The rest of the journey passed by without any further problems. The travelling group continued to change stagecoaches as normal, resting in inns when the morning sun began to rise. Étienne was on high alert, jumping with every rustle of leaves or shouting of commands. Aurélie stayed close by his side during the journey, placing her hand over his whenever something made him look around in a worry. During the day when they stayed at the inns, she found Étienne restlessly pacing around in his room. She was always in a room next to his, hearing his heavy footsteps and sighs through the walls. More than once did the young companion have to knock on his door and tell him to calm down and let everyone get enough sleep.
After several days of passing through Hungary they finally reached the region of Transylvania. Mountains bordered the region, forests lush from the changing of the season. Instead of taking the main roads across the region, the travelling group continued to make their way through the forest. It was almost midnight when they arrived at a castle hidden in one of the many mountainous forest. At first glance, Duke Delacroix’s castle seemed plain with its dark colour scheme. Once Aurélie stepped out of the carriage and lifted her head though, she began to notice intricate carvings in the dark stone. Stained glass was used to create the small windows that were neatly arranged along the walls of the main castle. Several towers jutted out from the main building. The grounds were neat and tidy, well-structured paths leading through neatly trimmed hedges and flowerbeds. Several topiary trees lined the grounds, leading to the large doors at the front of the castle.
Stone steps lead to the top of the entrance, where Duke Delacroix was standing. The stairs were lined with several of his staff, all of them bowing their heads as Duke Saint-Clair, Étienne and Aurélie made their way up. Next to Delacroix stood a young woman with long dark hair. Her lips were painted in a deep crimson colour, the black dress she was wearing contrasting strongly with her pale skin. As soon as her eyes met Étienne his arm tensed up and he stopped, causing Aurélie to almost stumble on the step they were standing on.
“Gustave, a pleasure to see you once more,” Duke Saint-Clair said, bowing deeply. Delacroix turned to Étienne, his eyebrows raised in waiting as he watched Étienne stare at the woman next to him. Aurélie softly cleared her throat and pulled Étienne down with her as she curtsied, forcing him to bow.
“Thank you for having us,” Étienne managed to stammer out, tearing his gaze away from the woman and towards Delacroix. The Duke nodded towards Aurélie who curtsied once more. When the companion looked up she noticed that the woman next to him was now staring at her, her expression sour for a second before she replaced it with a smile.
“And who is this?” the woman asked, her voice sweet as she beckoned towards Aurélie.
Étienne turned to her, clearing his throat. “This is Aurélie. My companion,” he said, rather coldly, as the woman examined Aurélie from head to toe. “Aurélie, this is Celine.”
Aurélie curtsied once more, her heart beginning to pick up its pace. So this is the woman that caused Étienne to ignore her for a whole week, she thought, as she looked back up. Celine was truly breathtaking. Her skin was free of any imperfection and her long dark hair was sleek and shiny in the moonlight. She was almost as tall as Étienne, her slender frame held with perfect poise. Her eyes were the colour of emeralds, piercing into Aurélie’s eyes. The companion watched as the young vampire woman studied her, an expression of disappointment forming on her face.
“So this is the companion I have heard so much about,” Celine said, the disappointment on her face vanishing behind a wide smile. The smile, however, did not reach her eyes. Aurélie kept her firm grip on Étienne’s arm, which was still tense.
“You must be exhausted from your journey. Please, come inside and rest. Celine has had your rooms prepared,” Duke Delacroix said as silence fell over the group, beckoning to the entrance hall.
The inside of Duke Delacroix’s castle was large and spacious. Dark wooden panels covered the walls, white tiles arranged along the floor. An emerald green carpet ran from the entrance and up a wide set up stairs. Candles lined the walls, dimly lighting up the entrance. As Aurélie stepped inside she noticed that it was unusually cold, pulling her shawl closer to herself. The rest of the group seemed unfazed by the cold and continued to walk.
The castle was a lot larger than the Saint-Clair chateau. The hallways were longer and wider, several stairs leading to the various towers that were visible from the outside. Several staff members were bustling around, stopping to bow their heads towards the group as they passed. After having climbed the third flight of stairs, Duke Delacroix stopped and waved over several of his staff members that were congregated at the top of the stairs.
“Please show Aurélie to her room. She is located on this floor. Noel, would you care to join me in my office?” Delacroix said, turning away from the group of maids to face Duke Saint-Clair, who smiled and nodded.
Both Dukes left the group and walked back up another set of stairs, leaving Aurélie alone with Étienne, Celine and the three maids that had their heads bowed. As soon as they were gone Celine grabbed Étienne’s other arm, pressing herself against it and smiling.
“Oh how wonderful for you to visit. Let me show you to your room, Étienne. It is right next to mine on the fourth floor.”
Without another word Celine pulled him along, ripping him out of Aurelie’s grasp. The companion stared after them, watching as Étienne turned back and gave her an apologetic look after his protests were ignored, followed with an expression of annoyance that only she recognised.
“Follow us, Daniela is waiting for you in your room,” the maids that were left behind said in unison, bowing their heads and beginning to walk down the hall. Aurélie still continued to watch as Étienne was pulled up the stairs and out of her sight. Her heart was heavy and she felt anger briefly washing over her. Shaking her head she began following the maids, who had gotten ahead of her. Almost running to catch up, she realised that her room was at the very end of the winding hall. The maids stopped and beckoned her inside, bowing before turning around and leaving once more. The door to Aurelie’s room had been left open and she walked inside, squinting in the darkness. She could barely make out the figure standing by the window.
“You must be Aurélie. I am Daniela and will be looking after you during your stay. A bath has been prepared,” a rather stern and cold voice said. The figure stepped forward, the light from the hallway lighting up the maid’s face. Aurelie’s new maid was tall and slender, her auburn hair tied in a tight bun. Her green eyes were narrow, a mild expression of annoyance etched on her face.
“The sun will rise soon, so I suggest you get ready for bed. I have been told to inform you that the Duke will call upon you in the evening. In the meantime wash up and rest. I will be waiting here until you are ready for bed.”
Aurélie nodded her head and gingerly stepped past the maid, who refused to move. In the darkness she could make out a four postered bed and a table with a single armchair. The room did not have a fireplace and a limited amount of candles were perched in holders. A door was off to one side, showing a very small bathroom equipped with a small bath and sink. Compared to her room at the chateau, this one was small and very plainly decorated. Even her old room at Dubois was much larger than this one.
Shrugging her shoulders Aurélie stumbled in the dark towards the bathroom. As she felt around the small bench her fingers grazed a small box. When she opened it she noticed that it was a matchbox, and she quickly got to work lighting all the candles in the bathroom. As soon as the candles were lit she came to face with her appearance in a small mirror. Loose strands of her hair had fallen out of her updo and she looked exhausted from the long journey. It had been days since she had a proper bath and Aurélie was thankful as she stripped from her clothes and sunk herself into the bath. The water warmed her up immediately, and the companion let out a sigh of content as she relaxed further down. Once the water began to cool down Aurélie stepped out, quickly wrapping herself in a towel. A nightgown had not been placed down for her and she gently stepped out into her bedroom, shivering as the cold air hit her.
Daniela, she noticed, was nowhere to be found. Confused Aurélie rummaged through her bags which had been brought up for her, quickly sliding on the nightgown that Amelie had packed for her. The gown smelled like the chateau, and a wave of sadness washed over Aurélie. She had been here for a mere hour and already wanted to go back.
Not interested on waiting for her maid to get back Aurélie slipped under the covers of her bed, pulling the blankets up high to her chin in an attempt to get warm. She lay in the bed. staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours before falling into a light sleep.
***
The sound of curtains being ripped apart caused Aurélie to jump up, blinking a few times in the darkness before recognising her surroundings. Daniela stood in front of her, beginning to light a few candles.
“You must get up. The Duke has requested your presence in the drawing room,” she ordered, rushing over to Aurélie and began pulling the young woman out of bed. A wave of nausea washed over the companion.
“Does he want to see me on his own?” she stammered out, coming to a stop.
Daniela shrugged, before pushing a bundle of clothes into Aurelie’s arms. “Get dressed. The Duke does not tolerate tardiness.”
Aurélie watched as the maid left, shutting the door loudly behind her. With a sigh she began dressing herself, wondering if Daniela was going to wait for her to show her where exactly Duke Delacroix’s office was. After pinning her hair up in a simply updo, she straightened out her uniform before walking out of her room. She passed her personal bag, remembering the dagger that rested at the bottom of it. Aurélie stopped for a minute, staring at the bag. Letting out a sigh and shaking her head, the companion straightened her shoulders and walked out into the hallway, relieved that Daniela had in fact waited for her. As the maid led her through the castle Aurélie soon discovered that she was going to get hopelessly lost. The hallways she was being taken through were large and often winding, not a single door or floor distinguishable from the rest. After what seemed like forever Daniela stopped in front of a set of doors that were closed.
Daniela knocked loudly before opening the door, bowing her head and gesturing for Aurélie to walk inside the room. Duke Delacroix stood up from one of the sofas, giving the companion a quick bow and gesturing to the sofa across from him. Aurélie carefully crossed the room, not tearing her eyes away from the Duke. She sat down and folded her hands in her lap, trying hard not to tap her feet.
“I presume you have had a good rest?” Duke Delacroix asked, formally.
Aurélie nodded, forcing a smile. “Yes, thank you. The room you have provided is very comfortable. Daniele is very—”
“There is a reason why I have called you in here so early in the evening,” the Duke interrupted her, causing Aurélie to quickly bite her tongue.
“I have invited you to my castle as a formality towards Étienne. I expect you to do your job, and only your job, while you are here. This is no place for a human like yourself. When you are not with Étienne I expect you to stay in your room and entertain yourself there.”
Aurélie looked up at the Duke, clutching her dress. Anger began brewing inside her and it took all of her strength to force her muscles to form a smile.
“Of course, your grace,” she said, albeit through slight gritted teeth.
The Duke nodded, his expression cold. “Good. In the next few days several important family members will join and a ball will be held. You are welcome to accompany Étienne, if he so pleases. Do not get your hopes up that he will ask you to join. Celine has been looking forward to seeing him for years now. Do not get in their way.”
“I-I will not.” Aurelie’s face turned red after she stammered, cursing to herself for not holding herself together. She was upset and furious at the Duke’s request, wanting nothing more than to go back to the chateau. The room was cold and lifeless just like her room and the rest of the castle. The Duke and the staff doing very little to make her stay welcoming, and Étienne had already been ripped away from her the minute he stepped foot onto the grounds. Aurélie felt lost and alone for the first time in her life.
“That is all I have to say. You may return to your room now. Daniela will bring you your food,” the Duke said, standing up once more. He left Aurélie to walk and open the door by herself. She glanced back at him before quickly turning back around after seeing his sour expression. Curtsying Aurélie closed the doors behind her, her heart beating heavily in her chest. Daniela was nowhere to be found and the young companion was left to find her room by herself.
After wandering around the castle for what felt like hours, Aurélie finally stumbled across her small room. Shutting the door behind her Aurélie slid down the cold wood, dropping her head in her hands before letting out a sob.
