Chapter 19

Chapter 19
I was in so much pain that I didn't realize that tears were already falling from my eyes. The pain in my heart was slowly consuming my feelings. I don't know why I feel this way.

My eyes were still closed. Waiting for Markus to bite me.

I felt Markus stop behind my back. He didn't move for a long time.

"Why are you crying? What's wrong?" he asked. I wanted to laugh at his question. Why am I crying? Do I have the right to cry? If my only purpose in his life was to give him blood?

I didn't answer. My shoulders shook as I tried to keep him from hearing my sobs. I covered my mouth, so I wouldn't make any noise.

"Celestine?" he called to me softly.

His voice was back to normal. I couldn't feel the tip of his fang poking into my skin anymore.

"Look at me, Celestine. Why are you crying?"

I shook my head. I couldn't bear him to see me crying, especially for my shallow reasons. If that was even considered shallow.

"P-please... I can't look you in the eye right now" I said. I hoped he could sense the desperation in my tone.

"Then why are you crying?"

Markus' voice. I don't know if he's angry or not. I can't tell from his tone what he was feeling at that moment.

"If you don't answer, come face me. Make your choice"

I laughed with a cracking voice.

"You're really rude..."

"What do you mean? I can't read people's minds. That's why I can't understand you". I feel like his eyebrows are about to meet.

Oh Markus, what am I supposed to do to you?

"I don't know why I'm crying."

"What the-"

"I feel like I have no right," I continued. Markus might explode in anger next to me if he didn't get what I meant.

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Markus asked angrily.

"Nonsense? Maybe. Why am I here? All you need from me is my blood. You only drink it when you need it." It hurts more when I say it to myself than when I just think about it.

"Damn! Why are you thinking that?! Of course not! You're not a blood bank for me!" Markus' voice rose. He removed his arm by embracing me. He sat up in bed annoyed.

I held onto the end of my pillow. I tried not to look at him and see if what he was saying was true.

"Isn't? That's what you do to me when you have the chance. How many times have you sucked my blood? Crop the bullshit. Why don't you just admit that all you really need from me is my blood and nothing else?" It's now or never. It would be better if I could be clear about where I should stand in his life as early as possible.

"Fuck, Celestine! I don't need your blood!"

"Liar" I sobbed.

"If that's your only problem, I'll never drink your blood again! Fuck!" he said loudly. I just heard him slam the bedroom door shut.

Markus left.

Only then did I find the courage to stand up. Why didn't I feel safe when Markus wasn't in the room? Was what I told him right?

I went to the window. I looked around. Before, I could see nothing around me but trees. Now, there were many people guarding the area. Markus seemed serious about ensuring my safety.

'Of course, he has to guard you because of your rare blood' said my inner voice.

I shook my head. I was really confused. I wish I could remember.

THE NEXT DAY, I was so bored that I went to the library to kill my boredom. Since Markus left last night, he hasn't shown up for me. I don't know where he went or where he slept. I'm too embarrassed to ask the housekeepers.

In other people's eyes. I'm his mistress. I shouldn't just ask the vampires here where their master is.

My index finger passes them through each book on the shelves one by one. Until I reached the second shelf. Something caught my attention.

The title of the book was The Rare Blood. I picked it up. I sat down on the couch and started to flip through it. Maybe I'll find out something important.

It's the history of a clan named Arkan who had rare blood. They were the ones assigned to the royal vampires to give them blood. Donating blood from a rare-blooded Arkan is an honor. They maintain the order of the world.

Vampires don't always drink blood. They can count the number of times they drink blood in a year on their fingers. It is said that this is a sacred thing for vampires. Only the chosen ones drink rare blood. Not everyone can drink. Vampires who are not worthy of drinking rare blood are forbidden.

I turned to another page.

These are reports on the names of the Arkan who perform the ritual for preparing blood. I read the names one by one in the book. I stopped at the names next to each other.

Khristine Delaney
Claudius Delaney

My parents' names. It means I am one of the Arkans. I continued reading, but there was no mention of why vampires needed rare blood over ordinary blood. What would happen if they drank it?

"Shit" I muttered weakly.

I haven't found any other information. But that's probably okay. At least I knew something, even if it was just a little.

Arkan. Now I know that I belong to the Arkan clan. They serve the royal vampires.

Someone cleared his throat behind my back. I looked at the library door.

"Mr. Ares?" I asked, making sure. Mr. Ares has only just now entered my mind again. With so much happening, I had lost track of him.

"Ms. Delaney. Good morning", he bowed. I waved my hand shyly. To stop him from bowing.

"Oh, don't bow. I'm not your boss and just call me Celestine."

"Miss Celestine will do. I can't call you by your first name without respect. Marko will be angry when he finds out," he said. He entered the library and sat on the couch across from me.

"About Markus. Where is he?" I asked.

"He's in the office. I was just surprised that he went there. Knowing Marko, he wouldn't come near me. But I was surprised when he came to me. He said to watch over you while he was gone."

I looked at Mr. Ares. I couldn't see any emotion on his face. Why were they like this? I couldn't read their behavior.

Mr. Ares looked away when I stared at him for a long time.

"Miss Celestine, don't look at me for too long. Marko might kill me" he said in an awkward voice.

"Is that so? Can you explain to me what's going on?"

Maybe Mr. Ares can tell me something. He's not difficult to talk to. Unlike Markus, who gets angry quickly between our conversations.

"Marko told me. You already know about them having split personality disorder. As you can see, Marko is more out of control than Markus."

"I already know about that. What I want to know is. Why does he need my blood?"

"Huh? Ah...eh..." He scratched his temple. It was as if he suddenly thought of something unpleasant because he was wincing. He had another expression, not just a poker face. "It's not your blood that Marko or Markus need from you."

"What do they need from me then?"

"I can't answer that, Miss Celestine. Marko will kill me. I still want to live."

"I don't think Markus will kill you. You're his friend, right? Or assistant?" That's impossible. I saw the two of them always together wherever they went.

"You don't know Marko's character. All vampires are afraid of him. He's very smart and dangerous. He doesn't hesitate to kill, especially when it goes against his will."

It doesn't seem like it. Why is he showing me something different? It's like Markus is still with me, even his Marko. That's why I don't call him Marko no matter how much he tries to force me to.

"Markus is different. He's calm. He thinks before he does something. He has a plan before he rushes. He can be strict sometimes," said Mr. Ares.

"Why hasn't Markus returned yet? How many days will it take before they change personalities?"

"Before, they only changed personalities for three days. But now, this is the first time he's been Marko for a long time. I don't know what he's up to either. He just sent me here to watch over you." Based on his tone, he was telling the truth. He probably didn't intend to lie, right?

"Why hasn't Markus come home yet?" Oh my, Celestine. When he's not there, you look for him. When he's there, you're like a tiger ready to bite.

"I don't know either. He was in a bad mood when he came into the office."

Is he still angry about what I said? I should be the one who's angry because I just told him what he's doing to me. That he's only after my blood.