Eternal Eclipse

Chapter 3

Previously, I was the only one in the room, so I lowered my guard and make myself comfortable. However, who would have thought this person could enter so suddenly without me noticing, not even the sound of the door opening and closing before he finally spoke.

"Hmm, I just came to check on you. It wouldn't be funny if you suddenly died from blood loss while working," Eli said, walking over to me.

I rolled my eyes and quickly took off my shirt and quickly grabbed my clothes from the dressing table. However, before I could put it on, Eli grabbed my arm. I glanced at him and saw him standing beside me. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, it's makeup," Eli's finger gently touched my lower lip and rubbed it a little rough.

"Get your hand off my lips," I said curtly, shifting my body away from Eli.

"Behave," Eli glared at me sharply, but only for a split second before he stepped back from me and averted his gaze.

"You should be the one who should behave. Who are you to touch me as you please? If anyone else wants to touch me, they have to pay a high price," I said, actually just bragging.

"Haha," the soft chuckle from the man beside me made me immediately pay attention.

"What are you laughing at, huh?" I said defiantly.

I couldn't stand his laughter, which seemed to belittle me and disbelieve what I'd said to him. I wanted to challenge him again with harsh words, but Eli glared at me, making me swallow the words I was about to utter.

"How much do they pay you to be able to touch you? I could pay you double or triple than that, but you have to do what I want. But you know that even without me paying you, you have to stay around me if you want to stay alive," Eli said flatly.

"Bastard, this is all because of you. How rich are you to buy me? Can you make me go back to my golden years as a model? Hah! Can you get me out of this bastard agency of mine?!" Hearing Eli's words made me even more angry, and I wanted to let it all out.

"If you're done, come with me," Eli seemed to ignore my earlier yelling and immediately turned his back on me.

"Damn, you bastard," I muttered, quickly gathering my things.

Recalling this morning's events, I was still shocked and couldn't accept the reality, but I couldn't show my worry or fear. The fact that I'd accidentally bonded with Eli, a vampire, had forced me into a previously unknown world of vampires. Eli had said that I would become a target for his enemies, the other vampires. Being Eli's sole source of life meant that if I disappeared, he would be weakened and easier to defeat by his enemy. As for me, Eli might be defeated or weakened when I die, but it'll only be a matter of time before he recovers. So I have to be around Eli to stay alive. Eli will take care of me, even though he doesn't mind losing me. At least he won't be bothered by my untimely death, especially now, when Eli is so busy.

"Hey, where are you taking me?" I asked, following Eli.

My voice echoed in the emergency stairs. To avoid prying eyes, we used the emergency stairs not far from the changing room. This morning, when Eli walked me home, he said he was taking me somewhere, but he didn't specify what kind of place it was.

"Come closer," Eli said, placing his hand on the emergency stairway exit handle.

I slowly approached and stood beside Eli. Eli quickly wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me closer to him until we were practically hugging. Before I could even begin to feel my shock, Eli opened the door, and it felt like blood was filling the entire room behind it. I wanted to flee, but Eli held me and led me inside. My vision was filled with blood.

"Close your eyes," Eli said, and I did so immediately, and my eyes quickly closed.

Bright light penetrated my eyelids, completely obscuring the darkness. I slowly opened my eyes, and my vision was different from before. It was no longer the emergency stairs, but a bright room with luxurious, grand lamps, with a distinct European feel. Once my eyes adjusted to the light, I realized that two people were standing upright beside us, as if awaiting our arrival.

"Welcome back, Master." said a middle-aged man in formal attire, who appeared likely to be a servant.

"Steward, prepare some neat clothes for this kid. I'll be waiting in my office," Eli said, tossing me to the middle-aged man he called Steward.

"Hey, Eli. Where are you going?" I asked, stopping Eli from leaving me alone with these two strangers.

"There's no way I'm taking you to a formal event in that kind of attire. Go with them and dress yourself up to be worthy of standing beside me," Eli replied quickly and then left.

"Huh," I sighed and glanced at the two servants.

"May I introduce myself, Steward, the head butler of this mansion? Mr. Orion can accompany me to choose your outfit," the steward said politely, inviting me to follow him.

"Hmm, very well," I said, following Steward out of the room.

The hallways of this luxurious mansion were numerous, but I didn't see a single person as I walked along, other than Steward and the servant following him. The mansion was also very quiet, devoid of any sounds, and the large windows were all covered by large blinds. Although bright with large, luxurious lamps, no sunlight penetrated the mansion, making it difficult to tell the time or the scenery outside.

"Please come in, Mr. Orion," the steward said, inviting me inside.

I was shocked to see the room filled with a large wardrobe and countless items of clothing and accessories. But somehow, every time I looked inside, I saw a variety of clothing from various traditions and years, even 70s-style clothing. This spacious room surprised and captivated me. Having worked in modeling since childhood, I've studied various styles of clothing from various countries, even from centuries before. Perhaps because of my work, I developed a love for studying fashion, but I focused more on history than design. When I entered college, my uncle stole my tuition money, so I ended up dropping out of school.

"Mr. Orion, please come here. I'll show you, your wardrobe. If you'd like to bring any other clothes from your home, you can put them here. Next to this room is the master bedroom, where Master Eli lives. You'll be staying in the adjoining bedroom," Steward explained as we walked.