The Night Belongs to the Moon | Taeyong

2 | Collar of Ownership

Dal-ae didn't even have time to catch her breath before Doyoung found her again, and led her to a humble sitting area in the back rooms of the mansion. She saw a huge pile of sheets and files spread on a high wooden table.

'Tie your hair,' Doyoung said, handing her a thin black silk ribbon.

He waited patiently while Dal-ae fumbled with the ribbon to wrap her thick hair into a tight low ponytail. And while he didn't approve of the shabby way she had fixed her hair, he had other things on his mind right now. One after the other, Doyoung handed her the notes on Taeyong's schedules, dress code, instructions on how to tidy the chamber including Taeyong's usual waking and sleeping hours, and finally, his feeding habits.

'This is all you'll need for now. Go through them. Do you have any questions?' Doyoung stood beside the table, his expression business-like.

'How do I communicate inside the mansion?' Dal-ae asked, setting the heavy files on the table again.

'Who do you need to communicate with? You have no family.' Doyoung had said this so indifferently that if she was not paying attention, she might have missed the remark.

Her indignation was visible on her face but when she spoke, she matched his formal tone, 'I did not mean anyone outside. What if I wish to contact you or the Lord?'

'You will be called upon when necessary and if you wish to speak to any of us, wait outside the chamber,' Doyoung told her. 'And one more thing, you will always address him as Master. He is not your Lord.'

Despite the annoyance taking a clear form in Dal-ae's eyes, she quietly asked, 'What difference does it make?'

Doyoung smiled an unsettling smile and replied calmly, 'He is the Lord of all the vampires. In human realm he will be the equivalent to the King, Ruler, the Monarch of the entire world. He is royalty himself and the only one in the vampire realm right now. But unlike in the world of humans, the royalty here earns the title by talent alone. Whoever is the most powerful of all the vampires, rises to the position of the Lord of the Vampires and is the only one who is recognized by the throne. But to you, a human, he is not a Lord, he is your Master and you are here to serve him. Is the difference clear now?'

Dal-ae nodded slowly at this.

'The chamber that you have been given will serve as your permanent residence in the mansion. From now on, your food will not be brought to your room but will be served in the hall at the end of the Staff Wing, near the Blood Bank.'

In every vampire household existed what was known as a Blood Bank which was nothing but a kitchen pantry. In poor houses, it was merely an ice box containing bags of blood. In richer houses, there was a room, much like a kitchen dedicated to storing the blood bags. But in the Night Mansion, as Dal-ae found out a few weeks later, a whole wing was designed to not only store blood in tall cold storages but there was even a dining area for the staff of the house. The Lord had his private dining area but he had no pantry. There was a reason for this – Taeyong was always served fresh human blood extracted from humans who willingly accepted Taeyong as their Lord and wanted to offer themselves up for his feeding.

'These are the timings when your food will be served.' Doyoung handed her another sheet of paper. 'If you wish to eat at any other time, you will have to make a request to the chef assigned to you. The Lord was considerate enough to arrange for a small pantry with human snacks. It has been stocked for the first month but after that you are responsible for informing the staff of your needs on restocking.'

'Are there any other questions?' Doyoung asked.

'When does he come home?'

'Whenever his work is done,' Doyoung replied.