Married To The Mad Vampire Lord

Aragonia's sky was not too sunny, yet it wasn't too cloudy either. The horizon was clear and blue, with fluffy clouds occasionally drifting across the sun, hiding its rays for a moment before clearing again. Birds flew overhead, their wings cutting gracefully through the open air, and the very smell and feel of the atmosphere was different from the one they had left behind.

Belle had always thought Aragonia's air was thick and somewhat damp, but she realized now it was fresher than Nightbrook's, with a clear spring breeze. Nonetheless, the further the carriage moved into the towns and cities, the more Belle's nerves began to stir, making her chest tighten with unease.

An hour ago, Rohan had carried their reluctant son after explaining to him as simply as possible that he would be staying with his uncle Rav and Evenly in the other carriage.

Belle had stepped down the carriage steps just in time to see her little boy's reluctance when Evenly held out her arms from inside the other carriage to carry him, and the child clung desperately to his father's shirt. Belle stopped outside their carriage to watch from the short distance, knowing well enough that going closer would only make the baby's reluctance to ride in the other carriage with his pretend parents harder.

It was only after being given many pieces of blood candy that Angel finally allowed himself to be tricked into Evenly's arms, though even then, his bright eyes followed his father until Rohan returned to their carriage, helped his wife inside, and then closed the door without looking back at his son, who was peeking his head out to look.

They had traveled the rest of the journey in silence, not because they had nothing to talk about, but because Belle was trying to collect herself before they reached their final destination.

However, the nearer they drew into the familiar city she had grown up in, the harder it became for her to restrain her feelings. Her eyes roamed restlessly over everything as if she were seeing it anew. Nothing had changed; everything was exactly as it had been a year ago when she left.

The stoned roads stretched ahead, lined with sturdy buildings and bustling towns filled with lively citizens. People moved busily about their days, sparing only a passing glance at the carriages, since it wasn't uncommon for fancy coaches to drive through the town, before continuing with their errands, not knowing that the carriages held vampires.

Voices and laughter filled the busy market square, where colorful stalls lined the roadside, their rainbow-colored canopies flapping in the breeze. Fresh vegetables were piled high for display while common townsfolk haggled with baskets hanging from their arms, their voices raised in the rhythm of bargaining and it reached Belle in the carriage.

Belle remembered the days she used to walk through this very market with the Dawson household servants to buy supplies. Back then, she had looked no different from the servants themselves, and most people did not even know her as the eldest spinster daughter of the duke. Now, seeing the market again through the glass of the carriage window, she was struck by a nostalgic ache that made her throat itch with unshed emotion.

She spotted many familiar faces as the carriage rolled slowly along the stoned road cutting through the heart of the market. Yet, though she looked out at them, and though some looked briefly back into the carriage window, they did not seem to recognize her. Their gazes slid away, returning indifferently to their business of selling and bartering.

"It feels as though I never left this land," Belle murmured, her voice soft and touched with wistfulness as she felt her husband's eyes on her from behind. She had turned sideways on the seat to look out the window. The scent of pines and baking wafted through the half-opened window, the breeze tangling her hair and blowing it across her face. She raised her hand and pushed the strands behind her ear as she spoke to her husband.

"Everything is still the same, the air even smells the same. The only thing that's different is that there aren't any children playing on the road like before. There used to be so many kids running recklessly through the streets.

But I still know almost every seller in this market. That elderly woman over there, bent over her stall with a cloth in her hand, she's been here since I was a little girl. She's the kindest soul. She always tells me I remind her of someone from her youthful days, so she gives me fruit for free, even when I don't buy anything.

Mrs. Bigger, that's what everyone calls her," Belle remarked fondly, her eyes lingering on the elder lady she meant. The woman wore mismatched clothes and a scarf tied over her gray head. To Belle, she had always been like the grandmother she never had, all because of her warmth and kindness. She made a mental note to visit her before leaving Aragonia.

"Do you come here often?" Rohan asked, following her line of sight to the elder woman she spoke of, who looked so aged she could barely stand straight. But before he could get a clear view of her, the carriage had already passed her stall.

"Yes, I do. I used to come here twice every week with our household servants, Mama always told me that, as the eldest, I needed to take charge of the house and work as much as the servants. I had to follow them to buy the household supplies and keep account..." she murmured.

"I used to think it was a normal thing to do then. Seeing that I was well past the marriage age and a burden to them, not having a husband or offering any real help, I believed that was the only way I could contribute and not become a burden."

"Now do you see that it was unfair of them to treat you that way, sweetheart?" Rohan questioned, his eyes fixed on the back of her head as she still had her face turned away. He didn't want her clinging to empty hopes about her useless parents, only to be crushed all over again.

"I... I know something wasn't right with the way they once treated me, but I never had any complaints then. Now that I've lived away from them, I understand that they never liked me the way they did Eve after that incident. But..." She finally turned from the window to look back at her husband, who was still watching her closely.

"Do you think they would change their attitude toward me now that I have not only done what they wanted but have also been away for a year? Sometimes people don't know the value of a person until that person is gone. Perhaps they might have realized how much they love me and are looking forward to welcoming me now? My parents weren't always that bad, they used to be loving, and I can't help but hope that they genuinely miss me now."

Rohan's eyes darkened, his jaw tightening as he reached out to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. His thumb lingered tenderly against her cheek.

"My love, people who truly cherish you don't need to lose you first to see your worth. What your parents gave you was not love, it was convenience. You obeyed, you worked, and they tolerated you. That isn't love, Isa. Don't fool yourself into believing they've suddenly grown a conscience. People like them rarely change, and if they ever do, it is not out of affection, it is out of guilt or self-interest. I don't want you walking back into their arms expecting warmth when they've only ever left you cold. Do not put your heart in their hands again. It doesn't belong to them. It belongs here, with me, where it will always be safe."