After the prisoners finished eating their meals.
Nathan entered the room again along with the two maids carrying a wooden tray with glasses and a pitcher of water.
Nathan poured water into the glasses and handed them to the prisoners.
"Thank you, my lord!" Terros said gratefully. "When can I start serving you, my lord?" he asked.
"That depends on my mother's consent. Don't worry, nothing bad will happen to you," Nathan assured Terros.
Horace looked at Nathan and asked, "How about us, my lord?"
Nathan looked at Veronica. "I can save the girl, but I honestly don't know what to do with you...."
Horace released a deep sigh. He's going to die. If it's his destiny then he will accept it as long he can protect the lord's pregnant wife.
Veronica looked at the guy. "My lord, I'm not wiling to marry you!" she blurted the words.
Nathan took a deep breath. "It's up to you... I can only save you by turning you into my wife. Your choice!" he said. "I'll give you guys a chance to decide for your life. You can lead my mother to the family of your lord willingly or chose to die a painful death tonight. The choice are yours to take," he said and turned around, heading to the door.
Terros watched as the young lord exited the room.
The men returned and tied the prisoners' hands with the rope to prevent them from escaping. Then they left the room afterward.
Terros observed the faces of his companions. It's no doubt that they're on the brink of annihilation. He was speechless, at a loss of the right words to say to them to alleviate their apprehensions.
Horace looked at Veronica. "Just marry the lord, you can save yourself that way," he said sadly.
Veronica shook her head and looked at Horace in the eyes. "How about you? What is your decision?" she asked.
"I will never lead that vampire woman to Laura's location even if I will die," Horace said.
Veronica fell silent, weighting her option.
Terros was proud of Horace's decision. "I'm proud of you, son!" he said.
Horace sighed. "Grandpa, please tell Lord Graven to avenge my death," he said gloomily already resigning to his fate.
"Don't say that, son. As long were not dead yet, there's still a tiny hope left for us. Maybe Calder and the deity will arrive on the last minute to save us. Let's not lose hope yet," Terros said trying to uplift their low spirit.
Veronica was in deep thoughts, she was joined by Horace and Terros. None of them wants to talk anymore.
The atmosphere inside the room was filled with a sense of desolation.
Meanwhile, outside the room.
Nathan was relaxing on the porch, brooding about something.
The maid went to his side. "My lord, do you want me to serve you some refreshment?" she offered.
"I'm thirsty. Just bring a refreshing drink here," Nathan replied.
"Aye, my lord," the maid said and went to the kitchen.
A few minutes later.
The maid returned with the lemon juice and poured the liquid into the glass. "Here's your drink, my lord," she said.
"You may leave now," Nathan dismissed the maid.
Nathan drank the glass of lemonade and stood up. He extended his hand outside in direct contact with the sunlight. Instantly, his skin starts to redden and he felt the painful sunburn. He quickly remove his hand and inspected it. Why is it that until now his skin is not adapting well to the rays of the sun?
The maid saw what happened and rushed to his side. "My lord, let me apply the ointment in your skin," she offered.
Nathan allowed the main to apply the ointment on his skin.
A few minutes later, the maid returned to her position, waiting for the lord's command.
Nathan released a deep sigh while staring at his sensitive skin. He could never go out and stood under the sun for a long time or else, he will burn to ashes.
One hour later.
Feeling sleepy, Nathan lies down on the hanging rattan chair and shuts his eyes to sleep.
A few minutes later, his body succumbed to a deep slumber, snoring softly.
Sylvia exited the house and went to the porch. She lowered herself on the couch and stared at her son, sleeping soundly on the swing chair.
A smile graced her lips. Her family is now complete. Her son's resurrection completed her life. It's like a dream come true. She was glad that her great-great-grandfather didn't choose his son's body to be his vessel because her son's spirit is finally back in his own body. She was satisfied with the turn of events.
She looked at the garden and enjoy the beautiful view. She will wait for her son to wake up so that they can continue discussing the suggestion he told her earlier.
She looked at the maid. "Make me a cup of hot coffee mixed with two teaspoon of human blood," she ordered.
"Aye, Madam!" the maid said and went back to the house.
A few moments later, the maid returned with the hot coffee and served it to her mistress.
Sylvia sipped her coffee casually while admiring the sunflower in full bloom.
One hour later.
Nathan woke up, rubbed his eyes, and looked at his mother. He left the swing and lowered himself on the couch facing his mother. "I'm sorry... I have fallen asleep, Mother!" he said.
"No problem, son. You can sleep as long as you want," Sylvia said merrily. "I would like to talk to you about your suggestion earlier," she said.
Nathan's eyes twinkled. "So... what do you think of my suggestion, Mother dear?" he asked.
"It's a good idea, son! Let's do it!" Sylvia agreed with her son's suggestion.
"Alright, shall I supervise the digging of the grave now?" Nathan offered.
"Sure! Let's do it tonight," Sylvia agreed.
"Okay, I'll go to the back of the house and instruct the men to start digging the ground," Nathan said.
"Go ahead, son," Sylvia replied.
Nathan left the porch and went to the backyard.
Sylvia smiled and rose to her feet, she entered the house and went to the basement.
She went to the room and visited the prisoners.
The door opened by the men guarding the room.
Three pairs of eyes looked at the door.
Sylvia stepped into the room and addressed the prisoners. "Listen to my announcement, my dear visitors! If you still don't want to bring me to your lord's family tonight then you will meet your end tonight. Currently, my son was supervising my men to dig a hole in the backyard. And later on, they will create a big fire on it, then we will throw you into the fire and your life ends tonight. You still have five hours to decide... do you value your life or not? The choice is yours! Don't worry, I already instructed the kitchen staff to prepare your last meal for tonight..."
The prisoners looked at each other morosely.
Sylvia watched the terrified expression on the prisoners' faces. She smiled wickedly. "Choose wisely! All I want is your cooperation and your obedience. As long you will submit yourself to me then we're good. The more you refused to obey me, the more I'm curious why you're not willing to bring me to your lord's manor. Are you hiding something from me?"
The three prisoners stared at the floor, avoiding the mistress's gaze.
Sylvia continues talking... "Alright, I'll take my leave now so that you can think carefully. You can't say that I'm cruel... It's not that I didn't leave you any option or choices between life and death. Just that you're being stubborn! And I don't tolerate that kind of attitude under my roof. You must understand that I'm not going to kill the family of your lord. I'm just trying to bring them all here so that when the lord awaken, he will be surrounded by his family. Do you understand what I mean?"
The prisoners kept their mouths shut.
Sylvia snorted. "Can't decide yet?" she asked them.
The trio maintained their silence.
"Whatever! Choose what you think is best for you!" Sylvia said furiously and left the room.
After the door was closed.
The trio looked at each other.
Veronica looked at Terros. "Grandpa, what are we going to do now?" she asked apprehensively.
Terros released a deep sigh. "No matter what happened tonight, we won't reveal Laura's whereabouts. I believe that at the last minute before we're going to die, someone will save us..." he said confidently.
Horace breathed deeply. "Nothing to say on my part, I already accepted my death. The only thing I'm waiting right now is my last delicious meal on earth," he joked.
Terros and Veronica erupted in peals of laughter. They extended their laughter for a few minutes, erasing the tension in their stomach.
Meanwhile...
Back in the warehouse.
Calder and his men scoured the whole place looking for any clues of their missing comrades.
Since Veronica and Horace haven't returned safely to the headquarter, it only means one thing... they were caught by the enemy!
A few minutes later, they gathered outside the warehouse.
Calder addressed his men. "Did you see any clues of Horace and Veronica's whereabouts?" he inquired.
The men shook their heads.
"We didn't see any traces around the area," one of the men said.
"It seemed the area was cleaned thoroughly to prevent us from finding their hideout," one of the men voice out his opinion.
"Agree," Calder said. If he was in the enemy's shoes, he would do the same. He won't leave any clues behind. He released a deep sigh, regretting his actions. He shouldn't leave the warehouse at all!
Back at the vampire couple's manor.
Sylvia ordered the maid to bring the delicious meals inside the prisoners' room.
A table was set up earlier.
The maids arranged the food deliciously on the table and left the room.
The men lifted the chairs and gathered the prisoners around the table and untie their hands.
Sylvia looked at the prisoners and smiled. "Enjoy your meal!" she said.
Terros watched Madam and her men left the room and closed the door behind them.
The trio looked at each other.
"Let's enjoy the food then..." Terros smiled at his companion.
They picked up their spoon and fork and ate their delicious dinner with gusto, allowing them to forget their dilemma for a few minutes.