Bloodbound [Alpha-series (II)]

Chapter 22

“Henry, I swear to the goddess I didn’t …!”, I started to defend myself as soon as I stepped into his office. Before I could even finish the sentence, Henry appeared in front of me and cupped my cheeks with his hands.

“I know”, he calmly stated.

“You … you believe me?”, I asked, voice still shaken from shock and fear.

“I do.”

“B-but the video …”, I stuttered.

“… is a fake”, he finished.

“A-and you didn’t answer me a-a-and send Badu and …”

“Shhhh … Forgive me for tricking you, but your fear needed to appear genuine."

"T-trick me?", I half sobbed, half accused.

"I hoped you would be in the castle when the video surfaced, but in hindsight, this is a blessing in disguise. We can ..."

"Y-you already knew about the video?", I cut in.

"Maybe we should have a seat first, then I'll explain everything to you from the beginning", he suggested, leading me to the seating area. "Can I offer you a tea?"

I mechanically lifted the cup in front of me. How could he stay so calm when there was such a video of me out there? Did I miss something?

Composed as ever, Henry got seated in the armchair beside me, as if he wouldn’t have a single worry in the world.

"Did you recognize the room shown in the tape?", my mate asked.

"I didn’t get to watch it, I only read an online article about it. Then, Badu and Lín appeared and dragged me back here."

Henry wordlessly handed his tablet to me, the display occupied by a screenshot of the video. I focused on the surroundings of the doppelganger Maya, searched for something familiar.

"Is ... Is that the bedroom we slept in at Elisabeth’s castle?"

He gave a brief nod. When I wanted to start the video, the tablet was snatched out of my grip.

"Watch this version instead", Henry said, giving it back to me.

This video was shot from a different angle, showing the whole room from a bird’s perspective. In the beginning, I could be seen lying on the bed with a book in my hand.

I frowned. Had there ever been a day where I had read in bed like this?

The seconds ticked by as “I” continued reading.

"Fast-forward to 5:34 minutes", Henry ordered.

I did. A few seconds into the video, the door opened and an unfamiliar maid dressed in a gown from Elisabeth’s time entered with a food tray that contained a teapot and a plate with different fruits.

"Councilor Elisabeth sends her best regards and wishes for a quick recovery."

She bowed and left. What happened next was confusing to say the least. A woman materialized out of nowhere, made a weird move with her hand and caused "me" to faint. Her figure flared and when it sharpened, she was a mirror image of me. The eerie sight of my doppelganger made my hairs stand on end. Was she a vampire with the ability to shapeshift like June?