Midnight After Midnight - Nanowrimo 2022

Chapter 10 - Nefarious Plans

The night after Adelaide gave birth, everything was normal again, and she behaved as she always did in the court, the other vampires thankfully not mocking her because, if their prince approved of her decision, they did too. She rarely thought of her mistakes, and what was there to be thought about when there was nothing to gain from it? She was simply going to live as a vampire aristocrat forever, and so far, it all seemed pretty great. Midnight was the greatest time of day, the time when she could express her major passion and be much admired for it, and she felt appreciated and alive like never before.

That night, she chose to wear an outfit she hadn't worn in a while. It consisted of a dress that reached her heels which was blue as the ocean, her favourite colour; white gloves made of lace; earrings built from sapphires, and plain black ballet shoes. With much excitement, she rushed out of her room, stopping dead in her tracks when she heard some unfamiliar sounds coming from the study.

The voices and what they were engaging in were both rather familiar - just her vampire friends from the court having a mundane conversation. However, the context of the conversation itself was strange. At the moment, they were supposed to be in the ballroom, eagerly awaiting her performance and sharing gossip for everyone to hear. Also, in the study, there was usually important stuff to be done, and she had no idea what was so important that late at night. Her curiosity getting the best of her, she subtly moved her face towards the doorknob, ready to do a little bit of eavesdropping. After all, it was only natural for her to do in this sort of situation, wasn't it?

If she were a human, she would've been able to hear - but not see - much, which was why she was immensely grateful for her enhanced senses. Now there wasn't a detail she couldn't notice. She noted that the entire court was there, including Lionel and his parents. They all stood there sternly, staring at each other, their gazes not wavering for a single second. The room, which she'd visited several times, looked like any other study, except for the painting in the middle of the room that was covered with a black veil. She assumed that it probably wasn't too important, but she still couldn't help but wonder what it depicted.

Luckily for her wandering mind, there was a brief pause in the conversation, which was enough time for her to focus on what they were doing, but which was done due to the flow of the conversation and not due to them hearing a suspicious sound, which she first presumed.

"As I was saying," Flora spoke in a harsh voice. "I'm not satisfied with how our plan has been progressing so far. It's been nine whole months since that young lady came to our court, and yet nothing's changed. I mean, her dancing is incredible, and it's been nice having her around, but I wish we could've done more. If we focus on it enough, it will be done soon. We just need to show no hesitation. Vincent?"

As everyone turned towards him, Vincent cleared his throat to get yet more of their attention. "Everything you've said is absolutely correct, my lady. The world is our oyster, and the night's long enough for us to do everything we need, even the day if things get really desperate. Getting to it has been a problem, and Adelaide still doesn't know, but she will soon. She has to."

Adelaide began to sweat. What will I know? What must I know?

Lionel sighed. "I'm sorry, father. As her husband, it was my responsibility to tell her, but I could never quite find the words. However, you're right. I must do so soon, or else time will run out. There aren't many opportunities left for me to do this. I love her as my equal, and we all quite appreciate her, thus we can't leave her out of this. She's got a rather important choice to make."

Her heart had warmed itself a little before she fully realised the gravity of his words. There was going to be a lot for her to do in the near future, but what that was going to be, she still couldn't grasp.