed, getting up from bed. She decided to take a stroll in the corridors. She stepped outside the castle to find Isabella sitting near the physician as he observed the wound on her neck.
"Ms. Anastasia," Isabella bowed her head upon noticing her presence.
"How are you?" Anastasia asked.
"I drank some herbs tea to subside the pain," she said. "I don't know why the wound hasn't yet closed."
Anastasia frowned. She was a vampire. The wound should have closed up by now.
"It's a deep bite," the physician said. "She left one of her fangs in the bite. It will take a few days to heal."
After spending some time with Isabella, she decided to go inside to sleep. As she walked upstairs, she heard moans coming from the library room. Anastasia frowned slightly, wondering why the servants would be doing such a thing in the royal castle.
She approached the library; the door was not closed. As she peeked through the small opening, her eyes widened at the scene before her.