Married To The Mad Vampire Lord-Chapter 37: The wolf’s den_Part 1

The study room was large and illuminated with the ashen natural light that came from one of the open French windows, where the thick red drapes were slightly pulled apart. The study was once used by the late king when the castle was still a royal one, and unlike the many halls of the castle, the study still held its regal grace and decorations.

On one side of the walls was a large bookshelf that reached from the high ceiling to the floor, and on the other wall, shelves were filled with expensive treasures collected through time, from fragile porcelain bowls to gold statues. The fireplace burned and sparked carefully. Beside it was a deep red plush wingback chair, where Rohan sat nonchalantly leaned back and his left ankle crossed over his right knee, his elbow propped on the armchair as he inhaled the cigar between his gloved fingers and blew out the smoke through his full red lips, while he tried his best to pay attention to what was being said in the study and give a good judgment as the Lord of Nightbrook.

Keeping track of a conversation that involved more than one person when he wasn’t leading it and was merely meant to listen had always been a bit of a challenge that would lead to unleash an intense urge to shut them up forever. He would rather not waste his time in general with people and their blabbering nonsense, but he knew more than anyone that he had to act like a lord now, or he would be back in the asylum labeled as a madman again. Thus, he was forced to be here.

Three of the council members sat across from him, including Lord Edmond, and because he could not focus on a conversation when more than one person talked at the same time, he had ordered the two other council members to remain silent and invisible at the shadowed side so he could pretend he was only talking to one person about the case they had brought upon him.

In the middle of the study was the butler of Lord Edmond’s house, kneeling and trembling as Edmond had not given him the chance to swear his innocence to Rohan, who had told them they were to talk one at a time or be gone from his castle with their case.

Rohan blew out a ring of smoke as he regarded the butler, who was a middle-aged turned vampire with strands of gray hair sprouting amidst his bowed head of thinning black hair. His light red eyes were downcast, with healing bruises on his arms and face that were probably caused by Edmond before bringing him here. Being a turned vampire, his bruises would not heal fast enough, and though he looked pitiful, Rohan did not pity him, even though he wanted to, he did not have it in him to pity, for being his scapegoat for last night.

Tilting his head to the side, where his dark eyes regarded the man, he said, "Speak. Is what your master says true?"

The vampire butler shook his head. "I-I swear on my life, my Lord, I did not drink from the servants in my master’s house. I always go into the forest to hunt for my meals and never take from anyone... I would never have killed Elliot..." he cried out pleadingly, but a kick from Lord Edmond made him stumble over and hit his head against the table where Rohan was carefully dusting his cigar ash.

Liking the cruelty more than he should and knowing more than anyone that the middle-aged turned vampire butler was innocent, Rohan leaned his head on his propped-up hand and gave Edmond permission to speak as well with a flick of his finger.

"He’s a bastard, my Lord. He is the only vampire worker I have in my mansion. The others are humans who work and give my family blood, and none of my family would dare kill a human I had spent a fortune to purchase, my Lord," Lord Edmond said to Rohan. "He is the only one who could kill my slave. No rogue has ever ventured to the South since the attacks started happening in some parts of Nightbrook, and rogues don’t leave the body behind. They kill and eat the flesh. My slave’s body was left in my yard with his head severed and no blood in him. Everything points to my butler."

Lord Edmond could hardly contain his rage, but he knew not to raise his voice when talking to the man before him when he’d warned them to talk as quiet as they could. He would have killed the butler himself if he wasn’t a member of the royal council. This was supposed to be taken to His Majesty, but since Rohan had been given the title to oversee this part of the land, they could only bring this to him. But Edmond hated that the man was treating them all like kids by telling them not to speak or raise their voices unless they were told to.

Rohan exhaled softly as he flung his half-smoked cigar into the fireplace and reached out for the glass of blood wine on his table. He brought it to his lips and sipped from it before he uncrossed his long legs and then leaned forward to the trembling butler, his elbows resting on each of his parted knees, where his right hand was propped on his knee and was supporting his chin in a bored manner.

"What’s your name?" he asked the butler, who was quick to say his name in hopes that Rohan would see that he had no reason to anger his master by killing his human slave.

"Joshua, my Lord..." he stammered as he further brought his head down on the carpeted floor of the study, his forehead kissing the soft carpet as he knew not to look His Lordship in the eyes. He was just a mere turned vampire who had been working in Edmond’s house for years, and yet they did not trust that he wouldn’t kill a slave and drink his blood.

"Joshua, hmm. Is what your master says true? Did you kill this slave because you were jealous that he was getting the master’s attention and could replace your position because of his strength despite being a human?" he questioned calmly, even though he knew the man was innocent. Though he was guilty of things only Rohan knew, he was innocent of the crimes that led to him being here.

Rohan should be spending this time with his bunny, as he could still quite remember how she had glared at him when he offered her a hand to stand. He wanted to see more of what she had hidden and to also read through her like he did to everyone. He could read people so easily and know of their darkest sins, but his little bunny was somewhat of a challenge in that aspect. She was too innocent for anything he’d ever set eyes on.

He could barely read beyond her heartbeat, which further intrigued him and made him want to peel off those layers around her, and perhaps he would uncover that she was nothing special and nothing different from all the dark-hearted people he’d met who hid behind innocent masks. He’d seen many women who were more beautiful than she was. He’d taken many to bed that he’d lost count, but none of them had given him the intense desires to keep, the intense desires to trap and never let any other man or woman see or claim her for themselves, not even her useless parents, the intense excitement to taint her so that she would see no fault in his ways.

Feeling adrenaline rushing through him at the thought of his bunny, he dismissed her from his mind for now to focus on the case with Edmond so he could get the hell out of here.

Lord Edmond had offended him without even knowing it on the day Rohan was ordered to be married, and for that, Rohan had gotten back at him last night. Now he blamed that on his lowly servants because he couldn’t find who to blame. It was so easy to blame the person lower than you.