Under the vampire Lord's protection-Chapter 196: Those memories

That night, Arabella tossed and turned in bed, debating the question that kept on bumping against the inner walls of her skull, traveling from one end to the other.

But no matter how much or for how long she pondered it, the young woman failed to grasp the reason that pushed the Lady to wonder such a thing about her.

Perhaps she was looking to set her up with a human man in order to avoid any trouble that might come from her celibacy in the manor.

The part that poked at her the most being whether the Lady had her own interest in mind or Arabella’s.

Either way, the answer was a resounding no. Edgar was kind, if not the kindest man Arabella had ever encountered. Then again, she never had the chance to converse with that many before him.

He was also the sweetest, but in no way did she ever see him as anything other than a good friend.

Not that she’d know the difference... Once again, there never was any sort of contact between herself and men.

What would it feel like to be infatuated or even in love with a man? Had she felt it before without realizing it? If yes, then for whom did her heart beat differently? More fervently?

Could she have considered Edgar more than a friend without noticing it?

As intrusive as those questions were, they at the very least, had the merit of distracting her mind from the nightmares.

Those sights became less and less aggressive with every night that went by. From time to time, an image or two would still flash behind her eyes, causing her stomach to churn among her twisting guts, but that was all... Which stood as a great omen.

The next sun peeped from behind the northern hills a little too quickly for her taste for her eyelids remained a little heavy.

But when Ada rolled in with the breakfast trolley, Arabella was already on her feet, clean and dressed, waiting for her friend’s arrival.

"Morning, Miss!" she chirped.

"Are we back with the Miss?" the young woman asked, but a smile still adorned her features.

"Ah! It seems it can’t be helped," Ada’s eyes darted to one corner in the room along with her lips which were pressed against each other and pursed, earning her the cutest of mischievous looks.

"Alright then, I won’t push," Arabella put her hands up, "Patience is a virtue,"

In reply, Ada beamed while eying her intently, seemingly going over every detail on her face.

"What is it?"

The maid had remained quiet until Arabella called her back into reality, "Oh no! Nothing! It’s merely that...," cheeks flushed, she finally looked away before uttering in a sheepish manner, "Well, I missed you... This version of you,"

"Oh...," although the smile on the young woman dimmed, its ghost lingered, "I don’t think I’ll ever be back to who I was before that experience but, I think I am starting to find my footing. I suppose I’ll wobble until I can walk on my own again,"

"You never have to walk alone again," said the maid, voice steady and gaze firm.

"I know," Arabella returned the same energy as she nodded.

"But speaking of walking," Ada took a deep breath, her face lighting up once more, "A certain GlimmerGrob sent this package in your name,"

From the lower compartment of the trolley, Ada revealed a small rectangular package, all enveloped in a beige roll or wrapping paper.

Upon opening it, Arabella was not so surprised to find new outing wear; a thin shirt, black vest and another pair of skintight, thick pants, very similar to the ones they’d bought from him before.

"I am not very familiar with his shop since I never had any need to visit it, but the quality of these clothes truly speak for his competence and craftsmanship," the maid caressed the fabric of the shirt, "Is he a goblin? His name sure indicates so,"

"Yes, he is," the young woman nodded, eyes and hands on the pants, "The previous fit me a bit too tightly. I do hope these take my forms into consideration,"

When Arabella exited the manor, dressed for the outing, Silas already stood outside, facing his beautiful and loyal northern horse, Chance.

"Morning, Master," her finger pinched at the new black vest covering her in order to curtsey, which extended a little above her knees, much to her relief.

In response, he merely nodded, looking her up and down, "Do you feel more comfortable in these?"

"Very much so," she nodded profusely.

Silas walked closer to her figure and made sure to adjust the family crest pinned to her chest before raising her above the saddle with himself.

That succession of actions from him caused her heart to flutter and their proximity to each other from riding on the same mount did not help that feeling one bit.

Along their path, nothing but the periodic cloppering of hooves filled the silent void between them for neither thought of something worth sharing.

Well, that was until the zimmerlarks’ voice reached their ears. To Arabella’s dismay, that sweet melody brought more than the delightful memories of their first visit to the valley... It dragged those of the day she’d been carried and tossed around like a mere parcel.

"Perhaps we should’ve picked a different place to visit for your first outing since the incident," Silas suggested, bringing attention onto the manner in which her entire body had tensed up and shrunk between his arms.

"No, no," she straightened up and shook her head furiously, "I would really like to see Floriel and Liriel,"

"From the response I’ve gotten after enquiring on their wellbeing, the both of them are doing alright,"

"They are!" she half asked, looking up at him.

He hummed a yes as an answer, missing not a second of the upside-down little glance she gave him. Had his heart been made of ice, the vampire would have had to breathe without one from then on out.

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