Cursed Together With Mr.Vampire; I need to drink his blood!

17. A Secret Room

Triana didn't expect such a big wardrobe could shift with almost no sound. 

However, what surprised her even more was a dark passage behind it that she could not see the inside.

"A secret room," She muttered as she paced toward the dark door.

"Wait here. I'm going to take something inside," Vlador said after the wardrobe had shifted perfectly.

"W-wait a minute," Triana immediately restrained him. "We only have one lantern. It's very dark in there,"

Vlador looked at Triana with a flat gaze. "I can see in the dark. I'm a vampire."

"O-oh…" Triana took down the lantern that had been helping her look for the cloak.

"I will be right back," Vlador said, starting to take a step. However, Triana again stopped him.

"Please wait for a second, Mr. Vlador." She stepped quickly to stand in front of the vampire.

Vlador frowned. He looked at Triana questioningly.

Meanwhile, Triana bit her lower lip. Her face was slightly lowered and her eyes moved in random ways. "Well… That…"

"Say what you want, gosling. Don't waste my time." Vlador snapped impatiently.

Triana cleared her throat, then raised her face to look at the vampire man. "Can I come in with you?"

"What is your reason?" Vlador asked with his head tilted and his arms folded across his chest.

"I-I… have never stepped inside a secret room before. So far, I've only heard about it from books and people's stories.  I didn't think you also have it here, so I… felt curious to look inside," Triana explained slowly.

"It's pitch black in there and the path is long. There is also a monster. Aren't you afraid?" Vlador asked coldly.

"A... a monster? What monster?" Triana's eyes widened.

"Blood-sucking monster, human-flesh eater."

"My God…" Triana held her chest and a hand covered her mouth.

A blood-sucking and human-flesh-eating monster sounded terrible. If she went inside, would she make it out alive?  What would Mr. Vlador take in there? As far as she knew, the secret room was a place commonly used to store treasures.

From what Triana had read, several old kingdoms paid alchemists to create special monsters to guard their treasures in secret rooms. Reportedly, the monsters were a combination of humans, wolves, bears, bison, and others. After reading the book, Triana could not sleep for three days because she kept imagining the horrific images of those creatures.

It seemed that Mr. Vlador also had one of those monsters in his secret room. Moreover, he had lived for hundreds of years.

"Wait quietly here."

Vlador's voice woke Triana from her ponder and she realized that he had stepped into the passage door and had almost disappeared into the darkness. Without thinking further, she reflexively ran after him.

"Mr. Vlador, please wait a moment," Triana said, holding herself back from screaming.

Vlador's steps stopped. He looked back and clucked his tongue. "What's wrong with you?"

"I'm sorry if I bothered you, but could you just let me come along?" Triana asked quickly.

"I thought you were afraid of a monster that could kill you?" One of Vlador's eyebrows rose.

"It seems… that I would be more afraid to be alone waiting in that wardrobe room.  After all, you're here with me, so I'm sure you can beat that monster. My life is also your life, isn't it?" Triana replied.

Vlador stared at Triana intently for a few seconds. His forehead was still furrowed and he narrowed his eyes slightly as if he looked confused.

"That monster… is yours, isn't it? As the owner, shouldn't you be able to control it?" Triana asked again to convince Mr. Vlador to let her come along.

Vlador's confused gaze slowly turned blank, making Triana wonder what he was thinking. Then, his eyebrows rose. "You are right. I am the owner."

Grasping Triana's wrist, Vlador led her to go a little farther into the humid and cold passage. Then, the passageway door began to slide shut until the only light they had was from the lantern Triana was holding.

Triana turned her body backwards to find the passage had now become a dead end.

"The only exit has been closed. I am not responsible for what will attack you later." Vlador said.

Triana's heart thumped loudly. She tried to control her fear by taking deep breaths. Then she turned back to the vampire.

"I-I'll follow you," She said.

Vlador chuckled. "Watch your step. The path is uneven and there are lots of stairs."

"I will," Triana said as she pointed her lantern a little higher so she could see more clearly the path she was going to take.

This passage felt damper and colder than all the castle passages that Triana had passed. The passage had a low enough ceiling that it almost touched Mr. Vlador's head. The size was also narrow that walking side by side with Mr. Vlador made almost no more space on their right and left.

As Mr. Vlador said, the stone floor was indeed uneven. Sometimes, Triana found some stones were bumping up from their place or there were stones that have disappeared so that the floor had holes. She had to walk with extra care so as not to trip herself.

The sound of their footsteps and her own breathing were all Triana heard on this walk. The silence of the closed passage ringing in her ears, made her feel uncomfortable.

However, the awkwardness of remaining silent when she was with someone was even more unbearable. Therefore, Triana tried to open up a little conversation,

"Excuse me, Mr. Vlador. If I may ask, what do you intend to take in that secret room?" Triana asked after clearing her throat.

"Money. We'll need it on the way and to buy things," Vlador replied.

Triana's eyebrows suddenly rose high. She turned to him with big eyes. "So, it's true that you keep your treasure in this secret room?"

"Has anyone ever told you?" Vlador narrowed his eyes.

"The book I read said that vampires keep their treasures in secret rooms. Yes, almost all castles do have it. But I never saw the secret room in person because we don't have one in Gelev Castle."

"Your castle may have it, but your people are keeping it a secret from you."

Triana turned to the vampire with narrowed eyes. "I believe that it does not exist. My parents have no reason to hide it from me."

"You seem to really trust and love them. Are you not afraid that one day you will be disappointed in them if they are not as good as you think they are?" Vlador asked with a crooked smile.