Searching for you

"How may I help you?" Melinda heard a sarcastic voice behind her. She wondered if having this person around her would be of any use.

Since her beloved master Lucien had already made the decision for her, she had no choice but to obey him.

"Lord Francis, please let me know if you're busy. I wouldn't dare disturb you"

Melinda smiled with her eyes curved into cresents. She could only twist her words to politely let the man know that she didn't want his help at all. His involvement which would only delay her work.

"Nah, I'm very much free. How can I reject Lucien's sincere request?" Francis said smiling half heartedly. He couldn't let the woman know that he was afraid of Lucien and could only obey him.

He then observed the old woman who was browsing across the glass jars filled with different herbs. An idea popped into his mind.

"How about you pay me with something for helping you?" Francis raised his eyebrows with a cunning smile. Melinda understood this man was brewing some sort of devious plan in his head.

"I'm sorry, Lord Francis. I'm a poor woman with very little savings. I'll leave behind my teeth set with you if you want. It's the only expensive object I have with me right now" Melinda said those jaw-dropping words with a straight face looking at Francis, whose face was now smeared with disgust.

Francis knew this woman would really do such things if given an opportunity. He politely declined her.

"Then, how should I pay you?" Melinda questioned as she took out a storage box. "How about my glasses? You will see your targets better and improve your hunting next time"

"No, thanks" Francis was so frustrated, he immediately raised his hand as if trying to beat the woman but then his actions suddenly turned gentle and slow. He placed his hand over the old woman's head as he lightly patted her.

He had seen this woman grow up for more than sixty years from the moment she entered the castle along with her great grandmother when she was just a teenage girl.

He looked the same like he did for centuries. He's still a handsome guy in his early twenties while she was now an old hag with a frail body and wrinkled skin.

His eyes suddenly turned dark and cold as they lost all the gentleness in them. He immediately moved his hand away and then left the room without a word.

His back looked so lonely and lost, Melinda felt her eyes turn wet. She picked her kerchief to wipe away the moisture before it forms into tears.

She knew the exact reason for his sudden coldness. His affection towards her was genuine but they were from different worlds.

He's an immortal with a duty and someone bound by responsibility while she's just a human with special powers, who would eventually die.

Melinda lost all interest in finding the witch who would take over after her. She just wished all hell to break out and swallow the whole world, so that everything would come to an end.

But she made a promise to the Kingsley family. It was in her blood to never break a promise.

If she couldn't make it happen, she would never make a promise. And that's the very reason why she rejected Francis multiple times in the past.

She had no guts to accept his love. She couldn't promise him that she'd be with him forever like in movies, since she couldn't do that in real life.

Melinda calmed herself and opened the heavily secured locker beside her bed. There were no jewelry, cash or gold bars. There's only a thick and heavy book with a black book cover and browned papers.

She flipped through the pages before she found the material she was looking for. She found the spell she needed to locate the witches from her bloodline.

If she needed to locate the witches, she needed a map. She decided to ask someone to help her with it and closed the book with determination. She decided to take it slow and took a good rest for the night.

The next morning, Melinda walked into the living room with the help of her walking stick.

She saw Lucien watering the indoor plants. She's been searching for Francis but with her old body, she couldn't walk for long.

"Lord Lucien, Where's Lord Francis? I need his help with something" Melinda asked straight away without beating around bush.

"Is he not with you? I made it very clear for him to help you and always be around you" Lucien's voice was dead cold with no trace of warmth. He didn't expect this guy to slack off in just a single night.

"No, I actually sent him away last night because I needed to take a rest. Now I can't find him" Melinda immediately covered up for Francis. She had no intention to make Lucien misunderstand Francis.

"Wait a moment" Lucien said before he circled all around the castle in less than a minute. He saw Francis in the bar room sleeping on the table with tens of bottes lying on the floor.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Lucien lifted Francis by his collar. He reeked of alcohol.

Lucien was disgusted with just a sniff. He immediately threw Francis away before he walked out. Before leaving he reminded Francis "Melinda is searching for you. Don't keep her waiting"

The name Melinda instantly woke him. Francis remembered why he left Melinda's room last night.

It wasn't like he couldn't move on from her. Everytime he looked at her aged face, he would be reminded that she could leave this world anytime. This reminder simply broke his

He opened his mouth to say something to Lucien. But then, he realised it was useless.

He went back to his room to clean himself. He walked down to the living room after a quick shower.

"What do you want?" Melinda heard a deep voice behind her jolting her weak heart.

"A map"

"Map? But why?"

"Because I need it" Though her heart was racing, Melinda immediately replied before she walked back to her room. She couldn't bother to talk with him for long.

Her room was the largest one in the whole castle other than Lucien's room. Her room had hundereds of glass jars filled with variety of substances like herbs, potions and poisons.

A few minutes later, Francis walked in with a big wooden framed world map. There were several pegs stuck at different spots indicating all the countries he had visited so far. He must have picked it from his room.

He could have picked up a normal paper map. But such simple thoughts would never pass through his great mind.

Melinda asked him to place the map on the table. She then took a small needle to prick her thumb and let blood drip down on to the map as she chanted something.

Francis tried to hear her but her words were undecipherable. He concluded witches might use a different language which normal people couldn't get to understand.

Melinda stared at the map with utmost concentration. The blood she poured on the centre of he map slowly moved to different areas.

She noticed several smaller blood spots on the east side of their country, with some in different other countries as well. But there was a larger drop on the northern part of their country.

Though the drop was on the region quite closer to their own location, finding the exact location using the blood drop seemed quite difficult, as it was on thousand kilometres of area.

She was so self confident when she made the promise, she never thought of the problems she had to face.

Melinda had a complex look on her face as she bit her finger nails, like a nervous kid.

"So, did you find anyone?" Francis noticed her strange behaviour and asked in confusion. He thought she was feeling troubled because she found none.