"It is widely accepted that the supernatural's existence is unfathomable, and those that believe in it are simply mad."
♰
Jezebel Barker was a young, innocent girl who resided in the English moors her entire life. She was a provider, a good girl, wh...
As I dressed myself after my bath, I thought of the name I had seen on the golden plate of the portrait of Charlotte... — whatever her surname was. Simon Riley... Riley's Castle... Who was Simon Riley, though? Was he Count Ghost's father, or maybe an uncle..?
Was it him?
I was fearful to ask. I did not want him to think me rude for prying, but my curiosity burned inside my body like wildfire, spreading from my chest to my fingers and down to my toes. I could not bear it. So despite my terror of the Count himself and the dull throbbing of the two-hole injury on the side of my neck, I dressed myself to go to the dining hall in a hazy state of mind.
My dress was a little darker today. I had looked on the bed and seen the clothing that Ghost picked out for me, appalled. I don't like darker gowns, or hardly anything not a pleasing color to the eye at all. Clothing that is dark makes me feel gloomy... I do not know how to explain it. But today, strangely, as I slipped on my underclothing, laced my corset and tightened it, and then slipped on the gown, I felt comfortable.
The gown itself was dark, as previously stated. The sides of the dress bled pitch black from the shoulder of the dress down to the bottom. The sleeves and center of the gown, however, were a very refined and sophisticated plum hue, decorated by swirls and patterns that contrasted the purple with black. The neckline was square, and my collarbones were very prominent beneath my skin as I strode to the large mirror in the corner of Count Ghost's chamber, ogling myself. I lifted my arms, doing a little dance in the mirror and posing. The sleeves of the gown hung from my wrists; if somebody were to walk in on me, I would be quite embarrassed, considering the fact that by twisting and twirling in the mirror and gazing at myself I seemed very conceited and girlish indeed.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Nonetheless, I smiled a bit, and scooped my curly tresses from behind to see what my hair would look like if it was styled up — unfortunately, thought, my smile quickly diminished when I saw exactly what the mark on my neck looked like. Two symmetrical, strongly dark red spots, scabbed over and bleeding a little from the edges. I frowned, and laid my hair back down, my good mood soured.
I looked back to where the pile of clothing originally was to find my slippers, and once I did, I slipped them over my bare feet, relieved that Ghost did not make me wear shoes with heels; they were very uncomfortable. But, as I stood up from my bent position, I saw another object on the bed. I squinted, and quickly realized it was a velvet black choker.
Thrilled to have some jewelry to go with my outfit, I picked up the necklace and turned it around in my hands. In the front, it had a small circular silver pendant. Engraved on its surface was two letters: S.R.
S.R.... What did that mean? My brows furrowed, and I very suddenly recalled the name from earlier. Simon Riley! My lips parted in disbelief, lowering the necklace in my hands and looking back to the portrait across the room. I speed-walked towards it, running my fingertips across the golden plaque at the bottom: Simon Riley... That had to be the Count's real name! It could not be a relative's, surely, for in what universe would he give me a piece of jewelry with his father or his uncle's or maybe even brother's name on it?
