Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 80: Future prospects

"Yes, fairies do, indeed, get less than three decades on average," yet another flat and dry chuckle escaped him, "I suppose the subject matter isn’t nearly as complex as I thought it was,"

Arabella’s already tame smile faded further upon locking eyes with Lady Persephone. Sitting in the same chair since the beginning, the hostess seemed to follow their conversation from afar. Undoubtedly ensuring the young woman would not blunder her first shift as an entertainer.

"... Three hundred years is quite the odd age for us,"

Lord Edward’s voice came back to jostle her out of the mind cocoon that had muted the world around her. Realizing she’d missed the first half of his sentence, her entire body tensed up, leaving her latest breath stuck in her throat.

"Is everything alright?" he titled his head slightly forward, "Your heart rate accelerated all of a sudden. I presume that is not natural,"

"No, I...," she started, but halfway through her sentence, Arabella resigned for honesty instead of rummaging for excuses, "Forgive me, it appears I’ve gotten lost in my own mind for a moment," she looked down.

"Oh yes!" in lieu of vexation, the Lord showed amusement, "phasing out is one trait we share as well. This isn’t far from our topic of discussion, in fact, I was merely stating the many attributes we share. Aside from our appearance that is,"

"Does that have something to do with the fact that three hundred years is an odd age for vampires?" Arabella had mustered the courage to ask, very sheepishly, sure, but she asked, nonetheless.

"Yes, it ties back to that neatly," his gaze flickered towards one of the balcony windows, "Both of our species experience a wide range of emotions and the older we grow the more hold we gain over them. Well, for the most sane of us. Around three hundred years there is this incomplete detachment, these questions we start to ask ourselves. It starts almost a century after the death of any and all human connections we’d made. It is the age we start to truly consider and assess every relationship we’ve built,"

A little perplexed by his words, questions lined up behind her lips while her stomach twisted and untwined periodically on whether she should voice them or hold her piece. Eventually however, one of them slipped her hold and reached his ears, "Pardon me my Lord, but how old are...," seeing the absent look he gave her, the last part of her question died in her throat.

Although, once again, instead of the frustration she’d expected, he smiled before speaking, "I am six hundred and forty five years old,"

Her eyes widened a tad, but she said nothing. Every thought that would have zoomed through her mind was held in place when the doors to the gathering room split open, only for a group of maids to make their entrance, golden trays in hand.

Ada stood among them and... Edna as well. Her and Arabella locked eyes with each other the moment she came through those doors, an undying smirk on her features.

"Something the matter?" Lord Edward brought her attention onto himself again.

"Yes?" Arabella flinched as his existence had been completely eclipsed at the sight of Edna, "No, nothing is the matter, my Lord, I...," she looked around, wildly seeking after a valid excuse until one came up, "It is merely that, I did not expect daytime staff members to participate tonight. That is all," she grimaced the best smile her features could afford.

"Are you concerned for them?" he asked, his eyes lingering on her chest.

Instinctively, her hand shot up to grasp the locket hanging at the collar around her neck as it seemed, her heart had exposed her once more.

"Well, don’t be. They are perfectly safe, much like you are," he slowly nodded to his own words.

Arabella still trailed Edna’s figure who weaved through the group of guests that was the closest to her and the Lord, the grin never leaving her face along every motion she made.

"If I may ask, Arabella," she turned to look at him, "What do you imagine your future will be like?"

The question whisked every other contemplation out of the way, wiping Edna’s presence entirely.

She remained quiet as her knitted eyebrows said it all.

"I meant, where do you see yourself in ten or twenty years from now?" he elaborated, though it did very little to help her find the reply.

"I am sorry, I am not quite sure as to how to answer this particular question," for once, her gaze did not shy away from his.

"Human or not, I doubt you’d want to live the rest of your life as an entertainer. Or would you not like to start your own family someday?"

Beet red, she broke eye contact and chuckled awkwardly to dispel her discomfort, but it didn’t amount to much.

"I can introduce you to some of the human men under my wing. They are not of noble descent like yourself, but they’ve received an education since their arrival. Some of them, the ones that have stood out, have benefited from an advanced education even. Would you perhaps be interested in meeting them?"

"Oh...," she continued to fumble for appropriate words, but failed miserably. Every time one came close to sticking, gusts of figurative winds would blow by and blast them away along with every other thought in the process.

"I dare not say you need to rush. No, you still have your entire life before you. I am merely making suggestions, but by all means, do let me know if I am overstepping," he added.

"Now, what could you possibly be telling her that would make the lovely young Lady look so uncomfortable?" a somewhat familiar voice came to wrench her out of that void, deafened mind pocket. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com

Arabella was quite grateful at first. However, that changed when she put a face to the voice itself.