Early morning business & Sad night in a crypt

Mid-afternoon the next day, I strolled into Julius's office, in my fine linen night robes Jane had given me as a gift the other day.

Strolling in, I had my hands in the small side pockets as I looked in his office, as he wrote agitatedly at a parchment.

"If you continue to sit like that, Julius, you will become a hunchback." I said, as I flopped myself into the same chair as the day before.

"If I have done it for the past thousand years, I highly doubt it will affect me now." Julius said, not looking up from his work.

I chuckled.

"What are you working on anyhow?" I asked.

Julius sat up and blew softly on the parchment to dry the still wet ink.

"I have just bought out the last of the East Indias Companies stocks."

I sat upright in my chair.

"Say what now?" I asked, startled at the familiar name.

"It is a joint stock company that was given a royal charter, from Queen Elizabeth I, granting it a monopoly on English trade in the East Indies." Julius said, finally looking up at me.

"Yes I know that." I said, slowly sitting back again, before I continued. "What made you want to take over the East India Company?"

"For one, it is a bountiful opportunity to make gold, as well as a perfect way to boost trade in England." Julius said as he set the parchment down on his desk.

"And I did not like the way they were growing as a company." He continued.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"They are starting to think of themselves as the owners of India itself. Enacting heavy tariffs, taxes, and levies on the local population of certain areas." Julius said, shaking his head agitatedly.

"The reports I have been receiving from the bank head in India confirms just as much." He continued by pulling a few tattered sheets from the massive pile on his desk.

Handing them over, I read through the paper.

"Hmm, yes. It seems they were starting to get more involved in the political and militaristic side of things instead of focusing on trade and friendship." I said, setting the parchments back on the desk.

"They were well on their way to becoming an occupying force if I didn't step in." Julius said as he leaned back in his chair.

"It was only a little over 4 million gold, so it wasn't that big of a problem, but it was certainly heading in that direction."

I couldn't help but smile.

"You did the right thing, Julius." I said, standing. "Beside the fact you are helping a country boost their trade with fair deals, you are also stopping what could have also been a forceful takeover." I said, smiling at him.

"Yes, that is true." Julius said, sitting up in his chair, ready to get back to work.

"I would send a letter to the bank head in India." I said as I turned to leave. "Put him in charge of finding the goods for our new company to sell. But make sure we take the bare minimum from the sales, giving most of the profit back to the bank of India to invest back into the country." I said, as I exited the large room.

Going back to my large opulent room. I got changed out of my too fancy morning clothes and back into what I was more comfortable in.

Which was knee length breeches, long socks, and then boots that reached my knees.

Sort of like cavalry boots, but not as firm.

From there, I put on a tunic and then a tan cloak.

Once done getting dressed, I tied my hair into a ponytail, the length of which was hidden under my cloak.

I looked myself over in a mirror I had in the corner of my room. I couldn't stop myself from smiling.

Existing the large castle, I requisitioned a horse from the stables before heading out.

My plan was to get out and explore the new London I had found myself in.

The ride was nice, and the shopping was even better.

As I stuffed my horses Saddlebags with the random knick knacks of the street vendors of London.

A little after evening, I finally made my way back to the castle, where I could hear the band playing once again in the tavern as I passed it.

Reaching the stables, I gave the stable boy a gold coin as I pulled the saddlebags from the horse.

From there, I started to make my way back to the castle itself when something caught my attention from the corner of my eyes.

I knew what it was instantly.

But it was something I had been trying to avoid.

'No…not anymore. I need to face this.' I thought, as I turned on my heels, and made my way to the castle church.

Slowly pushing open the wooden door, I saw that the church was empty.

Closing the wooden door behind me, I laid the saddle bags over a pew as I walked down the aisle towards the altar of the church.

Stopping in front of the marble altar, I read the words chiseled into is side out loud.

"In perpetuum uniti, in perpetuum memorati, in perpetuum Gray."

'Forever united, Forever remembered, Forever Gray.'

A small smile crept onto my face as I started to push the top of the marble altar to the side, revealing the entrance to the crypt.

Walking to one of the close by torches, I grabbed it to help with the cobwebs that were bound to be down there.

Dropping the 7 feet to the stone flooring, I raised the torch above my head and looked around.

The Crypt was roughly 200 feet long and 30 feet wide.

On both sides were carved pockets that had pre-made stone coffins.

Those close to me were still empty, but making my way down the long crypt, I saw that the farther I went, the more tombs were filled, which slightly saddened me.

'It's a part of mortality. You live, you die.' I thought.

'They all had good lives living under the protection of Julius and Jane.' My thoughts continued.

After a few minutes of slowly walking, the sight of the four tombs finally came into sight.

The four tombs were of Oliver, Gérard, and their wives.

Finally stopping in front of the four, I looked down at the carved image of them that laid atop their tombs.

The stone work for each of them were masterpieces.

And as I looked down at the polished stone, a sad smile spread across my face.

"How I have missed all of you." I said softly in the quiet crypt.

As much as it hurt me, I knew this would more than likely be far from the last time I would come down here late at night.

Because I knew to heal, I needed to accept the fact that this is my life, and those I love will die.

Loved ones, friends, foes, immortals, and mortals will all one day be nothing more than dust, while I will have no other choice but to continue on.

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Short chapter today, but the story will start to pick up again in the next chapter as Adam and Carlisle go on a small adventure.