Chapter 2: Pure Light

It was still dark, but Lucasta was awake and the first person she saw was a guy with his eyes closed, leaning back against the head of the bed.

She withdrew her hand from his warm one and sat up and looked around the unfamiliar room.

- Are you awake, Lucasta?

Samson's voice startled Lucasta and turned her head, then she continued to look at him.

Everything in this luxurious room and Samson was not in her empty memory.

- Lucasta? - She pointed her finger at herself and raised her eyebrows.

- Right. Now, you tell me your home address. When night comes, I'll take you home.

- Home... home...

The bewildered look on the girl's face made Samson realize she seemed to have a mental problem and she could only repeat the last words of his sentence.

He tried to explain to her that home was where her parents or even her siblings lived, where there was the bed she used to lie on and the table she used to sit at to eat meals…

Samson talked a lot, but all he got was Lucasta's constant headshake.

She did not understand what he was trying to describe and why the house had so many complicated things.

- Lucasta, don't you remember anything?

Samson's voice sounded strained because he was worried he would carry an extra burden.

He couldn't throw away this child who was sick and needed help. Nature is also ironic when giving her an almost perfect appearance, but her mind is not like an ordinary person's.

Her frightened expression had inadvertently touched his heart. The intuition of a vampire who had lived for thousands of years told him she wasn't pretending.

- Ok. If so… Lucasta, remember this, you're my sister and I'm your brother. Please call my name Samson and this is our home. Remember, I'm Samson.

His words made Lucasta put a big question mark. However, she only thought in her heart and did not say it out loud.

The impact on the street, while she was carried away by two men, made her mind become like a three-year-old child, and completely forgot about the past.

While Samson was folding the blanket, he heard Lucasta's stomach growl, and she reflexively put her hand on her stomach.

She was hungry, and she desperately wanted to make this feeling go away.

- Samson, I hurt.

- Wait a minute.

Before Lucasta could nod, Samson strode out of the room and when he knew he was out of her sight, he immediately walked at the speed of a vampire.

In the blink of an eye, he appeared in front of the castle gate owned by Maris.

- Maris, are you at home? - Samson called out loudly.

Inside the castle, Maris yawned and jumped up.

Like the characteristic of any vampire, when the dawn is near, she sleeps and does not want to be disturbed by anyone, but Samson is an exception because he is also a vampire.

She knew when he knocked on the door at this hour he must have something urgent and he needed her help or worse, he'd discovered a bunch of Roman grapes was missing a few grapes.

The first thing before Maris opened the gate was to run around the castle to collect the owls and lock them in the basement.

The shadow of her red dress kept flying from left to right, from the ceiling to the floor.

In just a few seconds, the dark basement room suddenly sparkled with a thousand eyes, like the bright stars of the owls.

- Please come in, Mr. Samson. – Maris leaned over and extended her hand to invite him like a noble.

- I want to borrow the kitchen to make some pies for Lucasta. She's hungry. – Samson gave the bottle of dried blood to Maris and said.

- Okay, let's go.

The two of them hurried to the large kitchen.

Maris handed the apron to Samson and then showed him where the flour and spice jars were kept.

She and he only drank human blood to live, and they didn't need to eat anything, but the owls were different. They were taken care of like babies. When they were young, she fed them porridge, and when they were grown up; she gave them pies, that's why when a rat got lost in the castle, they would just look at it.

- Your cooking skills are still very good, right? Is the girl's name Lucasta? – Maris added more wood to the stove and asked.

- Right. A pure light. – Samson replied while his skilled hand was still masterfully kneading the dough.

- What does Maris mean?

- The star of the sea.

- And Samson?

- Strong child of the sun.

Maris laughed when she heard the meaning of his name because it was what scared him and her the most.

She felt even more anxious as she watched him carefully knead the dough.

Perhaps the not-so-good memory was replaying in him. He used to make all kinds of cakes in all shapes and sizes for the girl of a hundred years ago.

Because he wanted her to eat delicious food, when night fell, he went around the forest to collect firewood and gather vegetables and fruits in the forest to cook for her.

After that tragic morning, he didn't light a fire to cook anymore.

- Was she scared when she saw you? When will she leave the forest?

She took the raw pies from Samson's hand and put them in the oven.

He also did not hide Lucasta's condition and told Maris that Lucasta's mind was much smaller than hers and that she had no memory of her family or hometown. Even when she was hungry, she said it was a stomachache, as if the concepts were all jumbled up in her head.

- Samson, this place doesn't belong to humans, it's hard for us and them to live together. - Maris said as she walked over to the edge of the table and pulled down the tablecloth to cover the remaining owl.

- I can't throw her out, she's defenseless.

He took four cakes from the oven, placed them on a plate, took off his apron, and returned it to Maris.

As he passed the dining table, he threw back a pie near the foot of the table.

Maris shook her head and followed the tall figure of the man and sighed.

Who said vampires are cold-blooded and cruel? Just because people don't know how to warm up and touch their hearts.

Now the owl flew up to Maris' shoulder and followed Samson with its fierce eyes.

She shook her head again when she saw its neck was bulging. Owls have no teeth and can only swallow. Samson didn't tear the cake into shreds and hurt the most voracious owl in the pack to turn into this ugly appearance.

While Maris went back to her bed and continued to sleep, Samson was teaching Lucasta how to use a fork and knife to cut pies. She looked like Maris' owl, her little mouth bulging because she stuffed so many pies inside.

- Eat slowly, Lucasta, or you will choke. Remember, you're feeling just now was hunger, no pain, and this is a pie. When we are hungry, we will eat it, you understand?

Lucasta nodded and continued to cut the pies and eat them.

Her blonde hair was dirty and sticky, so Samson could only help her tie it up so that she could eat comfortably.

After Lucasta finished eating, he carried her to the bathroom and helped her wash her hair.

When his slender fingers stroked her blond hair like rays of sunlight, he suddenly noticed a large bump on her head. Maybe this was the reason she couldn't remember who she was because she didn't look like a child with a cognitive disability when she could easily cut a pie after she watched him do it just once.

- Samson, I'm in pain. – She exclaimed when his hand accidentally touched the bump.

- Ah. I'm sorry, I'll be gentle. - He coaxed her and rinsed her hair.

Because Samson couldn't bring Lucasta out to dry her hair, he could only use a towel and fan to help her.

Although the sunlight penetrating through the dense fog had lessened much, it still affected his skin, causing it to become red and painful.

The little girl obediently sat still and let the man untangle her tangled hair.

Every time he accidentally made a few blond hairs fall, he felt regret. Everything that belongs to this girl seems to be precious. She was like a vase crafted from crystal, fragile and beautiful.

When he had helped her hair become as smooth as it had been, he applied oil to the bump on her head and then took her shoes that matched the pink dress and carefully put them on her feet. Next, he told her to stay in the room and not go anywhere.

Since the day Eirlys died, he had also returned to the habit that is characteristic of vampires, which is to sleep during the day and stay up at night.

Today, because of her appearance, his activities were delayed, and he felt that his body was not very good.

- You can continue to sleep or play with these teddy bears. When I'm done, I'll come back to you.

Samson reached out and gently pinched Lucasta's chubby cheek, and then he picked up a small teddy bear and placed it in her arms.

She obediently lifted the blanket to crawl in and hugged the soft bear tightly and closed her eyes.

The feeling of fullness and cleanliness made her want to sleep and not want to run around.

- Good night, Lucasta.

After Samson wished Lucasta good night, he hurriedly returned to his room.

She was probably the most obedient child he had seen in thousands of years. However, he still hoped that she would remember everything because if she lived with an empty, hazy memory, it would be uncomfortable for her.

Perhaps from tomorrow, he had to change his routine if he didn't want Lucasta to feel alone. Her mind was like a blank sheet of paper, so he had to teach her everything if he didn't want to be bothered by her in the days to come.

Until she could return to her family, he should fulfill his responsibilities as an adult to a child.