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- Story Listed as: Fiction For Teens
- Theme: Love stories / Romance
- Subject: Adventure
- Published: 01/08/2023
VAMPIRE DESADE: SEMPITERNITY
Born 1982, F, from Bukit Mertajam, Penang, Malaysia“Anushka! Are you ready for school yet? Your school van will be here any minute!” My mother shouted from the kitchen to alert me that morning. I was already dressed in my school uniform and was packing the texts books into my bag. I replied to her, “I am up and ready, mum! I will be down in a minute.” I quickly stepped out of my bedroom after taking one last look at my room, as usual. I liked to keep my room organized to reduce my mother’s burden in housekeeping. Satisfied with the result, I walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen to have my breakfast.
My mother was cooking lunch. She turned to look at me, checking how I looked. Happy with my outlook, she said, “I am glad that you can groom yourself. I used to do self-grooming back in my school days too. I didn’t want to burden your Grandmother into grooming me for school. I am proud of you, my dear.” I smiled and said, “Thank you for teaching me well, mum. I have organized my bedroom as usual.” My mother smiled before saying, “Thank you once again for proving that I have done a good job in raising you so far. Your elder brother has been spoilt since he was a baby. Now, it is way too late for me to fix him in any way but I do hope that his wife would do what I did not back then.” I walked up to my mother and hugged her from behind. “Oh, mum. Don’t you worry. Pooja will do a great job in disciplining my spoilt brother”, I said to her. “Hooooonk!” Mother and I turned towards the window and saw the school van parked outside our home.
I quickly grabbed my school bag and my lunch bag from the dining table. I then planted a kiss on my mother’s cheeks before bidding her farewell and heading outside. Mother looked at me through the window. She then waved her hand at me as the school van began to move once I got into the van. I reached the school in 30 minutes. I was studying at a co-education school known as Francis Light High in Penang, Malaysia. I headed to my classroom before the school bell rang and settled myself down at my place. Jason Lee Min-Ho, a South Korean transfer student was my best friend in school. We sat next to each other in the class. He was already seated at his place and greeted me with much enthusiasm when he saw me approaching my table. Once the school bell rang, Miss Claire DeSouza, our class teacher entered the classroom. “Good morning students,” she greeted us. We uniformly greeted her. Then she began to inform us of the purpose of her visit to the classroom.
“Students, our school board of directors has decided to organize a school cleaning project. All the students are required to get themselves involved in this project. The project involves, cleaning the school compound, painting the walls of the school, drawing murals on the walls, and so on. Students are free to provide their ideas for mural purposes. These murals are to be drawn and painted upon approval by the board of directors. Please be informed that every part of the school needs to be cleaned. This would mean that the hidden places in the school will also be cleaned in the presence of supervisors who will assist the students in manpower to move heavy items stored in the hidden places,” Miss Claire DeSouza said. Andy Jenkins, our class monitor raised his hand. “Yes, Andy. Any Question?” Miss Claire asked. Andy then asked, “Do we have to form groups within ourselves, or are we segregated according to classes, Miss Claire?”
Miss Claire replied, “Well, students are segregated according to classes. As such, each class will be given directions as to which part of the school they will have to work on.” All of us began mumbling to each other. Jason turned to me and asked, “Isn’t this interesting, Anushka? We get to explore the school further this time with the approval of the board of directors.” I nodded and said, “Yes, indeed, Jason. I heard from some senior students that this school is a heritage building. That means that there are historical places that were closed and sealed away from students. This time, we will be able to explore more on the historical parts of the school.” Both Jason and I smiled at each other with much enthusiasm in our eyes. Our minds were filled with much excitement as to what we were about to discover while executing the school project.
The next day, our class teacher brought the directions for the project entrusted to our class. Miss Claire announced loudly, “Students, our class will be in charge of the hidden places of the school. So, we are responsible for cleaning and beautifying the hidden parts of the school.” All of us were so excited that we cheered happily. Miss Claire laughed at our excitement. Thereafter, Miss Claire took a tour with the entire class and showed us the hidden places of the school that were to be cleaned.
The following days kept us busy with cleaning the weeds and wild plants that covered all the hidden parts of the school. Once the wild plants and weeds were cleared, we began to clear the dust, soil, and cobwebs that covered the hidden places. Thereafter, we washed the places with water and soap. We were instructed to leave the hidden places to dry for the whole night to enable us to proceed further with entering the place and continue cleaning. At home, I told my mother about my experiences of cleaning hidden places. My mother listened with much interest. After I finished sharing my experiences, she said, “Let me tell you something about the hidden places. My grandmother once told me that there is a door somewhere in the hidden places that is magical. It connected to the late Marquis DeSade, who was a famous vampire in the 16th century. I was appalled at my mother’s story. Curiosity slowly grew inside me that I did not get a wink of sleep that night. With eyes wide open, I waited for the sun to rise.
At the crack of dawn, I rose from my bed and began organizing my bedroom. I then headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for my mother and me. Then, I headed back to my bedroom to shower and prepare for school. While grooming myself, I heard my mother’s movement downstairs. “Anushka! Are you up already?” my mother asked from downstairs. “Yes, mum, I am. I have prepared breakfast for us,” I replied to her. I then headed downstairs to the kitchen. Mother was making coffee for herself and hot chocolate for me. She turned to face me, observing my face intently. She asked, “You didn’t sleep, did you, my dear?” I looked at her and smiled before replying, “You told me something that kept me awake the whole night, mum. Vampire Desade took my sleep away.” “Hahaha!” my mother burst into boisterous laughter that I could see tears in her eyes. I have not seen my mother laugh for a long time. I was glad to have made my mother happy that morning. Once her laughter subsided, she said, “I figure that you can hardly wait to explore the hidden places to discover the door, my dear.” I nodded while winking at her. Mother shook her head, smiling while having her breakfast.
At the school, I told Jason about the mystical door that my mother told me about. The story lit Jason’s eyes with much excitement. Both of us kept a lookout for the mystical door while cleaning the hidden places. When Jason and I reached an area with a staircase that led to an underground dungeon, we were led to the dungeon with some of the supervisors who were assigned to protect us in case of mishaps. When both of us reached the end of the staircase, we saw a bronze door ahead of us. As we approached the door, I felt a strange vibration oozing through the sides of the bronze door. I asked Jason, “Did you feel that, Jason?” Jason looked at me doubtfully and shook his head. Jason did not feel it. As the supervisors tried to open the bronze door, all of them fainted when they inhaled a faint gas oozing from the sides of the bronze door. Even Jason fainted from inhaling the gas. However, I did not feel any change in me. I approached the door and turned the knob to open the door. To my surprise, the door opened. I slowly entered the door. What I witnessed was too appalling.
As I stepped into the room, the lamps on the wall lit automatically as I stepped further into the room. I saw a big bronze box ahead of me. As I slowly approached the box, I felt someone whispering into my ears, “Come to me, my lady. It is good to see you again.” I looked around but did not see anyone there except me. When I touched the bronze box, I suddenly felt that I was being sucked into the bronze box and I landed on the floor. When I regained consciousness. I felt a cold breath on my face. I opened my eyes. A very handsome man with dark hair and dark eyes was looking at me with a concerned look on his face. “Are you alright, my lady?” the man asked me. As I slowly regained composure, I replied, “Yes, I am. Thank you. Where am I, Sir?” The mysterious man, who was still holding me in his arms, looked at me with soft eyes, and answered me, “You are in my residence, my lady.” I was shocked. That made me free myself from the mysterious man’s arms and stand up to look around. The house had soaring ceilings and meticulously maintained decorative items judging from the shine that I could see in the items placed as decorations around the room. As I walked around the house, I felt that the house was chic. “This man certainly has exquisite taste,” I thought to myself.
I turned to face the mysterious man. The man was tall and had black hair. I observed the man intently. A thought suddenly crept into my mind. As I observed his face intently, I noticed that he had sharp eyes,bristly eyebrows, a hawkish nose, defined cheekbones, and a concrete jaw. My attention shifted to his build. He had Titan’s shoulders. “Are you done, observing me, my lady?” the man asked me with a deep voice, looking at me with a slight smile on his lips. I suddenly snapped out of my observation. Clearing my throat, I replied, “Forgive me, Sir but you don’t seem to be from here. May I know where this place is?” “Well, this is my residence and we are in London, my lady,” the man replied. He further added, “Allow me to introduce myself first, my lady. My name is Marquis DeSade.” At the mention of his name, my eyes widened with shock. “Oh my God! Am I speaking to a Vampire?!” I thought to myself. I turned around to escape when I felt strong hands pulling me behind. In an instant, I was back in the Marquis’s arms. The Marquis looked confused. “Why are you running away, my lady? Did I offend you in any way?” the Marquis asked me, still confused. With a staggering voice, I replied, “You are a vampire, Sir. My mother told me about you.” I felt the Marquis relaxing at my reply. Looking amused, he then said, “Ah, I see your concern. Yes, I am a vampire. However, a retired one. I figure that your mother has failed to inform you about that.” It was my turn to be confused. Still being held in his arms, I asked him, “How can a vampire retire? I have read that vampires live on the blood of the living forever?”
The Marquis released me from his arms and walked to his sofa. He urged me to have a seat in front of him. I obliged. He then said, “Well, I have a soul now, my lady. When a vampire has a soul, he feels the pain of his prey if he feeds on them. However, I have a generous supply of animal blood stocked in my cooling room to survive. I listened to the Marquis intently, absorbing the details of his life as he spoke. I suddenly heard my stomach growling loudly and the sound echoed around the quiet room. The Marquis looked at me with much interest before saying, “I hear loud and clear of your need for a well-cooked cuisine, my lady. Henry!” A man opened the room door and approached us. “Yes, Sire?” he asked the Marquis. The Marquis then said, “My guest requires some delicious food. Would you please bring some exquisite cuisine over, Henry?” “Yes, Sire. I will return shortly,” the butler replied before leaving us.
The Marquis turned to me and asked, “Now, may I have the honor of enquiring about your origin, my lady?” I replied to the Marquis with a smile, “I am from Penang, Malaysia. I am a student of Francis Light High. We were cleaning some hidden places in my school when my schoolmate and I discovered a mystical door. My friend and the supervisors fainted upon inhaling a faint gas that oozed out of the sides of the door but I was not affected. So, I opened the door and saw a bronze box. When I touched the box, I felt like I was sucked into the box and I landed here, in your arms, Sir.” The Marquis did not seem surprised. He nodded his head, knowingly. After some time, he broke the silence by saying, “And so you found the time travel box which is the only route to where I am. That place was to remain hidden forever. Somehow, you have discovered it. Worry not, I will send you back in a while, my lady.” I felt relieved, hearing those words coming out of the Marquis’s cherry-colored lips. The butler then entered the room with a tray of food. I was served some English soup, a piece of roasted chicken meat, mashed potato, and orange juice. I enjoyed the food so much that I let out a hearty burp. The Marquis smiled slightly at the sound of my burp. I blushed in embarrassment, to my dismay.
I felt tiredness creeping inside once my stomach was filled with food. As a sign of weariness, I yawned. The Marquis then rose from his seat while saying, “Come, my lady. I will lead you to your room to rest for the evening.” I obliged and followed the Marquis out of the room. As we walked along a long corridor, I noticed some paintings of English noblemen hanging along either side of the wall. “Who are these gentlemen, Sir?” I asked the Marquis. “They are my ancestors, my lady,” the Marquis replied. The room that we entered was at the end of the corridor which was situated next to the Marquis’s room. Two maids waited for me inside the bedroom. The maids assisted in bringing warm water for me to bathe and a sleeping gown for me to change into. After bathing and changing into my sleeping gown, I got into my bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, I was awakened by the two maids from yesterday. I was asked to wash and change into my school uniform which was washed and ironed by one of the maids. Once the grooming was done, I joined the Marquis in the room where I had met the Marquis for the first time. The room looked bright with natural light from the sun. I understood that the Marquis will not be affected by the sun since he had a soul as a human did. The Marquis, upon looking up from his table, greeted me happily, “Good Morning, my lady. How do you feel today?” “I am fine thank you, Sir,” I said with a shy smile. The Marquis then directed me to the sofa and urged me to sit. I was then served breakfast. I enjoyed the pancakes with chocolate sauce and orange juice. The Marquis who observed me while I was enjoying my breakfast happily, asked me, “Would you like to return to your world, now, my lady?” I looked at him and smiled happily. I replied, “ I would like to thank you for your kindness in entertaining me yesterday and now.” The Marquis smiled sweetly and for one second I felt butterflies in my stomach. The Marquise was undoubtedly a handsome man.
The Marquis handed a golden ring to me. I looked at him, confused. “This is my heirloom, my lady. This ring will lead you to me whenever you wear it without entering the bronze box. I had a wonderful night with you, my lady. Your visit certainly made my night a hearty one yesterday.” I accepted the ring because I liked the Marquis and wished to meet him to learn more about him. The experience that I was given was a gift to me since no one could meet the Marquis but me. I then said to the Marquis, “I would certainly like to meet you in the future, Sir. I enjoyed your company very much as well. I am honored to meet a historical figure such as you, Sir.” The Marquis smiled and hugged me before sending me back to my world.
In a split second, I awoke next to Jason. I shook Jason’s body to wake him. “Jason, wake up!” Jason slowly regained consciousness. “What happened, Anushka?” he asked me, still feeling a little dazed from the faint. The supervisors slowly regained consciousness one, by one. I then replied to Jason, “ I have no idea, Jason. I fainted too. I just woke up.” I had to conceal the fact that I had met the Marquis at the Marquis’s request.
Once we all regained consciousness, we returned to the class to join the rest of our classmates. At home, I kept the ring in a small wooden box and tucked the box away in the secret compartment that my mother had made for me when I was a little child. I told my mother about meeting the Marquis at the request that I made to the Marquis to which he had kindly agreed. My mother was surprised to hear about my experience with the Marquis. She said, “You are truly a chosen one, Anushka. I was told by my grandmother that the Marquis was known to be kind at heart. Well, I will not forbid you from meeting such an honorable gentleman.”
I was glad that my mother had approved of my meeting with the Marquis in the future. I continued meeting the Marquis from time to time. On my 21st birthday, I met the Marquis after celebrating my birthday with my mother and friends. The Marquis looked especially handsome on that day. “Welcome, my lady. It is now time to reveal the truth behind who you really are tonight,” he said to me while escorting me to a room hidden from the world. In the room, there stood a large wooden table. The Marquis pressed a button underneath the table and a compartment opened in the middle portion of the table. The Marquis removed a white rolled paper. The Marquis unrolled the paper to show me the contents of the paper. What I witnessed on the paper sent shivers down my bones. It was a portrait of a woman who resembled me, dressed in an ancient evening dress.
The Marquis observed the expression on my face. “Who is this lady, Sir?” I asked the Marquis. “Your past incarnation, my lady,” the Marquis replied. I was shocked that I stepped back a little. “What are you saying, Sir?” I asked, my voice shaking as I asked him. “That you are the reincarnation of my wife, Alicia DeSade,” the Marquis replied. My eyes widened with shock. All the broken pieces of the puzzle were slowly forming a picture in my mind at that moment. It was then that I understood the reason why I was the only person who could enter the hidden room, touch the bronze box, and meet the Marquis. I was related to the Marquis in my past life. All those facts that were revealed to me by the Marquis intrigued me to the core. I was truly honored to be chosen to be the Marquis’s partner in the past and the present.
I returned home with much happiness in my heart. My one true love was found in the end. I revealed the truth to my mother who was like me, shocked to hear every word that I had told her. My mother was happy that I had found true love in the Marquis and blessed our connection with an open heart. That night, I came to a realization that what I had with the Marquis was a sempiternal love.
I was told by the Marquis that I could reunite with him in his world on my 22nd birthday. That being said, my mother prepared for my 22nd birthday when it was time as usual. That night, I hugged my mother and wept before leaving to reunite with the Marquis. When I wore the ring, I disappeared from my world forever and went back to the Marquis who was waiting for my arrival.
He welcomed me with much celebration. Guests from all the noble families attended the function. I was betrothed to the Marquis that night and one week later, we got married. I was loved and cared for by the Marquis. I missed my mother when I was in labor pain that once our child, Claire was born, we returned to my world to greet my mother together with our newborn. My mother welcomed us with much happiness in her heart. We spent some time with my mother before returning to the Marquis’s world. I was truly blessed that I was given a wonderful experience with a lovely mother and a loving husband. My life was complete.
~THE END~
VAMPIRE DESADE: SEMPITERNITY(NANTHINI RAJARETHINAM)
“Anushka! Are you ready for school yet? Your school van will be here any minute!” My mother shouted from the kitchen to alert me that morning. I was already dressed in my school uniform and was packing the texts books into my bag. I replied to her, “I am up and ready, mum! I will be down in a minute.” I quickly stepped out of my bedroom after taking one last look at my room, as usual. I liked to keep my room organized to reduce my mother’s burden in housekeeping. Satisfied with the result, I walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen to have my breakfast.
My mother was cooking lunch. She turned to look at me, checking how I looked. Happy with my outlook, she said, “I am glad that you can groom yourself. I used to do self-grooming back in my school days too. I didn’t want to burden your Grandmother into grooming me for school. I am proud of you, my dear.” I smiled and said, “Thank you for teaching me well, mum. I have organized my bedroom as usual.” My mother smiled before saying, “Thank you once again for proving that I have done a good job in raising you so far. Your elder brother has been spoilt since he was a baby. Now, it is way too late for me to fix him in any way but I do hope that his wife would do what I did not back then.” I walked up to my mother and hugged her from behind. “Oh, mum. Don’t you worry. Pooja will do a great job in disciplining my spoilt brother”, I said to her. “Hooooonk!” Mother and I turned towards the window and saw the school van parked outside our home.
I quickly grabbed my school bag and my lunch bag from the dining table. I then planted a kiss on my mother’s cheeks before bidding her farewell and heading outside. Mother looked at me through the window. She then waved her hand at me as the school van began to move once I got into the van. I reached the school in 30 minutes. I was studying at a co-education school known as Francis Light High in Penang, Malaysia. I headed to my classroom before the school bell rang and settled myself down at my place. Jason Lee Min-Ho, a South Korean transfer student was my best friend in school. We sat next to each other in the class. He was already seated at his place and greeted me with much enthusiasm when he saw me approaching my table. Once the school bell rang, Miss Claire DeSouza, our class teacher entered the classroom. “Good morning students,” she greeted us. We uniformly greeted her. Then she began to inform us of the purpose of her visit to the classroom.
“Students, our school board of directors has decided to organize a school cleaning project. All the students are required to get themselves involved in this project. The project involves, cleaning the school compound, painting the walls of the school, drawing murals on the walls, and so on. Students are free to provide their ideas for mural purposes. These murals are to be drawn and painted upon approval by the board of directors. Please be informed that every part of the school needs to be cleaned. This would mean that the hidden places in the school will also be cleaned in the presence of supervisors who will assist the students in manpower to move heavy items stored in the hidden places,” Miss Claire DeSouza said. Andy Jenkins, our class monitor raised his hand. “Yes, Andy. Any Question?” Miss Claire asked. Andy then asked, “Do we have to form groups within ourselves, or are we segregated according to classes, Miss Claire?”
Miss Claire replied, “Well, students are segregated according to classes. As such, each class will be given directions as to which part of the school they will have to work on.” All of us began mumbling to each other. Jason turned to me and asked, “Isn’t this interesting, Anushka? We get to explore the school further this time with the approval of the board of directors.” I nodded and said, “Yes, indeed, Jason. I heard from some senior students that this school is a heritage building. That means that there are historical places that were closed and sealed away from students. This time, we will be able to explore more on the historical parts of the school.” Both Jason and I smiled at each other with much enthusiasm in our eyes. Our minds were filled with much excitement as to what we were about to discover while executing the school project.
The next day, our class teacher brought the directions for the project entrusted to our class. Miss Claire announced loudly, “Students, our class will be in charge of the hidden places of the school. So, we are responsible for cleaning and beautifying the hidden parts of the school.” All of us were so excited that we cheered happily. Miss Claire laughed at our excitement. Thereafter, Miss Claire took a tour with the entire class and showed us the hidden places of the school that were to be cleaned.
The following days kept us busy with cleaning the weeds and wild plants that covered all the hidden parts of the school. Once the wild plants and weeds were cleared, we began to clear the dust, soil, and cobwebs that covered the hidden places. Thereafter, we washed the places with water and soap. We were instructed to leave the hidden places to dry for the whole night to enable us to proceed further with entering the place and continue cleaning. At home, I told my mother about my experiences of cleaning hidden places. My mother listened with much interest. After I finished sharing my experiences, she said, “Let me tell you something about the hidden places. My grandmother once told me that there is a door somewhere in the hidden places that is magical. It connected to the late Marquis DeSade, who was a famous vampire in the 16th century. I was appalled at my mother’s story. Curiosity slowly grew inside me that I did not get a wink of sleep that night. With eyes wide open, I waited for the sun to rise.
At the crack of dawn, I rose from my bed and began organizing my bedroom. I then headed to the kitchen to prepare breakfast for my mother and me. Then, I headed back to my bedroom to shower and prepare for school. While grooming myself, I heard my mother’s movement downstairs. “Anushka! Are you up already?” my mother asked from downstairs. “Yes, mum, I am. I have prepared breakfast for us,” I replied to her. I then headed downstairs to the kitchen. Mother was making coffee for herself and hot chocolate for me. She turned to face me, observing my face intently. She asked, “You didn’t sleep, did you, my dear?” I looked at her and smiled before replying, “You told me something that kept me awake the whole night, mum. Vampire Desade took my sleep away.” “Hahaha!” my mother burst into boisterous laughter that I could see tears in her eyes. I have not seen my mother laugh for a long time. I was glad to have made my mother happy that morning. Once her laughter subsided, she said, “I figure that you can hardly wait to explore the hidden places to discover the door, my dear.” I nodded while winking at her. Mother shook her head, smiling while having her breakfast.
At the school, I told Jason about the mystical door that my mother told me about. The story lit Jason’s eyes with much excitement. Both of us kept a lookout for the mystical door while cleaning the hidden places. When Jason and I reached an area with a staircase that led to an underground dungeon, we were led to the dungeon with some of the supervisors who were assigned to protect us in case of mishaps. When both of us reached the end of the staircase, we saw a bronze door ahead of us. As we approached the door, I felt a strange vibration oozing through the sides of the bronze door. I asked Jason, “Did you feel that, Jason?” Jason looked at me doubtfully and shook his head. Jason did not feel it. As the supervisors tried to open the bronze door, all of them fainted when they inhaled a faint gas oozing from the sides of the bronze door. Even Jason fainted from inhaling the gas. However, I did not feel any change in me. I approached the door and turned the knob to open the door. To my surprise, the door opened. I slowly entered the door. What I witnessed was too appalling.
As I stepped into the room, the lamps on the wall lit automatically as I stepped further into the room. I saw a big bronze box ahead of me. As I slowly approached the box, I felt someone whispering into my ears, “Come to me, my lady. It is good to see you again.” I looked around but did not see anyone there except me. When I touched the bronze box, I suddenly felt that I was being sucked into the bronze box and I landed on the floor. When I regained consciousness. I felt a cold breath on my face. I opened my eyes. A very handsome man with dark hair and dark eyes was looking at me with a concerned look on his face. “Are you alright, my lady?” the man asked me. As I slowly regained composure, I replied, “Yes, I am. Thank you. Where am I, Sir?” The mysterious man, who was still holding me in his arms, looked at me with soft eyes, and answered me, “You are in my residence, my lady.” I was shocked. That made me free myself from the mysterious man’s arms and stand up to look around. The house had soaring ceilings and meticulously maintained decorative items judging from the shine that I could see in the items placed as decorations around the room. As I walked around the house, I felt that the house was chic. “This man certainly has exquisite taste,” I thought to myself.
I turned to face the mysterious man. The man was tall and had black hair. I observed the man intently. A thought suddenly crept into my mind. As I observed his face intently, I noticed that he had sharp eyes,bristly eyebrows, a hawkish nose, defined cheekbones, and a concrete jaw. My attention shifted to his build. He had Titan’s shoulders. “Are you done, observing me, my lady?” the man asked me with a deep voice, looking at me with a slight smile on his lips. I suddenly snapped out of my observation. Clearing my throat, I replied, “Forgive me, Sir but you don’t seem to be from here. May I know where this place is?” “Well, this is my residence and we are in London, my lady,” the man replied. He further added, “Allow me to introduce myself first, my lady. My name is Marquis DeSade.” At the mention of his name, my eyes widened with shock. “Oh my God! Am I speaking to a Vampire?!” I thought to myself. I turned around to escape when I felt strong hands pulling me behind. In an instant, I was back in the Marquis’s arms. The Marquis looked confused. “Why are you running away, my lady? Did I offend you in any way?” the Marquis asked me, still confused. With a staggering voice, I replied, “You are a vampire, Sir. My mother told me about you.” I felt the Marquis relaxing at my reply. Looking amused, he then said, “Ah, I see your concern. Yes, I am a vampire. However, a retired one. I figure that your mother has failed to inform you about that.” It was my turn to be confused. Still being held in his arms, I asked him, “How can a vampire retire? I have read that vampires live on the blood of the living forever?”
The Marquis released me from his arms and walked to his sofa. He urged me to have a seat in front of him. I obliged. He then said, “Well, I have a soul now, my lady. When a vampire has a soul, he feels the pain of his prey if he feeds on them. However, I have a generous supply of animal blood stocked in my cooling room to survive. I listened to the Marquis intently, absorbing the details of his life as he spoke. I suddenly heard my stomach growling loudly and the sound echoed around the quiet room. The Marquis looked at me with much interest before saying, “I hear loud and clear of your need for a well-cooked cuisine, my lady. Henry!” A man opened the room door and approached us. “Yes, Sire?” he asked the Marquis. The Marquis then said, “My guest requires some delicious food. Would you please bring some exquisite cuisine over, Henry?” “Yes, Sire. I will return shortly,” the butler replied before leaving us.
The Marquis turned to me and asked, “Now, may I have the honor of enquiring about your origin, my lady?” I replied to the Marquis with a smile, “I am from Penang, Malaysia. I am a student of Francis Light High. We were cleaning some hidden places in my school when my schoolmate and I discovered a mystical door. My friend and the supervisors fainted upon inhaling a faint gas that oozed out of the sides of the door but I was not affected. So, I opened the door and saw a bronze box. When I touched the box, I felt like I was sucked into the box and I landed here, in your arms, Sir.” The Marquis did not seem surprised. He nodded his head, knowingly. After some time, he broke the silence by saying, “And so you found the time travel box which is the only route to where I am. That place was to remain hidden forever. Somehow, you have discovered it. Worry not, I will send you back in a while, my lady.” I felt relieved, hearing those words coming out of the Marquis’s cherry-colored lips. The butler then entered the room with a tray of food. I was served some English soup, a piece of roasted chicken meat, mashed potato, and orange juice. I enjoyed the food so much that I let out a hearty burp. The Marquis smiled slightly at the sound of my burp. I blushed in embarrassment, to my dismay.
I felt tiredness creeping inside once my stomach was filled with food. As a sign of weariness, I yawned. The Marquis then rose from his seat while saying, “Come, my lady. I will lead you to your room to rest for the evening.” I obliged and followed the Marquis out of the room. As we walked along a long corridor, I noticed some paintings of English noblemen hanging along either side of the wall. “Who are these gentlemen, Sir?” I asked the Marquis. “They are my ancestors, my lady,” the Marquis replied. The room that we entered was at the end of the corridor which was situated next to the Marquis’s room. Two maids waited for me inside the bedroom. The maids assisted in bringing warm water for me to bathe and a sleeping gown for me to change into. After bathing and changing into my sleeping gown, I got into my bed and quickly fell into a deep sleep.
The next morning, I was awakened by the two maids from yesterday. I was asked to wash and change into my school uniform which was washed and ironed by one of the maids. Once the grooming was done, I joined the Marquis in the room where I had met the Marquis for the first time. The room looked bright with natural light from the sun. I understood that the Marquis will not be affected by the sun since he had a soul as a human did. The Marquis, upon looking up from his table, greeted me happily, “Good Morning, my lady. How do you feel today?” “I am fine thank you, Sir,” I said with a shy smile. The Marquis then directed me to the sofa and urged me to sit. I was then served breakfast. I enjoyed the pancakes with chocolate sauce and orange juice. The Marquis who observed me while I was enjoying my breakfast happily, asked me, “Would you like to return to your world, now, my lady?” I looked at him and smiled happily. I replied, “ I would like to thank you for your kindness in entertaining me yesterday and now.” The Marquis smiled sweetly and for one second I felt butterflies in my stomach. The Marquise was undoubtedly a handsome man.
The Marquis handed a golden ring to me. I looked at him, confused. “This is my heirloom, my lady. This ring will lead you to me whenever you wear it without entering the bronze box. I had a wonderful night with you, my lady. Your visit certainly made my night a hearty one yesterday.” I accepted the ring because I liked the Marquis and wished to meet him to learn more about him. The experience that I was given was a gift to me since no one could meet the Marquis but me. I then said to the Marquis, “I would certainly like to meet you in the future, Sir. I enjoyed your company very much as well. I am honored to meet a historical figure such as you, Sir.” The Marquis smiled and hugged me before sending me back to my world.
In a split second, I awoke next to Jason. I shook Jason’s body to wake him. “Jason, wake up!” Jason slowly regained consciousness. “What happened, Anushka?” he asked me, still feeling a little dazed from the faint. The supervisors slowly regained consciousness one, by one. I then replied to Jason, “ I have no idea, Jason. I fainted too. I just woke up.” I had to conceal the fact that I had met the Marquis at the Marquis’s request.
Once we all regained consciousness, we returned to the class to join the rest of our classmates. At home, I kept the ring in a small wooden box and tucked the box away in the secret compartment that my mother had made for me when I was a little child. I told my mother about meeting the Marquis at the request that I made to the Marquis to which he had kindly agreed. My mother was surprised to hear about my experience with the Marquis. She said, “You are truly a chosen one, Anushka. I was told by my grandmother that the Marquis was known to be kind at heart. Well, I will not forbid you from meeting such an honorable gentleman.”
I was glad that my mother had approved of my meeting with the Marquis in the future. I continued meeting the Marquis from time to time. On my 21st birthday, I met the Marquis after celebrating my birthday with my mother and friends. The Marquis looked especially handsome on that day. “Welcome, my lady. It is now time to reveal the truth behind who you really are tonight,” he said to me while escorting me to a room hidden from the world. In the room, there stood a large wooden table. The Marquis pressed a button underneath the table and a compartment opened in the middle portion of the table. The Marquis removed a white rolled paper. The Marquis unrolled the paper to show me the contents of the paper. What I witnessed on the paper sent shivers down my bones. It was a portrait of a woman who resembled me, dressed in an ancient evening dress.
The Marquis observed the expression on my face. “Who is this lady, Sir?” I asked the Marquis. “Your past incarnation, my lady,” the Marquis replied. I was shocked that I stepped back a little. “What are you saying, Sir?” I asked, my voice shaking as I asked him. “That you are the reincarnation of my wife, Alicia DeSade,” the Marquis replied. My eyes widened with shock. All the broken pieces of the puzzle were slowly forming a picture in my mind at that moment. It was then that I understood the reason why I was the only person who could enter the hidden room, touch the bronze box, and meet the Marquis. I was related to the Marquis in my past life. All those facts that were revealed to me by the Marquis intrigued me to the core. I was truly honored to be chosen to be the Marquis’s partner in the past and the present.
I returned home with much happiness in my heart. My one true love was found in the end. I revealed the truth to my mother who was like me, shocked to hear every word that I had told her. My mother was happy that I had found true love in the Marquis and blessed our connection with an open heart. That night, I came to a realization that what I had with the Marquis was a sempiternal love.
I was told by the Marquis that I could reunite with him in his world on my 22nd birthday. That being said, my mother prepared for my 22nd birthday when it was time as usual. That night, I hugged my mother and wept before leaving to reunite with the Marquis. When I wore the ring, I disappeared from my world forever and went back to the Marquis who was waiting for my arrival.
He welcomed me with much celebration. Guests from all the noble families attended the function. I was betrothed to the Marquis that night and one week later, we got married. I was loved and cared for by the Marquis. I missed my mother when I was in labor pain that once our child, Claire was born, we returned to my world to greet my mother together with our newborn. My mother welcomed us with much happiness in her heart. We spent some time with my mother before returning to the Marquis’s world. I was truly blessed that I was given a wonderful experience with a lovely mother and a loving husband. My life was complete.
~THE END~
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