Finding Clues

Chervil leaned himself in a chair near the fireplace on the living area of the cottage house to rest. He closed his eyes thinking about Dion's words awhile ago as it's still bothering him, and there's also about how would he be able to solve the problems of their land.

The current Arch-King, his father was an irresponsible ruler who didn't mind and doesn't bothered himself about the state of his empire as long as he got a great wealth, whist slavery was their lands biggest trademarks that he's trying to figure out how to make it stop, and thus the solution that he think is when he would become the Arch-King because it's the only way his desired to change the Kingdoms or rather their Empire to a better one.

Hence, his father once told him that he would step down and make him an Arch-King within five years which he doesn't mind or opposed.

He once heard before, a merchants from the western land saying that their lands was much better than the southern Kingdoms but he doesn't know if it's the truth or not as they don't associates with other empires for a very long time as he known, and so does the other.

Nonetheless, they could still get an information through the travellers and merchants that would come and visit to sell their goods from other empires, hence with limited access; and that's how they would know what was and is happening within the other lands.

He doesn't know why but he felt a bit off about the ruler of the western land based on what he heard from the merchants and travellers that he made him curious about it and wanting to know it; nevertheless, he didn't mind that much as there are much more important for him to solve with in.

He just went out of the room after Dion left him with his aid to take a rest, and thought of checking the girl whose resting on the other room, but when he open the door and saw the elderly woman taking care of the young lad, he decided not to be known and just went down to the living area, sat there beside the fireplace where there's a long couch and a single couch near.

He's still in deep thoughts when he heard the door where the girl was open slowly, and a light foot steps was heard descending the stairs.

Chervil opened his eyes and turn his gaze to the staircase to see who went down, and his reckon was right when he saw the elderly woman walking down the stairs, holding a candle lamp.

When the elderly woman stepped down on the staircase and saw the Prince sitting on the chair while looking at her, "Did I disturb your rest, Sir?", asked the elderly woman calmly who gave a slight bow, she informed with a worried expression on her old face, "I'm just going to the kitchen to get some medicines for the girl fever to go down as it seems her fever has gone high again."

"That's no-good to hear that she would have a high fever.", Chervil straighten his position and shook his head while he stared at the elderly woman and stood, pulling out his pocket watch to check the time that's already passed one o'clock in the morning, "No. You didn't disturbed me. I'm just thinking about something."

When the elderly woman saw Chervil pulled out his pocket watch to check the time from his side pocket, thus she slightly bowed and turned to the kitchen after she says, "I'll get going to the kitchen then, Sir."

"Wait!", he said hurriedly when he saw the woman turn to the kitchen's direction and is about to leave. "Can you please give me a glass of wine blood if it isn't much of a troubles? And if there is?"

The woman turned to face him and bowed again, "Certainly, Sir. But I must apologize in advance, but you can't have your wine in here. It should be in the kitchen."

Chervil raised his brows and wondered why, but he didn't asked further and just nod his head and followed the elderly woman in the kitchen.

He sat there on a chair which he and Dion were having dinner, he look at the woman preparing his drinks at the other table, and he saw the woman pouring the wine to a wine glass that has a blood already from the heated vessel.

The foods that were served to them earlier this evening were being kept, so now the table was cleared with only a candlelight that was at the center, illuminate the place.

"You seems not that frightened with me being here even though I am a vampire, and only you who are awake in here.", stated Chervil. His trying to make conversation with the elderly woman and maybe he'll be able to find something or about the place. "Others would have been afraid and doesn't want to be alone with a night creatures presence."

"Not because you are from the moon bloodlines, one would be the same as everyone.", said the elderly woman, pushing the cork on the wine bottle to sealed it, "It'll be a choice of the beholder if he would become like others or someone else different as just be himself, Sir."

"Sure.", Chervil said nodding his head and as if there's something on his mind, which there was, he ask, "I've noticed you talk openly with everyone, specially to Dion even though you're just a caretaker here, right? Like you two have known each other very well for long. Do you know Dion and his family or have you meet with his family?"

He could get this opportunity to know the deep backgrounds of his friend, as Dion's mother and sisters were like a deep hole to him, and when he was going to ask Dion about his family, he would noticed the sadness that his friend's trying to hide, who seems not that willing to tell him.

'Sometimes, the ones who had the most cheerful attitudes and who always smile were the ones who has a hidden sadness and in most painful past...', he thought thinking what could possibly happened to Dion's family that only the father and son would only appeared if they were to be invited to attend a gatherings. '....But what painful experience on the past would that be?'

"Nothing much I've known of about master Dion's family, Sir.", answered the elderly woman whist putting the wine glass on a tray and carry it to the table where the Prince sat. She trailed saying while placing the tray on the table, and the glass infront of Chervil, "As a matter of fact... I'm just a low caretaker, I'm ain't like those girls and the young man whose staying here... I am just here because I have no where and no one to go."

Prince Chervil, who seems lost on his own thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the elderly woman answered and giving him the wine blood that he requested.

He took the glass and mixed it more by twirling then put it on his lips and take a sip, when the wine touched his tongue he couldn't stop but just took it in one gulped and asked the elderly woman for one more, in which she obliged and get the wine bottle to pour it unto Chervil's glass who drank it as he enjoyed the taste of it on his mouth.

"This wine is the finest quality I've ever tasted.", he commented looking at the texture of the wine which is dark red now due to the fact that it is night time while the candles were burning brightly. He took a sip again.

"It's a fourteenth-fifteen wine collection, Sir. From the western merchants...", said the elderly woman informing him about the wine age while looking at the bottle level in her hands, and added when she notice a mark on the bottle cork which was an L. "And it's from Sir Dion's older sister's collections, which his older sister gave to him."

By the mention of Dion's older sister, Chervil stopped sipping the wine and turn his attention to the elderly woman who stood by the side holding the bottle.

'This is the best quality of the western wines that I've tasted, and it's this old.', he thought while he twirls the glass in his hand, and he ask,"Would it be okay for me to drink this then, as it's from his sister?"

"It's Sir Dion's instruction to give you these wine whenever you ask."

He nodded his head slowly and took a little sip from his glass, and afterwards he says, "So,could you tell me what's your relationship with Dion's family then, Mrs. Alze?" He looked at her, he did remember the woman's name which he heard from Dion and the doctor who checked the girl earlier. "And how come you have nowhere to go?"

"Sir Dion's older sister was the one who found me, helped me and saved me from my vampire husband who only abused me which my family decided for me to merry.", answered Mrs. Alze and walk to the other side to prepare some medicines for the girl, "Although, the one who let me be as a caretaker of this place because I've nowhere to go was the one of their relatives after hearing my story. And that person was also the one which they looked after, thus the circumstances was unknown as to why they so much cares about that person."

"Oh... I'm sorry for bringing up your past.", Chervil said with sympathy in his voice, in which Mrs. Alze gives him a smile and just nod her head.

He could still showed some sympathy for someone like her even though his a vampire, he doesn't want to bring up the past of an old lady and he don't know what to say as he, himself was a vampire.

She's not that scared though, she believe that not everyone was the same just because of their line-age, at least that what she believes and observed on this place while thinking, 'Those ladies are much more scarier than your kind.'

"The one they looked after? Could it be that this person was also the reason why Dion left without informing everyone even his own house butler four years ago?", questioned the Prince while looking at Mrs. Alze who's preparing the medicines as she was curious.

She looked up again from what she's doing when Chervil asked her, and she could tell the man's trying to figure something by asking her, to which she answer, "Actually, it's been about four years ago when I first met that person. I was brought here by Sir Dion three years beforehand to look after this estate, and also to take care of some childrens who were abandoned and then two years later they've came with that person who they need to take care."

"What's this person's identity?"

"She.", answered Mrs. Alze and as if she remembered something, she then says, "I remembered Sir Dion told me that she's being poison, and she was on a coma for almost two years in this place and they left a year after that when she was already fine. That'll be almost a year ago"

Chervil observed Mrs. Alze expressions which was kind and gentle, he didn't asks further about the person that he now know was a girl.

Nevertheless, out of his curiosity he ask with a serious voice as it seems something very unusual about the gate he saw earlier, "Do you have another identity than what you let out? Did you or can you go out of this place and went out to town?"

"In this place, I'm a caretaker. In this place, I am just an old lady who look after the children.", answered Mrs. Alze while stirring the medicine that she's done making and took some taste from it.

An elderly caretaker went to the back door leaving Chervil without bowing that made him to raised his brows in question after she says, "They give me a new life where I can be happy, heal my life and feel everything now. So, why would I want to go out when we have everything in one place. Excuse me then."

At least, in some point he had an idea about why does his friend left four years ago, and the theory he came up with of whom the person that Dion mentioned to him which added some more mystery. Why would they take care of this person?