When Belle returned back to the room where Mrs. Whitaker stared at her while seated at the desk, she walked towards the chair and took her seat again to tell her, “I finished my break.”

“Miss Belle,” said her governess who looked angry right now. Pushing the glasses back that she wore, the woman started to pack her things around along with the books and quill she had brought along with her, “I don’t think you understand the seriousness of life, do you?”

The young vampiress didn’t know what Mrs. Whitaker was talking about, “I didn’t know taking a break would make a person less serious-”

“Taking your break to talk to that butler of yours at the back of the house. I believe that is what I am speaking about. Do you think I have the free time to teach a girl like you who doesn’t show any interest in what is being taught.”

Belle who was already in a bad mood didn’t like the way the governess was talking to her right now, “Interest? I don’t think you understand the meaning, Mrs. Whitaker. If I am not wrong, I have been completing the assignments you have been giving me since the time you were assigned to be by governess. Are you telling me that I haven’t been doing it? Most of them are right.”

“But not all of them are right, are they?” Mrs. Whitaker shot back at her, “A lady should strive to be perfect.”

“I don’t think anyone can be perfect in this imperfect world. The most we can do is be best,” Belle responded back as she saw Mrs. Whitaker standing up and put the strap of her bag over on the right side of her shoulder.

“I should have known better, that an average vampire’s daughter would not have goals to strive for. If it weren’t for Miss Olivia, I wouldn’t have stepped foot here,” when Mrs. Whitaker said this, Belle didn’t like the way the woman brought her and her family’s status in their conversation.

“I didn’t know you were a pureblooded vampire because the last time I checked you were just like us, me, who belongs to the average vampire family,” Belle reminded the woman who turned around to look at Belle with a glare.

She thought the woman would say something to her with the way she glared at her right now but instead, she didn’t say anything. Turning around she left the room and Belle didn’t bother to stop the woman.

Some would have considered it to be her being a brat but it wasn’t about that. It was like suddenly her parents were changing things around her, changing her surroundings which she was not familiar with and comfortable with. She didn’t need governance or a teacher who would look down on her or her family. Maybe her mother was alright tagging along with the pureblooded vampires like Olivia or her sister Irene who looked down at the society.

Down in the mansion, Mrs. Whitaker was leaving the mansion with quick footsteps without waiting to talk to Adams on what happened. She had no interest in teaching this measly family when she could earn much better when it came to the pureblooded families. If it weren’t for Lady Olivia’s request she would have not spared a single second to look at the girl. Mrs. Whitaker had a commendable reputation when it came to be a governess.

She walked through the double doors of the mansion and before she could step into the carriage, she heard the butler speak to her,

“You are done with your classes early, Mrs. Whitaker,” the woman turned around to look at the man in the uniform.

“Let the family of Adams know I won’t be coming here anymore. If the girl really wants to learn, she will need to come to my own house to learn, else they can find another governor to teach her,” said the woman in an irritated tone.

The butler hearing this asked, “Did something happen?” his expression remained unchanged with a faint smile of politeness on his face. He had a very peaceful demeanor around him.

“She is an impolite girl. A girl of her stature should know how to respect people around her. She should be grateful that I came here to teach her but I have been seeing her since day one. She has shown nothing but ungratefulness,” said Mrs. Whitaker with her nose flaring.

Lucas slightly tilted his head, “Her stature?”

“You must already know,” the woman huffed, “If the other young vampiress or vampire do it who belong to the higher elite society, it is something we can digest because of the money we get paid.”

Mrs. Whitaker gave a look at the mansion and turned around to get into the carriage. He gave her a small bow where he straightened his back to look at the carriage leave the gates of the mansion, one corner of his lips pulled up to show the sharp fang-like teeth that peeked out before he went back to serve the guests who were yet to leave.

He knew the woman would be back again here tomorrow or day after tomorrow and that this wasn’t her last day but for now, good riddance, thought Lucas to himself. Though Lucas was strict himself when it came to all of the things around him, he preferred it wasn’t the same when it came to others.

As the time of night approached, Belle made her way to where her mother and father were seated in the drawing-room, not too far from the fire. Before Belle could raise her concern, Mrs. Adams was the one to part her lips so that she could speak.

“Good that you are here, Belle. Sit down,” said Mrs. Adams. The fire crackled in the fireplace, small sparks erupting to not go too far as it produced the needed heat to keep the room warm, “I received a note from your governess Mrs. Whitaker. She said she wants to withdraw from work here from tomorrow.”

“What do you mean?” asked Mr. Adams in pure surprise as the matter had not been brought up during the time of dinner.

“Our dear daughter told the woman she didn’t need her,” said her mother, giving a look to her father before her eyes fell on Belle, “Do you think you are knowledgeable enough to not need governance? We grew you up without many restrictions and maybe this is why you are behaving without thinking the pros and cons of our family or to know what is better for you,” scolded her mother without raising her voice at her.

Though there were times when she was younger where her mother often scolded her, her mother never raised her voice at her, and neither did her father.

Belle let out a sigh, “I have been doing what she wanted me to learn, mama. I have done everything. Studied, written, completed all she has asked but she had a problem when I took a break.”

“Your class goes for four hours,” her mother gave her an incredulous look, “Do you know how much she costs for a week? Fifty gold coins and there’s a reason for it. The woman has raised decent, elegant ladies. What were you even doing leaving the class and coming down to see the guests?” her mother questioned her.

“It is about changing everything around me. You didn’t even ask if I was comfortable-”

“Is this about the butler? Mrs. Whitaker told me you were talking to the butler during your time of the break in the backyard,” Mrs. Adams didn’t want to tell it out loud with the fear that her words might be true. She knew her daughter was attached to the butler and most of the years she had only smiled at her daughter’s attachment to the servant but now she was worried, “What you will be doing going back to your room is writing down an apology letter to Mrs. Whit-”

“I won’t be doing anything like that if you want you can do it, but I will not be doing anything as such.”

“Belle is that the way to speak to your mother,” her father didn’t approve of his daughter speaking back to her mother without considering what her mother was talking about.

Belle looked at the fireplace where the logs of wood were burning brightly, “She looked down on us, our family. How can you expect me to let her teach me, papa? I know we are not pureblooded vampiress and that vampires like us are not considered but…” turning back to look at them, she saw both her mother and father share a look at each other.

“We have something to tell you,” said her father, and she started to imagine worse. Had they decided on who to be her suitor? He then said, “The work I have been doing. Something went wrong there. Not the one with Mr. Quinn but Mr. Wellington. The money we had loaned and the things we have been working for didn’t go well and we had to keep the house under,” her father sighed to tell, “Something similar to mortgage to Mr. Wellington.”

“What?” Belle whispered not knowing what bad could happen to have the mansion being placed for money, “How did it happen?”

Her mother said, “Mr. Wellington wants his money back which was put into the work. Mr. Wellington and Lady Olivia’s parents know each other. Lady Olivia said she would take Lucas as her butler and in return, they would be returning the money that has been plundered by the people who took it. They have nothing to return back. No land, no house.”

“Why not? Shouldn’t Mr. Wellington catch hold of them?”

Her father let out a tired sigh, “The people we lent money to, they were part of a single town and the very same town was ambushed and killed by the black witches. There was a massacre that took place a few weeks ago and every single person there was killed. The lands that belonged to some of them will go to the council before we get to file and get some of the properties back to be sold but that will take time,” he said to her, looking away to not meet her eyes, “Mr. Wellington can’t wait and he wanted assurance which was why we had to place the mansion first. Which is where the Stlinkson’s came to make a deal as your mother said.”

She saw her mother’s shoulders slouch slightly in worry.

This was the first, Belle was hearing about it. She didn’t hear a whisper in the house like her parents were trying to keep it quiet.

Belle stood up from the chair she had been sitting on and went to her father, and hugged him. She didn’t want her father feeling ashamed, it was something a child didn’t want to see or feel that their parent was being cornered. It appeared that the reason why her mother was sending Lucas away was not because of her but because their family was in trouble.

Would Lucas have to leave this mansion?

Was there no way out of it? asked Belle to herself.