Silent in the dark

Chapter Nineteen

"Calm down Ramiel," Skylar reassured, "I told her she could call me Damien since we are now buddies. Isn't that right, buddy?"

"Yes, buddy," she replied, flashing a smile.

"Have you ever heard of a maid and prince being buddies?" Ramiel asked, clearly confused.

"Yeah, of course in movies and novels., also in reality"

"Don't bother, Skylar," he interjected, "he's completely old-fashioned." Damien chimed in, taking an apple and smirking as he chewed. Suddenly, he started choking. Without hesitation, Skylar handed him a glass of water, which he gulped down as he glared at Ramiel. Skylar couldn't help but wonder at the stark difference between the two brothers. One was calm, unbothered, and emotionless, while the other was quite the opposite. Yet both exuded a deadly yet captivating aura.

"If there's nothing else you need, Your Highnesses, I will kindly take my leave," Skylar announced, receiving no response from Ramiel. As she was about to depart, she recalled his earlier words and sighed. She turned towards him before speaking again.

"Should I take my leave now, Your Highness?" she inquired, not wanting to risk punishment from this handsome demon. Ramiel plucked a grape and nodded, and she departed.

"Ramiel, don't tell me you're starting to fancy Skylar," Damien teased, looking pleased.

"You should know better than anyone," Ramiel replied, popping the grape into his mouth. "I never said you could have anything to do with her."

"Then I wouldn't call her buddy listen Ramiel I have limit to the games I play and despite she is your personal maid" Damien said seriously

"I plan to get married to her" Ramiel stated

"You keep surprising me of lately brother" he said as he begined to eat his meal. "It's pretty obvious father wants to give you the throne but you have to earn it"

"I know what to do on that, anything new"

"When will Azazel return?" Damien inquired, his gaze fixed on Ramiel, personal guard to the prince.

"His return is imminent, especially now that I need to get married," Ramiel replied.

"That's good to hear. I can't keep this up for much longer," Damien sighed.

"I pay you for your services," Ramiel reminded him.

"Why not double it?" Damien's face lit up with mischief.

"You're becoming quite greedy," Ramiel chuckled, but inwardly blamed himself for spoiling his friend.

"I have grave news: there is a vampire on the loose. And she's already corrupted," Damien's tone turned serious.

"How many has she turned?" Ramiel asked.

"At least 30, in just a few days. We need to act fast before she spreads further. But getting to her won't be easy. Someone is deliberately keeping her alive and providing her with victims," Damien explained.

"I'll handle the corrupted ones. You take care of the source," Ramiel suggested, lost in thought as he took another bite of fruit.

"Surprising news Princess Arya's wedding will take place here in three days," Damien announced, surprised.

"Where did you hear that?" Ramiel inquired with concern.

"Just now. My father is discussing it with his advisor. It seems King Armand of Azeriam is gravely ill and the crown prince urgently needs a wife. The wedding has been rushed so the sick king can give his blessings," Damien revealed.

"How sweet," Ramiel added, closing his eyes briefly with a sense of dread.

The audacity of her existence is truly staggering. How could they continue to keep her alive and use other vampires as food? Why did they neglect those who were corrupted by them?

"I heard a few escaped and multiplied in number by now."

"Do you have any idea who could be responsible for this?" He asked.

"Goodness, I dug up so much information for you and you're not even considering doubling my pay."

"I was actually planning on offering you a promotion-" Damien suddenly produced a document from his hand and handed it to Ramiel, which then disappeared from his grasp.

"Don't change your mind, Ramiel. These are the documents containing information about the one who is keeping the corrupted vampire alive," he said.

"It seems the owner must be in love with the lady and doesn't want her to die. Such a pity," Damien said as he continued eating his meal. Ramiel remained unfazed as he began to eat as well.

Skylar stood outside the door, patiently waiting for them to finish discussing and eating so she could clean up. She remembered her first experience here, it was both enigmatic and frightening. This floor seemed isolated, she wondered how long this palace had existed. Staying here felt oddly familiar, which was ridiculous of course! She walked further and saw the picture again, of a man burning in fire. It looked so real, she approached it and hesitantly reached out her hand to touch it.

But before she could, someone suddenly grabbed her from behind.

******
"Do you think, Skylar-"

"Let's not talk about that yet," Ramiel cut off Damien. He put down his utensils and listened to Skylar's racing heartbeat as she stood close to him but seemed so far away.

"I'll be back," Ramiel said as he suddenly disappeared. Damien ignored him and continued eating his dinner.

Ramiel's eyes widened when he saw what Skylar was about to do. He quickly wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her away from the picture.  she faced him terrified as she sweated profusely and her breathing was a bit fast than usually