Chapter 2 The News

Chandra Parcson

I forced myself to carry my body out of the house with slouched shoulders and eyes that were partly open so that I could feed Shaena and Shaun their breakfast. These two are the sheep that I keep as pets.

My grandmother has been planting flowers and plants in our backyard for years, so we have no choice but to place my sheep a quite distance away from our house and just rely on our neighbors who live close to the fences to take a look at them from time to time. They have already considered them to be their pets, which is one of the reasons why I am willing to trust them in taking care of the sheep while I am away.

"Watch out! "The screeching voice of a woman jolted all of my dozing senses into action, waking me up completely. When I turned in her way, she was already close to falling off the horse's back before I even saw her.

I kept my distance in order to avoid being struck by her body as she landed on the grassy plains, and just looked at her with her face turned toward the ground. After I realized who it was, I quickly blinked my eyes a few times to calm my astonishment.

"Princess Xenaia, I told you to obey your butler!" A masculine voice came to our senses. When I realized that it was the princess's brother, Prince Nikolay Valentin, I was astounded that I couldn't even stand up straight. I let out a sigh of relief and forced myself to quit fretting about how I ought to behave in the presence of these two aristocrats.

And more importantly, why are they even at this rural place of Heart Stella?

When I turned my attention back to the royal prince, we locked gazes by accident. Even if h e had just spoken to his sister in a hostile manner, he looked at me with that placid expression on his face that gave off the sense that he was completely unaffected by what had taken place. It was common knowledge among the populace that the lycan prince was not enthused about his royal responsibilities, leading the citizens to believe that he does not fit to be the king, and there were even rumors going around that he was getting weary of it.

"I apologize for the trouble that my sister had caused," he spoke. I was startled by his face being closer to me. His tone was calmer and seductive, but with an alluring air of formality on it. His eyes were flitting back and forth like the clear waters that were linked to it when it fell into my mine. After a few quick blinks, I cleared my vision and locked my gaze at him. I chewed the insides of my bottom lips together to stop my frantic thoughts from racing and my heart from throbbing faster than it should have been.

Breathed in... Breathed out...

"I-I-"

"Thank you."

Huh?

Without me saying anything, he quickly grabbed his sister's arms and dragged her back to the royal horse cart. As I watched them moving away, my forehead creased in annoyance at what he did.

"Psh! He is indeed not an ideal lycan prince to serve as the king!"

"GOOD MORNING, Kaira and Mike!" I greeted the two individuals, whom I knew to be the neighbors who looked after the sheep. Both Kaira Blake and Mark Steevens were older than I was, with Kaira Blake being twenty-three and Mark Steevens being twenty-four years old respectively. They were the only occupants of this little home, which was teeming with yale as well as a variety of animals including horses, ducks, and pigs.

When Kaira spotted me before Mike did, she swiftly waved her hands at me and rushed in my way, but Mike refused to follow and just stayed there feeding the pigs. Kaira was able to fast approach me by using the fairy power she had and close the space that separated us. She embraced me tightly as soon as she came as if we had never seen each other for a long time. I mean, I visit this place quite literally pretty close to every day.

"Don't embrace me too tightly, I haven't had a bath yet!" I was trying to calm her down but I started to freak out. She gave a simple shrug of her shoulders before proceeding to embrace me nonetheless. My body tightened up, and I had an overwhelming sense of unease around her.

When I occurred to peek across at Mike, he had already transitioned into his werewolf form while using his strong werewolf jaws to pull those heavy carts of feed and animal goods.

After Kaira pulled away from me in order to avoid giving me a hug, she looked at me with a tiny smirk on her face before continuing with her talking in a joyful tone. "Come on, let's go get Shaena and Shaun some food!" After giving a short nod, we moved rapidly in the direction of the gates around the area where my pets were housed.

"Hey, Mike! I'll go accompany Chandra!" While we were in the process of moving away from the spot, Kaira raised her voice to attract the notice of her boyfriend.

"Yeah, whatever!"

Because of the romantic thrill that she was feeling, Kaira rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders while covertly pinching my side. I joined in her laughter and offered her a taunting grin.

The early morning sounds of the various animals and other creatures that inhabit this realm, such as little fairies, butterflies, frogs, blooming flowers, and a large number of farm animals, have been stuck in my head ever since we went through there.

We both went over the field and gathered some grasses, leaves, legumes, and several other blooming flora that may be used to feed the sheep. When we had arrived inside the fence, Shaena and Shaun greeted our arrival with a baa sound as they approached. They turned their heads to look at me. I started by stroking the underside of their chin and then gradually put the food that I brought into their mouths. Kaira did a similar thing.

During the time that I was grazing the sheep, I had a sudden memory of the new workplace application that was available for employees in Zila City, the capital of Valentin. I was aware that Kaira had not been working from the time that the two of them started dating, so I did not waste any time in bringing up this subject with her. Because I am a concerned-ass neighbor too who wants the best for others as well, I have come to the conclusion that encouraging Kaira to find employment would be beneficial not just to Kaira but also to her partner.

"By the way, Kaira, I wanted to let you know that I've heard there are a lot of work opportunities in the capital city, particularly for women. Why don't you give their employment application a shot?" I told her in a short and straightforward manner, "Considering that I have also heard that just a small number of people were interested, it would be an incredible chance for you to be picked." On the other hand, as I glanced at her, her normally pleasant countenance became angry, and a frown formed on her brow. I got to my feet, arched my back, and looked at her in a quizzical look.

After placing the meal on top of the yale pile, Kaira brushed the dirt from her fingers and the apron she was wearing before turning her attention to me with an abruptly somber look on her face. I quickly blinked my eyes many times as I considered the possibility that I had offended her. I self-scolded in quiet by biting the inside of my lower lip and reprimanding myself for being too reckless. Oh, damn!

"O-Oh, nevermind-"

She gave out a long sigh, which was enough to silence me. She stated this as a pang of thinking ran across the corners of her eyes. "It's perilous to live in the center city and to apply for a job there," she said. She crossed to the opposite side, where she found a grass broom made of wood that was rather narrow, and she began sweeping up the excess grass that the sheep had left behind on the ground.

My brows furrowed in response to her statement. I approached her and questioned the meaning of a certain phrase. "W-What exactly do you mean when you say that living in Zila may be dangerous?" My eyes nearly dropped all the way down to the bottom of my head, and my shoulders mimicked the look of needing an explanation to fulfill the feeling of being bewildered.

As soon as she had finished cleaning, she straightened her back, and she let out another long, contented sigh. She seemed to be attempting to read my face or some other aspect of my appearance as she stared directly into my eyes, and the intensity of this interaction had brought me to the point where I wanted to jump over the fence and simply leave. Her deep bluish eyes were intimidating me. She questioned while placing her hand on her waist, "Haven't you heard the most recent news right now? You were aware of the vacancies in the workforce, but you were unaware of what is really taking on in our society. Wow!" My face immediately began to take on a giddy appearance as soon as I heard this.

"Well, I am also in the process of searching for a job, which is why it was the center of my attention and-" I hesitated for a moment after seeing the dejected expression on her face before continuing. Before continuing, I exhaled deeply and lowered my shoulders, saying, "Yeah, I am not really sure what it is that you are trying to express and what's with that latest news. Bring it on!"

Kaira gave a little shake of her head and walked away from the fence, leaving me both dumbfounded and mystified. As I followed everywhere she went, my eyes became wider. "Hey! I am asking!" I tried to get her attention but she continued to go without stopping.

When she came to a tree that was crawling with bees and honeycombs, she hurriedly climbed up one of the three severed branches, pulled one of the honeycombs from the branch, and then tossed it in front of me without any regard for its safety. I let out a scream and acted swiftly to protect myself from those stings by performing a blood of vampire magic that I was familiar with to deter creatures from coming close to me.

"Bring that honeycomb for me," she demanded, yelling the instruction while maintaining a cavalier demeanor. Before I went after her, I stamped my foot several times and clenched my fingertips. Tsk.

She was carrying another honeycomb in her possession as she made her way towards their warehouse, where she intended to lay it down and discard the honey it contained. I took sure to set the honeycomb on the table, and then I gave her and him free reign to do whatever they pleased with the honeycomb. Since honeycombs were not something I really like, I did not mind what she was doing in order to sidestep my question. Her short, shoulder level, blonde hair had been glistened by the sun's rays that came across that small window from the top.

"So..." I attempted to get her attention again while leaning on the edge of the table and making a look that was equal parts forceful excitement and little embarrassment. "Would you mind enlightening me on the latest information?" I felt quite thrilled. Kaira smiled at me in a way that, if eyes could speak, it would definitely tell me to shut up. She proceeded to a cupboard, removed some strawberries, and hurled them in my way. She offered me a basket and asked me to put those fruits inside of it.

Kaira was aware that the red color of strawberries is one of the reasons I like eating them so much. "Oh, I am so grateful for this!" I expressed my appreciation for her thoughtfulness but almost immediately gave her an unpleasant glare. While I was plucking the strawberries and carefully placing them in the basket, I prompted her to update me on the latest happenings by saying, "But you still need to tell me about the news."

Mike had already come, but since he was also harvesting things, I didn't mind asking for his help in persuading his girlfriend to inform me about the situation. While Kaira is still working on certain farming-related tasks, she has begun talking.

"Recently, a significant number of women have vanished. Because of this sudden incident at which officials can't track the ones doing this crime, a great number of businesses have opened new positions, and the majority of them are giving preference to women. You want to know why?"

"Because... Their former female workers were also listed on the missing list?" I assumed.

To my amusement, Kaira chuckled and teased, "Surprisingly, your level of intelligence has increased." My eyes slid back in my head, and I made a psh sound with my lips. "But, all kidding aside, that is the most recent piece of news right now, and it has been the talk of the town lately. If I were you, I would cease hunting for a job for the time being or else I would go missing too like other females were," she cautioned me while shaking her index finger at me.

I froze.

I was caught off guard by the issue. "Do they have a point to make to the individual who most likely abducted those ladies? Or do they have a possible suspect in mind?" I asked while lifting both of my shoulders and noticing that my frame of mind had become earnest while simultaneously becoming so anxious that I could feel the hairs on the surface of my skin standing up.

"Well, as usual, they are pointing the finger at the vampires. Citizens are alleging that vampires are working with their mastermind to carry out such an act," Kaira immediately answered without looking at me. I heaved a sigh and quickly turned aside.

Kaira doesn't know about my vampire identity. Not even our close neighborhoods. The only reason we kept this lineage a secret inside our family was to protect ourselves from being impacted as a curse or crimes similar to those that have occurred recently.

While I was walking back to my house while encircling my elbows with this basket full of fresh, crimson strawberries, the information that Kaira had just shared with me was stuck in my head. Vampires in modern times were referred to as the enemy of the government, particularly the werewolves, and as a result, those who are still living vampires up until now have been concealing their identities by using a different family name, not practicing their vampire existence, or marrying other creatures.

If that's the case, I am worrying that I won't be successful in my job search this time...