Bambi and the Duke

Vivian saw her mother for the second time in the memories, her face coming to be familiar in her mind until she came to realize something very important that had taken place a few days ago. It wasn't her second time seeing her mother and finding her in Abel's memories wasn't a first. The first time was in her very own dream which she had failed to see and understand. Like phantom of ghosts, they had come and gone while she had no inkling of who they were.

She had acquired her mother's blonde hair, their height almost the same which was average for a woman who was human but for a vampire, they fell a little short.

"Mama," her mouth uttered the words that had been waiting to call her mother since the time she had wanted to find them but the woman was only a fragment of her lost memories who couldn't hear her daughter's words.

"Elaine!" a man came through the doors of a room where her mother stood outside. It was her father, "Did you make sure to let the maid know what to do? We don't want negligence in her work where she might go spout it somewhere else."

Her mother placed her hand on his arm, "Martha can be trusted, Emmanuel. She needs the money and I have given her more than she had expected. Our secret will be safe."

"Hmm," her father responded back, "Where is she?" At first, Vivian's thought was that he asked for the servant.

"In her room. Locked just as I left her this night. Abel wanted to keep her here," Elaine, her mother added to receive a glare from her father.

"His habit of not minding his business hasn't left him yet. Poking his nose where it doesn't belong. It is better if we have them leave the lands this very hour," walking through the corridors, they came to stop and stand in front of a door. The woman quickly bent down to jingle the keys, opening the door. Vivian who had been listening to them speak while following them couldn't see what was inside the room but by their speech, it didn't take a genius to guess who was in there, "I don't want another black dot etched in our reputation," Vivian saw the little girl who was sitting on the bed, "I can't believe this happened, Elaine tell me this is my child and not some humans," her father gritted his teeth, his gaze on her hateful which was filled with disgust.

Her mother let out a frustrated sigh as if she were tired and didn't want to deal with it right now, "I have told you she is our child! I didn't go behind your back."

"Then explain to me what happened to her?! She is supposed to be a pureblooded vampire, not a weakling human!" the man shouted which led to her parents arguing with each other.

"I don't have the knowledge for it what went wrong," her mother shouted back, the girl who was none other than herself flinched at the loud voices as the fought verbally, finally vexed her father said,

"Get Martha here," he rubbed his temples, a headache forming in his head.

Vivian saw her former young self sitting on the bed. The little girl didn't know what was going on and stayed put, her eyes occasionally looking at her father. Her mother came back with Martha who looked much younger than the last time she had seen as this was around twelve years ago. Now that she saw her, she missed the woman more. She had missed the quiet scoldings, the lessons she gave out to her as she grew up including the love and care which her family had failed to give her.

A smile came to hold on her lips, a mixture of sadness and happiness that was etched on her face.

"Mr. Harlow, you called for me?" the servant bowed her head, not meeting his eyes and keeping her eyes cast down.

"Take her to Bonelake and once you reach there don't let anyone hear even a whisper of who she is and where she has come from. We won't be contacting you from now and you shouldn't either. No matter what the situation, I don't want a word from you," ordered the man who was her father.

It seemed that the maid wanted to say something when her eye fell on the little girl but she chose to ask, "What if she asks for you?"

"Tell her we are dead, makeup stories. And if she cries don't bother to bring her here. We have enough problems of our own. And in terms of luggage, you have nothing to worry. You can buy them on your way. She is not more a Harlow. She won't need the clothes that she had worn until now," Vivian's heart broke hearing this and if it were made of glass one would have been able to hear the crack that was felt over her father's thoughts for her.

She didn't understand what was her fault over these things. What was her mistake that she had been punished and pushed away by her very own family? Not wanting to read more, she let her soul and mind start to detach itself from this memory of hers and she flipped the memory to the one which looked to be the least interesting one.

It was her time spent with her uncle in the dining room, and there sat not only her but her brother who looked younger. She had a younger brother? As soon as joy came to appear in her chest with the same intensity, anxiety rose. Where was he though?

And then came the time where she saw the maid who looked somewhat distraught after she had given blood to drink for her uncle. Like a domino, one thing started to make sense with another before she pulled back herself to the present. Opening her eyes, she looked straight into Leo's eyes that had been waiting for her to open her eyes.

"My heart was corrupted," she said, her eyes a little void and out of emotions after what she just went through, "You knew it," she stated seeing the unchanged expression on him.

"I had my doubts," he replied to see her shake her head.

"Everything is twisted, Leo. Everything around me was," she exhaled the air out, "How many other cases have been registered before your parents?"

"None at all. It seems like you were the first one to be corrupted," it seemed to be so, thought Vivian to herself. She didn't know if she was supposed to consider herself to be fortunate or to be followed by the ill omens.

"It was either be killed by my uncle or be killed myself. If the black witch was the one who tried to corrupt the hearts, it would mean she had tried to corrupt my uncle before. Or maybe chosen but instead of him, I drank it," she gave out a dry laugh, her shoulders slumping, "Ester didn't choose your family randomly, would that mean there was something she wanted to get rid of? It is possible, right? And why didn't my heart corrupt completely?"

"Maybe the potion she made before was still under testing and wasn't fully developed. So now we know that it had nothing to do with your genes but it was a mutation change. Only that instead of having your heart corrupted, it turned off the vampire characteristics until now," he deduced from her memories but he did find it suspicious that the black witch had picked her family as an experiment, "How are you feeling physically?" he asked her.

"Much better than when we were in the carriage."

"Good. I will ask Jan to double the drink and meat so that it can suffice the hunger. We wouldn't want you going rampage over thirst."

"What about you?" she asked him.

"What about me?"

"I took a lot of blood from you," she stared down at his wrist where the bite marks had been healed.

"That is nothing. I have gone up to the point where my blood was squeezed out before I was fed again," he got up smiling to see the shock of horror on her face.

"What?"

"I was put under dire tests before I took my examination at the council. Nicholas has his odd ways when it comes to preparing someone as if one were going to war," she could hardly imagine the state Leo would have been put through. Hearing a knock on the door, both Leo and Vivi turned to look at the wooden door, "Come in, Jan."

Vivian wasn't sure if she wanted to show her promotion from being human to a pureblooded vampire. She turned her face away.

"Master Leo, would you like to have the meal in the dining room or here?" inquired the housekeeper.

"Dining room would be fine," Vivian's eyes widened at the option. But then she realized if she was going to work in the council, she would have to show up there. She couldn't work from home by creating reports when her attendance was required there. People would find out about her change and then let out a sigh of internal relief.

She, Leo and Nicholas knew about the failure of the transition but the rest had no idea about it. They weren't aware than she couldn't transition. If one would ask, all they had to say was that Leo had turned her. It was as simple as that.

"And master, the councilman are waiting in the drawing-room," Councillors?

"You can ask them to join us at the table," said Leo, dismissing the housekeeper, he raised his hand for Vivian to take, "You worry for nothing," he said, taking her hand and pulling her to him he spoke to her seriously, "You aren't a human anymore so your movements might be stronger, swifter and sharper. Pureblooded vampires and the others are taught to manage and handle to blend in. You being new to this, you have to be a little careful when you swing your hand to drop another vase in here or outside," he was teasing her!

No, thought Vivian. He was trying to cheer up, worried that her touch of memories had turned her sad.

Closing the distance between them, she put her hands around him to hug him, "Thank you," she whispered while standing on her tiptoes.

"What am I being thanked for?" she heard him ask.

"For taking care of me. For loving me endlessly. For-ah!" she yelped when he bit into her neck making her hand which was on the chest turn to a tight fist. When he finished licking her neck, he pulled back with a smile, "What was that for?"

"You don't have to thank me, Bambi. I will always be there for you," he said, his eyes fell on her neck where her skin had been pierced, "I wonder if your transition has completed or still under progress. Your body didn't go under a drive and your wound...it is still taking time to heal," he ran his finger over her neck.

"I didn't faint like last time," she said remembering what happened when he had tried to turn her.

"Yes, you didn't but we can't overlook the fact that you fell sick before turning into back to your original form. Be careful as what you answer in the dining room. Lionel might be my direct superior but if he finds that a whiff that you weren't turned like the others, there's no saying what steps he might take."

She gave him a nod that she would be careful.

When they reached the dining room, Leonard called Jan, whispering something in his ear for the housekeeper to give a nod. Jan walked to each of the windows, pulling the curtains and letting the light in but it wasn't as bright as the world outside.

As expected Lionel was seated at the table and with him, the Lord of Bonelake, Nicholas, the head council Reuben and the other councilman Creed were seated too. She had hoped for Dutan and Hueren to be here and not the rest. She felt slightly intimidated at the presence of such high men in the room.

"Good afternoon gentlemen," Leo greeted everyone in the room. She took a seat next to the head of the table where Leo sat, "What brings you here?" he asked, his eyes glancing at the people who were seated.

Vivian felt the eyes of the men on her, especially Creed's eyes which lingered longer as if questioning her presence but that wasn't why he stared at her longer. Everyone in the room could sense the change in her, the smell of a human was missing around her. Even Jan, the housekeeper had identified the change of scent in the air. It was the smell of vampires.

Though a vampire couldn't see a person in darkness, Vivian's eyes had turned sharp. Her eyes had been black until now, therefore, the dull lighting in the dining room didn't give away the fact that she wasn't an ordinary vampire but a pureblooded vampire. Also that there were other pressing matters for the council to deal with.