Bambi and the Duke

This is a PREQUEL to the books ’Valerian Empire’ & ’Heidi and the Lord’. Please read them, before reading this book.

It went without saying that after going back to the mansion both Leonard and Christopher were thoroughly scolded for their ill behavior. The servant who had taken them along with him was reprimanded for not keeping an eye on them. Not only were the boys covered in bruises but also mud, their clothes half torn and hair that looked as if birds had begun living in them.

Leonard’s father, Giles sighed tiredly rubbing his forehead while he sat on the armchair of his room.

”You worry too much,” his wife who had been brushing her hair spoke looking at him through the mirror, ”He is still a boy who is learning new things. Sister Isabelle said there was nothing to worry.”

”I don’t know what to do with him at times. I don’t remember my mother saying anything about me or Sullivan behaving like this.” Renae smiled at her husband, placing her brush on the dressing table, she went to stand behind him, bending down to leave a small kiss on his lips, she said, ”That’s because Leo takes after my grandfather.”

”Of course,” Giles closed his eyes at the thought of it. Out of all the grandchildren, his son was the one to acquire most of the character mentally and physically from the old man.

”It was my fault, dear. I was hoping they would mend their ways and become friends than what came through by the evening today. I will make sure to keep Christopher away from Leo from next time,” Renae moved her hand from her husband’s shoulders and weaved her hairs through the fingers, plating it at the side, ”But refusing him to go out again with Paul is a little harsh, don’t you think?”

Giles stood up from his armchair to go to bed where his wife now was pulling up the quilt, ”He spends far too much time with the servant,” he voiced his concern. Renae placed her hand on top of his which was on the bed,

”Paul has been faithful and he’s given us no reason to not trust him. I don’t think anyone here in the mansion is. A little time with him gives him a different perspective of the empire. Our boy is well behaved. Let him go out one more time, if something happens again you can handle it,” Renae tried swaying his decision to only get a hum from him. Taking it as his agreement she smiled.

”Right now these lands are safe for no pureblooded vampires. Not for children especially. Until the council resolves on what is going on and where the poison is being bought from, we all need to be cautious. There are humans who are trying to freeze our hearts, corrupting it to turn us amongst ourselves,” he said glancing out the windows which were open, walking towards it he closed it shut to avoid the rainwater which was going to fall down from the sky soon.

As the rain did begin to pour, the land and the windows shook with the growl of thunder. Lightning struck on the lands, the objects in the mansion getting momentary light before it immersed back to its darkness of the night. Leonard sat at his usual spot in the glass room on the wooden slab under the roof where he could hear the water drops pelt down furiously.

With a screw in his hand, he turned the little screw in the wooden box that he held in his hand. It was a box that needed to be winded before it produced beautiful music. In the afternoon when they had been walking through the stalls, this was one of the items which had caught his interest. Even with the number of people who chattered their way in and around the place, the music had made him turn his head. It was a wonder how a little box could do so much. Unfortunately, when he had gotten into a brawl with his second cousin, the top of the box had come out after falling on the ground.

Trying to fix it, he rotated the screw carefully. Once it was fixed, he winded the stick that stuck outside to hear the tinkling music which the box produced. He sat there for minutes, playing with the box until he found the little girl walking behind the pillars again.

Little Vivian who had fallen asleep early due to the sheer excitement of going to the fair, had was woken up by the enormous sound of thunder. It didn’t help that the light that constantly passed through the transparent window turned the most innocent things in her room to a scary shadow in her eyes. With every thunder that struck from the sky, she jumped looking around the room as if something would jump and eat her alive. Nonetheless she continued to walk to the end of the room with a blanket which was dragged behind her, unaware that it was cleaning the floor as she walked.

Walking to the plants and flowers, she sat down in front of it to draw her knees close to her chest. Her eyes drooping at one point to only be woken by the thunder again. Leonard who had been watching her, got down from the slab to go and sit next to her with not so much as a word.

”What are you doing out of bed?” the boy stretched his legs in front of him.

Giving him an anxious look she whispered, ”Ghosts in room,” to which he rolled his eyes.

”Ghosts don’t exist. They are made up stories so that children go to bed soon,” responded the boy, ”If they did exist, don’t you think it would have followed you here?” he drawled a little, looking at the door as if someone was there. Little Vivian turned suddenly to see what he was looking at. Did the ghost follow her? Scooting closer to him, she went back to holding her knees close to her chest again.