Letters to Romeo

Lilian was cleaning the dining table when she heard evident footsteps that reached the dining-room door. Behaving as if she didn't hear it, she continued to clean the surface of the table spotless, and she heard the person speak,

"Do you have a family here?"

Her hand paused, turning her head. She saw it was Mr. Donovan at the door. She shook her head before she said, "No."

"Does it mean that they are dead or you ran away from your home, when you were younger?" questioned Donovan. "After I left the inn, I went to meet a man to discuss something, and the name of the Blackburn family came up. Lilian Lena Blackburn."

Lilian's hand gripped on the cloth, and she asked, "Is there something you would like to speak about, Mr. Donovan? I have work to complete."

The smile on Donovan's lips broadened, and he shook his head. When Lilian turned back to resume her work, the vampire interrupted her, "Actually I do. You didn't thank me for the shoes," he poked her.

Earlier, when she had confronted Donovan, where he had refused anything to do with the shoes, Lilian guessed it was from him. She had worn it after he had left in the carriage, not expecting him to return to see her wearing them. She turned around, directly meeting his eyes this time, and she bowed her head, "Thank you for the shoes."

At that time, when it came to the human maid, Donovan didn't expect his mild interest was going to increase. He had met many women, been with many women, which often didn't last more than a day, and he had considered this woman to be the same. Believing he was only feeding his boredom with something to do.

Back in the present, Knox and Donovan walked near the bridge that continued to exist, which only disappeared for a few seconds before it returned to its original place.

"She was a beautiful woman, and there was probably nothing much with her except for the way she looked at me. Always guarded and careful, unbothered by my status," stated Donovan, speaking about Roman's mother.

"And here I thought you wouldn't be able to have a family of your own," murmured Knox, his eyes moving to the corner to look at Donovan, who had pulled another cigarette to smoke.

Donovan chuckled at Knox's words, "I never had any intention to impregnate the woman and have a child. It came as quite a surprise when I found out about Roman. The circumstances and situations were complicated. Maybe if I knew about it, I would have got rid of the child when he was still in the woman's womb, but I wasn't there."

"Thought so," remarked Knox, because that was the kind of person Donovan was.

Knox had known Donovan for a long time, knowing the vampire was selfish, self-centred and cared very less about people who were around him. This was one of the reasons why Opaline and Donovan had never worked out in the past, though they had been acquaintances, they still stayed away from each other because of the way the other lived. While Donovan was into killing people, Opaline tried to save as many lives as she could.

Knox noticed that there were subtle changes in Donovan's behaviour, where the vampire had tried to save his daughter from Enoch Mortimer.

On the other hand, Donovan's thoughts went back to those nights where he spent his time with Lilian on the warm bed. They had met a couple of times before he decided to cut off ties with her and not meet her ever again, deciding it himself without considering her because she was a human, one that was fragile.

Somewhere Donovan had cut off ties because it was after a very long time did he feel attached to someone.

"Who was that person you were talking to?" Donovan questioned Lilian when she had entered the room.

"Mr. Rowe?" asked Lilian, her features had softened, and her guarded words and actions had dropped the veil, turning her more feminine than before.

Both Donovan and Lilian's relationship had been kept a secret, and she didn't question him. She was satisfied to have him around every once in a while, and that was more than enough for her.

"He was asking about the house that I live in. He asked if it needs to be fixed," replied Lilian, walking around the room and moving towards the fireplace to add more logs of wood in it.

"He sounds nice," came the short words from Donovan, not liking the fact that there was someone else eyeing her, and at the same time, he knew it was probably the best for her to have a normal life with a person of her own, a human. "He must be in a high position."

"I guess one could tell that," replied Lilian. "He often helps people around. And he's more than willing to do it without any cost."

"Not taking money from others or just you?" asked Donovan, his eyes fixed on her.

Lilian turned to look at him from where she was. She stood up, walking to where Donovan was standing. She said,

"I make sure to pay him back for the help he provides, lest he thinks I am letting him do it for another purpose."

"You shouldn't worry about it and let people dote on you. Don't stop on my accord…."

Though Lilian's face appeared to be stoic, it turned even more rigid. But internally, she felt a thorn pierce in her heart, knowing what she had with this man. It was only a dream and nothing more than it.

Donovan pulled her towards him by her hand, kissing the back of her hand and Lilian felt her heart squeeze.

"I know. I am aware of it," replied Lilian, a small smile on her lips, and Donovan returned the smile to her.

The next morning, the man had left the inn, and at that time, Lilian didn't know that it was the last of seeing him ever again. And maybe if she knew it, she would have asked him to stay for a little longer, even if it were only a few minutes more.

The next day, the inn had another set of guests, who were passing by the place and had decided to take shelter.

One of the guests who had arrived at Mr. William's inn was one of the Lords, Lord Malcolm Moltenore. During the Lord's stay in the inn, Lilian continued to work as one of the servants there, helping with the staff and completing her work before returning to her house.

One of the evenings, they were short of one maid, and Lilian had been asked to stay and help in the kitchen. It was past eight in the night when supper had been served and had been at the dining room with Mr. William.

"Make sure you get the bottle of wine from the cellar and have it brought to the guests rooms. Lord Moltenore comes from an old and wealthy family. Make sure he doesn't feel adequate." Mr. William instructed Lilian, and she bowed her head.

"Shall I get it to his room right now?" she tried to confirm, and the man nodded his head.

"Yes, do it now," said Mr. William, giving the keys of the cellar to her, and Lilian quickly left for the cellar with the lantern in her hand.

Walking towards one side of the walls, Lilian picked up one of the bottles mentioned by Mr. William before locking the room and making her way up to where Lord Malcolm Moltenore's room was located.

On her way, she felt slightly dizzy and nauseous. She wondered if she had eaten something that she was not supposed to eat today because she had been feeling this way for a few hours now. Coming to stand in front of the room, Lilian raised her hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in," came the firm words from the other side of the door.

Lilian pushed the door and said, "Mr. William would like to offer you one of his finest wines."

The man nodded his head and moved his hand towards the table as if telling her to keep it there while he sat at the desk.

"Can you add some more wood to the fireplace? It seems a little dry and the chimney isn't working that well," said Lord Moltenore, and Lilian nodded her head without exchanging too many words.

She went to check the cupboard where the logs of woods were often stacked for quick use, and she added it. "It should be fine now," she said to him.

The man nodded his head, and Lilian made her way out of the room before closing the door, and she started to make her way through the corridor. But her head slightly started to spin as a headache rose, and she stopped walking. At the same time, she heard the door suddenly shut sharply, making her turn behind to look at the corridor. She had made sure to close the door when she left the Lord's room.

A little suspicious, Lilian made her way back and hesitantly raised her hand to knock on the door. But before she could knock on the door, she heard something fall from the other side, and worry was quick to appear between her eyebrows. Her hand quickly moved to the handle, and she pushed the door open to find another man in the room.

She found the Lord and the man on the ground, where the stranger whom she hadn't seen before had his hands around the Lord's neck with a rope, trying to tighten it.

Lilian turned startled, and she warned the person, "Let Lord Moltenore go!"

But the intruder didn't let go of the Lord's neck, who was trying to push him away while being strangled with the rope. Lilian looked around the room, not knowing what else to do, and she picked up the statue on the side. Coming behind the intruder, she quickly struck the hard object on the person's head so that the person wouldn't turn around and hit her back.

But Lilian had used too much force that the intruder's hand loosened around the Lord's neck, and he fell flat on the ground.

She felt slightly breathless, and she asked in a shocked voice, "Are you alright, Lord Moltenore?"

"Yes," the man ran his hand around his throat, feeling his vision slowly starting to return to him because if Lilian hadn't appeared right now, he would have been successfully strangled to death. "Are you alright?" he questioned her.

Lilian nodded her head, "Let me go call Mr. William, who will see him behind the prison."

"No," Lord Moltenore shook his head, stopping her from taking a step outside. "I don't think it would be a good idea."

The young woman frowned and said, "This man is an intruder and he will be punished for trying to harm you. You do not have to worry about it. Sometimes people trespass—"

"It wouldn't have been a problem if the man was still alive," said Lord Moltenore, and for a moment, she didn't understand the man's words. Her green eyes shifted from him to look at the man whom she had struck hard. Her eyes widened on seeing red liquid starting to ooze out and smear the floor that was near to his head.

Lilian's hands turned cold, and so did her mind, frozen in shock at what she had just done.

Lord Moltenore quickly moved towards the door so that no one would come to see the crime of what took place. Even though he was the Lord, he wasn't the one who had struck the person, and it was Lilian, a maid, who had done it. The law was stricter for the poor than the wealthy members of the towns and villages.

Before he could close the door, one of the male servants had come to check if Lord Moltenore needed anything more for the day. The male servant caught sight of Lilian's back, and he also caught Lord Moltenore, who appeared to be in haste to close the room's door.

Lord Moltenore's action seemed too suspicious, and it had the male servant come to believe that something was going on between Lilian and the Lord. The man blocked the path so that the dead man's body couldn't be seen lying on the ground.

"Good evening, Lord Moltenore," the servant bowed his head and raised his head to ask, "Mr. William wanted to make sure that you are well settled and to let us know if you need anything."

Lord Moltenore offered the servant a polite smile, but his eyebrows were slightly tense. He said, "Thank you for the hospitality. I think your owner has well equipped everything that I need for the night. If there is any need, I will make sure to reach out for it."

"Of course, Lord Moltenore," the servant bowed his head, and the man offered a slight nod, watching the servant leave the corridor. He finally closed the door shut before going to the intruder and bending down to check his pulse.

"I-Is he dead?" asked Lilian, feeling the strain in her body and mind. She hadn't meant to kill the person and had only tried to get the person away from the Lord.

Lord Moltenore's hand didn't leave the person's neck before he moved it, placing it in front of the man's nose, where there were no signs of breathing. He turned to look at Lilian and shook his head.

Lilian staggered backwards, bringing both her hands to her face to cover her mouth. Her lips trembled.

If people were to know about this, they would throw her first in prison and question her later. And maybe by the Lord's words, she would escape the prison, but her name would be tarnished, and she would be given no job, nor would she have any peace anymore.

"I-I didn't mean to kill him," Lilian whispered in shock. Why was this happening? "Maybe…" she went to the dead person, bending down, and she tried to push the person's chest up and down in hopes of reviving the person. But the body was turning cold. "W-what do I do? I didn't mean to kill him."

Lord Moltenore had a grim expression on his face, and he said, "Please calm down. It wasn't your fault and you were only trying to help me." He looked around the room and then walked towards where the jug of water had been placed. Pouring water into it, he handed the glass of water to her. "Here, drink it."

Lilian's hands shook in fear, trembling before she brought it to her lips and took not more than one sip from it. Unable to hold the glass or swallow the water, she quickly turned around, moving to the open window, and she threw up.

At that time, Lilian and Lord Moltenore believed that she had thrown up because of the presence of the dead body in the room. But the truth was that this was the effect of the deed she had made with Azazel Donovan, whom she had no clue that he was a vampire.

She took a deep breath, drinking the half glass of water that had spilt from her hand.

"Allow me to handle it so that you don't have to worry about it. You saved my life, Ms," said Lord Moltenore. "The least thing I could do to repay your kindness and bravery is by making sure you don't get caught into this."

Lilian shook her head, and she then said, "If the magistrate or even a single soul finds out about this, they won't let the matter stay still."

"I am aware of it, milady," replied Lord Moltenore, and he stared at the dead person before saying, "I will have the matter settled by taking the body from here and you can help with the floor. Will you be able to do it?" he asked her.

Lilian was in a daze, and her head had started to spin, but she tried to stay as calm as she could without screaming or crying over what she had done. Everything had been so perfect with Azazel Donovan here, and she knew if he was here, this wouldn't have happened.

"What do you plan to do with the person?" asked Lilian, somewhere the guilt was already starting to bury her, and she reminded herself to take deep breaths.

"You don't have to worry about that part. All you need to remember is that whatever has happened in here right now, and what I am going to do, it stays as a secret just between us," stated Lord Motlenore, and Lilian nodded her head.

"O-okay. I will clean this u-up," she said to him.

There were many people who wanted to kill or attack him as he was the Lord in Veteris, and people had issues with the steps he took in betterment of the town. He didn't know how the intruder had even got inside, as he had been busy reading the parchments that had been signed by another Lord.

They both decided to stay there together, in the room until everybody would go to sleep and wouldn't catch Lord Moltenore dragging or carrying the body from the room. And while they spent their time there, the male servant went to meet Mr. Williams to relay what he had spoken to the Lord while also relaying the information of Lilian being in the room.

"I told her to send the bottle there, not to stay in the room," Mr. William didn't look pleased that one of the servants of the inn was getting involved with the Lord of Veteris, who had a high reputation not just in his town but also the nearby ones.

"I think Lord Moltenore was looking forward to her company. Like he was closing the door and hiding it," relayed the servant, and Mr. William held a grim expression on his face.

"Well if that is how it is. At least we know Lord Moltenore will be visiting us again thanks to her presence," and this little conversation was heard by another maid, which was passed until everyone in the inn came to know about Lilian spending the night in Lord Moltenore's room.

One of the female servants commented, "Lilian should just settle with one of them, don't you think? It feels like every guest comes here to end up wanting to spend time with her."

"Be careful with what you say," Eden pursed her lips. "They just happen to dote on her, she's a kind young woman who keeps her to herself."

"But really don't you think she should just snag the man, it's not like any of us are getting younger. Especially when you're spending the night together while everyone comes to know about it," said the first maid, raising her eyebrows.

"Who knows, maybe this Lord Moltenore will take her with him by the end of his stay," said Eden, while she wiped the utensil dry with a dry cloth.

"I wish someone would take me with them. It must be nice to be doted on by men. I thought Mr. Donovan had an interest towards her, considering he liked her serving him. But then I heard from Mr. William that Mr. Donovan is travelling to a different land. Somewhere far for work and wouldn't be coming here anymore."

"That's how most of the wealthy men are," replied Eden, "They are busy."

Three hours passed when Lord Malcolm Moltenore took the dead body of the person who had tried to kill him in his carriage, taking it far away from this place to the forest where no one would come to see what was going to happen to the body.

When they reached the forest, the trusted coachman of the Lord took the body towards the centre of the forest.

"Have it buried in a way where no one will come to find out," instructed Lord Moltenore, and the coachman bowed his head.

"My apologies, milord… but wouldn't it be easier to let them know that it wasn't you who killed this person?" asked the coachman.

"If it was, I would have done it by now. I will be right here," said the Lord, and the coachman nodded his head before dragging the body away from there.

Back in Mr. William's inn, Lilian continued to wipe the floor that had not been an easy task for her. To clean the blood of a person where she had murder on her hands, she was starting to lose her peace.

She pulled the bucket of water, soaking the cloth in the water before using it on the floor in hopes that the blood wouldn't leave any stains on the floor. When she was done getting most of it, she dropped to the ground, sitting flat with her legs crossed. She stared at the floor where the body had been lying until now. The feeling of nauseous returned, and she tried hard to hold it in so that she wouldn't throw up one more time.

After nearly two hours, Lord Moltenore finally returned to the room and Lilian, who had been anxious, quickly stood up.

"Everything has been managed. You do not have to worry about anything," Lord Moltenore assured her, but it wasn't enough to ease her mind.

"What if someone comes looking for the person?" she asked in worry.

"The person who died… he was someone who was involved in wanting to kill me. He probably came here without people's knowledge which is why you shouldn't worry about it. Nobody will ever question you about it, and we shall not speak anything," said Lord Moltenore, and he walked to the cupboard. Pulling the door, he rummaged through his things before pulling out a bag and handing it to her. "Take this. If you want you can start your life new and leave everything that happened today behind."

Lilian stared at the velvet bag that hung in the man's hand. She shook her head, "I don't need it," she whispered to him.

She knew running away was easy, she had done that before, but running away from the memories wasn't something she had been able to do. Even though a few years had passed by, she missed her family, and if she left this place, the memories of the man and the man himself would haunt her. It was always the good memories that came to haunt a person.

Seeing the young woman's resolve, where she held no interest in the bag of coins, he lowered his hand. He then said,

"I apologize that you had to do and see something like this tonight. But I want to let you know that I appreciate what you did for me tonight, and hopefully… one day I will be able to return your favour."

"I didn't do it to gain any favour," whispered Lilian, her heart heavy with the guilt of the murder in her hands.

"If you didn't do what you did today, coming to save me, I would have been dead by now," Lord Moltenore let her know. Lilian's eyes slowly brimmed with tears, and a shuddered breath escaped from her lips. "Please let me know how I can help you, and I will do my best."

The tears welled up in her eyes. Lord Moltenore, not knowing what else to do for the young woman, who was somewhere in shock and looked terrified, he carefully moved towards her and placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you for doing what you did for me," said Lord Moltenore before adding, "Do you want me to take you to your home?" Because he had heard of how some of the servants and maids who worked here didn't always live here unless it was of requirement.

"I am okay," Lilian nodded her head, wiping the tear that had escaped from her eye.

"I promise to not bring this up, and make sure that no one will ever come to suspect you about the murder of that man," Lord Moltenore gave his word once again, letting the woman know that she was safe. "You should go and get some sleep."

Lilian went to take the bucket from there, but the man stopped her, "I will take care of it. Thank you for helping me here."

"What is your name?" Lord Moltenore asked her.

"Lena… Lilian Lena Blackburn," she responded, and she finally left the person's room, making her way towards her assigned room before crawling on the bed and crying herself to sleep. Her night had turned sleepless at the memory of the man lying cold and motionless on the ground.

When morning arrived, she quickly washed her face, and while doing so, one of the maids who had been talking to the other maid named Eden caught hold of Lilian's skirt that had a red stain.

"Oh my, Lilian. You must have quite a night yesterday," commented the woman in a sarcastic tone, who was slightly older than Lilian.

Hearing the maid's words, her hands froze, and so did her face. Her lips moved, "W-what?"

"Now don't behave that you have no clue. Everyone heard about it and you are going to be the talk of the town," said the woman. She then looked at Lilian's skirt, jerking her chin towards it, and she said, "I think you should get your skirt changed, unless you want everyone to know that you have bloodstain on it."

Hearing the word blood, Lilian's face paled.

"What?" whispered Lilian, her expression more guarded and the fellow maid laughed.

"You and Lord Moltenore I mean, you must have quite some wonderful time together and look at you being more on guard. He's a handsome man, so I would have had a hard time resisting him," laughed the maid, and Lilian finally realized what the person meant.

She quickly went to her home and changed her clothes. Neither the Lord, nor did she speak about what happened that night, or where the person's body was buried.

When it was time, Lord Moltenore left the inn without Lilian, while the gossip about them continued. The nauseous feeling didn't leave Lilian, and she continued to throw up, not knowing what was wrong with her, until Eden commented in surprise,

"Oh my… you must be pregnant."

Another maid expressed her excitement, "You and Lord Moltenore are having a baby..."

Unconsciously, Lilian placed her hand on her stomach. No, she thought to herself, this was not Lord Moltenore's baby.