The Night Belongs to the Moon | Taeyong

22 | Get the Ball Rolling

The next morning when Taeyong woke up, he found the bed next to him empty. In a stupor, almost mechanically, he took a bath, dried his hair and dressed himself in a simple shirt and pants before going to the study and stayed there for some time to go over his files for the day. When he returned to the bedroom the sun was rising above the grey clouds and Dal-ae was standing by the window with his suit in her arms.

'Good morning, Master,' she said.

'Why did you leave the bed this morning?' he asked.

'To get ready and change into a new set of uniform.'

'You didn't have to,' Taeyong said, walking towards her. 'You should have slept in like last time.'

But Dal-ae replied solemnly, 'Last time was my fault. I should maintain the perfect appearance at all times.'

'Nonsense.'

'It's not,' Dal-ae replied in a formal manner. 'I am a Familiar and should know my limits.'

He watched her carefully keep the clothes onto the rack one by one.

'Dal-ae.'

'Yes, Master?'

'Look at me.'

She did and he held her by her shoulders.

'You are not overstepping your limit,' he said with a smile. 'I want you here. If I drink from you, I expect you to not overexert yourself the next morning.'

She averted her eyes from him. 'I don't want to let you down. I want to be a good Familiar.'

'And you are. A Familiar should be everything what a Master needs and...'

'And?' she looked up at him but he remained silent.

This time she held his gaze. 'Do you need me, Taeyong?' she asked in a whisper and his lip trembled in answer. He almost bent down to taste her again but it would be too soon after last night so he withdrew.

With a sigh, Dal-ae broke the trance and asked, 'Do you need help with dressing?'

'It's alright, I'll do it myself,' Taeyong said, picking up his shirt from the rack.

'Oh, by the way, you forgot the book in the study last night,' he said, gesturing towards the green hardback on the desk by the window.

'Forgot?' She raised an eyebrow. 'Or that I wasn't given a chance to take it?' she teased.

'Sorry for that,' he conceded.

Dal-ae picked up the book and opened to the first page to read the introduction. It was a book on Ancient Vampire Architecture and Mysteries of the Shadows. After some time, when Taeyong was done, he had to call out her name twice to get her attention.

'Do you like it already?' he asked.

She nodded in response, closing the book shut and tucked it away securely in her cloak.

'Is there a pocket inside your cloak?' Taeyong asked, noticing how the book completely vanished between the folds of her clothes.

Dal-ae shook her head. 'It's in my skirt,' she said, almost blushing.

'Let me see.' Taeyong took a step forward.

'Fine,' she said, standing still. 'Why don't you see me?'

'I see you, Dal-ae,' he replied, his eyes turning dark. 'I see you every day. I see your every inch.' He was as close to her as he was last night; the warm and cold of their breaths playing together. But Taeyong knew better than this and so did she. It was Dal-ae who broke the eye contact first only to raise her hands and button his shirt for him before tucking them inside his pants. She was careful and gentle. With each tug and each pull her palm warmed the cold outline of his body, feeling his every curve, lingering over his every edge.

If Taeyong felt the rush of blood inside her then she felt the shudders of his body too, stronger and more intense than before every time her fingers met his skin.

'You are ready,' she said, taking a step back.

'Thank you,' he replied hoarsely.

Outside the chamber, Dal-ae shut the door behind them and asked, 'When will you return?' and saw him smile.

'Why?'

'Just asking.'

'Should I come back soon?' He tilted his head to the side.

'No,' she said rather shyly, 'you should come back when your work is done.'

'I will be back before the sun the touches the horizon this evening, how does that sound?'

Dal-ae nodded. 'That sounds good.'

'Ahem.' The two heard someone cough and from the shadows a pair of glasses, which both of them recognized at once, gleamed at them.

The two separated and Doyoung walked forward in his usual stoic manner.

'Good morning, my Lord,' he greeted.

'Good morning, Doyoung.'

'Have a good day, my Lord,' Doyoung said and waited but Taeyong did not move.

'Oh, yeah. Goodbye. Bye, Dal-ae,' Taeyong said, walking away.

'Come with me,' Doyoung muttered and Dal-ae sighed exasperatedly knowing what was coming.

Silently, the two walked through the length of the Night Mansion and soon left the morning humdrum of chores behind making their way to the opposite end. This part of the Mansion was secluded from the rest and was much quieter with the occasional appearance of a cleaner polishing the frames of the paintings that hung on the wall.

At last, when Dal-ae's patience was just about to run out, Doyoung stopped in front of a pair of sleek doors. But what lay beyond them was unlike anything else in the Mansion – a ballroom, at least two storeys high, stretched its dark panelled walls and warm expanse beyond what the eye could see, and Dal-ae realized, with much awe, that the long walk to the entrance was just them walking around that ballroom.

Doyoung switched on the golden lights shrouding the black and green of the room into the most elegant glow, reflecting in the polished marble floor below their feet.

'Stop gawking,' he said and Dal-ae quickly followed him inside.

'I have come to understand that you are going to be the Lord's date for the Vampire Ball this year,' he said, pulling the curtains open, which did not add much to the light inside.

'The Vampire Ball is the most important event of the year in our realm. It is a tradition older than the Lord himself. The first Vampire Ball was held when the foundation of the first society within the newly established Vampire Realm was laid. It is not just a dance to frolic around in but an evening where dignitaries, officials, and highly distinguished guests exchange ideas and further the progression of vampires.'

'Master tells me that it's quite boring,' Dal-ae said matter-of-factly.

'How dare you,' Doyoung snapped.

'Not my words,' Dal-ae shrugged.

Doyoung shook his head and sighed, 'He should not say things like these out loud. Anyway,' -he turned to her- 'this is a small ballroom in the Mansion, used for intimate gathering. The actual place will be much bigger and grander than this but I think this should suffice to make you practice and get used to the setting of a ball. We only have a month so we cannot waste any time.'

Dal-ae nodded, to Doyoung's surprise, obediently. From inside his suit, he took out a thick book and handed it to her.

'The 127 Basic Rules and Etiquettes for a Lady's First Vampire Ball,' Dal-ae read the title. 'There are 127 basic rules? How many are there in the extensive list, then?'

'Not many,' Doyoung said. 'You are to memorize these rules and behaviour etiquettes by the end of this week. This is an additional list of rules I have compiled,' -he handed her a set of loose sheets, bound in thread- 'which I believe are necessary for a human at the Vampire Ball. Apart from this, you will be spending your mornings with me to learn and practice mannerisms and postures on how to conduct yourself gracefully during the Ball and we have to get you started on the dance too.'

'Understood. Thank you for taking out time from your schedule for this,' Dal-ae said in the same obedient manner.