The Vampire's Bride

The softness of his thumb lingered on his lips... His scent was too strong that Jillion could not help but get addicted to it. When he realized that Aldo had let go, his face flushed.

"Yes, honey? You called?"

Aldo's voice was deeper than Jillion remembered. His malicious smile was captivating that Jillion could not help but blush. It wasn't until he heard small laughs coming from behind him that he realized the act.

Looking back, he scolded the two boys, "You!"

Leo could not help it and started laughing out loud, "That's why I told you not to wake him up!"

Aldo, who was laughing, sat down and commented, ''You still fell from the same trick I used before... You're an idiot, Jill!"

Same trick from before?

What does that mean?

Mallory blushed as she envisioned... what could happen when they were still young. Don't tell me... A-A-Aldo and Young Master Jillion... k-k-kissed?!

Leo flicked Mallory on her forehead, "What are you thinking?"

"N-N-Nothing!" Feeling guilty, Mallory averted her eyes.

Raising a brow, Leo whispered, "If you're curious about what happened... then go ask Aldo. He'll answer it."

"I heard that," Aldo commented. "Don't ask now. We need to coax a child."

"Who are you calling a child?!" Jillion asked angrily.

Looking at him, Aldo took a moment before replying. "...No one."

"Absolutely no one," Leo said. Jillion knew they were lying but did not want to blow up and just sat besides Mallory. "Hmph! Fine! Do what you want!"

Mallory felt conscious of Jillion and scooted nearer to Leo.

The air became serious and everyone was silent. Mallory had her head down while the boys just stared at each other. After a while, Leo replied, "I'll go first."

Aldo nodded and waited for him to speak. "It's been years since you were conscious, right? Care to tell us what exactly happened? Mallory said that you... were killed. So how come you are alive right now?"

Aldo looked at Mallory and asked, "Mallory... what exactly do you remember?"

Mallory thought about it for a moment before answering, "Well... I was going to our usual meeting place but then you weren't there. I followed your scent and... it led me to where we found you..."

"Then you saw them, right? Zorek's pawns going crazy," Aldo continued.

Trembling, Mallory clearly remembered the scene that day.

She was just a child yet she was met with such a horrible sight. Hiding behind a tree, she could see four... more than five... there Zorek's pawns were, circling around Aldo, blood spilling everywhere. The air was too heavy for a child like her but she can't run nor think of anything else except what's at her front.

She just watched Aldo struggling, not emitting a sound, afraid to be the next victim. But when Aldo was struggling, for a moment, he saw her. Fear filled her eyes, she was trembling behind the tree. Aldo knew he shouldn't be scared. For her, he must be strong. Because at that moment, he knew that he was the only one whom Mallory could lean on.

At the moment of eye contact, Mallory finally found her voice. When she saw the fear disappearing from him, she found her strength. A high-pitched shrill resonated in the forest. Almost immediately, people came — both humans and vampires.

"She's right... I died in his hands yet I came back to life... because of him," Aldo said grimly.

"B-Because of Zorek?" Jillion asked.

Nodding, Aldo told them what happened.

...

Three weeks after Aldo's funeral.

"Aldo! My dear child! Why?!"

Aldo's mother was screaming, crying at the picture of Aldo. People were trying to comfort her but she did not stop. She continued until she heard from a man dressed as a servant. "Ma'am. Do you want to bring your son back?"

Without another thought, she replied, "Yes! Yes! Oh, young man, can you bring him back to life?"

The man smiled, "Not me, Ma'am. You need to go to him and ask him yourself, Ma'am."

The mother quickly told her husband the good news and in the next few days, they met the man. They met him, talked to him, and pleaded him until he said yes.

"Thank you, young man! Thank you! Oh, how can I repay you?" The father asked.

"Nothing. The payment will be retrieved after I complete the task," He answered.

"May I know your name? So that I know the person whom I should offer my gratitude?" The father asked once more.

"My name? Well..." With a smirk that hid different meanings, the man continued. "My name is —"

...

"— Zorek... He was Zorek..." Jillion mumbled.

"That's right. My parents lacked information about Zorek and his zombie army therefore they thought he was a good person. In the end, I ended up killing them!"

Aldo slammed a fist on the bed. It was hard to determine if he was angry at Zorek or at himself.

"So the payment he talked about was..." Leo trailed off.

"Yeah... I became his pawn," Aldo continued.

Everyone was quiet. Everyone was feeling differently. Mallory was relieved that Aldo did not turn into a bad guy but was instead used by a bad guy. Heaving a sigh of relief, she looked at Leo, wondering what he will do.

But when she looked at his eyes, all she noticed was his insecurity. He was filled with doubts. Mallory tried to think why.

Aldo saw the worried look Mallory had. Coughing, he called her out, "Mallory."

"Y-Yes?" Mallory quickly turned her attention to Aldo.

"Can you give us some time to talk?" Aldo asked, smiling a bit.

Mallory nodded, knowing that she needed to leave. "Master Orpheus, can I go help at the kitchen?"

"Why?" Leo asked.

Leo's eyes widened for a moment realizing one fact.

"I'll go cook dinner now! Wanna see?"

He suddenly recalled the black-haired girl standing up and walking out of the room to prepare dinner.

'Ahh... Mallory does resembles her a lot...' Leo thought.

Mallory noticed that a hint of despair and sadness filled his eyes for a second but before she could even comprehend why, Brian already came leaving her no chance of knowing why.

When Brian entered the room, he was surprised to see the familiar yellow eyes. He felt a sense of relief and security. "Good afternoon, Young Master Aldo. You called, Young Master?"

"Where is he?" Leo asked.

"With his old friends," Brian replied, knowing that Leo was asking about his father.

"As soon as he arrives, bring her back to the room. She'll help with the dinner," Leo said.

...

A couple of minutes passed ever since the door closed. Leo had his head down as he lifted a leg and let his arm rest on it with the other flat on the ground. Holding his head, he let out a sarcastic laugh. "Hahaha! What am I thinking?"

"You noticed it as well, Leo?" Aldo asked.

"Which one?" Leo asked, not wanting to look at anyone.

Aldo watched Leo's reaction as he continued, "The fact that Mallory resembles her a lot."

Jillion asked, "But she's not the same, right?"

This was like a button that silenced the room.

The fact that Mallory resembles her a lot...

She's not the same...

It was the thought that almost everyone had... it was tiring knowing that it's true while knowing that it cannot be true!

"So what if they resemble each other? They can never be the same," Leo said.

"How did the two of you even meet?" Aldo asked, leaning back at the frame of the bed.

"Well, I saw her at school a year or two ago and somehow kept on looking for her, thinking that I saw 'her'. Then when we became classmates this year, I was sure that she was not the person I was looking for. But one day she collapsed at the streets."

"Mallory collapsed? Why?" Aldo's worry was evident in his voice that it surprised Jillion and Leo.

Leo raised an eyebrow as he continued, "She wanted blood. It's a good thing that I found her or else she would have died. I brought her to my house and she brought me to you. The end."

"Did she... drink blood?" Aldo asked.

"Yeah. Her family came. She's staying with me temporarily... I think," Leo said.

"I see. That's good. If it's you, I'm sure you can prevent her family," Aldo sighed.

"So how come you two met when we were still kids and then we did not even know of her existence?" Jillion complained.

"She's my fiancée. Her parents decided and chose me. I saw her photo and thought that they were the same so I agreed. Turns out they're two different people," Aldo said.

"So you wanted to marry 'her'?" Jillion asked irritatedly.

"What's this? Is my darling jealous?" Aldo asked, smirking a bit.

A vein on Jillion's forehead popped as he gritted his teeth, "Not one bit!"

"Well, I was forced by my mother so it's not like I can say no, can I?" Aldo said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Then you two became close and you would always meet with her?" Leo asked.

"That's right. Then Zorek came and all that stuff happened. How is she now? Noticed anything strange?" Aldo asked.

"Other than the fact that she hated blood, nothing really. She's being bullied at school but the class already knew that I'm protecting her," Leo replied.

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else." Leo asked.

Aldo leaned forward and asked once more, "Are you sure?"

Leo frowned. "There's nothing else. What else wo— Ah!"

Leo suddenly remembered what Miss Lim told him. "There is!"

"What is it?" Jillion asked.

"Miss Lim, our teacher, told me something. It's weird but... sounds plausible."

Aldo's eyes widened. Miss Lim? A teacher knows about Mallory's secret?

"What did she say?" Aldo asked.

Leo looked at him in the eye. Instead of replying, he asked, "You... you know that there's something wrong with Mallory, don't you?"

Aldo nodded her head. "A lot. She's unconscious of it. That's why it needs to be hidden from the others. That's why tell me what your teacher told you because it is important."

Leo tried to read Aldo's emotions but all he understood was that Aldo was worried and was serious.

Could it be that Aldo still loves... Mallory?

As her ex-fiancé, it was quite understandable.

But...

Shaking away the uncomfortable thoughts, Leo opened his mouth to explain.