Chapter 350: Unfortunate news
Lauden watched the two lovebirds perform their little dance under Reubon’s twisted glare.
To the human eyes, dim light provided discretion, but to a vampire, darkness was a veil their corneas pierced through without hassle.
Heads around their table were turning, some looked at the man with pity while others judged him silently.
As a mere servant, Lauden could afford the luxury of not minding the looks. His Lord, however, did not sit in the same boat as him.
No, because while a servant remained forgettable for as long as they laid low, Dragomir had a name to keep out of the mud.
Sharing a table with the disgruntled father that made a scene during his own daughter’s wedding, after he failed to control, her did not look all that good for his reputation.
"Would you lighten up a bit?" Darrick murmured, "I know it is difficult, but this is no funeral,"
Reubon kept his peace, eyes moving solely with the figure of Arabella as she danced in the arms of her husband.
Lauden followed his gaze for the umpteenth time. Only then, the vampire did not take his eyes off the couple.
Their sight together yielded no butterflies in his stomach per se but still... Something of a tingle traveled through him.
To be in love. What did it truly mean? Was it as simple as the desire to be with someone and cling to them until the end of time? Or was it more complex than that?
By all means, the silver warrior and Arabella truly did look good together, like two halves of the same piece that had been split right down the middle.
It was a shame he stood on the side of those who wished to see them apart... Not that he gave much of a damn for counting his good deeds. It was just a fleeting thought that was barely even worth considering. Was it not?
From the other side of the ballroom, right past the newlyweds, a group of men and women stood up and left their tables.
All headed in a straight line, one after the other, towards the exit.
Some Lauden did not recognize, but others were quite familiar. Among them, Arumina, Cassandra and Estrid whom Edna kept on complaining about during their exchanges.
Looking at more faces, the vampire was able to distinguish Carlton, the head of all butlers under the Eleazars’ roof.
They donned nicer outfits which didn’t match, unlike their known uniforms.
They weren’t all humans either as some vampires stood up to leave the space along with them.
That could only mean that most if not all staff members had been conveyed to the ceremony.
Such an Eleazar thing to do! He scoffed but only internally.
However, one thing gnawed at the back of his mind. If all daytime maids were invited then where the hell was Edna?
Did she decline the invitation? That wouldn’t be beneath her to do since she was head over heels for Silas.
Anyone with a functioning pair of eyes or even a single functioning eye could spot that from miles away.
The tightness around his heart prompted Lauden to stand up and follow in their tracks. It had been days since the last time he’d heard from the blonde and it was getting worrisome.
The vampire moved along the hallways, a few feet behind a maid he’d recognized.
He made sure to cut the distance between them before calling for her attention.
"Excuse me!" he cleared his throat.
Cassandra turned and curtsied before him, "Yes?" a polite smile adorned her lips.
"Weren’t you one of the guests at the wedding?" he asked, making sure to plaster the most charming of grins he knew how to flash.
"Oh, yes," she nodded quickly.
"I am sorry," he chuckled, "I work for Lord Dragomir and have been to many of the Lady’s gatherings, I could have sworn I’ve seen you don a maid outfit," he then hastened to add, "Again, I am deeply sorry, I mean no disrespect. My curiosity got the better of me,"
"No, no, no!" Cassandra’s cheeks flushed pink as she tried to wave his worries away, "I am, in fact, a maid, but Lady Arabella insisted that we all attend the ceremony,"
"Oh, how kind of her," he further smoothened his voice at those words, "All staff members then, huh?"
"Indeed, very kind and yes, all of us were present, no exceptions!" she chirped.
"Really?" his eyebrows furrowed, "I am sorry, like I said, I’ve been to many gatherings, and I remember one maid in particular that I didn’t see tonight at all. She was quite... Eye catching,"
Cassandra’s face fell at once, "Oh... Yes... We have, unfortunately, lost a staff member very recently,"
Cassandra took a step back at the sudden shift in Lauden’s demeanor. The once charming smile was replaced by a cold and empty glare after her answer.
"Is that so?" he asked, "Just to make sure we are speaking of the same person, was she a blonde with ocean blue eyes?"
"Oh... Yes, that was Edna," Cassandra gulped, "We lost her in a tragic accident a few days ago," her voice trembled before his rigid figure.
"A tragic accident, you say? When was that?"
Her eyebrows knitted and twitched at his interest. After all, what business or ties would he have to someone like Edna? But at that moment, Lauden cared very little about how it all looked.
"It was on the night of the spring equinox," Cassandra spoke with a lot of reluctance, "A vampire staff member had gotten very ill and as a result was forced to remain here, under surveillance, but they slipped away and attacked some of us. Out of the bunch, Edna was the least lucky, it seemed,"
Lauden stood inert, blinking more than his eyes needed as if the action would have made her words easier to assimilate.
"And wha-"
The vampire had more questions in mind, but a third player entered the game and ruined it for him.
"What is happening here? What is it, Cassandra? Your heart is racing in your chest?" Allegra approached then stopped right between them.