Chapter 18: Inner Feelings

" What are you doing here? Keith asked in a surprised manner.

He didn't expect her to be lurking beside the window. It looked like she was holding her breath, which was why he didn't feel her presence in an instant. As he was entering the room, he didn't use his blood qi, as he was still digesting the blood essence. And while climbing the cliff, he used the blood qi, which was destabilizing his rhythm. So he canceled the blood qi to keep it from erupting.

While he questioned Rena about her behavior and why she was here, Rena, who was holding her left hand over her mouth, let it fall back. She opened her mouth while looking at him with strange eyes.

" I wish to ask the same question. You have been gone for more than two hours. I came here two hours ago, but couldn't find you. I searched the whole castle by the next hour, but you were nowhere to be seen.

" I returned to your room, looked around every corner again. Then I noticed the window was not properly closed. I looked outside but you weren't even in the outer garden. Without knowing where you were, I just waited here, looking outside the window.

" And suddenly, a figure popped up on the castle walls. I was scared when it sprang back up and jumped down. I looked carefully as the figure traversed through the outer garden and reached the floor below the room, looking up towards the castle.

" I immediately jerked back and hid behind the window. " Rena blurted out.

" Oh… you must've been quite scared then." Keith scratched his back as he thought how his sneaking around would've made anyone alert.

Looking at Rena's puffy cheek, he sighed in his heart. She was really concerned about him, and he was sneaking around like a thief. While he was glad that she didn't report it to his grandpa, as what he was doing was not legal. If he was found out to be sneaking around, going to the shop, with his grandpa's influence, it was not hard for him to get the information about his visits.

The manager might as well be forced to comply, which would jeopardize his position.

" Damn, I should have worn a mask." He cursed himself for his stupidity.

But he was there just to visit the shop, and drink human blood. He stumbled upon the vampire blood by accident, and his curiosity got the better of him, that he forgot the rules. As he already showed his face to the manager, it was irrelevant to go with a mask now, as he will recognize him easily.

He looked at Rena, who was expecting his words eagerly. He cleared his throat,

" I was just out for a walk. I felt cooped up inside the castle, so I thought about exploring the outer area." Keith answered half truthfully.

His first intention was just that, to see how the vampire settlement operated. But he stumbled upon the blood shop and from there started his illegal activities.

After hearing what he had to say, Rena was quite puzzled.

" You wanted to visit the outer castle, but why didn't you go through the main gate? Why were you going out sneakily without informing anyone?" Rena voiced her doubts.

This put Keith in a difficult situation. He didn't want her to know that he was out for drinking vampire blood. But to convince her of his acts, he also needed something that was believable.

" As you know, I haven't gone out of the castle much, maybe once or twice in my childhood. After my health got worse, I rarely even left my room. Now that I am strong enough, I wanted to explore on my own.

" It might have been a little hasty of me, but I was curious about the outside. Also, I have explored the front side of the castle already. It was filled with statues, buildings, and paved roads. But the other side was unknown to me.

"I didn't want anyone keeping tabs on me, hence the sneaking around," Keith replied with his made up words.

" Still, I've heard there is a huge cliff behind the castle wall. How did you get down in the first place? You didn't hurt yourself, did you?" She checked his body from top to bottom.

" You are asking too many questions for a maid? Is the new diet turning you into a nanny?" Keith blurted out.

" Hmmm…" Rena, who was checking his body for any wound, looked back at him with squinted eyes.

" If you think I am invading your privacy, then I am sorry. I already brought you two glasses of blood. You can freshen yourself up." She turned around with a gloomy face.

" I didn't mean that. You don't have to apologize for this. I am glad, I have a maid like you looking after me all the time. I just don't want you to get involved in complicated things." Keith said.

Rena turned around with a puffy cheek.

" Isn't that also a part of being a subordinate? To share all the hardships of their master. If you have complicated things to do, I might be able to help you with some of that. You said you will give me harder tasks, to make me fit. You told me to eat properly to become healthy. I am doing all that but I have nothing else to do. I am just sitting around all day, waiting to deliver two meals a day. Occasionally, someone asks for you, then only I get to see you more than three times a day.

" If you want my help, if you want to make good use of me, then why are you pushing me away? Why are you doing everything yourself and leaving me to do simple tasks? Why make my life easier? I want to stay by your side, even if it means sacrificing my health.

" I was never concerned about my health in the first place. I did it for you and stayed away while taking good care of me. But, in the end, if I can't help you or be of any use, why am I even indulging in these luxuries? I don't want you to get hurt, while I enjoy my life." Rena let out all her thoughts in one go, as tears flowed down from her eyes.

" I… I didn't think you felt this way." Keith was taken aback by her response.

He didn't think she had this much desire to be included in his life and help him with every difficult situation. While he did this to let her stabilize her position in the castle, and let her live a carefree life, Rena never wanted this to begin with. Her primary motive was to help him in any way possible, like letting him consume her blood, which is why she took good care of her health in the first place.