Chapter 37: Chapter 37- Unexpected Visit
Chapter 37- Unexpected Visit
"..."
Staring blankly at Melissa, he noticed that she went back to her human form. She looked like the usual woman he befriended. But it was still so odd knowing that she was far from the normal person he thought she was. Those human-like features were merely a facade for what’s beneath, and what was beneath is arguably the most important Vampire in the world.
"Breakfast is almost ready, Elio. Sit down." She said as she finally put the fried eggs on the plate and then put them on the table. That was when he noticed what she had cooked. There was coffee, juice, butter, bread, jam, and all kinds of pastries.
"You bought all of this?" He asked in disbelief.
"Mhm! I thought we should celebrate becoming friends for life." She said.
"That’s... That must’ve been so expensive." He replied with a confused look. While the smell was incredible, he felt very bad that she paid for everything and also cooked for him. "I will pay for it, Melissa."
"What? No! I will not accept that. This is my gift for you. It’s not that big of a deal." She said with a serious tone. "Now, sit down and enjoy the food."
"..."
Elio wanted to protest, but seeing the stern look on her face, he knew it was going to be impossible to convince her. Melissa was a very stubborn person whenever she wanted to do something. It was almost impossible to convince her otherwise.
’I guess her being the queen of vampires explains why she has this stubborn side. Being a leader of so many people, you must have a stubborn and relentless nature.’ He mused as he sat down. He was curious about the kind of leader she was. He also wondered what enemies she faced and what possible threats she had to avoid. Yet, somehow, she retained that same beautiful smile and positive nature as if she wasn’t affected by anything. It impressed him greatly.
"Mmmm, are you not going to eat, sweet boy?" Melissa asked with a curious look, noticing that Elio hadn’t moved.
"Ah, yeah, I’m going to eat." He shook his head and finally picked the spoon up.
With that, the duo started eating and chatting. The atmosphere between them was the usual one they always had; even with the truth being revealed, it didn’t seem to have affected their friendship. Elio was oddly also not feeling anything weird. That was truly the Melissa he knew; even after he knew her true identity, she didn’t change whatsoever, and that put him at ease.
"Do you like it?"
"Mm! This is delicious, Melissa. Thank you." He said with a vigorous nod. Melissa’s food has always been amazing, and he feels like he could never get tired of it.
"I’m glad to hear that~ Also..."
"Hm?"
"The fact you still call me Melissa even though you know my real name now... It’s very sweet..." She said with a warm smile on her face. "You still see me as the same woman. People would usually completely change how they treat me whenever they hear of my true identity."
For someone of her caliber, Melissa had never truly had a friend. People would either revere her to the point of worship or treat her like a tool for power. This was her life from the moment she became conscious of the world. She had to understand and learn about people and see the dark side of this world.
That made her ability to read everyone extremely precise and potent. Elio was the only exception to all her rules. He had never looked at her differently and didn’t show any sort of change. He still looked at her the same and treated her the same, which filled her heart with immense happiness.
"Ummm, well, I don’t think you’re a different person just because of your identity. You’re still Melissa, and I think you’re amazing as you are right now."
His words made her eyes widen. A myriad of emotions passed in her eyes before she nodded her head, her smile stretching even further. "Thank you... Truly, thank you, Elio..."
’This kid. He’s something else.’ She didn’t know whether to cry or laugh. All the emotions she felt at that moment were quite intense, even though his words weren’t inherently that special. For her, they meant the world.
However, as she was like that, Melissa suddenly looked up and straight at the apartment’s main door, her eyes locking on it as if she was peering through it. Then, her smile changed from surprise to amusement.
"It seems you’re about to have a very interesting visitor, Elio."
"Huh?"
Then...
*Knock* *Knock*
The door knocked, and he looked back. "What? Who’s knocking?" He asked.
"Well, go check for yourself."
"... Don’t tell me..." Hearing the amused tone and seeing the ’know it’ smile on her face, Elio suddenly realized what she meant.
*Knock* *Knock*
The door knocked again.
"... You have got to be kidding me."
Quickly, he stood up and approached the door before he opened it and as he expected, standing outside casually was Fiona. Her gorgeous figure was casually resting against the metal rails with her arms crossed and her eyes closed.
"F-Fiona?" He called for her.
"Good morning." She said as she opened her eyes. "Sorry for the unannounced visit."
"N-No, it’s fine..." Elio looked over his shoulder at Melissa, who waved back at him with a smile. His eyes prompted her to hide, which she completely ignored.
"Hm? Do you have someone inside, Elio? Is this a bad time?"
"Huh? No, no, no, of course not." He said with a nervous laugh as he walked out. "Umm, what is it that you visited for?"
"Hm?" Fiona seemed confused for a second before she spoke. "Well, I thought we could go to school together and talk about what the plan for the next week of training is."
"Ah! Yes, yes, of course. Give me a minute, I will grab my stuff." He said.
"Take your time, I will be waiting down in the car." She said.
"Mhm!"
With that, Elio turned around and walked inside again and closed the door. Then, he quickly rushed toward Melissa.
"Why didn’t you hide? What if she noticed your presence!" He said in a whispering voice.
"Hm? She can’t. If I wish for it, no one in this world would know where I am." Melissa replied casually.
"..."
’How strong is she?’
For a second, he had forgotten completely who he was talking to. Melissa, as friendly as she was, was still an extremely strong vampire with abilities that Elio couldn’t even start to fathom. She was a God-like figure compared to him.
"Right... I understand. I will be taking my leave now."
"Ok~ I will clean around your apartment. Do you want to have dinner together tonight?" Melissa asked with a wide smile.
"Uuuuh, I don-"
"That’s a yes. Nice! Well, off you go now, big boy."
"You..."
"That girl is waiting for you outside. Do you really want to make the heir to Vaylor wait?" She asked.
"Aaagh!" Grumbling angrily, Elio quickly brushed his teeth, picked up his bag, and left. Outside, he found the limousine waiting for him.
Luckily, since this street was always empty, nobody noticed it. So, he quickly got in.
"Are you ready to go?"
"Yes!"
"I hope I didn’t interrupt your breakfast or anything like that."
"No, I was almost finished anyway." He said.
The limousine then started driving away. Fiona’s eyes wandered to Elio’s apartment from afar, staring at it silently for a second. A rather odd feeling flashed through her mind. It was subtle but... She felt a subtle unease.
As if someone was watching her at all times.