Delicious Blood

Elle held her bleeding arms tighter to prevent more blood from spilling. She gritted her teeth as the pain slowly disappear. The reason her pain could quickly disappear was due to her innate healing power which was much more stronger than other people. Lucas always warned her not to tell any one of how quick her wounds could be healed as some other people would see this as weird and call her a freak. But today, her wound ache like a burn, and she realized it was because a vampire had hurt her.

Usually her wounds were inflicted by incidents or humans, never a vampire and perhaps her body react badly to a vampire.

Madam Val angrily gave her gaze to the vampire knights and shove them aside, "Miss Elle are you alright? Your arms!" Madam Val tend to be strict but upon seeing the blood covering almost Elle's entire arm. She broke into horror.

"Tieran!" Yelled Madam Val, appearing to know that he was the source of everything just by looking at the vampires that had tried to held her back, as they were a group of friends that were well known for many mischiefs. "How could you do this! Haven't I told you that if you tried another kind of chaos, I won't hesitate to tell you off to Count Arthur?!"

Tieran didn't expect that the person who had struck his face was Estelle, the lost daughter that Count Arthur had been desperately trying to find. Just from seeing how much Count Arthur search for Elle for decades without faltering back, one could imagine the great love the father had for his missing daughter.

Upon finding Elle, that love grew deeper into protection, something that everyone knows without the need to even ask.

"I didn't do anything!" Tieran retorted back.

"Then explain her bloodied arm!" Madam Val raised her hand before Tieran could speak and huffed, "I will call you later. Expect that Count Arthur will hear everything about this!"

Elle lifted her face, surprised to find Tieran who was still glaring at her as if cursing his bad luck. The remaining knights stayed back, murmuring amongst each other in panic for they had made the biggest mistake anyone could do in Vernon Household.

Tieran angrily kicked the nearby wall, gritting his teeth tightly as he was not someone who would make such a mistake. But how would he know that human was the lost daughter of Count Arthur?!

"Damn it! Damn it! It wasn't my fault, she slapped me first!" Tieran screamed. He then glared at the fellow knights who had stopped and looked at his burning anger, "What are you looking at?! Scram!!"

"Tieran what do we do now?" His worried friend asked.

Tieran glared at him, "Shut up! I have to think first!"

"Hey, I know that human blood tastes good, but doesn't that woman taste even better?" Whispered one of the vampire only to receive the glare from Tieran.

Although he had glared, he somehow couldn't help to notice that the human's blood was really very tantalizing. He had came across many humans and it wouldn't be him if he doesn't drink blood of humans every day, but the human's blood was particularly more delicious and sweet.

He shook his head, ignoring the blood scent that had made him gulp and stomped away in anger, reminding himself that the human woman was the cause of all this mess!

Inside her room, Elle stared at the wall in anger while Madam Val watched over the maids who were tending her arm carefully. They had been warned beforehand that Elle had become one of the most important person in the Vernon Household, even so more important than Lady Gladys or Lady Carol. None of them wanted Madam Val's wrath much less the new lady's anger that would inquire in them losing their job.

When Elle winced, they removed their hands and looked at her with concern.

Elle saw their fear and eased up the frown between her eyebrows, "I'm alright," she whispered.

Madam Val looked at her and offered a careful look, "I will make certain that Tieran is punished, Miss Elle."

Elle looked at the woman and went silent. She heaved a breath and spoke, "He didn't harmed me, I started it first but I won't apologize because his words aren't something I would like to hear."

"He offended you with his words?" Madam Val inquired to know more of the situation.

"He said that the slum's disappearance is a blessing. I don't know what nobles think of the slums, but my family had just died and I don't want to hear such words near me," Elle retorted calmly but her anger was still clear on her golden eyes. Seeing it, Madam Val exhaled softly.

"I understand that, Miss Elle. I will again, make certain that Tieran will never appear before you."

"Good, thank you," Elle held her freshly wounded arm and cleared her voice, "Can you leave me alone now? I just feel I need a space."

"Elle? I heard you got wounded!" Count Arthur's voice erupted the sudden silence and he pushed the door aside to enter.

Upon looking at Elle and her wounded arm, his face went so pallid that he almost turned white like a sheet. "Oh lord! Your arms! What happened to your arms?! Madam Val what happened to her?!"

"It was…"

"I just scratched my hands a little," Elle replied before Madam Val could say anything. She then looked at her father, "Can I request you of something?"

"Of course, but what could hurt you dearest?" Count Arthur frowned as he was certain nothing could ever hurt someone so badly, especially in his house.

"Just something," Elle lied and continued, "I don't want to hear if a knight is talking badly about the accident that happened in the slums. I'm sure you understand me too."

"No, of course, I wouldn't let anyone say anything badly about the slums," Count Arthur said without a hesitation, "Was there someone who said that to you? Is it one of the knights? Who was it, Madam Val?"

Madam Val first look at Elle before looking back at Count Arthur. Although Elle had shook her head, Madam Val didn't lie, "It was Tierran and his friends, sir."

"Tierran, Tieran Ford the one who had just caused a fight with another knight didn't he?" Count Arthur knew the name spout a trouble. When Madam Val nodded his head, Count Arthur looked angrier, "Was it also Tierran who hurt you?"

Elle sighed, thinking what she should do. Telling to Count Arthur that Tieran had somehow had something to do with fight and the wound on her arms would resulted in a heavy punishment like what she did to Mikail. She wasn't too sure if she should as especially this time, she was the one who had raised her hands first.

"It was a small quarrel, you don't have to punish him for it."

"Regardless," said Count Arthur with a frown. "I will see it that he apologize to you on his knees."

Elle thought about it and recalled Tieran's high pride and softly chuckled, "I wonder if he would do such a thing. A vampire, I know vampire tend to feel they are above humans. It would be a miracle if he does."

Madam Val knew it would, especially since Tieran's pride was even more difficult compare to Lady Carol, the pompous young mistress of their family.

"Enough about Tieran, what about you dearest?" Count Arthur looked at her worried. He took a chair by dragging it as if he was used to doing such action and sat down on the chair with his hands on his knees, "Are you feeling better now?" He then paused, looked at her arms and winced, "You must have felt even worse.."

"No," Elle rubbed her good arm and forced a smile, "I was just thinking that I should start moving forward in my life. I just wish to see their funerals…"