The Night Belongs to the Moon | Taeyong

2 | Collar of Ownership

'He asked me to wait for him outside his room after the sun sets, so I was curious...'

'If that's what he asked of you then there is no need to ask further questions, is there?'

'Understood.' Dal-ae nodded. 'Uh, just a little request, if it's possible...,' she said when she saw Doyoung leaving.

'Hm?'

'Could a map or a plan of the Mansion be arranged? I have no idea where anything is, not even the way to the pantry.'

Doyoung considered in silence, then replied calmly, 'It will be sent to your room. But it's better if you memorize the Night Mansion and learn the rules of this realm quickly. You don't want to appear helpless in front of the wrong people and there are plenty of wrong people around.'

𓆩  𓆪

As asked, Dal-ae assumed her position in front of Taeyong's chamber after sunset that evening. With her hands clasped in front of her, she stood in the dark corridor, waiting for his return. The dark blue outside changed into black as night pushed its way to consume the sky but Taeyong did not return. Minutes and hours passed, and her legs had started aching and her shoulders had started slumping, but there was still no sign of him.

It was late and Dal-ae had stayed past her dinner time, when suddenly, in that windowless corridor, a chill seemed to creep in, making her shiver. And she finally saw a tall figure approaching dressed in the same colour as the darkness of the corridor, only his pale skin shining.

Dal-ae straightened and bowed her head down. Taeyong stopped right next to her and whispered, 'You tied your hair.'

'Huh?' This was unexpected and her hand unconsciously touched her hair.

'Come into my chamber,' he ordered.

She followed him inside through the first partition of the room. He took off his jacket and threw it on the sofa. Dal-ae scuttled to get it but stopped when Taeyong said, 'Leave it there. Go to the closet and you will find a blue square box, tied with a golden ribbon, on the shelf to the right. Get that.'

When Dal-ae returned with the box, she saw Taeyong had unbuttoned the first three buttons of his shirt and rolled up his sleeves till his elbows, with his tie tossed aside on a chair.

He ushered her towards him. 'Do you know what it is?' he asked.

'No, Master.'

'Open it.'

Dal-ae looked up to him in surprise. It looked like a precious box with the skin velvet and the ribbon silk.

'Open it,' Taeyong repeated, more emphatically this time.

With one hand underneath the box, Dal-ae pulled the ribbon open with the other, letting the silk fall onto the marble floor. Taeyong helped her with the last bit, lifting the lid when he found her struggling. Encased within the box was a round choker made of pure silver with intricate engravings carved on it.

Unlike what Dal-ae had expected, Taeyong easily reached out and touched the silver choker, lifting it out of the box.

'It doesn't burn?' Dal-ae asked, surprised.

'Not this one,' Taeyong said. 'Do you know why?'

Dal-ae shook her head.

'Because it's for you. It's my ownership and protection to you. Turn around.'

Taeyong placed the box on the table and leaned down before sliding her hair out of the way, his cold hand grazing the warm nape of her neck as he did. Gently, he set choker around her neck and clipped it shut.

'A cross?' Dal-ae asked feeling a pointed T shaped pendant hanging in front.

'It's a T. Taeyong,' he reminded her.

And sure enough, when she felt the pendant again, she realized that it wasn't a cross but a T.

'This collar is a mark of ownership. With this, it means that you are mine now and this collar is my protection for you. It came from me so it cannot hurt me but will be deadly to any other vampire who dares to touch you.'

He turned her around and said, 'This T... it can transform into a silver dagger for you should you find yourself in need to stake the heart of a vampire. But remember that it will only change itself for you if you have true loyalty for me in your heart.'

Taeyong paused and Dal-ae touched the silver T on her neck.

'Never remove it from your person because it will shatter to pieces the moment you do. An ownership collar is only removed when a Familiar is let go by their Master or if the Master dies,' Taeyong said.

'Yes, Master. Thank you for letting me serve you,' Dal-ae said with a bow.

'Thank you for waiting for me today,' Taeyong said and with a sigh flopped on his bed, unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. 'You can leave. I do not require anything else from you today.'

Dal-ae bowed again and let herself out.

As the night got darker and the crescent in the sky rose higher, the cold mist enveloped the Night Mansion sleeping in an eerie calm. In the quiet of the Lord's house, sounded a blood curdling scream so loud that it reverberated through the walls of the mansion, waking everyone up.

Author's Notes:

Hello my people, all three of you, love you lol and hello to the rest too who will find this book in the pits of hell someday.

Anyway, first week. Excited. How are we feeling.

Just wanted to drop by and say that since it is fantasy, I will do some world building. I will try to keep it as interesting as possible and to a minimum. But do let me know if it's getting way too long or boring or convoluted. I'll edit some parts, if that's the case.

See you all in the next chapter, loves <3