Chapter 3

Amy's POV

At precisely five in the morning, I snuck out of my room like a thief. I needed to figure out where to go since Oliver didn't leave me a map to find his kitchen. The air that should have been fresh was instead tainted with a strange odor, a smell of blood and iron that invaded my nose. I didn't know what kind of creatures Oliver and his gang were that occupied this castle, but one thing was clear: the fangs he showed me yesterday were evidence enough that he was not a regular human.

"Who are you?"

I was startled by an old, plump woman with different-colored eyes who suddenly appeared in the hallway while holding a long knife. I couldn't say anything; the blade was too terrifying for me. Did she want to kill me? Please don't give me another lousy situation after what happened last night.

No. She was getting closer. Okay, I need to stay calm and explain myself to her.

"Please! I’m begging you, don't kill me! Don’t kill me! I’m not doing anything!"

Okay, I couldn't stay calm. Now I crouched down, hiding my head between my hands.

"Who wants to kill you?! Are you a human?! What are you doing here?!"

The middle-aged woman seemed hysterical, and I quickly stood up and braved myself to speak to her.

"Do you know about this place? What brought you here? Are you crazy?"

"Okay, wait, I'll explain it to you. But can you hide your knife first? It's very disturbing, ma'am."

She immediately hid the knife in her grasp, then approached and pulled my body back into the room.

"Now, explain it!"

"Oliver bought me from a bar, and--."

"How dare you? He's King Oliver; always remember that sentence! What's your name?"

"My name is Amy."

"Okay, continue your story."

I swallowed my saliva, and although the knife was no longer threatening, the fangs from her mouth caught my attention. Was she already prepared to suck my blood as Oliver would do?

"Ignore it,” the woman knew that I looked into her fangs, “you need to know; no vampire can get close to humans, let alone a girl like you. Your blood is the most delicious blood that can regenerate all our cells. But don't worry. I am the only vampire in this castle who can restrain myself from human blood. This is just an instinct that surely happens, so finish your story!"

I tried to calm myself by putting on a wide smile. Even though she said it wasn't dangerous, those fangs still bothered me.

"Oliver, I mean, King Oliver, seemed to try to suck my blood last night, but I was scared and asked him not to kill me. He left and told me I would become your slave in this castle. I was asked to prepare breakfast before six in the morning. That's why I went down to find out where your kitchen is."

The middle-aged woman closed her eyes and tapped her forehead. She held onto my shoulder and said, "Luckily, you met me. Otherwise, your body might have been destroyed by now. I'm Gina; I'm the head servant in this castle. You can come with me, and I'll teach you to be a servant here."

Ah, I was relieved enough. It seemed that Gina was not too dangerous and understood my situation.

"Thank you, Gina. You've been a great help."

"Yes, and you should stay close to me if you don't want to die. I'll talk to King Oliver about you later. At least you should understand about this castle and not be left alone."

Gina stepped out of the room and moved so fast; it was as if she were riding the wind. So fast that when I blinked, she was already gone.

**

"So, for breakfast, you just need to serve them a slice of toasted bread with medium rare grilled beef and a bowl of vegetable salad. It's a mandatory menu. Of course, you can cook the meat, right?"

"Ah, yes, I can."

"Well, you must understand what I mean by the food. Now, prepare twenty plates on that table, take the bread, and start toasting it there. I'll prepare the meat and clean the vegetables for the salad."

Yes, her instructions were clear and straightforward. It wasn't as bad as I thought, or it was just the two of us here. Whatever, it was better not to think of nasty things.

I just needed to lift this plate and...

"KYAA!"

The plate in my hand slipped and shattered, and I screamed throughout the room as a man suddenly attacked me.

"Blood! I will suck your blood until you--."

"KYAA!"

I screamed again as the man with black fangs suddenly crumbled into dust. Oliver's figure appeared, standing next to the dining table, staring at me coldly. All the members seemed to come out because they heard my scream, standing next to Oliver with their fangs visible and staring at me wildly.

"Attention. She's Amy, the new enslaved person in this castle. She'll serve us. Remember, never dare to attack Amy if you want to turn into dust. Start learning to control yourselves with Gina. Understood?"

They seemed like controlled robots, their eyes fixed on Oliver, and their fangs disappeared. They all nodded and vanished.

"Clean up this broken glass, and remember, by six o'clock, all breakfasts should be ready on the table. Leave your work, Gina. I want her to do everything."

Oliver left, and Gina immediately helped me up. The clock on the wall showed 5:15 a.m., a short time to complete Oliver's orders. My eyes were ready to cry again; I really couldn't do it in such a short time.

"Don't be so emotional, Amy. You should be lucky to survive this far. King Oliver is a cruel vampire who is very easy to destroys humans. Quickly put the plates on the table and clean this up! I'll still help you; calm down."

Suddenly, I regretted asking Oliver not to kill me.