Arabella carried the poem anthology that exacerbated the influence of gravity upon her body. So small and yet so hefty, Arabella wondered whether it was the weight of the riches inscribed within its pages that tugged towards the ground.
"Miss Arabella!" a familiar, masculine voice reached her ears from behind.
"Oh Edgar!"
The young woman stopped right as her foot had grazed the first step leading to the first floor.
"I hoped to see you before your practice for the ball came to an end," he halted in front of her, a wooden case in hand.
One glance at its contents and Arabella spotted the small paper bags, concluding those were more seeds for the garden.
With a hearty smile she asked, "What can I do for you?"
"Well, I…," he trailed off momentarily, lifting the crate a bit higher before himself, "I thought you could land me a hand with the seeds like last time. I've always found the task to be a tad tedious and quite boring, to be frank, but in your presence, I felt it was much more bearable. Possibly fun even," he smiled back.
At those words, Arabella's face fell a bit, her eyes drawing away from him, "Oh… I so wish I could, Edgar," her fingers started to fiddle with the hardcover of the book she held.
"Is everything alright with you? Did I say something to offend you?" mirroring her expressions, the smile on his features dimmed as well.
"No! No! Never! Please don't think that way. It is merely that," she raised the book in front of herself, similarly to the way he'd done with the crate in order to bring his attention to it, "Lady Persephone has ordered me to learn as many poems from this anthology as I can manage and…," she trailed off, tilting her head slightly to the side, "She prefers that I remain in my room until the ball," she looked down at the end of her sentence.
"She's been quite harsh on you, hasn't she?" his voice softened even more than Arabella thought was possible.
In reply, her smile resurfaced as she began to shake her head no, "I've seen harsh before. This was more of a friendly and kind warning,"
"A warning? What might the Lady give you a warning for?"
Edgar seemed puzzled, but Arabella thought he must have been aware of the rumors surrounding her and Silas.
"I am sure you've heard the rumors going around the manor the past few days,"
Edgar took a deeper breath as a look of comprehension dawned on his demeanor. The young man gave a few slow nods her way, "Yes,… I may have heard something pertaining to that. Although pardon me if I am overstepping, but I feel I must say the Lady's concerns are well founded,"
"No, I understand her stance, of course," Arabella's arms wrapped around the book and held it to her chest, "Though even if I succumbed to the effects of the Mirari, the Master would surely know how to handle the situation,"
"While it is easier for you to develop feelings for him because of the Mirari, the same way Edna did, you mustn't forget that us humans have a certain… Sway over vampires," Edgar seemed reluctant to proceed with his words, "Especially human women,"
"Yes, I was informed of the tendency of older vampires to find us humans fascinating, but the Master seems wise, and he's been dealing with many humans on a daily basis, I assume. I doubt my sway would be that great on him,"
"Well...," Edgar's eyes traveled all over Arabella's face before meeting her gaze one more time, "I wouldn't wager on that,"
Arabella's smile grew brighter once more, "The Lady has nothing to worry about in this regard. The Master is safe from me," a barely detectable chuckle escaped her lips.
Edgar's expression however dimmed again at her words, "I believe the Lady is not trying to protect only her son in this situation. In the case he becomes infatuated with you, as much as I hate to say it, but I know it wouldn't last. The dynamic between our species has never been such as to yield the kind of infatuation that would lead to a romantic relationship. They still don't see us as equals even when enamored with us," by the end of his sentence, his smile had completely vanished.
"I am sure the Lady has my best interest at heart as well and believe me Edgar, I do understand your words on the matter are true. I appreciate your concern for me, truly," she nodded.
In a way, Edgar still bore the same look, though his eyes drifted away from her figure, "I have not dealt with many vampires, but out of the few I've met, I can at least tell you, you've knocked on the right door. In fact, despite the differences between our kinds, even among us humans, the Lady would still stand out as the kindest," Edgar continued to sing the virtues of the Lady under Arabella's amused gaze, "I doubt any other creature can surpass or even rival her in good deeds,"
Finally, the ghost of a smile had reappeared on him. One that quickly faded upon spotting the grin on Arabella's face, "What is it?" he muttered.
"Nothing, Edgar," she chirped, "You simply looked radiant as you spoke those flattering words about the Lady,"
"Hah...!" he allowed a nervous chuckle out, his hand flying to ruffle the hair on the back of his head, "Well, she does deserve the praise,"
"She sure does,"