hinamoririma: hey, it's nice to hear from you! The new character identities would slowly be revealed as the chapters progress... and as for Neil, yea... gotta be patient on that one, too... hehehe

Gwen hated to go home, because going home these days only reminded her of the fact that Reine was in the clinic, hopefully still fighting for her life. These days, she began to ponder over their lives up to this point. They were born not too far apart from each other, but enough to weaken their mother considerably due to the prolonged, consecutive deliveries—a part of her couldn't help but wonder whether that contributed to their mother's untimely death, being too weak to handle the injuries. Their father, on the other hand, had no possibility of surviving; from what she heard, his neck was snapped in the horrendous accident, it was an immediate death.

For all the life she could remember, Reine had been her only real family, her tether to this world. When she began to fall sick, when the sickness turned out to be deadlier than what they thought initially, Reine had always been there, waiting for her, tending to her. Gwen knew she would have given up and let go a long time ago, if it hadn't been for Reine.

Before she knew it, her legs had brought her to the river area. It was there she met the blood-haired vampire. His icy eyes glinted at her. "Oh, Guinevere Elizabeth."

"…what are you doing here?" she asked.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm taking a break." He smirked. "You're lucky, actually, running into me right now. Really lucky! You see, I'm getting to feel thirsty."

Gwen gulped. A thirsty vampire and her being in the luck? She remembered he used the word 'lucky' to describe his past victims, too—maybe, today was her day?

Be careful what you wished for, she thought bitterly.

"…I was going to get some tea. You don't have anything to do, right? I'm feeling pretty good, today, so I'll take you along with me if you'd like! Come on!"

…tea?

The vampire grabbed her wrist and led her out from the river, but she was so flabbergasted at him that she didn't move at all. Allen looked back in confusion. "Hey, what's wrong? Come on, let's get a move on!"

Just like that, he practically dragged her to the restaurant. He even ordered the tea and dessert for her. When their food was served, Gwen was still trying to get used to the fact that a vampire had just asked her out for tea.

"What's up? It's my treat, so you don't have to hold back! Eat, come on!"

Gwen took a tentative bite on the strawberry shortcake. The cake was so soft it practically melted on her tongue, while the cream was so velvety. It had been so long since she had one.

"Thank you."

"I invited you here, it's only proper that I pay. Having a woman to pay for herself while eating with me goes against what I stand for."

Gwen chuckled. "In what time are we in? Middle Ages?'

Allen returned her smile with another of his. "No matter the time, being a gentleman is always the thing, Guinevere Elizabeth. You just haven't met the right man yet—not until me, at least."

Gwen took another bite from her cake, this time letting the fork linger longer on her tongue just to lick the cream clean. "So, you think you're this man for me?"

"I don't just think, Guinevere Elizabeth, I know," Allen retorted. "Just like I know that this cake is your favorite, and how you've been depressed ever since what happened to Reine."

"How about the fact that I haven't eaten this cake ever since Reine's first accident, five years ago, because Reine took a later bus so that she could buy me some of these?"

There was a fleeting look of surprise, and Gwen didn't miss it, but Allen managed to regain his composure just as fast. "Now I know."

"Nevertheless, I'm happy… for what you did," she assured him. "You know, earlier I thought you're going to drink my blood. This is definitely better than that."

"What?"

"Earlier, you said you were thirsty and I was lucky… how else was I supposed to think?"

Allen laughed. "Fair enough, but relax, Guinevere… even when I do drink blood, I've been restricting myself to animals for centuries."

"…Why?"

Allen put his fork on the empty plate, and it was then Gwen realized she had finished hers, too. "Hm, seems like we've both finished. You look much better, too. I'll see you later."

He never answered her last question.

Just like that time, she ended up in the river area, too. And just like that time, she bumped into Allen, again. This seemed to be his favorite spot, and she could see why. The sound of the breeze and the river flow really calmed one's heart.

"We meet here again. You're looking for me?"

"Not… exactly. You seem to be here a lot, too."

Allen laughed briefly and sat on the laid down trunk, patting the spot next to him. "Come on, don't be shy, I'll make some time for you."

Gwen wasn't expecting anyone's company, but then again, she would feel bad if she turned him down. Besides his obvious ego and sass, he's actually pretty nice. The brunette then sat next to him, watching the river as it moved downstream.

"Reine's been doing well, I heard."

She nodded. "She's recovering pretty fast. She's always been like that."

"You did tell me she got into an accident in the past."

She nodded again. "It was when everything really changed for us."

Silence settled down between them. In that time, Gwen couldn't help but to watch Allen next to her. Sitting still, he looked just like a work of art.

"…how about you?" she asked in a low voice before she realized it.

"Hm?"

"You know… the change. You used to be human, right?"

"Right," he confirmed. "I might tell you if you ask in a cute way."

Gwen puffed her cheeks. "Oh, come on!"

Allen chuckled amusedly. "I was a human once, long long time ago. In those times, surviving to my age was something worth celebrating, so I did. With the meager coins I saved up painstakingly, I treated a few of my buddies for some ale. And then I went home, alone, along a dark, dingy alley. I passed a man, all of a sudden he pushed me against a wall and stabbed me again and again and then left me to die. Just like that. You see, Guinevere Elizabeth? Death does not choose, you cross his path, you die—at least that's what I thought was going to happen to me."

"But it's not."

"Obviously I could barely open my eyes when another man appeared. He crouched down and took some of my blood on his hand and drank it. Then he bit my neck, wishing me luck. He carried me on his shoulder and brought me to a mansion, and that was when I closed my eyes in pain. The pain from my wounds was replaced with the one on where he bit me, and then it spread throughout my body, down to the ends of my fingers and toes. I didn't know how long had passed, but I would never want to repeat those days anymore. When I woke up, I was what you see now."

"A vampire."

Allen laughed softly. "Those days they called us something else… strega—I think that's it. Anyway, that man became my mentor in many ways, especially the etiquettes of a gentleman and the art of seduction, important survival skills at that time. Of course, as time passed, I gained other important skills as well."

"Like styling people's hair?"

Allen poked her cheek faintly. "You're quite the curious cat, aren't you? Look, the sun almost sets, you better go home soon."

"How about you?"

His hand moved from her cheek to the crown of her head, patting it gently—almost affectionately, she might even say. "It's very adorable for you to worry about me, but I can take care of myself. You, on the other hand, are a different matter altogether. What would you do without me, hm?"

"Be a normal human?"

He smiled. "You're still a normal mortal, Guinevere Elizabeth. Now, off you go."

Allen watched she left before turning his head to enjoy the river again. While a number of ladies had expressed interest in his life, this could very well be the first time he complied to such inquiry. He smiled sadly at that thought—she had never asked him, had she known the truth, after all? Moreover, Gwen's last question brought up a certain memory that it was not the river he saw before his eyes but the recollection of that particular time.

The wind was picking up its pace, so she decided to arrange her hair into a braid. He watched as her slender fingers began to divide her hair into sections and then intertwine them, one with the other. "Would you let me do it for you?"

She looked at him and then let out an incredulous laugh. "You? Do my hair? Do you even know how?"

"I'm a fast learner," he assured her.

She weighed in her options for a moment, then finally she nodded. "Come closer."

He complied. "Place your fingers where mine are," she instructed, and he obeyed. She pulled her fingers away when his were in place, for a moment, their skin brushed against each other and Allen reveled in the warmth that gave him.

"First, you would want to set how braid tightness, the more you pull on them, the tighter the braid would be. Then, you start by putting this one over to the middle, then the other one… then just do it over and over again."

He felt the softness of her hair on his finger, as well as how her warm breath touched his skin as he began braiding her hair. It was not as easy as it seemed, but he didn't let that show. Finally, when he almost reached the end of her long hair, she gave him a ribbon and he tied it around her braid. When he looked up, he was greeted by her smile. "It's not bad for your first attempt."

"Of course, dear Elizabeth… who do you think I am?"

For the briefest moment, he could see a troubled expression passing by her face, but it was soon replaced by another smile from her. "My love," she said in a soft voice. "My one, true love."

That time, he was so moved by her declaration that he pushed the memory of her troubled face deep into an abyss in his head. Looking back, it brought Allen a question he knew he would never get an answer for:

"Could it be… that you've known all along?"

Allen's origin has been revealed...

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

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