My Most Precious Human

It took me more than an hour to wash off the blood from my body, then to wipe the stains I left on the floor. Afterwards, I wore a night gown that was prepared for me in my chamber, and I lay down in bed. It was a restless and mostly sleepless night. This wasn't the first time I was haunted by nightmares, but this time they were far too vivid. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Carla's face covered in blood and her expression distorted by an agonizing grimace. In my nightmares, she kept calling my name, begging me to save her while I was locked inside my cage, using all my strength to break the bars. After waking up screaming for the third time, I kept my eyes open until dawn.

I got up from bed at 6 AM and spent half an hour washing my face in cold water to reduce the swelling in my exhausted face. Afterwards, I sat on the bed and anxiously waited for someone to come for me. I didn't even grab the door handle by myself. I figured that walking out of this room wouldn't be a good thing. I could easily picture myself getting lost after passing through a single corridor anyway... I tried to ponder over it, but I couldn't tell if I was endangered or not. I found my situation surreal, to the point I silenced my rational thinking. I didn't know what to expect.

"Why was I brought here? Is the owner of this house truly the silver-haired man that I have met before? Is my blood really that unique? Will I be sucked out of my blood now?!" I kept wondering, feverishly. At the same time, I started recalling the time when I met the silver-haired man before. He had a chance to drink my blood while I was unconscious, but he didn't. Perhaps my blood could have been a cure for his condition when he had had an accident. He had the strength to push me away, and he could have used this strength to bite his teeth into my flesh, but again, he chose not to harm me. That gave me hope that he wasn't a bad person. He certainly was arrogant, but not necessarily evil.

An hour after I woke up, someone finally knocked on my door.

"Y-yes?" I called hesitantly.

"My name is Martha. I will be your personal maid. May I come in?" I heard the female voice coming from behind the door.

"Um... Come in, please," I said, surprised that someone was going to serve a prisoner.

I sat on the bed straight like a properly mannered lady should and waited for her to enter. The door opened, and she walked into my room. She was wearing a black and white, modern-type uniform. She wore a simple, yet elegant black A-line dress with thick straps and a buttoned-up, long-sleeved white shirt with a mandarin collar underneath. It certainly wasn't what I expected a maid in a vampire palace to look like. I softly chuckled, mocking my imagination.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked nervously.

I replied, "No, not at all," and smiled at her.

"I've brought something for Miss to wear," she stated and placed a pile of neatly folded clothes she carried in her hands on my bed.

"Thank you..." I responded, curling my feet under the bed.

Obviously, she noticed it right away.

"I will bring shoes for the outfit as well," she stated as if she wanted to assure me that I wouldn't walk around barefoot.

I smiled awkwardly. She treated me like I was some kind of special guest, but I didn't know if I could ask her anything. I stared at her with my mind conflicted about whether to stay quiet or pop out a question... Martha must have seen the weird expression on my face. She giggled.

"I will tell Miss everything I can, but after you meet our Master," she replied as if she could read my thoughts.

"And... when will I meet him?" I asked hesitantly.

"Master has invited you to eat breakfast with him. Please, wear your clothes and I will take you to him," she explained, grinning.

I chuckled nervously, then I took a light-pink dress lying on the top of the pile of clothes she brought, and I glanced at her.

"I will go get the shoes for you, Miss." Martha bowed then left the room, letting me dress unbothered.

The clothes fit unexpectedly well. I was never a fan of feminine, romantic dresses, but I had to admit that I liked myself wearing them. The slightly flared dress with a shallow neckline complimented my waistline, and its length made my legs look longer. I smiled, glancing at my reflection. I couldn't recall thinking of myself as an elegant woman, and that was how those clothes made me feel.

Soon, Martha came back with a pair of lovely heels for me, and then she led me to the dining room, where I was supposed to meet the owner of the castle. We walked through long, bright castle corridors, taking turns a few times along the way until we reached a grand, white door that looked like an entrance to a palace ballroom. The maid stopped right in front of it.

"This is as far as I can lead you, Miss. You will have to enter yourself." She bowed, then hurriedly turned around and started walking back the same way we came from.

I wanted to say something, but she was already gone before I could voice out my words. I sighed and opened the door.

"H-hello?" I called hesitantly, cautiously stepping onto the threshold.

"Come in, Lilith." I heard a deep, alluring voice, just as I remembered.

Chills ran through my spine and my heart began beating faster. I took a deep breath and walked inside. Suddenly, I found myself in a bright room with a row of large windows on one side. There was a long, dark wooden table standing alongside those windows. The silver-haired man was sitting at the end of it. He was gazing straight into my eyes as he could see right through me. His sight was much more intimidating than when I met him at the café. He was looking at me like an emperor at his subject.

Mr. Gotha was standing by his right side, resembling a loyal adviser. I could see why those at the auction referred to him as "the Duke's aid," but wouldn't that imply that the silver-haired man was a member of some royal family?!

"I would like to formally introduce Duke Sariel Calvet, the heir of the Calvet Castle, one of the five most noble families in the vampire world," Mr. Gotha announced proudly.

"Well... Nice... to meet you... officially," I muttered, smiling awkwardly.

"Take a seat, Lilith." Sariel pointed at the chair on the opposite side of the table.

Mr. Gotha rushed to pull out the chair for me, encouraging me to take my place. I slightly nodded my head and sat down. There was a plate in front of me with a full set of cutlery. It looked like I had really been invited to eat breakfast. I was relieved that it didn't turn out that I would become a meal myself...

Sariel smirked at me, then nodded towards Mr. Gotha, giving him a signal.

"Certainly, Master," he responded, and ran towards a small door on the side of the room.

Once Mr. Gotha opened the door, the servants walked in and served Sariel and me breakfast. There was a soft-boiled egg, a colorful salad with smoked salmon, a fruit salad, a pile of pancakes, an omelet, a basket of freshly baked bagels, and a small plate with butter. I was also given four kinds of juice and a pitcher of aromatic tea.

"Wow... this is..." I muttered, nervously chuckled.

"Is the breakfast not to your liking?" Sariel asked.

"No!" I called out, started. "It's just... this is a bit too much. I cannot eat this much," I explained.

"Well, I didn't know what you like, and I wanted to... satisfy your needs," he said, deepening his voice, gazing at me with a seductive smirk.

I gulped, then burst out in hysteric laughter.

"T-thank you... I will definitely eat well..." I stated awkwardly.

He chuckled then glared at Mr. Gotha. He reacted by bowing, then hurriedly leaving the room. I ended up being alone with the Duke. Sariel looked at me intensively. Suddenly, he stood up and started slowly walking to my end of the table.

"Now, my dear Lilith, I will tell you what you need to do..." He paused, then leaned over my ear and whispered, "to satisfy... me."