Rose stayed, she couldn't leave the person who had given her hope and a future—but now, Princess Eleanor Averon lay down in her lap and didn't seem to wake up.

She was unimaginably frail. It wasn't the fact that she was royalty and raised as one that made her weak, for Rose had once seen the dashing figure of Prince Nathaniel and knew that strength was capable—but it didn't help that her Princess was always weak ever since she was born.

Something threw itself towards her and the wind caught the item before it struck her.

Rose was cold—she didn't it was possible to have fury so hot that it burned cold, but as her eyes landed on Lord Blackwell, the Vampire Lord who had shouted as if in pain—but so easily threw her friend away as if she was nothing but a mere child and harm her so much, it made Rose's blood simmer into a coolness.

"Use that on your princess–that's a good quality potion," he said.

He spoke as if the damage was actually reversible, as if the pain he inflicted was so easily negated by the fact that Rose's gaze landed on the most ethereal looking potion she had ever seen.

If she believed the fact that he was old—ancient beyond that of even the Averon's beginning then Rose needed to believe that it was from an Alchemist of great renown, even possibly the same Alchemist that had killed himself in an explosion—but still great all the same.

Whatever anger within Rose's chest subsided for a moment, if only to administer the potion.

Even if it was worth more than anything Rose could ever dream of—this healing potion, and it had to be one, was barely worth it for the Princess' lips as she fed her the potion.

Soon enough, Eleanor's eyes fluttered open after what was the slowest and longest moment in Rose's life.

"...Rose?"

She put away the potion and quickly wrapped her arms around the other young woman, frustrated tears leaked out of Rose's eyes as she held Eleanor close. "So stupid—I can't believe that I always trusted what you say. You've hurt yourself—"

"I'm fine." Eleanor reassured her. "I didn't feel anything."

"Because you passed out so fast! I thought I lost you." Rose pulled back and glared at her. "What would have happened if I actually left you here and he accidentally broke you in half while I was away, Eleanor?"

"Do you imagine me as something akin to a mere twig or branch?" Eleanor's lips curled into an amused smile.

"Please don't do anything dangerous or stupid again, Princess." Rose looked at her with a frustrated look. "I'm the one who's supposed to be the impulsive one and not you. Why didn't you foresee it?"

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"I take it that the two of you are done with the emotional conversation?" Lord Blackwell interrupted them as he sat on the sofa, all hints of the fact that he had screamed so loudly that all of the windows shattered all around them were gone—he was back to being as graceful as he always was. A predator that had all the elegance and without any visible weaknesses.

It irked Rose so much and it probably showed on her face, because the Vampire looked at her and then back at the princess.

"...it seems like I owe you an apology, Your Highness—but then again, I made it very clear that I did not wish to be disturbed," he said coolly.

"Yes, but when you were screaming in pain... it seemed like a cry for help, Master," Eleanor said.

Rose didn't get why the princess—actually, Rose understood the reasons why, but she still thought it was far better for them to swallow their tongues than call the reprehensible being in front of them as a Master.

The Vampire Lord clicked his tongue but then folded his hands together. "Tch, fine... it seems that I can no longer hide what has been afflicting me ever since I woke up."

Eleanor slowly nodded and Rose only frowned but chose to remain silent. She didn't know what exactly 'affliction' meant when it was clear that he had been more than healthy to terrorize not only her and the princess, but even others too.

Lord Blackwell eventually raised a brow and gestured. "Will you not say something, Princess of Averon?"

"I know that you do not like it when I interrupt you," Eleanor smiled. "And I didn't need a vision to understand that, my lord."

Rose sighed inwardly, but she waited... and also prepared herself for anything else that might happen.

However, she didn't need to.

"You mentioned something about a heart," Lord Blackwell said. "And while I do not have one—in the sense of empathy, that much I am devoid of, as it is a weakness... I do know, or have dreamed of something like that. It's faint."

"I see." Eleanor nodded. "Well... I cannot see, but I promised that I would help you with it. Rose... do you remember the stories?"

"Stories?" Rose frowned.

"Afterlife, religion and such—of what is to come and what has already passed."

"Oh." Rose laid her hands on her lap and glanced at the princess. "I am not as knowledgeable as you are, Your Highness... but where I came from, I grew up with the stories of when a person passes and has walked their time here in Osborne, the wind takes their soul and brings it to another life."

"Indeed, there are other similar stories such as that. The teachings of an afterlife—of being embraced in the arms of the goddess, but also being able to return, I am not sure if your people have something like that, Lord Blackwell?"

"We do not," he said. Lord Blackwell eyed the princess and tapped his foot idly and then looked away. "Or rather, we are supposed to have the enmity and ire of the God of the Sun and Light, and so... we sojourn here in this world."

Rose tilted her head. "You are unsure?"

"Even I am not present in the birth of this world," he clicked his tongue. "Regardless, I say sojourn but this world is ours for the taking."

"It is only you who say that, or if that had been the case, we would have already been long conquered by Vampires and they would have ruled in entirety."

Lord Blackwell gave them a tight smile. "Of course, we have our own oppositions, but my feelings remain the same."