Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 179: Constant dread

Silas listened to his mother very intently, but despite that, there were parts of her story that didn’t quite make sense to him. Namely the segment where Persephone claimed it was him that saved her from the stifling clutches of grief.

"I don’t particularly recall saying anything that would have had that effect," he stated.

"Well, that is mostly because you did not say a thing. Not at first," that absent minded smile her features displayed persisted. Understandably, considering she was still rummaging through shelves of long since gone yet well conserved memories, "When you realized I wasn’t responsive to any words of comfort, you... exited the room then came back a while later, carrying a piece of wood and a carving knife, sat down and just sculpted there for hours and sometimes you’d describe your work to me. I cared not for the meaning of your words back then, but your voice remained consistent. I clung to it until I found my way back,"

"Well, I am not her son and since she is no mother, I doubt I’ll reignite any motherly instincts in her if they were never there to begin with," he averted his gaze, his traits hardening as though confronted with a dead end.

But his mother’s reaction immediately brought his attention back onto herself, "Goodness, Silas! How much clearer do I need to be with you?"

"I still fail to understand,"

"I can see that," she glared at him while slowly nodding to her own words.

Persephone took a deep breath before similarly exhaling a long one, "Since her arrival, there were only four people she built any sort of meaningful link with: Ada, Katherine, Edgar and you. Ada has failed despite spending most of her days with her, Katherine... I don’t even know what’s going on with that girl, and as for Edgar, she refuses to even leave her room so seeing him is a bit difficult, which leaves you," she marked a short pause before continuing, "I wholeheartedly believe that your attempts will make more of a difference since you are not a servant that was tasked to spend time with her. You own this place thus any time you spend simply sitting by her side, keeping her company will mean a lot more than the others,"

Silas took those words, tossed and turned them, spun them round and round and... Still couldn’t grasp the practical side of it.

Did she always have to interlace enigmas and guessing games with her speeches? Why couldn’t his mother simply tell him what he needed to say or do and be done with it? She clearly had the right answer...

Although, he did allow his feet to roam closer to Arabella’s room. Perhaps there was use in further assessing the situation. To sort of quantify the lingering damages and react accordingly.

The vampire had barely knocked that Allegra’s face popped between the door and its frame, a shaky smile on her.

"Master," she let go of the door and curtsied.

Similarly to the previous day, Silas stopped Arabella from standing up to greet him.

"Is something the matter?" he glared between Allegra and Arabella.

By then, the young woman had already turned her back towards him in order to face the window, but something weighed her down. Even more so than she’d already been weighed down before that moment.

The sheepish outlook of Allegra and the way she twiddled her fingers, refusing to meet his gaze at all, confirmed it.

"You may leave for now," he ordered.

The vampiress did not dally, scampering out of there as soon as his sentence ended.

When the quiet returned, Silas neared the young woman before stopping by her figure. Merely standing at first until his mother’s recent words blared at the back of his mind.

Perhaps standing announced a rush in motion unlike sitting which entailed an abundance of time and a greater indicator that he was there to stay.

If nothing, that sounded nice enough as a start, didn’t it?

Silas bent his knees and rested his weight on the chair that had null doubt been used by Allegra only moments preceding his arrival.

From that level, Silas’ diamonds managed to capture just how truly shaken Arabella was.

Her eyes weren’t on the window as he believed, but away, on the opposite side from him, ensuring they’d never connect with his own.

There was something new in her expression. It wiped that dullness that once stood and sharpened her traits, but not in favor of a positive outlook. On the contrary, it twisted her features further, earning them a look of constant dread.

"Allegra seemed quite bothered. Did she say or do something that frightened you?" he finally broke the silence between them.

"No," she muttered while furiously shaking her head, "Allegra was perfectly kind to me,"

There it was... Her incessant need to protect even the people that caused her to hurt. Though admirable at times, it had the potential to irk him if she was to withhold information that could save her life one day.

Silas had heard it with his own ears, her admission that where she came from all it took was a pointed finger to ruin a person’s life, innocent or otherwise.

On that day, Katherine had reassured her that things were different in Umbraria and in many ways they were, but the vampire couldn’t guarantee the safety of anyone should they bring harm to her.

Especially when their actions turned out to be intentional.

Nothing was said after that. Arabella kept staring away from him, seemingly avoiding his diamonds at all costs while Silas tried to keep his attention on the moon. Failing miserably at it, but trying, nonetheless.

"Would you like to speak with Edgar?"

Her head spun towards him so fast, he feared her neck would crack. Eyebrows knitted and eyes wide open. A combo Silas wished to never again see on her. The already stiff posture her figure had been stuck in shifted, further straightening and tensing.

"Wh...Why?" she stuttered, "Edgar has done nothing wrong,"

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