Chapter 33

THE NIGHT WHERE IT BEGINS

[PART 1]

-----xoxoxo-----

Lisa roamed her eye round the room as the guests from the pure and noble vampire class of the ball engrossed in chatting with each other. She noticed the NC in their uniform standing in every corner of the ballroom. When her eyes ran across one of the NC's eyes, Lisa blinked as he snarled at her.

"What's wrong with him?" Lisa shook her head.

As she bore there, she found herself wishing she's in her training clothes than to be in fancy clothes and surrounded by people she barely know.

Lisa eyes landed on Dara and expected she was with Chaerin and Jiyong again talking to a few types of people she'd seen before. Pure, Noble, old and new faces politely greeting and smiling to the Queen, but deep inside they are both starving for change just so they could feel important, a part of something towards the Queen.

"Pathetic," Lisa muttered.

“There you are.” Chaeyoung’s arm slipped through her.

“Are you up here making your dance partner decision? Let me guess, you haven't found anyone, yet. Want me to choose for you?" Chaeyoung said, smiling teasingly to Lisa. "I can recommend someone, if you want to."

Perhaps this night wouldn't be that unpleasant as long as Cheayoung is with her. Chaeyoung after all was the next best thing to Jennie. She has been her best friend ever since they were young, despite the difference of their rank. Chaeyoung was a pure blooded vampire and Lisa despised pure blood because they think that they are equal to the Queen and look down to every lower class they meet. But Chaeyoung was different, she was most kind and most tolerable among pure blood she’d met, since then they were inseparable.

Lisa smiles, "Please, you sound like Mino just now. You should stop hanging out with him."

"Hmm... Speaking of Mino, where is he? I haven't seen him since the ball started." Chaeyoung asked as he eyes scanning the room, looking for a familiar face.

"I have no idea." Lisa lied.

 Of course she knows where he is. He can't join the ball since he's guarding Aurie.

"I don't see Jisoo either, well..." Chaeyoung shrugged. "I'm not surprised with Jisoo. She'd rather stay in her room doing whatever is she doing right now than to join this... ball."

 Chaeyoung also felt it. Lisa thought.

"What's wrong? I thought you were thrilled about this party." Lisa said.

"I do, but." Chaeyoung sighed. "I'm not that excited now. I felt something is not right, I feel like..." Chaeyoung trailed off and shook her head to shake off the bad thought.

"Something is not, what?" Lisa asked, blinking her curiosity as why Chaeyoung didn't continue her sentence.

"I have to tell you something," Chaeyoung said, and then pulled Lisa out of the crowd into the far corner of the room.

"Few days ago, I went into Jisoo's room because I want to asked her opinion about the gown that I've chosen for the ball but when I got there she's nowhere to be found. I was about to leave, but then I noticed a black cloak at her bed and a map of city, Lisa. And that's not it. I saw a set of X marks written on it." Chaeyoung said, in an undertone.

"What's wrong with that?" Lisa shrugged. "You know that, she always have some weird hobby. Maybe that's here new one now."

"At first I thought that was the case, but one night I saw Jisoo sneaking in into her bedroom. It bothers me because Jisoo had never done that before. I asked the guards who are always stationed outside the coven and they told me that Jisoo most likely out in the whole morning and come back in late afternoon. So, I sneak into her bedroom when Lord Jiyong summon her and touched her the cloak to find out what was Jisoo have been doing lately."

"And what did you find out?" Lisa asked, curious as she starts to get hooked by Chaeyoung.

"She walked along the city, asking local vampires and humans if they notice unfamiliar faces around the city and wandered around the forest too. I think she was looking for something." Chaeyoung said, "She constantly meeting with Mino and Lord Jiyong but one thing that really caught my attention was Lord Jaejoong."

"Lord Jaejong?" Lisa asked.

"Yes! They were arguing though." Chaeyoung said. “Do you think it's weird? She's still communicating with her father. He's exiled you, know."

"I don't know." Lisa stated, after a thoughtful paused. "I mean as far as my father told me, the council did not forbid Lord Jaejoong from communicating to anyone in the city especially to Jisoo."

"It's an unspoken rule, Lisa." Chaeyoung said and she makes a face. "Jisoo knows that and she violated it. I don't know if I'm becoming paranoid or what, but I can sense that something is not right inside the coven I don't know how to explain it!"

But Lisa does.

Heck, the council… Well, not really the council, just Dara, Chaerin and Jiyong have been her nose lately. Hastening her with her training, even Jiyong has finally joined in with her training. The bruises and pain that she received from training with the Queen was enough for her to quit, but when Jiyong joined in, she almost wanted to die instead. The man almost killed her! Thank God she's a vampire, her ability to self-heal just give her a minimum time to recover from all the deadly training she received every day.

Lisa sighed. "You're just being paranoid."

Cheayoung hesitated. "You think so?"

Lisa nodded. She grabbed a glass of champagne offered by a footman balancing a silver tray in his palm and took a sip.

"But I don't know, Lisa." Chaeyoung said, clearly didn't believe in Lisa. "I been having this creepy feeling that they're hiding something."

Lisa almost chokes. "Who?"

Damn, Chaeyoung has always been an observer, but Lisa would never guess that she is closed to figure things out.

Wait? Did she find it already?

"Jisoo." Chaeyoung said. "And maybe Lord Jiyong too and... Mino."

"Why would you think something like that?" Lisa asked.

 "I don't know if I was being deceived by my own eyes, but I saw Aurie and Mino the other night here in the coven." Chaeyoung said as she lowers her voice.

"And just a while ago, I saw her again in the garden. You know my bedroom is adjacent towards the garden, right?"

! What the hell was Mino's doing letting Aurie roamed around in the coven alone.

"But she was alone this time and she looks like secretly sneaking in." Chaeyoung blurted out.

"What do you mean alone?" Lisa asked.

"She wasn't with Mino this time." Chaeyoung explained. “So, I thought maybe Aurie and Mino has a secret affair or something."

"Where did you see her again, Chaeng?" Lisa asked, with urgency in her voice.

"Garden?" Chaeyoung looked

In the garden? How did Aurie end up there when she's not allowed to go out of her room. Did the Queen allow her? So many thoughts have been running on Lisa mind, but there's only one way to find.

Ask Aurie about this.

“I really thought she was into you.”  Chaeyoung said.

"I need to leave the ball for a moment." Lisa said, ignoring what just Chaeyoung said.

Chaeyoung inclined her head. "Why? Am I boring you?"

"No," Lisa shook her head. "I just need to go somewhere?"

"Where?" Chaeyoung asked again.

Lisa heaved out. Chaeyoung will just keep on asking her question if she's not going to tell her directly. She has no choice but to admit where she about to go is.

"To find Mino." Lisa said.

Chaeyoung blinked and studied Lisa for moment before a teasing smile appeared on her lip. "Are you going to confront him about my suspicion? But I thought you're not interested in her?"

Chaeyoung has clearly taken her intention in a wrong way.

"No, Chaeyoung. It's what yo..." Lisa groaned, and then sighed. "Look, I really have to go now. We'll talk later."

Without waiting for Chaeyoung's replied, Lisa left the ballroom.

Lisa made a few tripped to the hallways until she passed to a staircase that will lead her to the bedrooms where Aurie was staying.

Lisa knocked the door in a few second the door opened and Mino's head pop out.

"What are you doing here?" Mino asked, with quick eyes, Mino checked the hall. No witnesses, Good. Then his eyes travelled back to Lisa.

"I need to ask something to Aurie." Lisa said, without waiting for Mino's reply, she forced to open the door widely and stepped inside the room.

"Lisa, get out of here. You're not supposed to be here." Mino said, closing the door.

Lisa ignored the command and her attention went directly to Aurie, as she sat up on the bed glaring at Lisa.

"What are you doing in the garden a while ago?" Lisa asked her.

Aurie blinked. "I was here in the room the whole day."  Aurie stared at Lisa with a puzzled looked.

"You went outside," Lisa went on, clearly not believing in Aurie. "Somebody saw you. You can't lie to me."

"I'm telling the truth" Aurie said. "You can ask him, if you don't believe in me." Aurie's eyes shifted from Lisa to Mino.

Lisa pivoted and her eyes landed on Mino.

"Yes, she's telling the truth." Mino confirmed, without waiting for Lisa's question.

Then who was the person that Chaeyoung saw? Lisa thought.

 But then again, she remembered that is someone who looked exactly like Aurie.

"No, it's impossible." Lisa muttered, shaking her head.

"Lisa. What's going on?" Mino said who seems entirely confused by Lisa's behavior.

Jennie would never do something risky knowing that this place is highly guarded especially tonight is the royal grand ball. Lisa thought.

Then Lisa remembered Jennie went to the city alone, not even minding the danger ahead that she might encounter.

Lisa suddenly felt the cold air had passed across the room at the realization that Jennie might actually be in the coven.

Lisa has to make a move fast before the guards will notice her existence because if they capture her it will create a big chaos, the fact that she trespass is big problem already adding with another fact the there's a two of them. Jennie and Aurie.

The people who knew about the bloodlass existence would definitely flip especially D