Chapter 17

He flashed me an incredibly alluring smile. My heart skipped a beat and I quickly pulled my hand away.

Kira

"Sorry. Your hair is just so soft I got carried away."

Vlad

"Normally I don't like people playing with my hair." "But I'll make a special exception for you."

If he keeps smiling at me that sweetly…

Kira

"Can I touch it again, then?"

Vlad

"Sure, go ahead."

We looked at each other and laughed.

Flynn

"Haah... I know the elderly like to wake up early, but is it really necessary to be so lovey-dovey first thing in the morning?"

Kira

"We weren't…"

Vlad

"Morning, Flynn. Looks like a good night's sleep didn't improve your bitterness at all."

Carlos

"Sorry, Kira. Docteur's not a morning person, but he's even more unfriendly than usual."

I shook my head and Carlos and Flynn took their seats.

Carlos

"All right, shall we eat now? It's been so long since we were all here for breakfast."

Kira

"Really?"

Carlos

"Yep. We usually just fend for ourselves, and we aren't usually together during the day."

I guess since Vlad sold flowers, Charles was the town doctor, and Faust was a priest they probably wouldn't see each other often. The residents of the mansion all have different lifestyles as well, but we almost always have at least one meal together. But…

Flynn

"Today is ham salad, hm? Not bad for you, Carlos."

Carlos

"I swear, all you ever want to eat is ham, Docteur. And Lord Vlad only wants to eat strawberries. You both need variety."

Vlad

"I can't help it. It's the strawberries' fault for being so delicious." "Faust, that's my strawberry."

Carlos

"Honestly! Hey! No one ever thanked me for the food!"

Even though I couldn't quite figure out if they were good friends or not, I smiled as I watched over them.

Kira

"Thank you for the food, Carlos!"

Life at the castle was fun, peaceful, and relaxing. There was just one problem, though…

~~~~~

They're being so nice to me, the least I can do is help make breakfast!

Kira

"Morning, Carlos! Can I help you with someth—"

Carlos

"Oh, morning, Kira! I already made breakfast. Hope you like French toast?"

Well, the least I can do is clean the tub…

Carlos

"Oh, Kira! Do you like taking baths? I thought you might, so I cleaned it and put fresh water in it! Go ahead and get in!"

Carlos always takes care of the household chores so well there's nothing I can help with. I decided to ask Flynn if there was anything I could help him with.

Flynn

"Perfect timing. I'm mixing up a new batch of medicine and I'd like you to be my guinea pig."

Kira

"Your what?!"

Ihad a bad feeling about that, so I quickly excused myself from the room. Vlad said just to concentrate on healing my injury. I feel bad not helping, but I'll just do as he says. And when you don't do anything all day, each day feels very long. Since I had nothing but time on my hands, I received permission to explore the castle. I found a room I hadn't been to before, so l opened the door.

Kira

"Wow…"

It was a very chic room with an ornate antique piano like something right out of the movies. I went up to the piano to get a closer look. It must have been very old. There are a lot of old furnishings in this castle. But they're all placed so well it's beautiful…It did give me a strange feeling, though. Almost like this castle was some kind of outpost on the edge of time, immune to the flow of it. I picked up a piece of sheet music tossed onto the piano and–

Kira

"Eek!"

Just then, something poked out its head and looked at me. A white...fox? What is a fox doing here? It had fluffy white fur and eyes so red it almost made you want to turn away from them. It reminds me of something…The fox and I stared back at each other for a while, and just then I heard the door open.

Vlad

"Oh, there you are."

Vlad had a relieved smile on his face as he reached out to the fox and scooped it up in his arms, as if he'd done so many times.

Kira

"Is that your pet?"

Vlad

"Yes. Marshmallow. Perfect for that fluffy white fur, right?"

Hehe. I wonder if Vlad likes marshmallows? Sometimes he says the most childish, adorable things.

Kira

"Definitely. Perfect for a fluffy white fox. Nice to meet you, Marshmallow."

Vlad

"Ahaha. Marshmallow likes you."

They say pets resemble their owners, and it was definitely true in this case, too.

Kira

"You don't see foxes too often though, so it surprised me."

Vlad

"I was surprised when I first met Marshmallow, too. I met him several years ago on a quiet, snowy night." "He was all alone, buried in the freezing snow, covered in cuts."

Kira

"Covered in cuts?"

Vlad

"He was tortured by someone." "So many people walked by, and yet not one looked at him." "Well--maybe they did look at him, but they pretended not to notice him. It doesn't matter anymore."

Vlad

"But I just felt like I heard someone frantically screaming into my ear, 'Help me!'" "So I picked him up and brought him back to the castle with me." "Once I gave him a bath, I realized he was a pure white fox. Carlos and Flynn were surprised, too."

Vlad had a very protective and kind look in his eyes as he told me about Marshmallow. It made me think about that snowy day when we first met. It was so cold, and it was snowing so much. Vlad was standing there looking up at the snow all alone. His eyes looked so sad, like he had been left behind from the world. That's why I couldn't stand it and had to run over to him with my umbrella.

Flashback

Kira

"Why do you look so sad?"

Crimson-eyed Man

"..."

Flashback Ends

And now we're spending so much time together. I'd learned so much about him since we started spending so much time together. For example, I learned that he loved people. And he had a lot of love to give. He loved strawberries, his hair was a mess in the mornings, and he had an adorable, childish side. There were a lot of other things, too. But…I still didn't know why he looked so sad that day. I thought about asking him, but I figured he would just hide it with his beautiful smile.

Vlad

"Hey, Kira? Do you mind if I play the piano a little?"

Kira

"What?"

Vlad

"I love the sound of this piano. It always makes me feel sleepy."

I nodded once and Vlad sat down at the piano and opened the lid. His elegant fingertips danced across the black and white keys. The beautiful sound of the music filled the room. It was so fun and exciting listening to him play the violin in town. And it filled my heart with such a sweet, gentle feeling. There was still a sweet, gentle feeling to his piano playing, but for some reason it felt achingly sad, too. The moonlight shone in through the window, illuminating his porcelain skin. Vlad... I want to know more about you. Maybe it's a selfish wish, but... I want to be special to you. Marshmallow fell asleep to the sound of the music. Vlad went over to the sofa and stroked Marshmallow's fur, then curled up next to him and fell asleep, too. I couldn't carry him to bed by myself, so I went to ask Carlos for help.

Carlos

"All right, let's lay him down here. Night, le Voivode."

Kira

"Thanks for your help. I tried to wake him up, but he just wouldn't budge."

Carlos

"Haha. Don't worry about it. He always falls asleep in the most random places whenever he feels like it, so l'm used to it."

That reminds me of another certain someone…

Flashback

Kira

"Lennon! What are you doing, sleeping in the hallway!?"

Lennon

"Huh? Oh. I was thinking about something and I guess I fell asleep. Yaaawn…"

Flashback Ends

Kira

"Haha. He reminds me of Lennon."

Carlos

"…Lennon? You mean Lennon Vacek?" "Haha, just joking. He's long dead and gone!" "Whenever I hear the name Lennon I just think of him since he's so famous!"

Carlos stuck out his tongue and smiled and I had to laugh, too. I haven't told them about the people in the mansion yet...Carlos was just a normal guy like me. So obviously he'd never imagine that not only was Lennon Vacek still alive but that he was an immortal, pure-blooded vampire. This was the first time I'd been in Vlad's room, which was on the top floor of the castle. It was as beautiful as a painting. Countless books lined the walls and moonlight quietly poured through the stained glass windows. But there was also a sadness to it--perhaps because it was so beautiful. looked around and my gaze stopped on a painting that hung on the wall.

Wait, that's--