Chapter 18 : Chapter 18
Chapter 18. I Can Even React to the Air
“What do you mean, Young Lady?” Eve asked.
“Nothing,” Vivian replied, averting her gaze in a casual tone. “You just look quite similar.”
“Young Lady, that joke is not very amusing.”
“Who said I was joking?” Vivian snorted and leaned back against the pillow again, her fingers idly twirling the strands of her nearly dry crimson hair. “Hmph. It sounded quite convincing, but did the Church not claim they have already wiped them out completely?”
Eve neither shook her head nor nodded.
Who could say for certain? The so-called full extermination by the Church was nothing more than a means of preserving the faith of the masses.
After all, if people lost their faith, what would they need churches for? How would the Church continue making money?
When the flames devoured everything that night, not a single person in clerical robes appeared in time.
She had never possessed faith in the first place. Those ridiculous beliefs and their God had long since rotted away in blood and fire.
“Perhaps they have been wiped out,” she finally replied calmly. “Or perhaps a small number still exist. After all, although it is a story, Vampires do truly exist.”
After saying that, Eve prepared to stand.
“Who told you that you could move?”
Eve sat back down again.
“I have not fallen asleep yet. Until I allow it, you are not permitted to leave this room. Just sit there.”
“Understood.”
Vivian pulled the blanket over herself, her voice muffled beneath it. “Also, turn off the light. It is too bright.”
Eve stood up and walked to the bedside table, reaching out to switch off the hanging lamp.
The room was instantly plunged into darkness. Only a faint line of moonlight slipped through the heavy curtains, stretching across the carpet.
Eve returned to her original seat. Her crimson eyes could easily adapt to the darkness, allowing her to see the outline of the bed and the small lump beneath the blanket.
“Are you still there?” Vivian’s voice suddenly came from the darkness.
“I am here, Young Lady.”
“From tomorrow onward, whenever I go to sleep at night, you must sit here.”
“Hmm?”
Vivian hid beneath the blanket, hugging her pillow. After hesitating for a long time, she continued in a quiet voice, “I need someone… to talk.”
The final two words sounded strangely awkward, as if she were reluctant to admit them.
“Talk?” Eve asked.
“Yes, talk,” Vivian suddenly fidgeted irritably beneath the blanket. “Either you listen to me talk, or I listen to you talk. It does not matter… I just do not want to be alone.”
“So from now on you must come whenever I call. You must listen carefully. And you are not allowed to repeat anything you hear. Do you understand?”
Eve looked at the small mound beneath the blanket in the darkness and suddenly seemed to understand something.
This enormous and luxurious room.
A life filled to the brim with schedules.
This noble young lady who had to appear flawless in every aspect.
At night, she was simply lonely.
Perhaps she was too proud to say it openly.
“Understood, Young Lady,” Eve replied softly.
There was no further response.
It seemed that today’s little drama had come to an end. The night breeze occasionally slipped through the gaps of the window, producing a faint whispering sound.
Only Eve remained, blinking quietly with her crimson eyes.
…
Tick… tick… tick…
The clock indicated that it was now exactly seven in the morning.
My name is Eve, and I have not slept all night.
Fortunately, the bed was soft, so sitting for long periods was not too uncomfortable. There was still an hour before the time she needed to wake the Young Lady.
Although she had been ordered not to leave the room without permission, surely going to the restroom should be acceptable.
With that thought, Eve carefully stood up.
Her Vampire senses could clearly hear the steady rhythm of breathing echoing through the air.
Good. The plan was working.
She just needed to—
Wait.
Her bootlace had come undone.
As Eve crouched down to fix the lace, her senses briefly scattered.
Then, in the next instant, she felt a hand rest on her shoulder.
Not good! A black hand!
Relying on the instincts she had honed through years of being an assassin, Eve reacted in 0.1 seconds. If lightning itself struck before her, she might still fight it.
Driven by pure instinct, she grabbed the hand behind her—
And then…
With one arm, she performed a shoulder throw and flung the person over her shoulder.
“Eh?!”
Vivian, who had not fully woken up and was still half-asleep, suddenly felt her body dragged by an overwhelming force.
Before she could process what was happening, she flew through the air like a kite with its string cut.
A perfect arc!
It looked like she was about to crash straight into the vase!
But the expected crash never came.
It was Eve!
In the blink of an eye, Eve unleashed the full capacity of her body. With a powerful push from her feet, just as Vivian was about to collide with the wooden floor, Eve lunged forward and caught her midair in a princess carry.
Smooth.
Decisive.
Her calm face seemed to declare absolute invincibility.
Vivian blinked sleepily, looking left and right, then glancing again at Eve’s rather impressive chest. She rubbed her eyes and muttered, “What just happened?”
She was still confused. She only remembered sensing something moving in her sleep. When she woke up, she saw a familiar back, and then… nothing.
“Good morning, Young Lady.”
“….”
Vivian lay limply in Eve’s arms for several seconds. Her eyes gradually widened, and suddenly she exploded in outrage.
“Why am I in your arms?! Who allowed you to touch me?! Do not carry me—ah!”
A loud thump echoed.
The small figure dropped straight to the floor, landing squarely on her backside with a miserable yelp.
She sat there for quite a while before recovering. Completely awake now, she looked up and glared at Eve with clenched teeth, who remained expressionless.
Her voice trembled, each word pronounced slowly.
“Why… did… you… let… go?!”
Eve: ?
Did she not say she was not allowed to carry her? Yet now she was angry after being put down. This person was truly difficult to serve.
Eve chose not to mention the fact that she had just thrown Vivian across the room with a one-armed shoulder throw.
It seemed Vivian had not realized what had happened. Early in the morning, her heightened sensitivity had made the move come out almost automatically.
Meeting Vivian’s furious gaze, Eve decided to strike first.
“I shall go check whether breakfast in the kitchen has been prepared.”
She bowed slightly. “If the Young Lady has no further instructions, I will take my leave.”
And she ran.
“Get back here!” Vivian’s furious voice rang out from behind her, accompanied by a sharp inhale from the pain of the fall. “I have not permitted you to leave! Eve! Did you hear me?!”
But Eve had already opened the door, slipped out sideways, and shut it quickly behind her.
As the door closed, she heard a dull thud from inside—something had apparently been thrown at it.
The corridor was empty. Morning sunlight streamed diagonally through the high windows.
Eve straightened the collar and sleeves of her maid uniform.
She did not head for the kitchen first.
Instead, she went to the restroom.
Because she truly could not hold it any longer.
The situation was urgent, and she hoped the Young Lady could understand.