A Game Of Chess With A Vampire
Chapter 90: Yes...It Did

Chapter 90: Yes...It Did

Mr. Bennett nodded.

"It is very strange, yes, I agree. But there is really nothing to prove any point you are making. You cannot deem a person evil when they have not done a single thing that makes them one!"

"Mr. Bennet!!" Old Master Lenort yelled at him. "Everyone was afraid of him, and I was not willing to let them know what was inside of that boy. Therefore, I lied and said that he was mentally unstable. Mr. Bennet, that boy is perfectly fine. He is not mentally ill, I just do not understand him. No one does, not even his mother or his late wife understood him."

"I am ashamed to admit that I fear for what that boy will become. I refuse to believe that I created him. I refuse to believe that I am responsible for the existence of that boy. Everything that has to do with him is awful."

"Listen, Bennet, you do not understand what I am saying, and for that, you will think I am crazy, but I tell you that you will never be able to fish him out! You can never figure him out!" Old Master Lenort shook his head. "You don’t know him."

Mr. Bennet could not say a word, rather, he stood, gazing at him.

Old Master Lenort continued, "Look at him, everything about him is different. His eyes are awful. Tell me, what are those red strands in his hair? I don’t have one, and neither does his mother, so where the hell did he inherit it from? He does not look like me, as do his other siblings. He has nothing in common with me. He is always so quiet that it creeps everyone out."

"What are those wings of his? It’s completely different from everyone else’s! An angel’s wings, my foot! That boy is nothing but a demon in my eyes, and if I have to risk everything in me, I will make sure that I kill him and rid him of this world."

"I will stop at nothing, Bennet, and don’t you dare stop me either! I will appreciate it if you do not interfere. That boy does not deserve to live in this world. He should die! That is his destiny. He does not deserve sympathy, he deserves none of it."

Mr. Bennet Pons was staring at Old Master Lenort with widened eyes.

"But what exactly has he done to not deserve sympathy or—"

"His existence alone is a sin, Bennet Pons. It is a sin, and I must get rid of him."

Mr. Bennet shook his head.

"Your majesty, please don’t hurt that boy. He has done nothing wrong to you. Why not just give him a chance and get to know him? See a little bit past of all these things that you—"

"That will never happen! You don’t understand! None of you understand!" Old Master Lenort disagreed with every fiber in him.

"Please leave," he said to Mr. Bennet. "I have given you the audience you wanted. It’s time for you to do your job."

Mr. Bennet stared at him, and no longer sure of what to say, he let out a soft breath.

...

Avelina, who stood dormant at the door with her head lowered and her eyes flickering, lifted her head once she heard someone’s footsteps.

She could immediately tell that it was Mr. Bennet coming out, so without hesitation, she rushed out and hid behind the pillars.

As she could hear Mr. Bennet’s footsteps getting fainter and fainter once he walked out of the room, Avelina slid to the floor, completely helpless.

She lifted her trembling hands and slowly touched her face, realizing that she had teared up. Why?

Why was she crying?

"Sister-in-law." A familiar voice sounded. Someone stood in front of her, and she could tell, but she was too lost in her thoughts to even bother to look up.

The person who was Valentine squatted down and gazed at her.

"You shouldn’t be here," he said to her. "Come with me." He offered a hand.

Avelina finally raised her head to look at him. She stared at him and reluctantly grabbed his hand.

Valentine stood up and yanked her up with him. He began to walk away while pulling her along with him. It was only when they arrived in a secluded area, which was the balcony of the royal mansion, did he halt.

He turned to look at her. "Do you want to talk?"

Avelina was confused.

"About what?" she asked.

Valentine smiled cynically at her. "I know you heard all that, and you probably have a lot of questions. It’s okay if you want to ask, you deserve to know. I know Draven has never spoken to you about it."

Avelina was not able to say a word. She was confused and didn’t even know where to begin.

"Have a seat first." Valentine gestured to the sofas.

Avelina walked over and sat down. Valentine sat opposite her and crossed his legs.

He said to her, "Go ahead and ask. I will answer your question."

Avelina fidgeted with her fingers and raised her teary hazel eyes to look at him. "Is it true? Did all that... Did it really happen?"

Valentine took a few moments before slightly nodding his head at her. "Yes...it did."

Avelina’s heart dropped in her stomach, and she rapidly blinked her eyes in disbelief. "W-why? Why did he do that to him? Did Draven do something wrong? W-w-why is everyone hurting him like that?"

"He didn’t do anything wrong." Valentine let out a soft breath. "His only sin was existing and being alive." He half-smiled.

Avelina shook her head. "I don’t understand! Why is he getting punished for something that isn’t his fault? He didn’t create himself; he didn’t even bring himself into—"

"That is the cruelty of my father, Sister-in-law. When you are different from everyone, you will never fit in. You would be resented, and every little thing that is unacceptable about you will be used to ridicule and hurt you," Valentine explained. His soft emerald eyes reflected the sadness he felt within him.

"Everything you heard was true. My brother is emotionally incapable. He is not able to feel the emotions you feel. Happiness, love, pain, no, he can’t. He can’t even cry. He may be able to feel sad, but it isn’t to the point where he can cry. I do not know why, but that has always been him since he was a child."