85. Bait, Trap & Catch
**Tara**
What the hell is going on here?
Leonard King and that girl sat side by side at the kitchen island. Before them was a plate with three scones. Leonard fed her by bringing the scones from the plate to her mouth. Meanwhile, she rested her head on his right shoulder with a pout on her face.
What. The. Hell?
Holding in her anger, she put on a smile and pushed open the door. "Hi Mrs. G," Tara walked inside. "I'm back and here for my scones! Oh, am I interrupting something?"
"Oh yes! Just a second, I'm placing them into a container for you to carry to your room." Mrs. G scurried away from the two and went to a cabinet. Leonard lifted his head. "No, you're not interrupting anything. Don't mind us."
"Leo is just helping me eat since I'm so weak," as she said that, Serene opened her mouth to accept another piece of scone.
Tara's eye twitched. Did that bitch call him *Leo*?
She smiled. "That's good to know! How are you feeling, by the way?" Tara stepped closer and leaned on the other side of the island. "I got so worried when I heard you fainted."
"Thank you for worrying, but I'm in good hands." Serene gazed into his eyes and he smiled while meeting hers.
At that moment, before Tara could say anything else, Mrs. G returned with a full average sized container.
"Aw," Mrs. G cooed. "You two look so cute together. Your highness, are you sure you're not together?"
Both shook their heads. "Just good friends," he replied. "But who knows? The future is uncertain." They gave each other that look again.
Mrs. G gushed as Tara cringed. "How sweet! Here you are, Tara." Tara retrieved the container with a smile. "Thanks, I'll be leaving now. Take care, Mia- oops, I mean Serene."
She walked into the hall and closed the door behind her. Or pretended to.
Instead, Tara pressed her ear against the door. "Mrs. G," she heard Serene's voice. "I left something upstairs. I have to go get it but by the time I come back you'll probably already have left."
"Then let me get it for you," Leo offered.
Tara rolled her eyes.
"No, no it's fine. In fact, I feel a whole lot better, so rest easy. I only ask that the food you prepared for me will be left on the counter when I come back down."
After hearing Mr. G's confirmation, Tara removed her ear and hurriedly marched over to the servant's quarters.
10 PM came around and so did Tara. She was dressed in black pants and a formless black blouse while strolling through the halls. Once she came near the kitchen, she released her ability. No one within the area for fifteen metres. Perfect.
She stood outside the kitchen door and used her ability again. Still no one, but there was an odd aura not far away. It burned like fire, yet it didn't seem like a person, so she ignored it.
Finally, she stepped inside and there it was. A nice little bowl covered with a plastic wrap. The lights were off, Mr. G most likely went home. And the bowl being there proved that Serene hadn't come back down yet. She still had time.
Tara approached the bowl slowly, removing a small vial from her back pocket. "I hate it when people try to take what's mine."
Within seconds, the plastic wrap was carefully removed. Tara stared down at the rice porridge, expression full of malice.
"To think I had to do this twice. One should have been enough," she muttered to herself.
Just to make sure, she double checked. All in the clear, except for that suspicious fiery aura. It didn't move, and she needed to get this taken care of before that girl comes back.
Tara poured a few drops of purple liquid into the bowl. After contemplating, she dropped several more. The liquid faded into the porridge as if they were never there.
At long last, Tara finally felt content. Just as carefully as when she removed it, the plastic wrap was placed back on.
Suddenly, while looking at the bowl, Tara couldn't help but laugh. Loud and unhinged. Just then, the lights flashed and Tara paused.
"You couldn't even wait, could you?"
Serene stepped through the door with the same blanket she had on earlier. Tara quickly hid the vial behind her. "Yes, I was looking to see if you were still here. I wanted to ask if you needed any help with anything."
Serene braced against the wall. "Is that why you poisoned me earlier? And still trying to poison me now?"
The smile slipped from her face. "Listen here you little bitch! Don't tell any lies on me. I don't know what your delusional little ass thought you saw, but if you don't want to end up like the last girl, keep your mouth shut."
"Why would I do that? I caught you red-handed."
"But it's your word against mine. Think about it. How would you feel when you realize that they believe my words over yours? I've been here the longest. I've been faithful to the Kings. Besides, you have no proof. How can you say you caught me?"
"Oh, that part I can answer." Serene paced the room in a slow manner. "I noticed a common trend among all the victims. In the manner of which they died, it had to be done in close proximity. Someone had to be there to ensure they didn't survive. But how could they do so without being caught by anyone? In broad daylight no less."
Tara's eyes followed Serene's every step. Should she just kill her now?
"So my next thought was that there were two killers. It makes sense, but at the same time, it doesn't. Maricia is the only one who can assign maids to a certain area. You know Maricia, she makes it a point to separate servants who are close. By that logic, it wouldn't be easy for an ally to leave their post and come to help you without facing difficulties.
"Then, I remembered something. A lot of vampires have abilities that aid them in their day-to-day lives. You have an ability to sense people at a certain distance, and don't try to deny it because Leo confirmed it to be true."
"Shut up and don't call him by that name!" The blonde stomped to where she was and squeezed her neck with both hands. Serene's face showed no signs of distress. Are you fucking him? Huh? Let me tell you, you're nothing but a bed warmer. It doesn't matter who your dead mom is, you're not special."
"He also told me that you were the one who pushed me down the steps all those months ago," Serene went on as if she couldn't hear her. "And he warned you and let you off the hook. I'll have to ask him why later, but regardless, that's not the point. Caramel was Leo's lover, Amber was her close friend. You killed Caramel and Amber by dropping flammable liquid into the basement of the storage house and locking them inside. Not necessarily out of jealousy, but because their dead bodies could be used to create rogues even if they were badly burnt. As for your latest victim-"
Serene was slammed against the wall. Tara's fangs elongated until they were past her bottom lip. "I see. Since you want to join them so badly, allow me to do the honors." Before she could say anything else, Serene's eyes started to glow crimson. Tara gasped in shock. Her aura changed as well, to the fiery aura Tara disregarded earlier.
"I won't let you do anything to her," a voice chipped in from above. Tara looked up to see the prince's head and arms materializing from the ceiling. She immediately backed away from the girl, back hitting the island. "Y-your highness?!"
Prince Leonard landed on the floor and stood between her and Serene. Her frightened eyes shifted to the human, or what she thought was a human. Serene's eyes returned back to normal.
She redirected her gaze to Leonard. "Your highness, what you heard was just-"
"You admitting your crimes?" He interrupted. "Yeah, I heard all of it."
"And we did, too."
The door to the garden opened, revealing the king and queen in the same formal attire she thought she saw them leave in. Tara's mouth dropped to her feet.
"As royals, we can hide our aura anything we wish," Henry King explained. "Guards!"
"We're very disappointed in you, Tara," Elaine King said. Tara fell to the floor, gasping.
"I only did it out of love," she kept muttering. "Only love. I wanted to keep him safe."
Tara was unceremoniously dragged away by the guards. One guard stayed behind, as soon as the royals acknowledged him, he went on his knees.
"I have something to say."