11 A Good Life

When Eve and the others arrived back to their room, they could already hear a distant rumble of thunder. At first, it was barely audible yet everyone in the room knew that a storm was coming.

Dark clouds soon rolled in swiftly, obscuring the moonlight that cast shadows inside the room.

Soon, maids arrived to help them prepare for bedtime.

Not long after, they lay in their beds, the scene from earlier still haunting them.

Eve fell asleep while thinking about those women's fate.

However, her sleep came to an end as the storm started roaring to life. Lightning illuminated the room.

Her eyes fluttered open. Slowly, she sat up in her bed and stared at the dark room that would be occasionally lit by the burst of lightning outside.

She could hear the rain lashing out against the windows, creating what seemed like a symphony of tapping and splattering sounds that echoed through the room.

The wind howled outside, rattling the windows.

A feeling of unease enveloped her and it was not because of the storm.

For some unknown reason, she felt like someone was watching her.

She looked around. Everyone in the room is already sleeping, tired, and spent from the day's events.

*BOOM*

A clap of thunder echoed just as a chill ran down her spine. The shadow cast by the flickering lightning seemed to dance and play tricks on her head.

Still, Eve could not seem to shake off the feeling that she was being watched.

Eve's senses heightened, her heart beating faster with each clap of thunder.

She cautiously got out of bed, her bare foot touching the cold stone floor. She moved towards the windows as if she was drawn by the chaos outside.

With each flash of lightning, she scanned the dark courtyard, looking for any signs of movement, for any signs of life.

The room's windows were deliberately positioned to obscure any view of the castle's layout from the inside.

The view from the top revealed a courtyard in disarray, its once-manicured grounds now overgrown with weeds and littered with debris. The rain poured down relentlessly, forming puddles that reflected the occasional flash of lightning.

Clearly, no one was maintaining it.

A sudden flash of lightning revealed something in the corner of her eyes. She turned quickly but there was nothing there.

Was she hallucinating?

Frowning, she turned her attention outside and that was when she saw him.

A figure, standing in the shadows, partially obscured by the downpour.

Her heart skipped a beat, her mind racing with curiosity.

She could vaguely make out a man's frame as he stood outside, his head slightly lifted to welcome the rain.

As if feeling her gaze, the man turned towards her.

It was him.

The Prince.

She could clearly see his familiar features from where she was standing.

What was he doing outside?

Eve could not see the man's eyes because of the darkness but she could feel his gaze towards her. Just like how she was observing him, he too was observing her.

He stood perfectly still under the rain, staring at her. Despite this, she could not sense the feeling of danger in his gaze. If anything, all she could sense was curiosity.

What was he doing?

First, he told her how she owed him.

Now, he was standing outside of her window just staring at her without saying a word.

A part of her was curious about his intentions, the other part was wary.

He knew that she was a sorceress yet he did not kill her. Why?

"Eve?"

Eve flinched when she heard Willow's voice.

She turned.

"What are you doing?"

"I—" When Eve looked outside, the Prince was no longer there. "I was looking at the rain."

"Do you miss home?" She stood next to her and peeked outside.

Home?

Eve snorted inwardly.

"What about you?" Eve asked, ignoring the latter's question.

"I no longer have one."

"Why?"

"My sister was taken by the soldiers so they could sell her to become some baron's maid. She was my home." Willow blinked as if she was trying to stop herself from crying.

Eve lifted an eyebrow.

She had waged war against the Kingdom who supported the Demons. She knew that war could tear families apart.

In her defense, she did it to save humanity.

"Night's Courtship is nothing more than a game of survival," Eve said. "If you want to live you would not have come here."

Willow shrugged. "Outside of these walls were unimaginable things that a noble like you would not know."

"Tell me about it," Eve responded almost immediately.

"The dwarves hated humans and the Weres do not exactly respect us. It was only the vampires who welcomed us."

"Because of our blood," Eve said.

Willow nodded. "It's not like it is going to kill us."

"Is it not?"

"Well— it is better than what is outside of these walls. If one of the noble vampires took a fancy to us, we would have a chance at life. Isn't it just blood? We could live in luxury with maids and safe from the horrors of the world outside. What is blood compared to a good life?"

Good life?

If she is calling that a good life then…

Eve looked outside.

Indeed, life is cruel and brute.

"You should sleep, you already attracted the attention of Casimir. The others would start eying you thinking you already have an edge, an advantage. In this game, tall trees always attract the wind."

With that, Willow turned back to her bed. She laid down and pulled her blanket to cover her body.

Eve turned her attention outside of the window. The storm was still raging. The chaos outside perfectly mimicked the emotions she was currently feeling.

Another loud thunder boomed.

She blinked and looked in the direction of the door.

Something is telling her that something… or something is standing there.

Frowning, Eve took a step towards it. Going out of this room was not allowed without the mistress's approval. However, they intentionally did not lock the door to see if the women would follow the rules.

This means that anyone outside could simply walk in without difficulty.

The rules of this game were excessively brutal and biased, causing her to question whether the goal was to eliminate all women instead. Are they just looking for entertainment?

Or were they genuinely seeking a bride for their Prince?

Without hesitation, she opened the door.

Her eyes fell upon a vampire, tightly embracing a woman's body while satisfying its hunger.