It was eight at night, and in the Slaters’ mansion, Ruelle gathered the few belongings of hers that she had pulled out from her trunk during her short stay. As she and the others had classes tomorrow, the carriage had been prepared to leave.

The movement of wind had increased far more than when they had arrived from the town and the sky was covered by clouds, making the atmosphere darker.

Her fingers lingered on the fine fabric of the dress she had worn earlier. For a moment, she only stood there. Looking and not touching, before she folded it with care. Slipping back into her older dress that reminded her where she belonged.

She should have said something, she thought to herself. For someone like her, she didn’t understand what losing a mother meant. Because she hadn’t got the time to spend with her biological mother, and her mother was only an idea.

But for someone like Lucian, who had spent and known his mother. And for one single hope of connection to be lost…

A knock broke her thoughts and Maude stepped inside the room.

“Shall I have food packed for the journey, Miss Ruelle?” she inquired.

“That won’t be necessary. I ate outside before returning to the mansion,” Ruelle replied with a small smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes.

“It isn’t my place but you should avoid eating outside,” Maude replied, her expression barely changing. “It is the easiest way to poison someone. Humans do not approve of those who associate with vampires. Some prefer to solve things quietly.”

Ruelle blinked, startled. “I will be careful,” she murmured.

Maude moved to the neatly folded dress on the bed. Without asking she picked it up and carried it to the trunk.

“That doesn’t belong to me,” Ruelle reminded the vampiress.

“It does, milady,” Maude replied. “It is yours now.”

“That’s too generous. I cannot accept something like—”

“You misunderstand, milady,” said Maude, closing the trunk. “There has not been a young woman in this house for years. These clothes have no purpose here. Letting them hold dust in storage is far more disrespectful than giving them to someone who will use them.”

She paused briefly and continued, “They were prepared by the lady but never worn. A trunk has already been loaded into the carriage.”

“For me?” Ruelle asked, her voice almost a whisper.

“Unless Master Dane intends to experiment with lace ribbons, yes. For you.” Maude’s gaze rested on her for a second longer than usual. “The master was the one who ordered it.”

Ruelle’s lips parted but no words formed. Warmth spread through her chest along with guilt. She had learned not to expect kindness and tonight she wasn’t sure she deserved it.

Maude turned toward the door and called, “Take Miss Ruelle’s luggage to the carriage.”

A servant stepped in and carried the trunk away.

Ruelle then said softly, “Thank you.” In response, the vampiress offered her a bow.

After a few minutes, Ruelle stood beside the carriage where trunks had been secured, the cool night air brushing across her cheeks. She had wrapped the scarf that Lucian had given her, its warmth settling gently against her skin as she waited for the Slater brothers.

A small cloud escaped from her lips as she exhaled. The next time she would visit her house, she would need warmer clothes, she thought.

A distant rumble reached her ears and Ruelle turned towards the gates. She caught another carriage rolling into the courtyard. It came to a stop behind the Slaters’ carriage. She wondered if it was a guest for Lord Azriel, who had come at this hour.

When the carriage door opened, Blake Stelaris stepped out of the carriage.

The vampiress’s eyes widened in surprise for a second before delight softened them, a bright smile blooming naturally across her face. The vampiress’ elegance and warmth was striking and Ruelle was in awe of the young woman.

“Good evening, Ruelle,” Blake greeted, curiosity and gentleness threading through her voice.

Ruelle bowed politely, returning the smile. “Good evening, Blake.”

Soon another figure descended from the carriage. It was a vampiress in her fifties. Her hair was pinned in an elegant updo, her thin eyebrows arched naturally. The woman resembled Blake, and Ruelle guessed the person to be the young vampiress’s mother.

Ruelle offered a polite bow to the woman.

The woman did not bother to acknowledge Ruelle. Her gaze skimmed over Ruelle in a dismissive sweep that lingered just long enough to decide the human was beneath their status. Her lips curved into the faintest line of displeasure.

“Where is Lord Azriel?” the older vampiress demanded. “And the other Slaters?”

“Lord Azriel isn’t home,” Ruelle answered politely. “The others are inside.”

The vampiress raised her hand and with a lazy flick ordered, “Then go tell them the Stelaris are here.”

Ruelle opened her mouth to answer—

“Mother!” Blake’s voice was polite but laced with unmistakable embarrassment.

“She isn’t staff! She’s a fellow student.”

Her mother turned her head slowly, regarding Blake first and then Ruelle again. The vampiress remarked,

“Ah, a groundling. That hardly changes anything. Groundlings tend to find their rightful place eventually. Best to begin learning early,” the vampiress stated to her daughter.

“You are mistaken, Lady Stelaris,” Ruelle answered, her tone polite. The vampiress turned back to look at her. She continued, “You may be unaware, but one Groundling now serves as Head of the Royal Guard. Another governs as a minister because he possessed ability, not pedigree. There are many such people. In my experience, ‘place’ rarely belongs to those who choose it for others.”

Offence flickered in Lady Stelaris’s expression and she murmured,

“How curious. What you said was a minority. Groundlings rise only when a vampire raises them. Without us, you would still be scraping for crumbs in the dirt. So remember that before you allow confidence to outrun your position.”

“With respect, my lady,” Ruelle replied to the vampiress whose eyes had considerably narrowed at her, “the world changes whether we approve of it or not. There was a time when humans were equal to vampires. The time will come again.”

Lady Stelaris’s lips thinned and she whispered under her breath, “Insolent. Azriel has truly grown careless. How can he approve someone like her in here?”

The words struck, but Ruelle swallowed the sting. She had been looked down on before. What mattered was how she stood after.

The insult barely left Lady Stelaris’s lips before they heard sharp footsteps descend the mansion steps.

It was Lucian. His silhouette looked dark against the lantern glow, shoulders straight, expression unreadably composed. Yet nothing about him felt calm. His dark red eyes quiet and merciless, settled on Lady Stelaris as if he had heard every word.

“My father wouldn’t approve of someone insulting his guest, Lady Stelaris.” Lucian’s voice was smooth and polished.

His father’s guest? The lie…

“Lucian…” Lady Stelaris’s composure faltered for a fraction. She blamed, “Did you hear what she said? She was rude.”

Ruelle didn’t like being in the middle of this, but the woman had asked for it by saying things earlier. But now she felt she had dragged Lucian to something he was not part of.

She felt Lucian’s gaze flicker to her. It wasn’t long but it was enough.

“I think you didn’t hear me right. Slater Ground is not a place for others to define worth. Nor is it a place where guests insult those under our protection. Especially where respect is expected. Shouldn’t you return it now?” Lucian tilted his head in question.

Blake subtly pressed her lips together, her fingers curling against her dress.

Lady Stelaris let out a faint laugh and remarked, “You misunderstand. I was only offering perspective to a rather overconfident human—”

“Careful, Lady Stelaris,” Lucian cut in. The older vampiress looked tongue-tied as if in shock that he was defending a lowly human.

Lucian walked to where Ruelle was and remarked, “Are you trying to fall sick instead of getting inside?” He then climbed inside the carriage.

Ruelle saw Blake offer a bow to her in a quiet apology while she stood behind her mother.

“Are we having a party here? Lady Stelaris, what a pleasant surprise,” Dane grinned wide like a Cheshire cat. He walked down the stairs and said, “If you are here for my father, he isn’t here. You should visit when he is present.”

Lady Stelaris clenched her hands and tried to stay calm as she asked, “Who is that woman?”

Dane turned to look in Ruelle’s direction, who was yet to get inside the carriage. He wore a thoughtful expression and then broke the silence with his words, “That is Ruelle.” He then turned to look at Blake and said, “See you in the academy later.” The young vampiress gave a nod.

The elder Slater brother reached Ruelle, while Lady Stelaris pulled Blake back into her carriage and drove away.

“Aren’t you making too many enemies, Mr. S?” Ruelle asked feeling a little nervous as the older vampiress had glared at her before leaving. “You shouldn’t do that.”

“I thought it was the usual number,” Dane replied with a frown, before a grin cracked on his lips. “Don’t worry about it. You will always have us in your corner,” he assured her.

And while Ruelle climbed inside the carriage, the carriage that left earlier than them, the atmosphere inside was tense and Blake sat quietly. Her mother’s fury simmered beside her.

“Who is she?” Lady Stelaris demanded at last, her voice tight.

Blake hesitated. “She’s a student at Sext—”

“I know she’s admitted to Sexton!” Lady Stelaris snapped, words laced with venom. “I asked why the Slaters are shielding her. Why Lucian of all people tolerates her presence? He despises humans!”

Blake drew a breath. “Mother… whatever it is, perhaps it’s better if you—” Her words never finished as her mother slapped her face. Blake’s head jerked to the side, cheek stinging as her cheek turned red.

“Let it go? I told you to get close to Lucian, Blake. Four years and you couldn’t get his attention. You couldn’t make him into your partner. Is this how I raised you?” she demanded. “How could you let this happen?”

Blake swallowed, her lashes lowering. She murmured, “Mother, I tried—”

“Do not insult me with excuses,” her mother’s voice turned cold. “He lost his mother to humans. You lost your father. All thanks to those wretched humans. Of all people, you should understand what that means. And yet it looks like you are defending that girl.”

Twelve years ago, when the conflict between humans and vampires erupted, Lucian hadn’t been the only one who lost a parent.

Blake’s father had been dragged from their home that night. By the time his body was returned, his eyes had been gouged from their sockets and his heart torn from his chest. The scent of blood had stained her childhood.

Her mother vowed their family would rise again. Survival, reputation, power those had become her mother’s language. And among the affluent families, the Slaters stood highest, who were capable of helping them reclaim their place in the society.

And though Blake had approached Lucian on her mother’s pressuring words, she had come to value the rare, civil understanding that existed between them. Lucian was distant and complicated but he had always been straightforward. That alone had been enough to keep her by his side long after her mother’s schemes had faded into background noise.

The young vampiress had long understood one more truth.

There was a place beside Lucian that already belonged to someone else. And she wasn’t foolish enough to fight for something she already knew was not hers.

“Fix the situation. If you don’t… I will be forced to have you married to someone you might not like to secure our positions,” Lady Stelaris warned, which was enough to grab Blake’s attention. “So get rid of the human.”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep