Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 113: A long day ahead

The endless floating through Eden halted when Arabella became aware of the pillowy cushion beneath her, carrying her entire weight.

The second thing that had braved the gates to the land of the dreaming was the cozy streak across her feet.

Still heavy, her eyelids flittered open ever so slowly to meet the familiar sight that greeted her.

Every wooden sculpture stood right where it did before, bathing in morning rays. Nothing had changed in Silas’ room. Nothing aside from the new memories the two of them had created the night before.

At that thought, she gasped and sprung to a sitting position, an action the young woman immediately regretted as the room had started spinning around her.

Arabella shut her eyes in an attempt to readjust with her condition, sending a hand up to her neck.

Realizing the little holes Silas’ fangs had left were quite noticeable to the touch, a small groan escaped her before turning her attention to the table nearby, spotting the water pitcher that had been placed there.

Pulling her weight forward, she picked the glass near it, filled it halfway to the top and gulped it down to the last drop.

The moment the empty glass touched the surface of the table, every instant, every piece and crumb that had evaded her mind from the previous night, struck back at once without even knocking.

The ghost of his arm around her lingered as the recollection of their intertwined breaths raised her heart rate again.

The drumming against his chest when their bodies were one turned into a distant hum that hung in the backdrop of everything else.

A knock on the door called Arabella back to reality then the creaking of wood came next, "Morning, Miss!" Ada, sort of, squeaked, but did her best to keep her voice low.

"Morning, Ada," Arabella smiled warmly.

"How are you feeling?" the maid slid inside before gently shutting the door behind herself.

"Quite alright, Ada. Thank you,"

Ada’s gaze went straight to Arabella’s wrists. From the very first glance Arabella had gotten of Ada, it was apparent something weighed her down, "Oh, good!" her hand rested upon her heart, "You’re already all healed,"

She had it wrong since Silas fed from her neck and not her wrist, however, considering the lack of horror in her eyes, it was safe to assume that the punctures on her neck had already healed.

"Did it go well? I mean...," she simply worried too much.

"Yes," Arabella quickly chimed in to reassure her, "Everything went well," she nodded.

There were certainly a few hitches, but knowing they’d gone over the line of the feeding period advised, Arabella decided that Silas’ intense behavior was a lot less alarming in hindsight.

Hoping, of course, that level of intensity would subside after he’d gotten his fill. She had to believe it, otherwise it’d only eat at her mercilessly.

"Was the Master upset?" Ada asked sheepishly, her hands clasped together.

"Well, he was definitely a bit... Passionate,"

"You must have been so scared!"

The frown on Ada was too tragic for Arabella to bear. The young woman rushed to comfort the maid, "Only at first! But he was kind as per his usual. I swear it!" she’d blurted everything almost in one breath, "Did you meet him this morning?"

"Yes. He personally came to fetch me and sent me your way,"

"Did you notice anything different about him?" Arabella grimaced.

"No. In fact, he seemed very...," Ada trailed off and stared at the ceiling as though rummaging for the right word, "Ordinary!" she leapt in her spot.

"That is good then," Arabella nodded in long and slow nods to her own words.

"Well, breakfast is waiting for you in your room. You’ve still got a big day to go through," the frown returned to Ada’s face, although that time around it was tamer.

Indeed, there still was the pressing matter of her father. By then, Reubon must’ve already been on his way towards the border and would be arriving sometime around the afternoon. Should he stay for too long, the Lady would see herself forced to offer him an overnight stay.

Which was not optimal in the slightest but would happen regardless of that fact.

Strangely enough, Arabella did not fret about it as much as expected. Perhaps she’d gotten used to that burden already.

Either that or that bit of relief came with the effects of Silas’ blood.

It had to!

The way it’d cleared the fog in her mind in under a second was proof enough. A miracle truly did not do it justice.

"Miss?" Ada’s chirp reeled her back out of her bubble.

"Yes?"

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes! Absolument!" Arabella practically umped to her feet, plastering the brightest of beams she could muster, "Shall we go for breakfast then?"

"Is your stomach not upset anymore?" Ada’s eyes fell to Arabella’s stomach before rising back to meet her gaze.

"Thankfully, not," she shook her head.

Their walk through the hallways was silent. It never got any louder once in her room. Ada mostly watched as Arabella entered the bathroom with the dress she’d picked for the day before returning around thirty minutes later all freshened up and radiant.

Other than chatter about the quality of breakfast and the few praises Arabella had spoken in the names of cooks, not much else was said.

Ada still seemed full to the brim with questions, but she never came forward with them for reasons Arabella chose not to dwell on and instead was grateful to not be hounded and prodded for answers.

From time to time, her hand would travel up and wrap around her mother’s pendant as it offered the solace needed with every bite she took.

Her stomach did rumble here and there, but the young woman ignored it.

A dark blue dress was her pick for her first ever confrontation with her father since she’d deserted home. It only seemed fitting to don the exact same color she did that day.