The Night Belongs to the Moon | Taeyong

19 | Dal-ae and Doyoung's Defence

Dal-ae knocked on the door of the saloon and waited.

From inside, she heard Taeyong say in an overly cheerful manner, 'Come in.'

But when she opened the door and the two stepped inside, it was apparent that the cheerfulness was forced. The air hung heavy in the saloon and a painful silence loomed over it; it was as though walking amidst the aftermath left by a terrible storm. Taeil was sitting on the long sofa on the side with his eyes fixed on the painting hung on the opposite wall. His body was stiff and his lips were pressed together, slightly trembling. Beside him, Mark, though sitting properly, seemed immensely uncomfortable. He looked up only for the second it took him to greet the two then turned his gaze away. Jaehyun was surprisingly solemn too but nonetheless, he too gave a curt nod to Dal-ae and Doyoung.

In the centre, looking very out of place amidst the tense mood was Taeyong, sprawled leisurely on the cushioned chair in his blue velvet robe, seemingly delighted and lively.

Dal-ae glanced at Doyoung and to her surprise, Doyoung was looking at her too. She then turned to Taeyong for answers which he seemed more than happy to supply.

'Dal-ae, please come in,' Taeyong said with a forced smile, 'and I am glad you brought Doyoung with you. Senior Taeil here, has some questions for you, or rather,' -he inhaled sharply- 'I would say that he has no questions because he has already made up his mind and refuse to see logic. So, let me rephrase it - Senior Taeil has some accusations for you. Could you please clear them out?'

Dal-ae remained quiet at this but Taeil, unable to take it any longer, burst out, 'What is the meaning of this, my Lord? You are disrespecting a senior official for the sake of a Familiar?'

'The Lord's Familiar,' Taeyong reminded him. 'And, well if you think about it, you did have some accusations for Doyoung as well. So, let's say I am disrespecting you for the sake of my Familiar and my Head of Staff. Surely, the two put together can perhaps amount to your level somehow, yeah?'

Taeil gritted his teeth.

'So then, who do we begin with?' Taeyong announced pompously. 'Who would you like to interrogate first, Senior Taeil? I would say let's start with Dal-ae but given your disposition, it is safe to assume you would like it very much to save the mortal for last.'

'My Lord!' Taeil shrieked.

'What?' Taeyong said slowly and the smile on his face dropped. He fixed Taeil with a dangerous look and when he spoke, his fangs bared themselves. 'What is it?'

Taeil bowed his head down, no longer wishing to cross the Vampire Lord.

But Taeyong had already lost his calm. 'For someone as senior as you, and who reminds us constantly of this fact, it baffles me how you have the confidence to base your claims on everything other than fact. How do you suggest that Dal-ae became privy to the knowledge of the witness in Sollage? I hope you are not implying that a mortal can surpass a Silencing Charm placed by the Vampire Lord.'

'My Lord, the T on her neck...' Taeil attempted.

'What of it, Senior Taeil?'

'Is-isn't it a communication device?' he spoke in a small voice.

'Good observation! It is. And do you think I am that stupid to not block it or know when someone is listening from the other side?' Taeyong yelled.

Taeil went completely silent.

'And if at all, she did hear it, how do you suggest a human travelled hundreds of miles in a single night and burned down a whole cottage without being seen by anyone?'

Taeyong was raging, his eyes completely red.

'And, you are right, Senior Taeil. Doyoung did have contact with Yuta that afternoon. In fact, the two of them were left alone for quite some time after we returned from Court that day. But think about this. Doyoung, the one who has the power and the means to cause much greater damage and has had enough and better opportunities to do so, is hiding behind these minor acts? Do you think he is that stupid to let go of chances right in front of him all this time and instead go on night hunts to kill witnesses?'