"okay....creepy...."
"Pfft" Charles let out a teasing grin.
"I just thought the name didn't suit her, but why did you have to imply that she was bloodthirsty!?" Zack got the chills.
"I'm not implying anything, it was just a fact"
"A creepy one!" Zack glanced at the piece of paper again ".....she doesn't look bloodthirsty..."
"Well looks can be deceiving"
"Okay stop! Your giving me goosebumps!"
Charles smiled.
"......."
**********
The next day, Angelina and Marie went to Robert's shop together.
The shop has been cleaned by the staff members. Unfortunately you could still see some of the evidence from when the hoodlums wrecked the shop.
When they entered the shop, they saw workers walking around, cleaning, and bringing some of the items to the back.
"Hey! What are you doing here!? We're closed today!" Suddenly a female staff who didn't reconize them tried to force Angelina and Marie out of the shop.
"Let go of us! Do you know who is my miss!?" Marie was annoyed that this female employee was pushing her and Angelina.
"I don't care who you are! Get out!"
"What's going on here?" Suddenly they heard a male voice behind the female employee.
"Huh? Oh! Boss- I mean...general manager!" The female worker looked back and she saw the voice belonged to sir Robert.
"Hm?" He looked at Angelina and Marie "oh! Good morning boss!"
"Huh?" The female employee was confused "w-what did you call her...general manager...?"
"Hmph" Angelina smirked.
"Nia apologize to her now! She's the new boss and owner of the shop, lady Angelina!"
"Wha...what!?" Nia looked back in shock and astonishment.
"Hah!" Marie looked proudly at Nia while crossing her arms.
"Nia, apologize!"
"I-i" Nia reluctantly bowed in front of Angelina and Marie.
"I-i... I'm sorry! Please forgive me.....b-boss!"
"Oh? Why are you apologizing to me?"
"Y-you..!" Nia knew what Angelina was intending for her to do.
"I-i....I'm sorry boss...for being impolite! Please forgive me!"
Angelina grunted in acknowledgement. Then she turned to sir Robert.
"It seems some of the workers need to be taught more manners...we wouldn't want the customers to feel uncomfortable" Angelina was smiling, but it was clear she was not happy.
"Ah yes of course. What brings you here, m'lady?"
"Well I brought some money to help you afford the repairs" Angelina took the bag of money off Marie's hands.
"Oh yes, thank you boss!" Sir Robert looked around and said "boss, why don't we go somewhere else."
"Alright" Angelina was escorted to the back by sit Robert, and Marie followed behind them.
"Um miss...it seems we have encountered a problem"
"Oh?" Angelina sat down.
"Well the painter who would sell his paintings to us...has quit and decided to sell his paintings to another shop instead..."
Sir Robert's shop was a painting shop. But they also sell some antiques. Unfortunately, most of the antiques had been broken by the hired hoodlums.
"Hm...well that won't be much of a problem" Angelina said with confidence.
"Huh? Do you have a solution, boss?"
"Of course i do, so be at ease."
"We will still be selling paintings, but we won't sell paintings from that painter."
"Then?"
"Well...I have some skills in painting-"
"What really!?"
"....."
".....ah...pardon me... boss.."
"I was just a little surprised..."
Sir Robert was very surprised. Angelina was only 13 yet she was already talented in many things.
'Is she some child prodigy..?' Robert thought to himself.
When Angelina lived as Lilith, she was taught personally by the empress how to paint, embroider, arrange flowers, make tea, and more.
She held much confidence in her skills. She was confident that she could paint better than the previous the painter.
******
"Ah!"
"Miss!"
"Oh no! Lady Evelina!"
Evelina was trying to embroider a handkerchief, when she accidentally injured her finger.
Evelina started having embroidery classes since two weeks ago, but she made not much progress.
She was always nervous when holding the needle and would always mess up.
Evelina gritted her teeth in frustration.
Two weeks ago she saw Angelina embroidering a handkerchief in the living room. The handkerchief looked extremely elegant and beautiful, so Evelina felt extremely jealous.
When Evelina was younger, the duke assigned someone to teach Evelina embroidery. But Evelina was too scared of the needle and quit.
But eversince Evelina saw Angelina embroidering, she started to want to learn embroidery.
Evelina stared at her bleeding finger while gritting her teeth.
The maids around her rushed to apply the medicine on Evelina's bleeding finger.
'why...how could she do it but I can't!? That b*tch never learned embroidery! So how...!?' Evelina was frustrated.
She was afraid that one day Angelina would overshadow her.
'no...that can't happen! I worked too hard for this!! That b*tch....why is she still alive...!? She's always getting in my way!'
**********
"Hmm...." Angelina was currently sitting in front of a blank canvas.
Since she decided to sell her own paintings for the shop, she needed to paint now.
But there's one problem.... Angelina had no inspiration. She had no idea what to paint.
"Marie..."
"Yes miss?"
"Please brew me some tea"
"Alright miss!"
Angelina sighed. She lifted her paintbrush, only to stop her hand midair and withdrew her hand again.
But then suddenly Angelina heard a female voice.
"Just paint from the heart. It doesn't need to be like the others"
"...hm.. yeah... that's it!" Angelina turned around "thanks...."
But when she looked back, no one was there.
"Huh...?"
Angelina looked around the room and found absolutely no one.
She began to think she hallucinated the voice.
'that's strange...'
Angelina calmed down and began to paint.
When Marie came back with the tea, she saw Angelina painting silently.
She smiled and put the tea down on a table. Marie poured the tea and gave it to Angelina.
After three hours, Angelina has completed her painting.
Angelina painted a white rose garden at night.
However Angelina decided to add a little secret affect on the painting.
If someone holds a candle near the painting, the white roses turns red.
On the corner of the painting, Angelina wrote 'Angel' with yellow paint.
It was sort of like a watermark.
Angelina named the painting 'bloody white'.
At first, Marie thought the effect was quite scary, but she also thought it was quite facinating.
Marie hanged the painting and left it to dry. Then Angelina prepares herself to start painting again.
********
Charles was laying on his bed. After an afternoon full of paper work and signing documents, he was finally able to rest.
He gazed at his white diamond pendant with eyes of longing.
He sighed.
It has been years. No one else knows how hard he worked for this.
To meet the person he had been longing for half his life, only to miss them at the most critical moment.
He still remembered the terrifying sight.
He closed his eyes and had a horrifying flashback. He felt like his heart was stabbed by thousands of daggers.
He clenched the pendant in his hand and he opened his eyes immediately.
He gazed at it for a long time before he held it near his heart and hugged it.
_________________
A/N: oooo is that wat I think it is...? Yes it is! It's a hint/clue of Charles's backstory.... (O ω ◡ )-☆