At the beginning of the month, the night sky above Volterra was exceptionally clear. A slender crescent moon hung in one corner of the heavens, looking almost pitiful as it shrank timidly into the darkness.
Sophie relaxed completely, floating on the surface of the pool as she gazed up at the sea of stars.
At first, she had been just like that lonely crescent moon, curled miserably into a corner of the bathing pool hidden behind the waterfall's curtain. Jane had abandoned her and disappeared. This time, she had neither ordered the maids to bring fresh clothes nor given Sophie permission to leave. Wearing only a thin camisole while her soaked trousers clung uncomfortably to her legs, she would have looked strange no matter where she went.
So Sophie climbed out of the pool, slipped behind the waterfall, removed her drenched trousers along with her shoes and socks, and quietly waited for the night breeze to dry them.
The air around the pool was damp and chilly after nightfall, yet the water itself was nearly the same temperature as a vampire's body. If anything, it even felt pleasantly warm.
When she realized she would probably be spending the entire night here, the fact that no one came to disturb her suddenly became a blessing rather than a hardship.
So Sophie abandoned her pitiful, curled-up posture. Sitting there looking miserable accomplished nothing.
Since Jane had left this territory for her to enjoy, there was no reason to waste it. Still wearing only the camisole, with her shoes, socks, and trousers spread neatly along the shore to dry, she jumped back into the pool, found the most comfortable spot she could, and settled in to admire a night sky unlike anything she had ever seen above a bustling modern city.
Beneath the silent heavens, the endless murmur of the waterfall became a soothing white noise, gradually calming both her mind and body.
She had been in Italy for many days now, yet this was the first time she had truly taken the opportunity to appreciate its night sky. Chasing debts, fleeing for her life, and hovering constantly on the edge of death had made up the majority of her Italian journey.
Some of her memories from after entering Volterra remained frustratingly blank. She remembered coming to Italy to recover a debt, yet she couldn't remember whether she had ever met Irene.
Fabio's gift had tampered with her memories, causing her to forget nearly everything. Although most of the memories from her human life had gradually returned after her transformation, everything that had happened after she arrived in Volterra proved far more difficult to recover.
It wasn't until she met Jane that fragments began surfacing again: dim castle corridors, a magnificent golden archway, and a beautiful woman standing beside it. Yet Irene still failed to appear in those memories, suggesting that she and Jane had never been present at the same time.
Did I ever find Irene?
Did I get my money back?
After surviving death itself, Sophie found she wasn't nearly as obsessed with money as she once had been.
She simply wanted an answer.
The moon slowly drifted across the heavens as the stars subtly shifted. Sophie had rarely studied the night sky before. She barely recognized Venus, the brightest point among the stars. Everything else was a mystery to her.
Her ignorance of the constellations was much like her ignorance of the vampire world itself.
In this unfamiliar world where she knew almost nothing, Jane had become her only point of reference, just as Venus was the only star she could recognize in the vast night sky.
Venus.
The goddess of love and beauty in Roman mythology, one of the Twelve Olympian gods of Rome.
How perfectly it suits her.
Tonight, Jane was probably hunting in Florence with Alec, Demetri, and Felix. They had departed after sunset, and Sophie had no idea how long the hunt would last. Before she realized it, she found herself missing Jane. The next time they met, Jane would surely bring her fresh blood bags and another set of clothes. Sophie silently promised herself she would never again complain that Jane's clothing was too elaborate to wear.
Lost in those pleasant thoughts, she happily paddled through the water, lazily spinning in circles where she floated.
"You certainly know how to enjoy yourself."
Her Venus had returned.
…..
Jane had changed into another dress. Despite traveling between two cities over the course of the night, not a single wrinkle marred the folds of her skirt. Sophie couldn't even tell whether Jane had changed into yet another fresh outfit after returning.
The satisfaction unique to having fed well left Jane in an unusually good mood. Sophie happened to turn toward the shore just as the current created by the waterfall gently carried her closer to where Jane stood.
Kneeling on one knee beside the pool, Jane quietly watched Sophie's childish splashing.
She had ended tonight's hunt earlier than usual. Throughout the entire outing, she had felt strangely uninterested, feeding only because she needed to satisfy her thirst. Among the four of them, Demetri had been the one enjoying himself the most, insisting on thoroughly toying with every victim before finishing them. By the time Jane left for Volterra, Demetri had only just begun with his second prey.
"Jane!"
Sophie sat upright in excitement, completely forgetting how to keep herself afloat. Half her body immediately began sinking beneath the surface again.
Watching Sophie flail frantically as she slapped at the water in panic, looking thoroughly bedraggled, finally restored a little balance to Jane's mood.
Throughout the evening, Jane had imagined all sorts of miserable scenes: Sophie alone in the darkness, enduring the agonizing thirst for blood while wearing nothing but a single thin layer of clothing.
Although she hadn't had time to "teach her a lesson" with her gift before leaving, abandoning her here for so long should have been enough to make the girl remember her place.
One stick.
One reward.
That was Aro's philosophy for controlling his subordinates.
So when Jane returned and found Sophie not the least bit pitiful but instead happily floating beneath the stars, amusing herself in the water, she couldn't decide whether to laugh or be annoyed.
Beside Jane rested a neatly folded set of clothes along with a freshly retrieved blood bag from the cold storage. In one hand, however, she held something separately: a Victorian-style choker. Its main frame was crafted from gold, lined with delicate black lace, while at its center rested a black opal streaked with deep red.
Without saying a word, Jane simply crooked a finger.
Obediently, Sophie swam over, climbed onto the shore, picked up the towel to dry herself, and reached toward the folded clothes.
"Wait." Jane's voice stopped her.
Sophie froze, still clutching the towel in her hands.
Jane walked over, pulled the troublesome towel away, tossed it carelessly aside, then slowly raised both hands and wrapped them around Sophie's neck.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter