Vampire Queen : Fated Love

⁠☞: Settling In

After dinner, they all retreated to their respective rooms, the mansion's creaks and groans more pronounced in the night's silence.

Adi, still uneasy, hesitated outside the rooms, looking at Eithan.

"Can I sleep with you guys? I don't want to be alone."

Eithan shrugged nonchalantly.

"Sure. But if you snore, I'm kicking you out."

Josh laughed, slinging an arm around Adi's shoulders.

"Don't worry, little bro. We've got you covered. Besides, ghosts wouldn't dare mess with us."

Adi didn't look convinced, but he followed them inside.

The arrangement was quickly decided. Eithan claimed the sofa without hesitation, lying back with his arms folded behind his head.

"You two can take the bed. I'm fine here."

Josh and Adi climbed into the bed, with Josh already stretching out like he owned the place while Adi stuck to the edge, clutching the blanket tightly.

In the next room, Albert and Ruhr settled in together. Ruhr tucked Albert in, watching as he clutched her phone like a teddy bear.

"Ruhr," Albert said, his voice soft, "you'll recharge the phone tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, Albert," she replied patiently. "Now sleep."

Albert nodded, smiling. "Okay. Goodnight, Ruhr."

"Goodnight," she whispered, turning off the light.

Meanwhile, Sarah and Leo were in their designated room. Sarah unpacked quietly, her expression unreadable.

Leo watched her for a moment before speaking. "You seemed distracted at dinner."

Sarah glanced at him, her tone measured.

"This place is unsettling, that's all. But I'll manage."

Leo nodded, reclining on the sofa.

"Good. Get some rest. We've got work to do tomorrow."

Sarah lay down on the bed, her mind racing with thoughts she couldn't voice. With a sigh, she closed her eyes, letting the mansion's eerie atmosphere lull her to sleep.

---

☞: A Night of Restlessness

The house settled into an uneasy quiet. Somewhere in the mansion, a faint rustling could be heard, accompanied by the occasional creak of the old wood.

In Eithan's room, Adi lay wide awake, staring at the ceiling. Every little sound made him jump, and his imagination conjured up shadowy figures lurking in the corners.

Josh smirked in the dark, sensing Adi's fear.

"Hey, Adi," he whispered, his tone low and spooky,

"did you know this mansion is haunted by a butler who hates people who snore?"

Adi gasped, sitting upright. "What? Are you serious?"

Eithan groaned from the sofa. "Josh, quit messing with him. Some of us are trying to sleep."

Josh chuckled but didn't push it further. Adi, however, remained tense, gripping the blanket like a lifeline.

In Albert and Ruhr's room, the peace was shattered by Albert's muffled sobbing. Ruhr turned on the lamp, sitting up.

"Albert, what's wrong now?" she asked, exasperated.

"The phone's data is gone," he wailed. "I can't watch my videos anymore!"

Ruhr pinched the bridge of her nose. "I told you we'll recharge it tomorrow. Go to sleep."

Albert sniffled but eventually calmed down, curling up under the blanket.

Back in Sarah's room, the sound of Albert's crying reached her ears. She shook her head, muttering to herself,

"Maybe I shouldn't kill Albert. He's too... fragile."

She turned over, letting the thought pass, and soon drifted off to sleep.

The mansion creaked and groaned as the night deepened, holding its secrets close while its inhabitants tried, and failed, to find peace.

---

⁠☞: The Crying Echo

The Dark quiet of the mansion was suddenly pierced by the faint sound of crying. At first, it was soft, almost unnoticeable, but as the moments passed, it grew louder, enough to wake the light sleepers.

In the siblings' room, Josh stirred, rubbing his eyes.

"What the heck is that noise?"

Adi sat upright in bed, clutching the blanket to his chest.

"It's a ghost! I knew this place was haunted!" His voice trembled, and his wide eyes darted toward the door.

Josh rolled his eyes, sitting up.

"Relax. It's probably just the wind or something."

"No, no!" Adi hissed.

"It's crying. Someone is crying. I swear it's a ghost." He gulped down a glass of water, his hands trembling so much that the glass clinked against his teeth.

Josh, always the opportunist, leaned in close and whispered, "Boo."

Adi jumped out of the bed with a yelp, almost tripping over his own feet.

"Don't do that!" he snapped, glaring at Josh, his heart racing like he'd seen the ghost himself.

Josh couldn't stop laughing, clutching his stomach as he fell back onto the bed.

"Oh, man, you're too easy, Adi. This is going to be a fun trip."

Eithan, sprawled on the sofa with one arm covering his face, muttered in a groggy voice,

"Can you two shut up? Some of us are trying to sleep."

Josh turned to Adi with a smirk.

"See? Even Eithan doesn't care. Go back to sleep, scaredy-cat."

Adi grumbled, climbing back into bed but pulling the blanket up to his chin. He kept glancing at the door, his body still trembling as Josh chuckled quietly to himself.

---

☞: Sarah's Sympathy

In another part of the mansion, Sarah sat up in her bed, her face showing mild concern. She could faintly hear the crying from Albert's room and sighed, shaking her head.

"Poor Albert," she muttered under her breath.

"He's probably upset because Ruhr's phone data ran out. He's... harmless."

She paused, her thoughts turning darker for a moment.

"Maybe I shouldn't kill him after all. He's too... innocent. It would feel wrong."

Her gaze drifted to the ceiling as she pondered the situation, but soon she shook off the thoughts, muttering,

"Focus, Sarah. Don't let them distract you."

She lay back down, trying to ignore the unsettling noise coming from the other room. Leo, lying on the sofa nearby, stirred slightly.

"You alright?" he asked, his voice low and calm.

"Yeah," Sarah replied softly. "Just... thinking."

Leo nodded, turning his head to the side.

"Don't overthink it.My Queen, just Rest. We'll deal with everything when the time comes."

Sarah closed her eyes, deciding to let sleep claim her as the crying sounds slowly faded into the distance.

---

⁠☞: Albert's Outburst

Back in Ruhr and Albert's room, the source of the crying became clear. Albert sat cross-legged on the bed, clutching Ruhr's phone in his hands.

"It's over," Albert mumbled dramatically, tears streaming down his face.

"The data is gone! No more videos, no more fun!"

Ruhr, who had been half-asleep, groaned and rubbed her temples.

"Albert, go to sleep. You've been watching videos all night, and now you're crying because you ran out of data? Seriously?"

Albert sniffled, hugging the phone tightly.

"But I was watching something funny! I need to finish it!"

Ruhr sighed, pulling the blanket over her head.

"We'll recharge it tomorrow, okay? Just stop crying. You're going to wake everyone up."

Albert wiped his tears, nodding.

"Okay... but tomorrow, promise?"

"Promise," Ruhr muttered, hoping he'd calm down and let her sleep.

Satisfied with her answer, Albert curled up on the bed, holding the phone close like it was a prized possession.

---

☞: Contrasting Nights

As the old mansion fell into an uneasy silence, its occupants drifted into varying states of rest, their minds heavy with the weight of the day. On the other side of the city, life was anything but quiet.