Married To The Mad Vampire Lord

"I am sorry to keep everyone waiting. I was delayed because my new dress had to be reshaped to fit my body, but the maid took so long,"

Eve said sweetly as she walked forward. But before passing her elder sister, who was still standing and watching her, she paused and then said with a smile, "Sister Belle, you look much better in this. Thanks for the dresses and shoes, I like every one of them and will cherish them, since they are gifts given with love from my elder sister. I can't wait to show everything to my friends." She spoke sweetly, but a satisfied smile graced her face as she walked past her sister.

This was how it was supposed to be, Eve thought to herself in satisfaction at seeing what Belle wore. She had never imagined her elder sister would own so many new designs, dresses she had never even seen in Aragonia nor on any other lady, and she couldn't wait to wear them all herself and flaunt her beauty.

She paused briefly when she noticed the vampire duke, and a rising heat bloomed across her fair cheeks at how handsome he was. She had not actually seen him on the wedding day since her parents had hidden her away so that no one would realize she was the beauty of the family. But now, seeing him clearly and closely, she could hardly believe a so-called madman could be this striking.

Why had she even given up her position to her elder sister when there was no danger but only luxury and an unbothered husband in the marriage? Had she known it wasn't all that bad, she would never have refused it!

No doubt the duke was indifferent to Belle because she wasn't as pretty as herself. After all, it was her description that had been sent with the proposal. If she had been the one to go to that land as his wife, he would not have been this cold and distant. He would have been proud to have such a beautiful wife, and surely by now he would have fallen madly in love with her.

Slowly, Eve made her way to the table, but instead of sitting next to her mother as she usually did, she pulled out the chair beside her sister's husband and carefully sat down. Blushing like a flower in bloom, she turned toward him and greeted in the soft, lilting voice she knew no man in Aragonia could resist, "Good evening, my Lord."

She waited for his attention and a reply, a smile fixed on her lips.

But if Rohan heard her, or noticed that she was waiting for him to respond, he gave no sign of it. Instead, he leaned back in his chair, his posture all coolness and indifference, and said to the Duke, "When do we begin with dinner? I'm afraid my patience is thin tonight. If we delay any longer, I may be forced to satisfy my hunger with the meal already seated beside me. It does seem rather eager for attention, after all."

He mused nonchalantly, the sarcasm dripping through his words, and his underlying meaning was not lost on anyone at the table. The family paled.

Lady Louisiana turned her worried gaze to her younger daughter, who had seated herself so fearlessly beside the mad vampire.

"Eve, why don't you come and sit at your usual seat?" Lady Louisiana put in calmly, taking the vampire's subtle threat seriously.

But her daughter only pursed her lips and delicately tucked a piece of blonde hair behind her ear before replying, "I want to sit here tonight, Mama. His lordship is only joking, you shouldn't take his teasing words to heart. After all, I am his sister-in-law." She batted her lashes as she turned to him and asked, "Am I right, my Lord?"

Rohan's reply was a scoff with a small pull of his lips.

"I don't recall giving the impression that I converse with pests, nor that I traveled all this way for idle chatter. So if I were someone with the unfortunate misfortune of having shit for brains, I'd keep my oh-so-delicate mouth shut before it strays too far across the line."

"…!" Eve flushed crimson at his words, her embarrassment burning hot, while her parents shifted uncomfortably where they sat.

It was all Rohan could do not to wring the neck of the girl sitting next to him, dressed in something he had personally gotten for his wife. He had never known people could be so shameless and dense to this level, and he would have truly enjoyed snapping her neck right now.

He didn't need to ask his wife to know that the little sister had taken her things and that the mother was trying to cover it up. Humans, he had never truly liked them for their little dramas, but he disliked this set far more than he thought he would.

"My apologies for the delay, Lord Dagon," the Duke said quickly, trying to smooth over the awkward tension in hopes of appeasing the vampire. He wanted to scold his younger daughter for seating herself there, but he was never the type to scold her, she was just too precious for that, and he did not like how the vampire was treating his little princess.

He would have to put up with this arrogant vampire for as long as Belle would give away the information she had gathered and the weapons were made. By then, he would have the voice to teach the vampire a lesson. For now, the Duke thought, he would try not to anger the creature in any way and give in to whatever he wanted, even though he would have to watch his little princess get insulted.

The Duke turned his eyes to his other daughter, who still stood stiffly at the side. "Are you going to find your place or keep standing there like a post, Isabelle?"

Belle moved then, approaching the table where for years she had never been allowed to sit and had never attempted to sit on, but believing that since she was only a guest in the house now, no one would mind her presence. She went to pull out the chair next to Evenly when Lady Louisiana's soft voice stopped her.

"What do you think you are doing, dear?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips while her eyes glittered with a subtle look of reproach.

"I'm about to sit down," Belle pointed out the obvious, her voice even.

"Have you forgotten the place you always liked at mealtimes in this house? You never did care much for chairs, did you? Since when have you started preferring them?" Lady Louisiana said sweetly, her smile never faltering.

Years ago, on the very first night Belle had been let out of the room she'd been locked in for weeks, after they had found her wandering in the forest, her mother had spoken to her in that soft, careful voice that always made Belle want to obey. 'You will dirty the chair if you sit on it, Belle. Your dress still has smudges of dirt. Don't you think you should sit somewhere else, where it won't stain the chair?'

Young Belle had looked down at her dress, brushing at it with her small hands. It was clean, or at least, she thought it was, but still, she wanted so badly to be good, to please her mother, to finally be accepted again. With a hopeful little nod, she had smiled faintly and said, 'I can sit on the mat Eve plays on and eat there, Mama. That way the chair won't get dirty.'

'That's my good girl. Now, off you go and fetch the mat.'

And so, from that day forward, the mat or the servants table had become her place at every mealtime. She had never again been allowed to sit on the cushioned dining chairs, no matter how clean her dress was or how carefully she tried to behave.

To Lady Louisiana, nothing had changed in her treatment of the girl, no matter the fact that she no longer lived under their roof. And believing that the man Belle had been forced to marry did not care for her from how indifferent he looked and unbothered, Lady Louisiana was certain that putting the girl back in her place might please him enough to keep him from making things difficult for them during this visit.

She might have allowed Belle to sit with them, had she not wanted to please the vampire now. Forced to marry a human, surely he despised the girl and hated her presence. Lady Louisiana would please him as much as possible to protect her family.

"Meg, spread her mat and plates as usual," Lady Louisiana ordered the maid at the back.

The maid hurriedly left to do as commanded while Belle stood awkwardly at the side, unable to meet anyone's eyes. She felt Evenly's gaze on her, but she kept her own fixed downward on the array of food spread across the long table.

"My sister does not like eating at the table since she was little. She prefers the mat because she used to be friends with our servants," Eve added quickly, as though to explain to their guests why their mother had sent for the mat.

Not long after, a mat was spread at the side of the dining hall. A servant's bowl, exactly like the ones used by the household workers, was placed upon it, filled with custard and accompanied by a piece of bread on a tray. Belle's fingers tightened painfully against the back of the chair she had wanted to sit on.

"You really don't need such heavy meals anymore, my dear. A light supper will do your body good. Come, sit, the mat is spread beside me, just the way you've always preferred it. Do you remember how we used to bond like that in the past? You were always happiest at my side, chatting away. Come now, dear, don't be shy. Sit where you belong." Lady Louisiana urged with a fond smile that never touched her green eyes.