Chapter 149 - Acceptance

Many years passed by, but no one ever found out the truth about Roman not being Lord Malcolm Moltenore's son. The Lord stayed true to his word when he had offered to repay the young woman, who had saved his life that night. Otherwise, he could have died. 

The people in the town of Veteris and the nearby towns gossiped and spoke senselessly about the matter, but the man didn't even try to correct it or say a thing about it. People usually spoke what they wanted, twisting things, and the man had more important things to do than feed people's idle minds. 

His wife Petronile took his action to heart, and he knew she was hurt by his words and actions. Bringing another woman's child under their roof, especially when everyone believed the boy was his illegitimate child, didn't sit well with his wife, who had not spoken to him for many days. Upset with him, she came around and had finally accepted Roman into her heart as her own child. The woman he had married was kind and humble, respectful, and the epitome of elegance. 

While Roman grew up in the Moltenore's household, far away, in the village he had come from, visitors who hadn't appeared there for many years had now arrived. The Elder vampires were travelling to Veteris, as Castiel Marudas wanted to propose something to his brother and family.  On their way, the Elders had stopped by the village. 

Four carriages appeared in front of Mr. William's inn before each of the coachmen pulled the reins of the horses to halt the wheels of the carriages. 

The Elder vampires stepped out of the carriage, one after another, while the blonde vampire whose hair was parted from the side had a scowl on his face. "Is there a reason why we are staying here and not to mention if this inn is fit for us?" questioned Luciano.

"It's a decent place," replied Elder Remy with his bleak-looking eyes, which held the same boredom, and possibly more than the previous time he had stepped foot in here. 

Donovan stepped out of the carriage, his features even prouder than before and his eyes  jet black under his thick eyebrows, where one of them was slightly raised. "It's not too bad to mingle with the lower kind, Luciano. Who knows you might rather enjoy the atmosphere of this place,"  a smug smile on his face, but Luciano wasn't impressed with it. 

The last time Donovan had left this place here, he had told himself that he wouldn't return to this place because of the woman… But here he was. He could have avoided coming to visit this place, as he had already imagined that she was married to one of the humans and now had a family of her own. Donovan wondered if he was somewhere a masochist to come here, even though he could have directly gone to Veteris. 

Even though years had passed, he couldn't get Lilian Lena Blackburn's memory out of his mind, and the woman still held a special place in his dark heart. 

He knew he couldn't offer her the life that she wanted, and he had let go of her. It was probably the best decision at that time to cut off things while they were still young so that the woman wouldn't turn into a drawback of his. A weakness, thought Donovan in his mind, while his intelligent eyes looked at the inn. 

Would Lilian still be here? Working in this inn, or had she given up on work to tend to her family? Donovan asked himself as he made his way inside the building and the other three Elders followed one after another. 

The inn owner, Mr. William, who now had peppered black and grey hair, quickly came to the hall to greet us. His thin moustache continued to rest above his lips. 

"Good evening, gentlemen. It is so good to see you here, I would like to humbly welcome you," Mr. William bowed and raised his head to greet them. He said, "If I knew that you were visiting us, I would have made prior arrangements." 

"If you don't, we could always leave," Remy's words were dull, and he was already tired of everything. If it weren't for Castiel's request, he would have never tagged along in the journey, especially when Donovan and Luciano were around, because tolerating even one of them was hard. 

"Of course not," Mr. William lightly laughed and welcomed the gentlemen into his inn. "Lewis, take the luggages of our guests and have them placed in the top rooms. We have made a lot of changes since your last visit here. I hope you will find it to your taste."

Donovan made his way through the hall, and his eyes fell on the few servants who were around. And though his eyes carefully looked at each of them, the face he wanted to see wasn't her. It was the same during the time of supper when the maids had changed shifts. 

"How long are you staying here, Mr. Donovan?" Mr. William asked the man, who was sipping his wine. 

"It depends on how our work will go, Mr. William. Unfortunately, it is going to be a shorter visit than the previous one," responded Donovan. Then he said, "Mr. Oscar and Mr. Sterling are here to sight see, while Mr. Marudas will be going to visit his relatives in the town of Veteris. I am here just to accompany them." 

Mr. William nodded his head, and then shifted his gaze to look at Castiel Marudas, whose grey eyes were fixed on him already. 

"Looks like your inn has been faring quite better than before, Mr. William. Have you decided to branch to another town to expand your business?" asked Castiel.  Mr. William puffed his chest as if he felt proud to receive the subtle compliments from the wealthy man. 

"I was thinking of getting one set up in Queenstorm town, but acquiring the lands and receiving approval to start the inn is quite hard. I have tried to negotiate the matter, but it has been tough. One of the Lords used to be our patron here, but now he refuses to come here. Getting his time is hard," explained Mr. Williams before he added, "Not to mention, I will need to recruit more servants and this place has shortage with it."

"Looks like you have replaced the servants who last used to work here," remarked Donovan in a nonchalant tone. 

Mr. William gave a blank look, and he shook his head, "I think we have almost the same staff, Mr. Donovan except for three or four people. I have even increased the people's wages by more than two coins." 

Donovan's finger lightly tapped on the wine glass, but he didn't comment anything further on the matter. 

When the time stretched further into the night, where most of the servants had gone to sleep, and most of the guests in the inn had disappeared into their rooms, Donovan walked in the lonely corridor. His footsteps were quiet; his footsteps left a trail of shadow on the ground because of the dimly lit candles placed on both sides of the walls. 

Unable to contain his sheer curiosity, Donovan made his way to the room where Lilian used to meet him in the past. He took a deep whiff of the air, but her fragrance had disappeared from the room as if this place was washed off clean. 

With his coat that hung around his shoulders, where he didn't bother to slip his hands into his sleeves. 

The night was cold, and his body turned nothing less to a silhouette because of the lack of light. Making his way towards the house, he came to stand in front of the door. The house where Lilian used to live when she wasn't working at the inn, a place where he had held her in his arms. 

Donovan didn't forget the scent of the woman, her soft voice and her gaze that looked at him. 

He knew how many years, months and days had passed since he had last seen her or had left in the carriage, giving her one last look. And it annoyed the vampire that a human could hold such an effect on him, he despised the very idea of it. Yet here he was, standing in front of her house like the past lover who wanted to take her back. 

The expression on Donovan's face didn't change, and he stared at the door for several minutes, not bothered with the time that was ticking by. But time had slipped through his hands fingers, which he would soon come to find out. 

He raised his hand, reaching for the surface of the door, ready to knock at it impolitely at this hour when the door moved by itself.

Donovan's eyebrows subtly narrowed before he pushed the door and stepped inside the house. The house was empty, and it looked smaller than the last time he had been here. Having the woman here, he hadn't noticed it. The house was empty as if the woman had moved to another place. He wondered if she moved to her husband and children, and at that thought, his jaws slightly clenched. 

When morning arrived, Donovan spoke to one of the servant's who had come to serve him early morning tea. He sat on the plush chair with his legs crossed. With the teacup in his hand, he said, 

"There used to be this scrawny woman who used to work in the inn before. Black hair, lean figure. Patchy shoes, do you know where she is?" his words were nonchalant, that made the servant believe that the former maid had something. 

"Do you mean Solane?" asked the servant, and Donovan's eyes were fixed on the servant. 

"No, not that one. Another one…. The guarded one, who didn't speak to anyone and kept to herself. She was here the last time we came to visit," commented Donovan, and it finally dawned on the servant. 

"Lilian?" asked the servant, and Donovan hummed in response. "Lilian doesn't work here anymore, Mr. Donovan."

"Why not?" came the curious question from Donovan. He knew he shouldn't indulge in questions about her, but he couldn't help but be curious about what she was doing and how she was. 

He had held the fragile human in his arms, learning everything he could and knowing how delicate she was despite the cold walls she had around her. 

"Lilian passed away a couple of years ago," the servant let him know, and Donovan, who had for a moment shifted his gaze to look at the fireplace. 

"What do you mean she passed away?" Donovan questioned the servant, the look in his eyes turning serious. 

The servant said, "Lilian was suffering from some sort of sickness. She was weak in health after giving birth to her son. The stress must have gotten to her, I mean the father was missing and she had to support her and her son all by herself."

Donovan's eyes narrowed, and he placed the glass of wine on the side table so that he wouldn't break it by the pressure of his fingers. 

"What do you mean no father?" questioned Donovan, his eyes narrowed considerably, and it was near to glaring. 

The servant wasn't sure what happened, but the man in front of him had suddenly turned intimidating, and he wanted to bolt from the room. 

"Ah… Lord Moltenore and Lilian had a thing and they had a love child…" the servant found it hard to speak because of the way Donovan was glaring at him. "Lord Moltenore never came for her or their son, and it must have taken a toll on her. It was only after a week of her passing did Lord Moltenore return for the boy and took him with him." 

Donovan was not happy with this information, and he wanted to rip this Lord's head off for leaving Lilian stranded. He had hoped that she would find herself the right man to marry and settle down, but this is what happened? But something clicked in his mind, and he turned his gaze back on the servant. 

"How old is the boy?" demanded Donovan. 

"Uh, I am not sure, Mr. Donovan. He was probably around in his teenage years. When the boy died, he was around six, I remember it because Eden kept worrying about it," said the servant. 

"Bring me this woman named Eden," ordered Donovan, and the servant was more than happy to bolt from there and bring the maid named Eden, who had been Lilian's friend. 

Eden was brought to Donovan's room, and she bowed her head, "Good afternoon, Mr. Donovan. Did you ask for me?" 

"Yes," replied Donovan, who had his back facing her while he stood in front of the window. "How closely did you know Lilian, Eden?" 

"Lilian?" Eden repeated the name of her friend. "She was a dear friend of mine." She wondered what the man wanted to ask about. 

"I heard that the father of her child didn't come to visit her, is that true?" questioned Donovan and Eden pursed her lips. 

"It is true," this was something everyone already knew in the village. This was no hidden secret, and she said, "Lord Moltenore didn't come here until a month after Lilian passed away. He came here and took the boy with him."

"Do you know around what time she turned pregnant?" Donovan continued to question the maid. 

Eden tried to remember, but all she could point to were the years, "Mr. Moltenore had come here only once and it was probably during the time of fall? Or maybe after fall. Ah!" she exclaimed before saying, "It must be after your visit, Mr. Donovan."

Donovan stared at the window, and he questioned, "Do you know what the boy's name is?" 

"It is Roman Moltenore. Lilian used to fondly call him Rome. I am just glad that the boy was able to reunite with his family and must be having a decent life now. Because it wasn't good here," Eden shook her head. 

The Elder vampire turned around, and he looked at the woman in her eye, "What do you mean?" 

Eden had a look of sadness in her eyes, and she said, "People spoke a lot about Lilian, and it was very hard on her because of her weak health." Donovan's eyes hardened on hearing this. Humans and vampires… it was hard to get along with, and a human trying to conceive a vampire's child was something that often didn't end up well. He had been careful with her, and his jaws clenched. "Not to mention the boy… we couldn't keep him idle and Mr. William decided to put him up for working here."

"Work?" Donovan's eyebrows raised, and Eden nodded her head. She quickly turned behind her as if to make sure they was no one to listen to what she was saying and said, 

"Mr. William was harsh on the boy, and seeing such a young one have to work with no parents or relatives, it was truly heartbreaking. I am just glad that the boy was taken with his father." 

Donovan didn't comment on it, and he raised his hand, waving at her as if to dismiss her. His chin tipped up as he took a deep breath before letting it go. Lilian was no more alive...she was gone before he could take another look at her. His eyes turned slightly cold as the thought sunk into his mind. But that wasn't all. He now had a son. 

Picking up his coat, he made his way down the stairs.

When he made his way down, Castiel was speaking to Mr. Williams, and his carriage had arrived at the front of the inn. 

"Are you going somewhere?" asked Castiel to Donovan. 

"Mm, I heard that there has been some animal attack in Veteris and decided to take a look around. It is the least help that can be provided," replied Donovan, and Castiel nodded his head. His eyes then shifted to look at Mr. William, and he said, "I was wondering if you would like to join me, Mr. William, for a short ride." 

Mr. William was taken aback by the sudden invitation. Nonetheless, he gladly accepted it with a smile on his face, "Of course, Mr. Donovan. Let me get my coat."

Castiel passed a curious look at Donovan, "Did the man do something?" 

"Some doesn't cover it. I forgot how humans tend to be annoying," remarked Donovan, and Castiel didn't comment on it. The Elders never tried to step into the other one's business. 

"I have told Remy and Luciano to join us later," Castiel filled him in, and Donovan gave a short nod. He was more interested in other things than just sightseeing right now. 

Castiel got into his own carriage, while Donovan and Mr. William got in another carriage. And though the journey started with three people travelling, only two of them reached the town of Veteris. 

When Donovan's eyes fell on the young boy, he recognized him immediately. 

At first, the idea sounded absurd, and he also wanted to kill the boy. Because he was a weak human, unlike his vampire self. Though they didn't have the striking resemblance, it was the air around the boy that made him stand out. He reminded him of Lilian, the similar air of aloofness, but the boy was more than the woman. 

For a young boy, he looked rather annoyed and didn't bother to hide that he didn't want to be hovered. 

To think that Lilian had carried this boy while she continued to fall sick, yet the boy was a simple human. Something didn't seem right, thought Donovan in his mind. 

Donovan was still contemplating on what to do when the town fell under rogue attack by the vampires. 

"Do you think someone followed us?" Castiel asked in a hurry. 

"Someone must have been tipped that we are here. This is not good," Remy murmured with a deep frown on his face. 

"Let us get the rogue vampires before the hunters sniff that there are vampires who have stepped on these lands," commented Donovan, and they went to pick the rogue vampires off this land. 

When the town went quiet, Donovan's eyes looked for the boy. 

"Most of them are dead," Luciano let Donovan know as he came out of the manor that belonged to the Moltenore's family. 

A few minutes later, Donovan found the boy in one of the vacant buildings, surrounded by the hunters, while Roman tried to fight one of the men's hands from stabbing him. Roman's heartbeat was weak and a little errant, something the Elder vampire found to be strange. The boy was a vampire's child, which meant the dormant side of the darkness was slowly going to awaken, and he didn't have to be bitten. Something that would prove that he was his son. 

A smile appeared on Donovan's lips at the thought that he would keep the boy alive no matter what.