Sold?

Arius gave me a tour of the castle. Of course not all of it, the place was too big for a one day tour. Just the places I needed to memorize.

I learned that it was a home to many people, not just the people from the town but from all over the country.

All the people who worked there were overly joyed to serve Arius. I saw a variety of maids and butlers. From different ethnics, different cultures and different races. Plus I saw someone I knew. Someone I rarely saw in the past but I was happy to see her.

The moment my eyes landed on her I recognized her.

"Ms Lebberly!" I waved at the maid who was walking in the corridor. She looked back at me, a bit confused but as she recognized me, rather than being happy she was taken aback.

"Azalea?" She was asking for my confirmation.

"Yes. It's me. It's been six years now."

"Oh! You've changed so much." Her tone changed, "Look at you, you're a fine lady now." She hugged me. "Did you meet Matthew?".

I got out of her embrace, "Yes." She held my hand and pulled me with her to the lounge where we sat down on the couches

"That little! He didn't even tell me you were here." Well, a mother is bound to feel like that when her son doesn't tell her stuff.

I laughed dryly, "It seems no one really knew that I was coming here."

"That's right. It's probably because all Arius said was that he was bringing his guard with him, so everyone naturally assumed it must be Caesar." She nudged me, "Who would have thought he brought his girlfriend."

Her words made me uncomfortable, "No Ms Lebberly!! I'm nothing more than his guard."

"Guard huh..." She was looking at me intensely,

"Is there somethi-" She cut my words in between.

"That's a nice choker." My heart skipped a beat as she said that, "I wonder where I've seen this before?" She tilted her head, "Or was it something that looked like it?"

"A-ah, t-this!" Why am I panicking?

"Hmm?"

"Arius gave it to me. It was a gift when I started working for him." Talk about molding the truth...

"I see… OH!" Something clicked in her mind, "I remember where I saw this."

"Where…?"

"On Arius and Caesar."

It took me a while to process her words. What?

"On Arius and Caesar?' Perhaps they actually liked choker fashion at one point and decided to try it.

"Yes. When they were kids." She smiled sadly, "It seems not too long ago when he went missing as a child and came back on his own months later, tattered and hurt along a boy no one knew."

"He went missing?"

"Yes. When he was about nine I guess? When he came back along with Caesar, both of them had a leather collar around their necks. I think the pattern was similar." She took a closer look at my collar, "But yours has quite some unique material yet it seems sturdy."

Nine years old? That means I was three. It should be around that time when our clans fought. He went missing around that time? For months? And when he came back he brought Caesar with him? What's with all this new information? I've never heard of anything like this. Or is it that nobody talks about it deliberately.

The knock on the open door snapped me back to reality and we both looked at the people standing there.

"I hope I'm not interrupting you ladies." Huange-fei's smile seemed rather odd as he stood by the door along with Ayaan who waved at me. I smiled and waved back, "No! Not at all." I stood up to meet them.

"Oh I'll be taking my leave now." Ms Lebberly stated as she avoided looking at Huang-fei and left through the other door. Is it me or has she changed a lot?

Well I guess it's been a long time. Although, I internally chuckled, Matthew hasn't changed a bit. Although I never got to ask why they suddenly left one day. I sighed. Well, now that I'm here, I'll take out the time and ask one of them.

I walked over to Huang-fei and Ayaan, "I really wanted to ask what business you guys have here."

"Well miss I'm only here because the young master asked for me and I thought it would be a good idea to bring Ayaan along."

"I see." I cleared my throat, "Huang-fei?"

"Yes."

"I've always wondered if you were the one who taught Arius how to fight?"

"Curious as ever." He chuckled, "Yes, I did indeed teach the young master." He eyed me, "But I've noticed you've been really curious about him for quite a while and some people have been blabbering stuff." He looked at the door from where Ms.Lebberly left and then looked back at me, "It comes with consequences."

My smile faded, "I think I'm already suffering the consequences." I took a deep breath, "I'll be leaving now. I have to go and check out some place with Arius."

"Good day miss." He placed his hand on his chest and gave me a slight bow.

I waved at him and Ayaan and went to Arius's room.

He was sitting there reading the case file by the window, half of his features bathing in the sunlight. His long eyelashes were even more prominent as he blinked them while reading.

"Do you know what I hate most in the world?"

"Um… Peanuts?"

My unexpected answer made him chuckle and he looked at me, "No. I like peanuts."

"Then?"

The momentary smile on his face faded and he looked back at the papers, "****." My heart dropped at the word as he flipped to the next page, "Disrespecting a person's body." He flipped to the next, "Killing innocent people." He flipped through the pages and then shut them to look at me again.

"Aren't those things always happening in the underworld?" I asked him, "All the gangsters and thugs, they do this kind of stuff all the time. Aren't your men the same?"

"My men?" He raised his brow at me, "Did someone do something to you?" He asked the question rather seriously. There was no hint of any sort of joke in it.

"Wha- No. Not at all."

He stood up, "That's good then." He walked towards me, "When it comes to my men." He looked at me in the eyes, "None of the Alucard men are allowed to do something like that." He took my hand and opened up my fingers, "You must have noticed some men have their middle fingers cut." He held my middle finger.

"Ah!" I always wanted to ask about that.

"That's their punishment for ****." He let go of my hand, "A stigma to remain with them."

"You should have castrated them."

He laughed, "Maybe I have?"

My eyes went wide, "You have?"

"Perhaps I have not?" He shrugged, "How I dealt with them is my matter." He crossed me and walked over to the door, "Let's go. We have to leave for the murder sight."

I followed him, "Seriously though. Why are you doing this yourself?"

He smiled, "You'll find out." Just why doesn't he answer stuff? Always making me curious for more.

But. I smiled. I did learn a lot about him.

Then I paused for a brief second and sighed.

"What's wrong?" He glanced back at me and I began walking again.

"Nothing."

It just seems like I can't stop thinking about him. I told myself that I won't be curious anymore but here when I was given a little hint I got all hyped up.

I stared at his back as I walked behind him.

If I really can't get him out of my head… If I really can't stop liking him.

Can I make him fall for me?

The idea was appealing. Very appealing.

But the problem was, how?