Kiarha spent the rest of the afternoon at the manor. Most of the time, she wasn't much of a bother. Although, she did spend a good few hours locked away in her guest room.

Luke was in the basement library, reading another book by Cano Nessie.
It spoke of vampires, and how a human girl had become a vampire's lover. That same human girl had become a vampire in the end as well.

The library was mostly empty, except for the cleaners. Even if there weren't any guests, the cleaners would always make sure that it was spotless.

Just then, Luke heard a loud thump outside. Followed by another. And another. Slightly alarmed, he ran out of the library and found Bernard slumped lifeless on the ground.

He was clearly dead, as when Luke felt his chest for a pulse, he felt nothing. His mouth was slightly open, drool starting to pour out.

His eyes were rolled back, and he was growing cold. Luke frantically yelled out for help, and soon, both his mother and father came rushing to the scene.

"Good Lord! What happened here?"
Duke Augustine queried, concerned about the unexpected murder.

Duchess Emmeline had fainted. She had always been sensitive to dead people. Something about being lifeless scared her.

Knowing that he heard more thumps, Luke ran to the other rooms nearby despite his father's orders to stay put.
He discovered one of the cooks slumped over in the kitchen, head buried in the breadcrumb mixture he'd been making.

Duchess Emmeline materialized behind him.

"It's not safe here, Luke. Someone is attacking the family. We must evacuate at once! Pack anything of importance, and leave everything else!"

The pair rushed to their respective rooms, when Luke remembered that Kiarha was still here. She might have gotten attacked!

"Lady Kiarha! Can you hear me?" Luke called out. To his utter relief, she responded.

"Yes, I'm here! I'm packing to leave! You should too!"

Reassured, Luke hurriedly packed his important things into a knapsack and met his parents and cousin at the front gate. They hailed a carriage, and Duke Augustine told the driver to travel to the Eunelope manor.

As they traveled, Luke kept wondering what happened to them. Bernard was definitely dead, and the cook was too. But he had heard three thumps, not two. So who was the last corpse?

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KIARHA'S POV

She'd been too reckless in using the Topaz. Now, she would be separated from her army. She grited her teeth, frustrated and angry at her own incompetence.

But this would be a blessing in disguise. They would be "evacuating" to the Eunelope manor, which meant that she and Hara would meet again, and they would be able to continue discussing their plans.

She would also be able to make preparations for her debutante ball there, because she had brought along some of her best dresses and cosmetics.

As the manor came into view, her eyes gleamed wickedly. Her plan was beginning to come to fruition.

As they arrived at the manor, Kiarha watched Luke kiss both of their hands formally. She couldn't help but feel a spark of jealousy and possession over him.

She had known him ever since they were children. She had become close friends with him, but that all changed when her father had moved away to a new location to be able to better serve the King.

And that had worked, their new location and their current home was much closer to the capital than their old home.

As the count and countess warmly welcomed them inside, Hara motioned to Kiarha with a slight tilt of her head. Kiarha understood the gesture, and they went into a room which Hara locked for privacy.

"Lady Kiarha. Have you finished the documents?"

That's when she froze. She had completely forgotten to bring the documents in her rush to "evacuate."

"I left them. I apologize deeply, Lady Hara. I assure you, I will find a way to retrieve them."

Hara glared at her slightly, but didn't push further.

"Good. Until then, I'll be taking the Topaz back."

Kiarha acquiesced. Hara left the room, leaving Kiarha to wonder how she would be able to return to the manor. Duke Augustine would surely be monitoring any and all trespassers, and Kiarha was no exception.

She had been told to stay here, so if she was found lurking around the Schuyler manor, things would escalate.

She would have to find a more discreet way to travel back to the manor. So, she worked her magic.
She tapped the Duke and Duchess with her Amethyst ring, rendering them immobile and useless.

Now, she would be able to retrieve the documents without fear of being watched. However, she hadn't accounted for Luke. He was out in the garden, chatting animatedly with Yanna.

She would have to touch them (get your mind out of the gutter) to be able to hypnotize them. So she slowly moved closer, taking care not to step on any branches or twigs that could give her away.

Not like there were any anyway, due to the fact that the Eunelopes were clean freaks. She managed to sneak up behind them, and gently tapped their heads with the ring. Their gazes immediately went out of focus, signalling that she had been successful.

As she hailed a carriage, however, she noticed that the maid Adeline had caught a glimpse of her. Kiarha frantically ran towards her, but tripped on Luke's leg and went flying.

Adeline screamed and immediately called Countess Yan, and while she was inside, Kiarha quickly ran back to the carriage, thrust a few coins at the driver, and ordered him to go as fast as he could.

As the scared driver quickly spurred on his horse, she took one last glance back at the Count and Countess alongside the maid, all looking confused and angry.

Kiarha was slightly panicking. She had almost been discovered, and that was something she could never afford. She couldn't use the Topaz on them either, as snatching their souls would kill them immediately.

Arriving at the manor, Kiarha hopped off the carriage and quickly ran to the gates. She climbed over them, suffering a few wounds in the process.

Smashing a window, she broke in and ran to the guest room where she had stayed. Almost immediately, alarms started blaring, flashing bright red lights at her.

She quickly snatched the documents from the drawer and quickly ran back outside, and managed to hide in a bush right as officials came to the manor and started inspecting the scene.

She crawled away, heart pounding. She quietly weaved her way through the country, and eventually found a carriage around two miles from the manor. She ordered the driver to take her to the Eunelope manor by the alternative route.

When she arrived, the count and countess were both there, arms on their chests and an inquisitive and suspicious look gleaming in their eyes.

"Lady Kiarha. Do you mind telling us where you went?" Count Yan stated, eyes narrowed shrewdly.

"I had some important matters to attend to, that's all."

"You're aware you're under our care, correct? If your uncle and aunt find out that their niece went off, how would they react?"

"I apologize. I wasn't thinking clearly. I promise that I won't do it again."

They nodded, and Kiarha was escorted back inside the manor. Just then, the newspaper boy hurled a paper at her.

She caught it, and read the front cover. Her eyes went wide when she saw the broken window of the Schuyler manor.

Schuyler Manor broken into and entered.

The headline blared, and she gave it to them. Their expression hardened, and they immediately began debating on who it could possibly be.

Meanwhile, she quietly slipped away and began to look for Hara. She found her in her room, reading "The Legendary Artifacts of the Ancients".

When Hara saw her clutching the documents, she flashed her a wicked grin.

"I heard what happened. I read the tabloid."

Kiarha gave her the documents, and in turn, Hara took out the Topaz and tossed it at her.

"Good job, Lady Kiarha. Now, let's go over our plan."

Hara invited her to sit down beside her, and they began to discuss about how they would be able to turn Hara into a strong contender for the position of Queen.

Meanwhile, Kiarha tapped the Amethyst ring twice, removing the hypnosis as well as removing all memory and trace of it.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on the door. It was Luke, and he had come to tell them that it was nearly lunchtime and that they should come down.

They nodded and bowed politely, before they stood up and followed him downstairs to the dining area.
Luke went ahead of them, and Kiarha and Hara fell back.

As they arrived at the dining area, they found the others waiting for them. The Duke and the Duchess looked distressed, probably because of what happened to their manor.

Kiarha internally smirked, knowing that she was the one who caused it. And this was only the first step of her plan.