Music Recommendation: Strong Helper- Sim Hee Jin
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The next day early in the morning, Eugene made his way to the market of the Meadow town to fetch milk when he heard the local boy shouted,
"Return from the dead! Never like before! Fresh and exclusive news from the Council itself!"
A lot of townsfolk surrounded the local boy, paying him two shillings before taking the newsletter and reading it. They read half of it before looking at the person next to them and beginning to gossip.
"Can you believe this?" One of the men asked.
"How is it even possible?!" Asked another townsman. The man's wife, not knowing how to read, leaned towards her husband and asked him,
"What is it? Who is the person who returned from the dead?"
Eugene went straight to the local boy, paying him the money, he took hold of the newsletter, and his eyes skimmed through what was written there. His eyes widened, and he ran back to Dawson's house.
"Lady Aubrey! Lady Aubrey!" Eugene shouted as he entered the house.
"What has gotten you so excited, Eugene?" Lady Aubrey asked, who was in the kitchen with Rosetta. The vampiress had been learning how to cook with Lady Aubrey's help.
Rosetta noticed her husband had not bought the milk along with him, and she asked him, "Is everything alright?"
Eugene stretched his hand forward and held the newsletter and said, "The person whom James Sullivan kidnapped was Miss Eve."
"What?" Lady Aubrey's eyes widened as this was her first hearing about it. The local newspaper had mentioned the Sullivans, but there was no mention about who was kidnapped. "Give that to me," she said, adjusting the glasses on her nose, and Rosetta came closer to read along with her.
Lady Aubrey read what was written in the newsletter with her eyebrows furrowed,
"The Council would like to inform everyone that James Sullivan, the uncle of Duke Noah of Woodlock, is now dead. During the time of his capture, the man refused to comply and come with the members of the authorities, which eventually led to his death. As you are aware, James Sullivan had turned into a rogue and had kidnapped Genevieve Moriarty, wife of Vincent Moriarty.
Mr. Moriarty has brought back his wife safely to Skellington, and thankfully, there has been no worrying damage being caused. Mr. Sullivan kidnapped Lady Genevieve to sacrifice her after mingling with the witches for his means. With him, Lady Hilda and Jeffry Sullivan were captured for their involvement with him, as there have been a series of deaths that was caused by them.
But in the light of the truth that was found recently, because Noah Sullivan is alive, it has been found that Jeffry Sullivan is innocent and had no hand in any of the operations. Many councilmen, as well as one of the Inner Council members, that is Mr. Fowler's death was caused by Hilda Sullivan. Duke Noah has been trying to bring the truth to light, and his false death was only an attempt in the success that we have achieved. We would like to thank Duke Noah for this contribution.
While Duke Noah and Jeffry Sullivan are innocent, after a lot of thought, it has been decided that Lady Hilda Sullivan will be executed today at noon."
Lady Aubrey read the rest of it in her mind, while Rosetta stepped away from Lady Aubrey and asked her husband, "We should go to the Moriarty mansion as soon as possible."
Eugene was in deep thought, and he whispered, "Do you think he was the one?"
"The one?" Rosetta asked, not knowing what Eugene meant.
Now that Rosetta was part of the family, he told her, "The one who killed Miss Eve's mother… She told me some time ago about the family history, and I always thought it was someone from that family."
"It could be," and it couldn't be, Lady Aubrey thought to herself and said, "So much happened, I wonder how she is doing. Let us get the carriage prepared and leave quickly to Skellington." But when she turned around to go to her room, Lady Aubrey fell on the ground.
"Lady Aubrey!" Eugene and Rosetta quickly came to her side, but the elderly woman had lost consciousness. They carried Lady Aubrey to her room and laid her on the bed. Eugene said to Rosetta,
"I will go get the physician."
"I will be here looking after her," Rosetta replied, and watched her husband leave the house as fast as his body could move.
In the Moriarty mansion, Eve and Vincent sat in the garden for some fresh air, talking to each other. Eve asked him,
"Will you be going to the Council?"
"To watch the execution?" Vincent asked her, taking her hand in his and playing with her fingertips. "I have very little interest in the person who is getting executed. I think I can spend my time better by sitting next to you, than waste it on someone else."
Eve smiled at Vincent's words and took a deep breath before staring at the blooming flowers. The snow had started to reduce, and the Winter season was leaving them.
"The Council doesn't want to drag it, considering the murders the Sullivan duo plotted of high standing people," Vincent stated, and he agreed. He preferred them all gone, so that he could spend peaceful days with his love.
His voice drawled, "I was thinking about something."
"About what?" Eve asked him, and she turned to look at his silver hair gently moving in the direction of the wind. "Now that you have fulfilled the goal of getting revenge from the man who killed your mother, I was wondering how about we start our family."
Eve stared at him before a beautiful smile spread on her lips. She said, "I think I would very much love that."
Vincent remarked, "I thought of waiting for some time so that I could spoil you, but then I thought, I can always do that with the way days come. To love and cherish you without having to pause, while we build our family. Imagine little Eves and little Vincent running around."
Two carriages appeared from the gates, moving towards the entrance of the mansion. Alfie quickly made his presence in front of the mansion and bowed when the members of the Moriarty family stepped down from the carriage. It wasn't just Lady Annalise and Allie who had returned. Along with them were grandpa and grandma Moriarty.
"They seem to have arrived sooner than I expected," Vincent murmured, and he stood up with Eve, leaving the garden and making their way towards the front.
Grandpa Moriarty, noticing Vincent and Eve, commented loudly, "You both seem perfectly in shape! We heard from Annalise that my lovely granddaughter-in-law was kidnapped and we came as quickly as we could!"
"How did you travel so fast?" Vincent inquired, and Lady Annalise replied to this,
"They were already headed in this direction, and our carriages passed. They caught up to us and we had to turn around because they said it was better we stick together."
Lady Ravette said, "Of course, that didn't make sense. What if you needed help?" She asked her grandson. "But it seems you were capable of protecting her by yourself."
Grandpa Moriarty said to Vincent, "Rave and I were missing all of you and left Holy Oak, not knowing that they were headed our way, but it is good that I have a good eye. Now that we are here, and everyone are in good shape, we should celebrate it together!"
Lady Ravette asked, "Where is Marceline? Not back from her trip?"
"She's in House of Purgatory," Vincent finally revealed the truth.
The older vampiress tilted her head, while Grandpa Moriarty raised his eyebrows. Lady Ravette then remarked after the silence that grew in the atmosphere,
"What did she do to have you all send her there?"
"She has harmed and tried to kill Eve," Vincent answered. Lady Ravette nodded, and she responded,
"Why doesn't that surprise me? I knew the child since she was young," she then turned to the butler and said, "Prepare tea in the dining room."
"Right away, milady!" Alfie bowed, before the other servants appeared to carry their luggage inside the mansion.
Grandpa Moriarty put his arm around his wife's waist and whispered, "Did you have to phrase it that way, dear?"
Lady Ravette wasn't pleased to hear that one of her grandchildren was in the House of Purgatory. She said, "She disappoints me. Maybe we could go and pay her a visit? Maybe see if things can be fixed?"
"Perhaps," Grandpa Moriarty answered as they continued to walk inside the hallways.
Vincent and Eve were the last ones walking behind the elderly couple, when Eugene appeared in front of the mansion and called,
"Miss Eve!"
Eve turned around, the bright smile on her lips lowered when she noticed the worry on Eugene's face. She quickly made her way towards where he stood, and Vincent followed him.
Grandpa and Grandma Moriarty turned to see who it was, and Lady Ravette questioned, "Who is that man, who talks to my granddaughter-in-law with such a casual tone?"
Lady Annalise quickly answered, "That is Genevieve's family. She was taken in and raised by them."
"A vampire?" Grandpa Moriarty asked in slight surprise.
"He was a human… until… your granddaughter Marceline stabbed him," Lady Annalise replied.
"Seems like our elder granddaughter has been busy with idle work," Lady Ravette responded before her lips set themselves in a thin line.
At the front of the mansion, Eve asked, "What's the matter, Eugene? Is everything alright?"
Eugene then said, "It is Lady Aubrey."
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