Chapter 44 I am Anna
Ezekiel raised a brow at her, surprised by her retort. Evan slumped in her seat, unbothered by Ezekiel's thoughts.
Simon's brows knitted together,forming a deep, hard frown. He gritted his teeth, sending a deadly glare toward Evan. Noticing the fury radiating from the red-headed vampire, Evan stared back at him as a satisfied smile formed at the corner of her lips.
“Did you realize what you're doing?”asked Simon. His red eyes were growing crimson gradually.
“Yes,dear,” said Evan as she sucked her lips subconsciously, but in a romantic way. This seemed to affect Ezekiel, who hid his feelings.
“I won't take back my words.You're coming with me,” Ezekiel rang the final verdict, and Evan's heart skipped a beat.
“I won't go!”said Evan stubbornly, though her voice cracked at the end of her statement. She could do nothing at this point; not that she couldn't run, but it was useless and would only end up blowing their cover.
Evan spared a glance at Ella, seeing her expression. It screamed ‘GO’. Well, she could do nothing but obey. Though she wasn't a white witch, she still was one of them.
“Fine!”Evan hissed, standing up from her seat, and with anger she left the room. Her attitude showed nothing a trained, educated lady would do. To Zeke, it was that of an animal in the bush.
He couldn't help but think,‘Is she a lady?’ Ladies were trained respectfully. They could read and write and were well educated, whereas maids and slaves wouldn't get such opportunities.
Though Evan was taught how to read by Mrs. Caviar, the harsh truth was she wasn't taught how to behave like a lady. To Evan, that part was totally useless. All that mattered was that she was well educated and trained properly by Mrs. Caviar. To Evan, learning how to behave like a lady was a waste. Like learning how to talk at the right time, laugh at the right time. Not just laughing, but also how to laugh and what to demonstrate.
You would also be taught how to wear the right dress,how to eat, how to walk, and also how to smile fake smiles.
Evan saw that as foolishness.She hated pretending. Why pretend when she had her own special attitude? To her, learning all those things and putting them into practice would be classified in the category of stupid.
Seeing that the animal-attitude girl left the room and he was one step from victory, he immediately stood up from his seat, bidding goodbye with his cold-hearted expression. Simon trailed behind him.
“Make sure you're behind me,”came Simon's harsh voice to Rebecca.
…
Outside the mansion,Evan waited patiently in one corner. She wished the ground would open so she could get in.
The area was bustling,but it felt more like a graveyard to her.
It wasn't too long before she saw the Duke.Rebecca and Simon trailed behind him. When he got to where she was, he paused, turning to look at her.
“Get into the carriage,”left his lips before moving forward.
Everything happened so fast,and she didn't get the opportunity to talk to Rebecca. Rebecca didn't enter the same carriage as them; she was riding with the red-headed vampire.
A few minutes later, both carriages were already on the road. Evan thought they were all going to the council with Rebecca, but as moments passed, the carriage went in a different direction.
“Tell me what is going on,”asked Evan, trying to predict his thoughts.
“Where are you taking me?”
“My mansion,of course,” his voice husky. Evan started regretting riding with the vampire. If she had known, she would have ridden with Simon. At least she would end up in the hands of the council. It was better than being with Ezekiel for nothing's sake.
For the rest of the journey, Evan shut her eyes. She heard the carriage tremble as it stopped in front of something. Flickering her eyes open, she saw what it was: the Donovan mansion gate.
Her mood dropped.The carriage went into the mansion before stopping where all carriages are usually kept. Ezekiel got down, not waiting for his coachman. Instead of pretending to be a lady that she wasn't, she followed his trail inside.
“I and my savant are the only ones dwelling here,” said Ezekiel to Evan as they walked in.
‘Did I ask?’thought Evan.
As she stepped into the sitting room of the mansion,she noticed it was repainted. Everything looked new and shiny. The maids welcomed Ezekiel and led him to the dining room table. It was dinner. They had already spent hours riding.
Evan wondered where they must have taken Rebecca. Vampires are no good. Curious and worried, she decided to ask as she sat down on the opposite side of the table.
“Where will they take my friend to?”Without beating around the bush, Ezekiel answered.
“To Lord Raphael.”Hearing this, the girl's heart skipped a beat; his lips lifted into a devilish smirk.
He was having bloodtea for dinner,making Evan stunned.
‘Isn't that supposed to be for breakfast?’she thought. Watching the Duke sip his bloodtea continually as if it was the most important thing on earth at the moment. It was just one glass cup filled with blood, just one. So Evan was mystified why he was enjoying it this much.
‘Vampires are weird creatures,’she thought inwardly.
“I am also hungry,” she blurted, making the Duke raise his face.
“Hmm,what would you like?” he asked.
“Fruits are absolutely fine,”she gave a slight smile. Ezekiel signaled one of his savants nearby to get some fruits.
“Thank you.I need an apple fruit,” she declared, still smiling widely at Ezekiel. She could tell this man had been going through something these past few years. This place looked boring, and nothing was changed except for the painting. No new person. Rather, many maids were nowhere to be found, and according to Evan's current count, she was seeing only three maids.
She got goosebumps, realizing he hadn't brought in any new maids. The female savant brought fresh fruits to the dining table, placing them where Evan was sitting. She only smiled at the maid.
Trying to come up with a topic,Evan decided to ask.
“So many weird things,hmm. I noticed you didn't have enough savants for a big mansion such as this. And, aren't you having dinner quite early?”
“Having dinner early is my choice.And as for the savants, isn't that what you're here for? Make yourself useful, as you'll start tomorrow.”