The Wife's Sacrifice

Romeo looked at his phone for the hundredth time, his eyes shining with excitement and anticipation.

[Vera: Okay then, let's meet at the train station at 6 am. Let's have a good time.]

That was the last message he got from his new girlfriend. Apparently, they were having their first date.

His eyes were glued to the screen as he spaced out, imagining what would he do if she wanted to hold hands or perhaps even kiss him.

CLAAPPP

"Get real, you idiot!"

He tried to regain his composure by slapping both of his cheeks simultaneously, then buried his blushing face into the pillow. If happiness had a face, it would be similar to Romeo's right now. After all, Vera was the first member of the opposite sex who gave him the time of day. All the others had straight-up made an 'eww' face at the mere sight of him.

That aside, since he was too excited to fall asleep, he decided to go on a night stroll outside. He put his phone in his pants' pocket and his earphones in his ears. After wearing a hoodie jacket, he exited his apartment quietly. It was 2 am at night, not the best time for strolls, but he couldn't sit still due to his heart thumping at the mere thought of his extraordinarily beautiful girlfriend holding his hand as they walked beside the equally beautiful lake. Then she would bring her slightly red face closer while he was enjoying the cold breeze from the languid lake and whisper a few sweet words in his ears. After which he would boldly take both of her hands in his own, and they would both bring their lips closer for their first magical ki…

SLAAAAAPPP

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, VIRGIN SCUM!"

He slapped himself again for letting his lust take over his thoughts. Vera wasn't an object who existed to fulfill his virgin fantasy. She had emotions, so he should be respectful & not have any lewd thoughts about her.

He shook his head and increased the volume of the song he was listening to, 'The Vampire.' Before he realized it, he had come farther than he wanted to, but now that he was already close to that lake, he decided to visit it.

"It wouldn't hurt to scout that place beforehand, would it?"

He thought as he started to head towards the lake. He was walking slowly because visibility was quite low, and he had some slight nyctalopia. For that reason, he didn't even realize when he came face to face with someone suddenly.

Romeo barely managed not to run into her, but their faces were almost touching. He recognized her immediately.

"V-Vera..? What are you doing here…this late…I mean, I don't mean to tell you what to do, but it can be d-dangerous."

He abruptly blurted out those words while meekly looking at the pure white face decorated with pitch-black eyes and blood-red lips. She was dressed in a black skirt, maroon furs, and high boots. This girl alone raised the standard of beauty for the whole human species.

"Fufufu…getting worried about me while yourself taking a nice walk on this splendid starry night. Wouldn't you say it's kind of hypocritical? Or are you perhaps trying to say a cute boy like yourself won't be abducted like I would."

Even though she said those words in a playfully teasing tone, Romeo felt instant regret for his words. What if she thought his mentality was cheap, and he thinks of her like his possession.

"O-oh no. That's not what I meant at all. I meant the other thing. Like I am not saying…"

SHHSSSHHHHHHHH

Before he could finish his excuses, Vera put her cold index finger on his lips, giving a very cold sensation.

"I was just teasing you. I am delighted that you are worried about me. Come on, let's not waste any more time. Follow me."

She tucked Romeo's hand in hers and started gently dragging him towards the railing. Romeo's heart was about to explode. First, that finger on his lips, and now this hand-holding. If this continued at this pace, he would definitely experience what he was secretly hoping for.

"Look how delightful this lake is, sparkling with light as if it had a life of its own."

Vera tightened her grip on Romeo's arm as her eyes were locked on the lake's still water reflecting the stars in the sky. This moment was quite romantic for them.

Romeo could only nod his head as his lungs were devoid of air, and his brain was fuzzy. At this moment, he was at the peak of his youth.

"I don't have much time left, please lend me your ear…"

She leaned against Romeo's chest and rubbed her cheek on his. Was Romeo's fantasy about to happen? Apparently not, as she just whispered something in his ear. Romeo was on the verge of fainting already, but he heard her sweet soft voice very clearly.

"I loved you with every fiber of my body and soul. Please be happy, my dear husband!"

Her magical voice made him almost spellbound and so drunk that he barely noticed that Vera had already sunk her unusually long teeth into his neck. But even the pain was sweet to him. He didn't know why she called him her husband or why she was sucking his blood or why he was about to die. He just knew that even if it was death Vera wanted to give him, he would accept it with all his heart. He was just so in love.

This blind love made him lose his life on that bright night. He died a sweet death.

***

(Beeeep)

His ears buzzed a beeping sound. His head was killing him.

"##########"

He heard an incomprehensible voice. Someone was trying to wake him up. His body felt very light and very cold. He was dead.

"...Master, please open your eyes. You can't waste Lady Clara's sacrifice like that.."

The voice just wouldn't shut up. Romeo was getting annoyed. If he could wake up, he would have. But his body wasn't responding to him.

"You can't die, master, I beg you. Please open your eyes. What would happen to us if you left."

The voice was feminine and had a very desperate tone. The owner of the voice must be hugging him as he felt a slight weight on his chest. His senses were slowly getting back. If he tried hard, he could at least open one of his eyes. He focused on opening his right eye, which slowly worked.

The view was quite blurry at first, but now he could see the face of a blonde woman crying her eyes out on top of him. She was hugging his chest and weeping softly until she noticed him looking.

"MA..MWASTER.. MASTER, YOU ARE ALIVE. I knew it, master would never leave us alone. Lady Clara's sacrifice was not wasted. I am soo… I am so glad.. I am so…"

She didn't stop crying. She won't unless he says something. That's how women are, delicate and emotional. Why was she calling him master? Who was she even? Romeo didn't care. He just wanted to make her worries disappear, her weeping to vanish.

Romeo forced his stiff muscles to move somehow and sat up. The woman also gave him the support he needed. Then, without a thought, he puthis usually pale hand on her cheek and rubbed it.

"Don't worry, I am fine. Sorry I worried you."

The woman's eyes filled even more, but his cold hand on her cheek allowed her to gain some composure. She quickly wiped off her tears and bowed her head.

Now that Romeo could pay attention, he was lying on the floor that was covered in blood. The place was dark with almost nothing of bright color. A big hall that could fit 20 of his own apartments. Giant chandeliers on the ceiling, black curtains on the windows. Where was he even? Why was his hand so pale? He tilted his hand downwards to find there was a hole in his chest, but that was not the horrific part. From the hole, he saw that behind him was a corpse of a woman lying down facing towards him. Her face was familiar. His eyes were filled with horror.

"OH NO, VERA!!"

Romeo turned around recklessly, and his wound started spewing blood. But he didn't care. This woman who was lying there breathless beside him looked terribly similar to his beloved Vera. The girl who killed him. How was she dead? Romeo, no matter how much he tried, his heart didn't ache, he didn't feel anything. He could only hug her and shout loudly her name. Why was all this happening?

"WAKE UP, PLEASE VERA. WHY? WHY ARE YOU NOT BREATHING? WHY IS THERE A HOLE IN YOUR CHEST."

Dressed in all black, the same black eyes, red lips & the same sweet expression on her face. She had given him so much happiness, and brief as it may be, the feeling of losing her was breaking his mind apart. How he would love to think it was just a nightmare.

"Calm down, master. Please don't hurt yourself. You are not fully healed."

The blonde woman came and gently hugged him from behind. Her soft chest pressing against his back. It calmed him down somewhat. He thought it can't be real. He must calm down and think.

"Hey, I am having trouble remembering what happened before I woke up. Can you tell me…"

She lightened the embrace and started speaking softly in his ears.

"Indeed let me tell you. One day suddenly, master started coughing up blood and got sick. You couldn't tolerate eating anymore and were bedridden. Lady Clara, I, and everyone was too worried since you were getting weaker and weaker. You were dying, master. Lady Clara couldn't handle the stress and locked herself with you in your room, which she didn't opened for months. I was too worried, but I was helpless to do anything."

He rubbed her back a little harder as she was about to get to the crueler part.

"When finally Lady Clara opened the door, she asked my help in a ritual she wanted to perform to heal you. I didn't know what that ritual was, but I was desperate to see you in health, so I obliged. I won't be bold enough to speak of the ritual that she performed, as I know it would pain you. But basically, she had to replace your dying heart with her own. She sacrificed her life to save you, master. She counted on me to take care of you. Her last words were, 'I loved you with every fiber of my body and soul. Please be happy, my dear husband!'"

She was then quite so was Romeo. Even though he did not fully understand it, it was clear that he was transported to someone else's life. He had no memories of this life. The owner of this body he was currently in, had the most loving wife ever. This story was heartbreaking but he couldn't feel anything.

"Tell me one more thing. Am I a vampire?"

Her eyes were confused but she respectfully nodded her head.

"Yes, Master."

Romeo got a faint idea of what was happening. He stood up and stretched out his hand toward the blonde and helped her get up.

"Master, you mustn't st…"

"Don't worry," he looked right into her eyes & spoke with determination "Your Lady Clara, my beloved Wife Vera. I swear I will bring her back."

His black eyes started glowing red. His cold blood was excited with resolve. It was just the beginning of his legend.