“It happens sometimes,” Katie replied awkwardly.
She wasn’t a clumsy person but she didn’t know why she always ended up falling or tripping when the Lord was around. May be it was a good thing, she thought to herself, if it weren’t for him she would have fallen face flat or broken her head.
Like her, he was drenched from head to toe. His skin had turned paler bringing out the rich color of his eyes which was deep, dark red in color. In the empire, one could know the status of a vampire by the color of the iris. Though some hid their identity by suppressing their eye color, others didn’t mind flaunting it. Each class of vampires possessed different shades of red and the Valerian Lord happened to have the darkest iris Katie had come across until now.
“Do you like the rain, Lord Alexander?” she asked.
“Doesn’t everyone?” raising a brow he questioned her question.
“Dorthy doesn’t like it,” she replied making him nod.
Corey with few of them had often said on how their Lord was stingy when it came to him gracing people with smile but he had smiled at her genuinely for more than four times, that much she noticed.
“What about you?” he asked her seeing her drenched, little water droplets that was settled on her neck, “I heard that you’ve been working at the shed since morning.”
“Does Martin report everything, everyone does?” Katie asked him.
“Just the noteworthy ones. Here,” he said raising a dark blue rose in front of her.
There were visible sharp thorns on the stem. She looked at him, then the rose and him again, seeing this he chuckled looking at the dilemma on the woman’s face before she took it delicately. Even if the rose picked up from the ground and wasn’t plucked out, Katie didn’t know if it was alright to take it, especially when it was the Lord who was giving it to her like he was handing over something precious.
“I see that you don’t place these roses anywhere in the mansion except in my room,” she heard him speak as they watched the rain.
“I was told to be wary when it came to this one but its such a beautiful flower, and I thought you would like to have one in your room. I am sorry for thinking so, if you don’t like it I will keep them as they bloom,” she apologized and saw him shake his head in disagreement.
“That would be unnecessary. I don’t like anyone vandalizing things that belong to me. After all that is the only plant that I hold dear to,” he explained to her and continued, “And I think it is a thoughtful gesture, makes me feel cared,” he teased making her blush as she looked at the ground before looking back up at him.
These were the instances when Katie found Alexander to be teasing her and she suspected that her Lord enjoyed seeing her flustered.
“May I ask you something, my Lord?”
“Ask away.”
“Do you know the reason behind today’s weather?” She asked him curiously, “It’s just seems so different from the south empire. I haven’t seen a weather as such in my entire life.”
“Hmm,” she heard Alexander hum in response and he then spoke, “Would you believe me if I said the sky is mourning the melancholy that took place years ago?”
She tried processing his words before nodding her head. Though she didn’t understand the depth of what he just spoke, she understood the surface of it. Katie didn’t pry as seconds passed in silence.
“My mother, she was born on this day and she died on this day too,” he revealed.
“I’m sorry,” she apologized, regretting her curiosity.
“Don’t be, it’s been decades since then-”
“Ouch!” Katie exclaimed looking at the blood ooze out of her finger. Mindlessly she had been running over her finger on the stem and had pressed her finger over the thorn, drawing blood out of her finger.
Before the blood could begin trickling down Alexander took her finger in his hand and placed it in his mouth.
“L-lord Alexander,” she stuttered.
His pale lips opened up to let go and she felt her heart skip a beat, her cheeks flushing pink in color.
Alexander studied her face and said, “You have visible dark circles. You haven’t been sleeping well,” he noted. Was it really that visible? Katie wondered.
“Nightmares?” he asked to which she nodded with pursed lips, “Do you want to talk about it?”
The Valerian Lord always gave an option to everyone, an option where he would want them to pick the one he wanted. If they didn’t there were other ways to get the information. He knew she was uncomfortable when it came to the thunders that occurred at night but he felt something else was bothering her.
“I don’t know why but Mr. Weaver seems to be visiting my dreams and every time it leads close to me turning in to a living doll,” she said unconsciously running over her thumb on the scar on her wrist, “And the doll wakes me up.”
“The doll?” he asked confused.
“The one that was sitting in the living room with blue eyes,” she confirmed.
“I see,” he said thinking about it, “You can keep Areo with you for few nights. He might look harmless but I assure you, he will drive away your bad dreams.”
“Thank you,” Katie thanked him with a small bow.
“With all that’s happened I couldn’t take you to the theatrical play last time. I have another invitation, would you be interested to join me Katherine?” he asked in his ever polite tone, “You don’t have to worry about clothes as I have already asked Sylvia to arrange for it.”
“I would be delighted,” she replied with a smile which he in turn returned it with his own smile.
“You must go change yourself into dry clothes before you catch a cold, which I fear you will,” he stated looking at her wet hair and clothes, as he was a vampire it didn’t matter but she was susceptible to the cold.
“Alex,” Katie heard Elliot’s voice behind them as he walked through the doors, “Good day Princess,” he greeted.
“Good day, Elliot,” Katie greeted back.
Seeing both of them drenched in rain, his brows furrowed but dismissed it because there were other important matters to talk about.
Katie’s stomach rumbled on time and in realization, her eyes widened. She had forgotten about the feast!
“Um, excuse me,” she said bowing her head to both of them and left them to go inside.
Going up to her room, she placed the beautiful rose in a vase and quickly changed her clothes to avoid the shivers that she was beginning to experience.
Lord Alexander had said that the plant mattered to him and she tried guessing if his mother had planted it herself or if it brought him fond memories.
Once she reached where Dorthy and the others were she had the delicious meal Mrs. Hicks and the others had prepared. There was enough food for everyone with second serving but not more than that. When Katie was passing by Cynthia almost spilt her bowl of hot gravy on her if it weren’t for Corey who pulled Katie by his side on time.
She didn’t know why but it felt like Cynthia had purposely tripped to spill the contents on her but she brushed the thoughts away, continuing to enjoy her meal.
