Chapter 21 Framed
For a few moments, Evan stopped breathing—not intentionally but subconsciously. Her breath caught in her throat, cold as ice water. She could sense something was definitely off: his eyes. There was not a single trace of warmth in them. They were cold and unreadable, like a living corpse. His pitch-black hair covered his elegant forehead, sleek, and his gray eyes shone dangerously. It was petrifying, and his unforgivable aura was enough to scare everyone in the sitting room.
Looking at the boy Lord Raphael, it was clear that he was deeply furious. It was totally understandable; after all, he had seen his mother turned into a monster, or worse, he had killed her himself.
But something had truly changed in him. He looked at everyone with those lifeless eyes as if everyone was the enemy.
‘A black witch?’ Evan wondered who it was. She was very scared, not only because she had seen that mysterious creature or because she had turned a half-vampire into a bunny rabbit. She didn’t know, though, but she felt extremely scared as if she were the real culprit. ‘What if I’m the witch?’ She couldn’t help but ask that question. She couldn’t say anything about her body because even she herself didn’t know who she was.
‘I need to get out of here,’ she thought inwardly. Her hair was tied up into a messy ponytail bun.
Her lips were dry, and she could barely sit in the long maid dress. Her eyes were fixed on Ezekiel, hoping that when they met his, they would at least be able to melt the ice.
Finally, their eyes met. Instead of melting Ezekiel’s, hers were more scared. She looked deep into his eyes, and he held her gaze with a much stronger intensity, making her look away. She couldn’t even look into his eyes. It was as petrifying as Lucifer.
Soon Ezekiel sensed something, and it turned out it was not only him sensing a presence of a black witch. He diverted his gaze and turned to Lord Raphael, who looked at him as well, and everyone could tell that look in their eyes.
“Milord, is everything alright?” one of Zeke’s remaining aunts asked. Her lips trembled with her words. Her throat was stiff, barely letting the words out.
“There is a black witch in our midst,” Lord Raphael declared loudly, making everyone’s eyes go wide. The vampires started whispering to each other, but the maids dared not. They didn’t want to put themselves through another trauma, so…
Ezekiel clenched his fist tightly, harder. He gritted his teeth, and anger stirred within. Blood was visible in the pupils of his eyes. Realizing that the one who poisoned the food was in this room? He wanted to make that person feel pain, a pain greater than death.
“I can sense the presence of a black witch inside this very place. If you know you’re the one, kindly come out.” His voice was chilling, every word making everyone frightened.
‘Oh no!’ Evan’s fear escalated mightily. Her heart slammed harder. The lord walked up to where the maids were. His hands fixed in his trousers, he stared at each servant’s face.
“The black aura is coming from this direction,” said Lord Raphael effortlessly. He smiled sarcastically at the servants who were sitting on the floor. All the servants’ hearts were on fire.
The lord examined them more. His gaze was unblinking as he stared at everyone as if anticipating their thoughts. His eyes landed on Evan, the most frightened one. Her knees were shaking uncontrollably, and so were her hands. Her heart slammed harder and harder as Lord Raphael’s gaze pinned on her like an unbreakable needle. He walked to where the girl was, smiling joyfully. He bent one knee down, taking a good look at her.
“It’s you, right?” The words left his lips in a steady motion, making Evan’s body shake rapidly. She felt as if her soul was about to leave her body. She couldn’t even predict where her heart was, as every part of her body was drumming in her ears.
“The black witch.” Ezekiel paid full attention to what Lord Raphael was saying to the girl. His heart was a bit lifted that he had actually found the culprit.
“What are you waiting for? Stand up and come outside immediately!” demanded the lord. Evan knew it—it was her, the black witch. She had killed all these innocent people.
It was so unfair. She hated herself for that. If Ezekiel wanted to punish her, she would take it in good faith. But punishment wasn’t child’s play.
Barely any strength left, she placed her hand on the cold floor, planting it properly, trying to lift herself up.
She succeeded and started walking to the front. Now it was the maids who were whispering things to each other.
Evan got to the middle of the sitting room, about three steps away from Ezekiel. She looked too frightened, and her heart squeezed in pain.
Lord Raphael, who was already in front of Evan, landed a clean punch on her face, sending the girl to the ground. She fell on a nearby table, scattering it and breaking two expensive flowerpots that were on it.
Ezekiel’s eyes were unblinking, and Evan could tell he was regretting not listening to his mother. That punch echoed in the sitting room, leaving all the maids scared.
“How can she be a witch? She grew up here. This is a misunderstanding,” one of the maids said. She was scared, but she was confident in her words. She was a bit older than Evan. She knew Evan wasn’t a black witch; that was simply impossible.
“Are you telling me I’m wrong? I have spent two centuries fighting black witches, and you’re just a lowly human!” said Lord Raphael furiously. The maid’s lips moved, about to say another word.
“Keep quiet if you don’t want to be someone’s food.” Those words alone were enough to zip the servant’s mouth.
Evan lay on the ground, barely alive. She felt the impact. She had never felt something this painful in her entire life. Blood streamed down her broken mouth as she writhed in pain. Ezekiel’s emotions were untouched. If she had truly killed everyone in this manner, he himself would make sure she faced hell.
“Take her away and lock her up in the dungeon,” came Ezekiel’s calm voice. Two coachmen who were sitting on the floor arose, stepping forward as each pulled Evan away.
…
It was so dark that she couldn’t see her own hands. Her body lay weak due to the punch Lord Raphael had landed on her face earlier. Heavy breaths left her soft, puffed lips. It felt as if the world was about to end.
She tried rolling her body to change its position, putting all her effort into sitting upright. After a few hours of trying, Evan sat up on her own, leaning on a creaky wall behind her. She took a deep sigh. The place smelled as if it were filled with spoiled, dried meat. Suddenly, something glowed on her neck, yellow and captivating. Pulling it out from her neck, she discovered it was that pendant from the other day. It lit up the entire room.
“Wow,” she exclaimed slowly as she held it with shaky hands.
Then she took a good look at where she was. On the floor lay scattered dry bones of different parts. Skeletons, and even what she was sitting on was bones.
“Whaa!?”