The Great Escape

Chapter- 18

Might it be they could suspect the Lady and her company to be behind this?

Especially due to this situation I got myself in?

Respect be damned. They must certainly have such urges too. It is not like they have a foreign bodily mechanism where unnecessary water and food simply disappears.

"I was only here to relieve myself,"  Lea rushed the words out. Her face heated up and she reddened.

The pureblooded vampire raised an eyebrow. "Ah," he said, "Now, I can not possibly bar you from taking breaks for relief," he chuckled. "But I do advice you not to drink too much water before going to bed. That tends to disturb sleep at night."

"What is happening here?"

Count Monroe walked over to where the younger pureblooded vampire was. His strides long and poised as long red hair with streaks of grey tickled his bearded cheeks and neck. Lea and the guard again bowed at the sight of the middle aged aristocrat.

"Why are you standing here?" The Count ignored the guard and Lea, who were still bowing. "Marquess Edith, any issues? I would be glad to be of your service." The Count's hoarse voice had a tinge of coldness to it.

Marquess Edith.

Lea's head shot up in surprise.

Marquess Edith Monroe.

Marquess of Vamtip.

That is why he looks so familiar. With his strangely distinct Liaonic facial features among his ethnically Sorrainean pedigree.

Lea stared at the man in slight awe. This was the first time she had seen him properly; without it being a stray glance during the funeral of Duke Charles, which would simply vanish from her memory as the time passes.

Then her mind reeled back to his letter.

Did not think soon was this soon.

"It is nothing of that sorts, dear uncle," the Marquess chuckled lightly, his cheekbones raising higher than they already were. "And I wish you would not address me so formally. We are family, after all," he urged with a smile.

"Are we, Marquess Edith?"

Lea almost gasped at the comment. Sneaking a glance at the Count's face, she saw a sardonic smile playing on his lips.

She subtly moved her eyes towards the younger man whose smile had dropped faster then the dip pen drops from her hands. He wore no expression on his taut face, only stared dead into the older vampires eyes.

A big grin broke out on his face out of the blue.

"Your sense of humor is especially strange, dear uncle," he laughed, flicking the stray hair strands which drooped on the side of his forehead.

She could hear the Count huff, only making the situation more discomforting.

Lea shuffled at the highly uncomfortable conversation between the family members, taking a look at the guard beside her who still had his head bowed.

"What is the havoc with this maid, though?" The Count finally acknowledged her and the guard. Lea immediately dropped her head respectfully.

"My Lord, she was—" the guard began to speak but the Marquess interjected.

"Nothing out of order here, uncle. It was but a trivial case of miscommunication." He tucked his hands in his pocket. Count Monroe's attention zeroed on him. "The guard thought she was ambling in the hallways but she was merely engaged in some—" he stopped mid sentence and looked over at Lea. "—how do I say it without making you uncomfortable— ah, yes!"