When Niles brought me back to Ashenvale, I thought I'd never leave this home of mine again. I was content with the life I had settled into.

I could see myself alongside the other sisters, waking every morning, cleaning the church, caring for the helpless, tending to the gardens, eating together, praying and then repeating the entire routine for the rest of my days.

The simple life that I always wanted, surrounded by people who only judge me by the effort I put in to preparing a delicious dinner makes me passably satisfied.

And yet, somehow, he's able to convince me to abandon it all. Abandon it all and follow him back to a place which once meant the world to me, but now is only a shell holding distant memories.

Sitting down in the carriage, I take a final glance at the church—my home for the past four years—before closing the curtains.

Nero assured me we can visit often if I so please, but still, I can't help but feel somewhat sentimental.

However, I don't regret this.

More than a simple life, I want to belong. I want a family to return to.

Everyday since Nero appeared at the church, my days passed in anticipation of his next arrival. At first, it was me contemplating what to tell or not tell him.

And when there weren't any more to tell, he started asking questions about my life. He was curious about how I lived, whether I liked it or not, what I liked, and things of the sort.

Before I knew it, my mind would wander off in the day, wondering what to tell him next. One day when I couldn't think of anything, Nero began sharing stories of his own—stories of his childhood growing up as a Pureblood, living under the strict upbringing of family and strangers alike, suffering the pressure and scrutiny of everyone around him, going mad and almost losing himself.

He, surrounded by more people and attention, grew up lonelier than I. His flaw, unlike mine, was that he was born in perfection. A cursed perfection that cast him into a spotlight that can never be removed.

Nero is a Pureblood. Where he goes or hides, there will be eyes. What he does, people will talk. What he doesn't do, people will complain.

And at the end, no one cares about the harm their actions and words caused for the innocent child growing up. They even took away his mother in candid belief that it was the best way to raise him.

Whenever he spoke of such stories, there was no pain, no emotion, not even anger. Nero just kept an impassive face throughout. It wasn't that he had no tears, but rather he ran out.

In my entire life, I only cried once.

For Nero, I cried a second time.

As the carriage drew to a halt, I turn my attention to the grown Pureblood standing outside. He offered his hand and I took it as I stepped onto Argid soil for the first time in a long time.

In an instant, I could recognize the familiar scent in the air. The smell of humans, halflings, peasants, and nobles living together. Back at the church, all we had were female vampires who stuck with a rather strict diet.

Here, it's where the life was. And still is.

However, some things have changed.

The small bakery by the corner side where Alvena used to sit is no longer. A new spice shop selling rare herbs and drugs is there in its stead. The shop where my former Master bought flowers for Alvena changed to a pawn shop. I think I just saw someone get dragged to the back alley.

As we walk, the changes become more apparent. The people have changed. Well, to be exact, there are much less "people" as there are us. There used to be at least a good amount of humans walking among us. However, all I can spot now are a few here and there.

We come to a halt a little before reaching the Dietrich manor. My eyes grow big at the biggest change of all.

"What's this?" I ask, not even taking my eyes off the grand structure in front of me.

"Evelyn, don't go th-"

I didn't wait for Nero to finish as I rushed passed the gates and began pounding on the doors for entry, but to no avail.

"Nero, what is this? Where's the library?"

His eyes look from me to the building before us.

"An auction hall," he answers neutrally.

"For what?" I demand.

"Pets."

I stare quietly at the doors closed in front of my face. How did something like this make its way to the center of town?

"We should head home," Nero said as he slowly guided me through the rest of this not-so familiar town.

Upon reaching the stairs to the grand entrance of my former residence, a blonde-haired boy runs out excitedly and greets me with a tight embrace. And of course, the shy brunette stood in the back, hands to himself, but with a smile that can reach your soul.

"I've missed you two," I whisper in Adrian's ear. I knew London heard it too.

"Didn't know you could feel things like that," Adrian joked before giving me one more squeeze.

They both glimpsed at Nero before regaining their manners and acknowledged the young master with a uniform bow and taking my luggage.

"Where's Morwenna?" I ask after looking around, slightly disappointed that she didn't come to welcome me as well.

I didn't exactly expect such a glum look from Adrian. I turn to London for an explanation, but before he got a chance to open his mouth, Nero advised it's best for me to get settled in first.

He was right so I didn't pry.

"Where are you going Evie?" Nero ask out of nowhere.

"My room," I answer a bit too quickly. It then struck me that I no longer had a room here.

"We made arrangements for your room to be right beside mine."

Nero showed me to my room. A much bigger room than my previous one. A little too roomy perhaps. Still, I shouldn't complain so I simply nod.

"Get settled in and I'll come by when it's time for dinner," was all he said before leaving me all alone in such a big room.

And indeed, when dinner time came, he was outside my door waiting to escort me down to the banquet hall.

It was strange as I sat at the table in which I once only stood to serve others. And now, others were serving me, giving me the option of finely brewed wine or the highest quality blood or both.

London and Adrian were there too. Not sitting beside me by the table, but still standing at the back in good orderly fashion.

I was uncomfortable to say the least. That's another new feeling Nero promised me.

When I couldn't hold it in anymore, I turn to the only other company at the table.

"Is Lord Dietrich coming?"

"He is strategizing with the Elders for the upcoming war and hasn't been home for weeks," Nero says casually while cutting his food.

"And Lady Dietrich?" I question as I begin to eat as well, occasionally peaking at the servants waiting on us.

"Valerie hasn't been here for months."

I lift an eyebrow. "Why that's longer than your father."

"There's nothing keeping her here," Nero says rather bluntly. "And it's the same for father."

That solved some of my anticipated awkwardness. I honestly didn't know how I'd react if I confront Master and Valerie again. I'm not sure where I would stand. But definitely, I wouldn't be where I was before.

After dinner, I was free to roam the mansion as Nero finally began to catch up on the mountain loads of work he neglected to visit Ashenvale everyday.

"Where's Alvena's room?" I ask Nero in his study.

"Gone."

"Your father could bear the thought of letting it go?"

To this, Nero let out a snort.

"Father ordered for her room to be kept and maintained so that everything stays the same."

Right. That sounds more like it.

From what Nero told me back at the church, older Alek missed Alvena desperately. I could still recall his pained expression after hearing that Alvena went missing. That was a part of Master I can't possibly forget.

"He spent most nights drinking away his sorrows in mother's room. And one day, while summoned away by the Elders for a meeting, Valerie had that room cleared out."

My eyes lower. "She didn't have to do that."

Nero only dipped his head slightly. "It's alright though. She only wanted father to move on."

Ironically, that worsened the entire situation. I hear that Valerie moved back to Rosehold because she sees no life with a husband who only yearned for a dead mistress.

I don't blame her. I'd hate to see Master in the way Nero had described him to have turned into.

"Let's not talk about him anymore," Nero suggested before recommending us a few things to do in town.

I went along with it. Nero never liked to talk about his father anyways.

They didn't have the greatest father-son relationship before or after he was forcefully taken away to live a few years with Lord Killua. Luckily, he didn't completely resent him.

For the next few days as Nero burrowed himself in his work, I visited town like a tourist. Each day would consist of discovering something new and old. But no matter, nothing else captured my interest more than the auction hall that I always passed by.

And on one occasion, as I stepped just a little closer than I normally would when I tried to peek in, my world went blank.

It remains that way until a loud round of applause sounds and echoes in my ears.

When I finally come to, my world is filled with an ugly sight of beautiful creatures chained to walls and locked in cages.

Something next to me twitched. I watched as she scrambled to get up, probably just woke up like me.

"W...We...Where am I?" her tiny voice trembled. A young one she seemed. And a nice smelling one to add.

Some of the others' eyes lit up upon detecting her complete humanness.

Just as their hopes elate, a vampire woman yanks the girl's leash and drags her across the room on her bruised back.

After the human disappeared from our line of vision, everyone in the room stayed quiet as we listened to the random calling of numbers in the other much bigger room.

"SOLD!" the host yell.

I could hear the girl's cries turn into hopeless whimpers as the audience started getting excited for the show.

"SOLD!"

Another item would be taken away.

"SOLD!"

The boy vampire hiding in the back of the room was taken away.

"SOLD! SOLD! SOLD!"

And then someone threw a black cloth over my head as I was led out. Immediately, I could tell the crowd was interested. I could almost feel eyes burning through the cloth over my head.

That disgusting lustful aura hanging in the air made me recall some unpleasant memories.

"Don't be fooled folks! This one is no ordinary catch," the host teases the crowd as she tore my blanket away.

There were cheers. Drunk cheers.

"Show us the face!" someone yelled.

The host happily introduced me as she removed the cloth like I was some rare animal in a circus. In turn, the crowd had mixed reactions ranging from disappointed hollers to flirtatious whistles.

"Hundred!"

"Hundred fifty!"

"Three hundred!"

Gasps all around.

"Three hundred going once, twice-" the host shouts.

"Five Hundred!"

"Six fifty!"

"Six fifty going once, going twice-"

"I think not," a voice thunders through the room, strong enough to shake the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.

The room instantaneously grows abnormally quiet. Everyone ducks their head to avoid eye contact as they make room for the unexpected guest to walk by.

The room falls into silence as the lord stopped in front of the stage, directly across from me.

Just as I remembered, he always carried himself with a certain intimidating elegance.

Though I've considered before, I haven't really reached a consensus on how how I would act if I saw him again, but keeping my head held high seems to be my habit whenever he approached. This is no exception.

But one thing is different from all our interactions before—my own heart stopped beating in the presence of the nostalgic steadiness of his own heartbeat.

"Master?"