Lyra's POV
"And after the kitchen where you see Izmah baking a second batch of the lava cake you've requested, this other door at the opposite end goes straight back to the grand room."
I caught a glimpse of Izmah muttering gibberish words while giving me the stink eye. We exited the kitchen, walked to a narrowed hall till we headed back to the living room.
Jakub stopped at the center of the room, turning to face me as he said, "And that concludes our house tour. Any questions?"
"Yeah, I do. Why is this mansion not as big as most lavish mansions?" If my expression didn't show my genuine disappointment, then I failed to convey that.
It confused Jakub, noticing how his lower lip twitched at my statement before he spoke, "Excuse me?"
"You showed me the rooms suitable for at least 5 people to live in, our house tour lasted only ten minutes and I can only see at least two or three imps working here." I heaved a sigh.
"And your point being is?"
"The point is this place is as dull as your clothes, Jakub!" I spat. "For someone who acted like a fucking aristocrat, I expected Julian Czarnel to have some extravagant taste."
Mansions were supposed to be fancy with lots of exquisite or weird paintings and with great wallpapers to match the eerie mood vampires usually had!
But everything about this mansion was plain white, nearly barren with the necessary furniture needed to compliment this wasted space!
"How d-dare you!" Jakub's cheeks flared as his eyes dilated. "If you don't know what state-of-the art is, then you have no clue what minimalism is about!"
"Minimalism, my ass! Just admit that your master is broke!"
"Y-You—!" He took a deep breath before calming himself down. "The point is, Lyra, this is Master Julian's preference. If you are talking about his exquisite collection, they are all in his private study room."
My eyes perked up. "Did you say private…room?"
A click of his tongue which meant he regretted saying that. "Watch it, Lyra. If you dare entering his study room without his permission, he would have wrung not only my neck but yours as well."
"But I—"
"Last warning, Lyra or I'll ask Izmah to feed you dog food next time."
After tasting those savory dishes?! My eyes widened in disbelief but seeing his serious expression, I knew he wasn't kidding around.
"Fine, I won't," I grumbled, crossing my arms. Best not to argue when Jakub would threaten me with food.
Soon, we headed to the dining room and ate the second batch of lava cake. My stomach growled even when it was full earlier.
Yet seeing the perfect color, the vanilla ice cream and a cherry on top, I couldn't wait to have them all in my stomach.
It felt great to eat a dessert that wasn't moldy or a leftover from the dumpster.
While I was eating without an ounce of worry, Jakub had an incredulous look spread across his face.
"What?" I scowled, seeing that he only gave me that look. "Is something wrong?" I continued asking mid-bite, crumbs clinging to my lips.
He gave a resigned sigh. "Sometimes I am curious why you were so carefree despite the fact that you would be forcibly wedded by my master."
"Aww, worried?" I teased him.
He turned red. "I am n-not worried, you witless dullard!"
I laughed out loud which made him angrier.
"What's so funny?!"
"Man, you are way fucking horrible at roasting, Jakub. How old are you again?" I wiped the imaginary tear from my eye while grinning.
"W-well, I don't insult when needed, Lyra!" He snapped, finding everything I did offensive. "And you should be ashamed of acting so uncouth! I'm younger than you by six years!"
Ah, twenty-one.
No wonder he acted like a teenager sometimes. He reminded me of the street kids.
All of the sudden, thinking about them made me homesick. But I shrugged it off, smiling at Jakub.
"So, to answer your question, I am in a good mood after seeing the sky for the first time."
"So happy that you fainted. Pathetic," he mumbled.
"And we live in the premise of Hollywood!" Ignoring his insult, I beamed. "The home of the entertainment industry! Are there any films showing now? What kind of modern movies do you creatures make?"
"Movies have stopped their production since none of the creatures are interested in such things anymore."
My smile quickly faltered after he spoke those words. Like a shattered mirror, a new reality struck me. "What? How long?"
He shrugged, lazily while sipping his tea. "Probably twenty years ago. I was only a child when they didn't bother to create films that won't appeal to the mass."
"A-and the DVDs? Celluloid film strips?"
"I have no idea what you are talking about." He poured tea for both of our cups. "No one is interested in human invention anymore. From what I've remembered, those things were either thrown to your dumpster at Twilight Hound or were burned as ordered by the Council."
"H-How c-could they?!" I slammed on the table as I got up, my cheek flared at as I bellowed, "T-They defined history! All of those g-generations of filmmaking! How could they destroy them like that?!"
"It is the Council's unanimous decision."
Of course, the Council. I'd heard of this from the wolves in Twilight Hound. Despite Nolan Bates' power over us, we were aware that it was the Council of those creatures who controlled what was current in this world. And Nolan Bates was just an inferior to all of them.
But it was still heartbreaking.
"If...If only they knew that those films were a-amazing, Jakub. Movies that could fucking swoon you off from your feet."
"Whether they were a masterpiece or not, the fact is they were invented by your kind. And we have no reason to keep relics from the past."
How could they do this? Why? As I was stunned and unable to refute, Jakub gave me an unreadable expression. He placed his tea back on the table.
"Your time as the top of the hierarchy had long ended, Lyra," he said with an air of nonchalance. "You, humans, have to accept that."
=====================================
Later that evening, Julian hadn't arrived yet. So Jakub sent me back to the guest room which was now a temporary bedroom till Julian returned.
After that tea conversation with Jakub, I couldn't sleep—disturbed by the thought of all the inventions throughout history…gone and wasted.
I only had a few that I had watched, replayed and memorized. But I was aware there were more than that. More movies I wanted to know and more human inventions that we missed.
"All this pondering isn't my style," I grumbled as I got up. Now dressed in a satin dress, I grabbed a baby blue bathrobe and wrapped it around me. I reached for the doorknob and turned—only to see that the door was not locked.
Jakub warned me not to wander at night but I couldn't sleep and…without Julian Czarnel around I wanted to just roam around the mansion once more on my own.
After all, something tells me that Julian's private study room had something I was looking for.
'A chance of finding his weakness,' I thought.
With a new resolve, I stepped out with the intention of sneaking towards that room.
If it was locked, it wouldn't matter.
Lockpicking happened to be one of my specialties.