Married To The Mad Vampire Lord-Chapter 107: The elder

While Belle was planning how to go about inspecting her husband, she was completely unaware of the ruckus she had caused in the other world she visited last night. Her presence had left many things in disorder to the point it had reached the elder reapers, who were barely disturbed unless the matters were big—and big meant a grim reaper breaking a rule and getting dismissed from the world of the dead.

The souls who had been crazed by the scent of a living person in their world refused to go back to rest and were moving aimlessly around the land like possessed beings on a journey to no end. They all kept muttering the same words:

"Fresh soul... Fresh body. Eat to live and go back to my world."

Many of the souls didn’t have memories of their lives in the world of the living, as they had lived in this world for centuries and decades—they had forgotten it. Unlike the ones newly brought, who had vivid memories and wanted to go back. And if a new soul had not caused the chaos the other day, the rest would not have known that the presence of a living person could grant them entries to the other world.

"Bring her in," came the hoarse voice of the elder reaper, who sat on his high chair in the grimness of the dark realm, his cloak longer than any reaper, his boned face hidden behind his hood.

Reaper Selric, the first Watcher of the Land, dragged in the disfigured soul that was recently brought into the land and had encouraged the other souls to turn into aimless wandering beings, disturbing the once peaceful realm. The disfigured soul, with her limpy gait, looked around with unseen, melted eyes and then turned to the elder grim reaper.

"Why am I here?" fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

"Do you know the living being who was here hours ago?" he asked gravelly.

In this realm, time was measured only in hours, for the sun never rose in the world of the dead. Here, they were trapped in a perpetual state of twilight. Once one died, the light of day was lost forever. Death marked the end of life—not just in body, but in the experience of sunlight and time as the living knew it. Though the soul might exist in a realm that mirrored the world of the living, it could never truly be the same.

The disfigured soul laughed. "The bitch, Isabelle?" She scoffed. "I was here because of her. Do you know where I can find her? I have a score to settle with her. She thought she could get away with killing me. I will show her how burning feels like."

"Tell me how she killed you, soul. Where does she live?"

As if waiting to be asked that question, the soul began to vividly tell everything she knew about the person, and each word was filled with resentment.

"Now where can I find the bitch?" the soul demanded.

The elder reaper stared at the disfigured soul and decided within itself where she belonged.

"A vengeful soul," he muttered, and then, looking towards the Watcher, he added, "Take the soul to the part it belongs. A vengeful soul never forgets the memories of the living until they avenge themselves. With it here, the chaos won’t calm."

"Yes, my Lord!" The Watcher gave orders to another reaper and then returned to the elder for his own assignment.

"You said you saw Kuhn with the girl." It was a statement rather than a question that made the elder’s boned face and dark eyes darken within his hood.

Kuhn was a pet whose name had been known among the grim reapers many years ago for what its master did. The pet and its master had broken three laws of the reapers, and instead of taking the punishment and perishing forever, its master had taken it and left the world of the dead. They had searched for ages and never found the reaper who had dared to leave without punishment.

Breaking one law was enough to get a reaper a big punishment, but because Kuhn’s master had been favored by the elder, he had gotten away with it—until he broke the three most important laws and then dared to escape them.

"Send the words to the other Watchers and let them know that if the living person or Kuhn return, they should be captured by any means—or followed back to the land of the living to see where they belong. I want Kuhn or the girl. One of them will lead us to Astral. Astral has broken too many laws to be left alone."

"Yes, my Lord. I, Watcher Selric, will fulfill your wish," Selric said with so much confidence and resolve. Ever since Astral had broken the laws despite being favored and ranked higher, Selric had wanted to be in that position—and he would do anything to make the elder proud, and perhaps become the next favorite in the realm and be ranked higher than a Watcher.

Apart from the elders, the next rank in the realm were reapers who could go between the worlds to bring back souls, and the Watchers were ranked lower compared to all. Selric, now given the chance, would not let the elder down.

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It was mid-afternoon by the time Belle and Rohan finally left the boutique, and that too only because Rohan had shopped so excessively that their first carriage was completely filled, leaving Gwen barely enough space to sit inside.

Belle rode back in the carriage she had arrived in, but this time with Rohan beside her, as the vampiress, Cordelia, had reportedly returned to the castle using her speed ability.

Many vampires possessed the ability to move faster than a carriage, but in an effort to appear civilized and distance themselves from their ancient, savage ways, most of them preferred to use carriages. However, after being humiliated—chased out of the boutique and laughed at—Cordelia had been forced to use her own speed to leave the place.

Rohan merely chuckled when he was informed that his second cousin had left. He couldn’t help but relish her predicament. She was the one who always liked to act dignified and wealthy, flaunting her civility as a mark of her status.

Using speed was, in her mind, something only the poor did—those who couldn’t afford a proper ride. After all, using your speed ability was said to make you age faster and exposes your skin to the harshness of the air, often causing irritation.

Tsk. How he liked that she had been reduced to using it.

Maybe next time, she would think twice before using her empty head to destroy his property in an attempt to frame someone—or worse, insult something that belonged to him.

He smiled to himself as he helped his wife into their carriage, then climbed in after her.