~269 chapters updated until now~

Vivian felt a blush cover her cheeks after he pulled away from her lips. She could feel her lips tingle, the warmth that transferred from him to her which kindled and stirred her heart. His lips had been soft and gentle, his breath cool in contrast to the temperature. Before she could ponder more, she was brought back to reality when the droplets of rain fell on her and him as he had lowered the umbrella when he had kissed her.

To her surprise, Leonard caught hold of her wrist and pulled her to his carriage. The coachman wasn't there which made her wonder if the man had driven the carriage by himself. She could hear the rain hitting the roof of the carriage which made a continuous series of sound while her heart played music of its own. Her already wet clothes felt cold on her body. Pureblooded vampires weren't like the average vampires as the pureblooded vampires shared similar characteristics like body temperature and beating heart which had a core which was the essence of the person. Though she wore a jacket, she felt cold and she rubbed her hands.

Leonard who had changed his clothes had returned back at the thought that maybe, maybe she would have come and she had. He was going to leave Valeria in two days and had wanted to see her. He didn't understand why but something told him she was special since the time she had knocked her head to his chin.

Before the hot kettle had been knocked at the tea party he knew as if she was going to knock it down. As if it were in her nature to drop things around her like a clumsy young girl. He didn't know why he felt that way but he couldn't take his eyes off her and he didn't want to. Before he had even met her at the tea party, it seemed that he had seen her in his dreams but there was none he could recollect.

He saw her thin hands going to rub her hands together before placing it on her cheek and as if sensing his gaze on her, he heard her say, "I don't think the rain is going to stop any time soon. It's been like this for four hours," he saw her body shiver in cold. Her hands were covered with his coat but her neck which was bare, he noticed the goosebumps raised on the skin.

Her eyes that had been looking at the window slowly tore away to look at him and he felt his heart tug.

"Aren't you cold, Duke Leonard?" she asked him.

"Leonard," he corrected her.

"Huh?" she didn't understand the first time but the question was already out of her lips.

"Leo," he stated, "Call me Leo."

Vivian was attracted to this man but she felt like this was going too fast. Was it normal?

"I think it is too soon. We only met recently and are strangers who don't know much about each other..." she said not tearing her eyes away from him. She was a brave pureblooded vampire and even though she didn't hail from a high family like his, she didn't want to come off to be weak in front of him.

"I wouldn't call us to be strangers, Vivian. Shall I call you, Vivi? Vivi," he let her name roll on his tongue. Her name coming from his lips felt delicate and precious and somewhere at the back of her mind she could hear a faint voice and that voice was none other than his, "Strangers don't go kissing each other," he said, the corner of his lips lifting up slowly.

Hearing this, Vivian looked flustered for bringing it up. Her eyes fell on his lips and then back to his eyes, "You were the one to kiss me! Y-you should apologize for it," she said with a hmph, in the end, crossing her hands to protect her from the cold weather.

The blonde man titled his head, "Your soft lips pressing back on mine didn't seem like you wanted an apology out there," he teased turning her head into a mess.

"Duke Le-" she stopped when he leaned forward bringing his face close to hers.

"Leo. It feels like we have done this before," Vivian didn't know what he was talking about. Seeing her give him a clueless expression, he said, "Like you have refused to call me by name before."

"I don't think we have met before," she said hurriedly with her heart beating loudly where she could hear it in her own ears.

"I know," when he spoke, she could feel the tension of his lips on hers due to the close proximity they shared. He then pulled back, leaning his back against the seat, "Did you come to the tea party to find a suitor that day? Who was that man next to you? The one with the curly hair," he questioned her like she owed him answers.

"I have come to the age where my age girls start getting paired with a suitable person. It was my parent's idea. Not mine," she added to see him give her a nod.

"What about the man? Jerome Wells," seemed that Duke Leonard knew the man already but wanted her to speak about him. Was he jealous of someone she had spoken to? Warmth began to spread in her heart. Her eyes looking down before looking back up like the light in the sky after the heavy rain.

"No no. It was the first time we spoke to each other," he gave another nod and didn't ask her any more questions, letting his mind drift.

When Leonard looked outside the window where the water trailed down one after another due to the rain, Vivian took the opportunity to stare at him. His red eyes stared at the window, some of his blonde hair sticking on his forehead due to the rain. His lips set in a thin line which had previously kissed her on her lips.

Vivian cleared her throat which gained his attention, she asked him, "When will you be returning back to the land of bones?" after the little mishap she had caused in front of the guests in the tea party her mother had reprimanded her on how clumsy she was to knock the Duke of Bonelake.

"In two days," he replied to her and her heart sunk in her chest. She had only met him and she had already grown attached to him, "Why the sad face? Do you want to come visit Bonelake?" he asked her.

"I heard it rains too much there. I don't know if I will survive the weather."

"Don't worry about it. I don't plan to keep you standing outside the mansion under the rain if I invite you," he chuckled making her grin. The sound of the rain reduced in time and he opened the door of the carriage, "I don't mind giving you a ride back home."

"That's okay," Leonard helped her step down from the carriage carefully, "My parents might have a shock if they see me coming home in the carriage," she left the part where she hadn't told anyone except for her brother who had seen her jumping out of the window of her room.

Not knowing what to say, she bowed her head, "I shall take my leave now," when she started to walk away from him, she heard him call her.

"Vivian!"

"Yes?" she turned around.

"Meet me here tomorrow and don't forget it this time," he said a small smile on his lips and she nodded her head. When she turned around, a huge smile came to draw on her lips out of giddiness. Humming softly, she walked towards her home. When the Duke left, a shadow moved behind the pillar of the tower bell. The dark creature's robes stood still as it watched the man and woman leave.

When it returned back, it floated and drifted through the empty corridors without anyone's notice to appear in front of its master.

Nicholas was opening the bottle of alcohol. He was upset and sad about the way things had turned out to be. Just as he was about to pour the liquid in the glass he noticed the ghoul's presence.

"Why are you drenched in water?" asked the Lord to the ghoul who didn't respond. It looked as if it had been drenched in the rain as the smell it carried was of wet mud but the weather here was one of snow.