Before arriving at John's door, Elena had been in the kitchen helping to wash the dishes. She was interrupted when one of the vampire butlers approached her. "Miss Elena, Lady Anna is calling for you."
Elena followed him to the castle's fireplace. Anna was there, sitting comfortably with a book. When she saw Elena enter, she set the book down and looked at her.
"Please, sit," Anna said, gesturing toward a nearby chair. "Do you want some blood, Elena dear?"
Elena shook her head respectfully. "No, thank you, my lady."
"Do you know why I called you, Elena?" Anna asked while pouring blood from a carafe into a delicate tea cup.
"No, my lady," Elena replied, her hands resting nervously in her lap.
Anna took a slow sip from the cup before setting it back down on the table. "John hasn't been well lately. He refuses to drink blood and stays in his room all day." She looked directly at Elena. "I know that John likes you very much, so I am hoping you can go talk to him."
Elena felt a surge of nerves. She wasn't sure if she was the right person for such a heavy task. "What am I supposed to say, my lady?"
"You are a smart lady, Elena. Go comfort him. Further, my idiot of a husband keeps making things worse." Suddenly, the air in the room began to feel heavy and thick, making it hard for Elena to breathe. Anna's eyes went cold. "I wanted to kill you and that knight for not protecting my grandchild properly. Afterwards, I wanted to burn that whole town to the ground."
Elena froze, feeling the weight of Anna's power.
"But," Anna continued, her voice softening as the pressure in the air vanished, "I know my dear John is kind hearted and is not used to violence. He would be sad if I killed you, and he probably wouldn't forgive me."
Anna walked over to Elena and placed her hands gently on Elena's cheeks. "Go and bring my dear John back."
"I will do as you command, my lady," Elena promised.
====
When Elena arrived at John's room, she gave a light knock on the door.
*Knock knock*
She heard John's muffled voice from the other side. "Who is it? Please leave me alone."
Elena bit her lip, nervous about the task ahead, but she finally replied, "It is me, Young Master. Elena."
John was shocked when he heard her voice. He slowly got out of bed and walked to the door. When he opened it, Elena stood there holding a tray with a glass full of blood. "May I come in, Young Master?" she asked.
"Oh... uhm... sure, come in," John said, stepping aside.
"Young Master, please drink some blood to get your energy back," Elena said as she handed the glass to him. John stared at her for a few seconds before finally taking it.
He took a small sip and looked at the floor. "So... why are you here, Elena?"
"Young Master, I... I am sorry," Elena said. Tears started to flow slowly down her cheeks.
John's eyes went wide. He quickly set the glass of blood on the table and rushed over to her. He grabbed her arms gently. "Elena, no... it's not your fault. I am the one who told you to go to the meat store. I was the one who went to save that man and almost got myself killed."
Tears began to stream down John's cheeks too. "I am the failure. I should have just died."
Elena shook her head quickly. "No, Master, you are wrong. You have a good heart, and that is why you chose to save that man. All of us vampires in this castle are killers... but you, Young Master, you are still pure."
Elena looked him in the eyes as she continued. "You made me so happy the other day that it made me cry. I have not been happy for a long time, but you cared for me—a nobody, just a regular maid. I was happy to see you alive, but I was so angry to see you hurt and sad. When you touched my hand, it felt so warm. You are like sunshine to me."
John's eyes widened even more, and he began to sob. "Then... what should I do? I disgraced my grandfather. You heard what he said... that I am weak."
Elena reached up and put her hands on John's cheeks. "Become stronger, Young Master. Work harder and show the Master what you are made of. Become even more than what he expects you to be."
John wrapped his arms around Elena and gave her a strong but gentle hug. He whispered into her shoulder, "Thank you, Elena... for saving me. Thank you for believing in me. In the future, I will show him... no, I will show them all what power is. I'll make them acknowledge me."
====
The next evening, John walked down the quiet hallway toward Reina's room. He stood before the heavy wooden door for a moment, took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and knocked.
"Come in, John," Reina's voice called out.
When John opened the door, he saw Reina sitting at her table. The room smelled of oil and sharpened steel as she meticulously cleaned her swords and daggers. She didn't look up from her work. "What can I do for you?"
John stepped into the room, his posture straighter than it had been in days. "I want you to train me. I want to become stronger, Aunt Reina."
John gave a light, respectful bow. Reina finally stopped her work and looked up, her mouth quirking into a sharp smile. "I have been waiting for you to say that. The child of Jiren the Uncrowned Monarch is not a quitter or a coward."
The name struck John like a physical blow. He had heard bits and pieces before, but hearing it spoken with such weight made his heart race. "Do you also know my father, Aunt Reina?"
Reina didn't offer a direct answer. She simply smiled, a mysterious glint in her eyes. "Good. Then tomorrow we will continue with your training. Your progress has been very slow so far, but we will take it one step at a time." She turned her attention back to her weapons, the metal scraping softly as she polished a blade.
"Thank you, Aunt Reina," John said, feeling a spark of hope he hadn't felt since the alleyway.
He turned to leave the room, his hand already on the doorknob, when Reina called his name. "John."
He looked back at her. She was watching him with a look of genuine respect that replaced her usual sternness. "I am proud of you."