NOVEL NEXT Chapter 138 All Your Fault
Chapter 138 All Your Fault
Sanguis carried Ophelia away from the clearing, despite her trembling lips and tiny pout. His powerful strides covered the group with supernatural speed, the sun glaring down at them with squelching heat. She curled in his arms, fearful of both him and the towering men staring at her as if she were prey. But in his protective grip, many averted their gaze. She tried to peer over his shoulders, searching for her grandfather.
"Where is Grandpa?" Ophelia shakingly asked, struggling in his vice to scramble to safety, but he simply tightened his embrace. "Worry about yourself first, child." Sanguis's voice was laced with irritation. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with a spoilt child like herself. "How could I have not detected you earlier?"
"What?"
"Your grandfather did one hell of a good job keeping you away from the public's prying eyes," Sanguis laughed, but the sound was rough and forced to both of their ears. He shook his head in disbelief, his pale skin almost translucent under the bright sun. He squinted at her appearance, resembling him as that traitorous goddess who slept with random noble human men, one after the other, in the hopes of achieving the "perfect" descendant.
Now, the goddess got exactly what she wanted. Except, the fool most likely didn't predict a little girl.
Sanguis was once good friends with the goddess, whilst Lupinum worshiped her like his mother. He wished, in a hundred lifetimes, to never once cross paths with Selene. Out of all the creatures she could birth, this little girl was the most tormented of them all. A human with the scent of a goddess and blood that'd tempt the wildest creatures. Werewolves. Vampires. Monsters. One day, Ophelia would attract all of the goddess's creation, for they'd always be drawn to the flesh of their creator. "Grandmother is ashamed of my appearance," came her tiny voice. "She said it is best I keep my strange hair and eyes out of sight."
"Well, you certainly don't look human," Sanguis chortled. "You are the descendant of a goddess that no longer roams this land. The child of a woman that none will remember." His bright eyes were a pool of mystery when they met hers. He could've sworn he was staring into the eyes of the goddess herself, except, this pair was much younger, much more naive, and less manipulative. Abruptly, he placed her onto her own two feet, and she wobbled. He could see the urge to run far, far away from here. He wouldn't blame her, but where would she go?
"And from now on," Sanguis murmured, gripping her shoulder with his right hand, as his left palm began to glow an unnatural shade of red. "No one will ever remember you either."
Sanguis shot his left arm into the air, a terrifying beacon of red piercing through the clouds. He worked his ability across the lands, the crimson color filling the skies and spreading out like tree roots. Eventually, red particles fell like tiny puffs of snow, raining upon the little girl herself.
"Nor will you remember the events of today."
Sanguis gripped her forehead, just as her eyes widened for one last moment. He sought comfort in the fact that the last time he looked into those eyes, he saw the goddess. Ophelia collapsed in his arm, her entire body going limp. "You poor child." Sanguis stole her memories as quickly as her innocence was snatched from her today. He knew his vampire overlord abilities reigned supreme. None will ever be able to crack through his magic. No one will ever be able to break the shield he placed over her memories, not even her conscience.
Sanguis intended for her to not remember a single memory all the way from the morning to their current moment. Everything Ophelia experienced will be wiped from her mind.
"Good thing you were her very last creation." Sanguis carried her once more, for his task was nowhere near done. "I'm glad you killed that wretched woman to crawl into this world. Dying at childbirth was her most deserving death."
- - - - -
The next morning, as sunlight once again filled the sky, and the chaos of yesterday dispersed, Ophelia woke up in the comfort of her own room. She peered around in confusion, wondering why the maids hadn't woken her up just yet. She yawned and stretched, curling into a ball in the soft comforter that her grandfather purchased from abroad. As she snuggled into the warmth of the sheets, she wondered if Roselind had woken up yet. Ophelia heard Roselind must attempt some Decade Tribute Ceremony. She recalled how frantic all of the maids were when they discovered blood in Roselind's bed sheets.
"Good morning, little girl."
Ophelia shrieked in fear. She peered up at him, blinking in curiosity, but also hesitation. Who was this stranger in her bedroom? Fear flickered on her face, as she tightly clutched her blankets, and scurried deeper into her pillow.
Sanguis entered calmly, his presence commanding the space. He peered around her room, upon the plushies and dolls decorating her bed, and all the trinkets from Lord Eve's years abroad. 'Souvenirs for my granddaughter,' Lord Eves once told Sanguis, who nearly laughed.
Now, Sanguis understood who all of these gifts were for. Not the debuted Roselind, who was known as the one and only granddaughter to House Eves. Sanguis finally understood where all of Lord Eve's affections lay, and perhaps, that was why this entire house would come to despise Ophelia upon the Patriarch's death.
"Do you remember what happened yesterday?" Sanguis asked, approaching her. Still groggy from her sleep, she tilted her head and blinked in confusion. He stopped in front of her, and before she could react, he touched her forehead with two fingers.
"No…? What happened yesterday?" Ophelia responded, wondering how he was able to come this fast towards her. Then, his eyes flashed red and she nearly screamed, had he not slapped a hand over her mouth. A disorienting sensation swept through her body, as her thoughts became a jumbled mess and she couldn't focus on a single thing.
Sanguis nodded knowingly, understanding her panic. She was doing quite well for a girl of her caliber. He knelt to her eye level, much to the trembling of her pupils. She was scared out of her mind. The sight nearly made him double over in laughter. Selene the Moon Goddess would've never been capable of mustering that kind of face. Sanguis would know. He had tried many times to intimidate her, but the woman remained unwavering and humored. "In just a few moments, your maids will run through those doors. Your father will demand where you've been, but I want you to know one thing and one thing only—you were in my care."
Ophelia naively blinked.
"And because you are in my care, you would not have remembered a single thing except a command that both I and the werewolf overlord gave—Ophelia Eves is off-limits."
Ophelia swallowed, nodding her head slowly, despite the bewilderment written all over her growing gaze.
"Now, breathe in," Sanguis instructed her. "You'll need the air."
Ophelia did as she was told whilst he lowered his hand. She inhaled, only for the wind to be knocked out of her at his next delivery.
"Yesterday, Ophelia, your grandfather died from a heart attack. From here on out, everyone and your grandmother will blame his death on you. It is your fault that your disobedience led to an attack that sent Arnold Eves into cardiac arrest before collapsing from a heart attack." Immediately, tears spilled from Ophelia's eyes, as Sanguis left her with one final delivery, just as he heard rushed footsteps approaching her room.
"Your grandfather's death is all your fault, Ophelia Eves."