The Vampire Lord

Chapter 10. Snow Day

The city of Vampyria would only see snow for a few days every year, and although the winter was short, with it came a harsh coldness and an icy serenade that would fill the entire country.

Snow would dance and fall from the sky, and the trees would be dressed in blankets of white. The ground too would be covered with heaps of snowfall, and the people would have to wait for the snow to melt and spring to arrive until they could see the ground once again.

Olivia opened her bedroom window, breathing in the cool winter breeze, bathing underneath the winter sun that enveloped her with a comforting warmth.

Like every morning, Olivia headed towards the stable where she would normally find her friend, Reuben. Passing through the garden, she gazed at its beauty that never seemed to bore her no matter how many times she visited. There was an unusual silence when she entered the stable, usually by now she would hear Reuben's soft humming as he fed the hungry horses.

He was nowhere to be seen.

There was however, a dark-haired man who stood at the other end of the stable, sweeping away excess hay from the paneled floor. She had never seen this man before, but perhaps he knew something about Reubens absence.

"I'm sorry have you seen the stableboy?" She interrupted him politely.

The man stopped sweeping and furrowed his brows, staring at the girl as if she was a lunatic.

"Miss, I am the stableboy."

Olivia crossed her arms, she had never seen this man before. Perhaps there were two stableboy's at the castle. It would make sense considering how big this place was.

"There was another stableboy, he was just here yesterday." She spoke as she scanned around the stable, in hopes that maybe he was simply hiding from her. "His name is Reuben."

"That boy no longer works here, I'm his replacement."  He explained.

Olivia froze, feeling her heart dangerously skip a beat or two. Blinking a few times, she cleared her throat and spoke again.

"Where did he go?"

The girl wasn't sure if she wanted to know the answer to her question. What if something terrible had happened to him?

"Sorry Miss, all I know is that he left to go work somewhere else... perhaps for another Lord in another castle."

Olivia was relieved to know he was well and alive, but the entire situation still made no sense to her. He wouldn't just leave like that... would he?

"No... there has to be a misunderstanding." She spoke as she pulled her brows together in a frown.

"I'm sorry Miss, I don't know what to tell you."

She vacantly stared at the ground as her eyes began to water. His words couldn't be true. Reuben wouldn't just leave without saying a word. Maybe she didn't know him as well as she thought after all.

What if he left because of her? Did she break his heart that badly at the night of the ball? All these thoughts crowded her mind, as she stood there completely unmoving.

The girl now wished she had chased after him on that night. For once why couldn't she just have stopped thinking about The Lord? Maybe she should've let Reuben kiss her, maybe then he would still be here.

Olivia thanked the man for telling her this information, and then began to sprint out of the stable. Rushing through the busy gardens, she entered the castle through the back.

As she entered, there she saw The Lord's butler who was conversing with a maid near the castle foyer. What better to get answers then from the man who knew everything that went on in this castle.