Kinder Things | vampire chrollo

22

chapter twenty two: dinner with the ghostly ruler

"We can't fucking find him." Feitan's shouts jolted me out of my head. Even from the garden I could hear him arguing with Chrollo in the dining room.

I watch as servants who were nearby run to the shadows, completely getting out of their sight. Part of me wants to go and see if everything was alright but my legs didn't bother moving. I could hear everything from where I sat.

"We've searched every inch of the forest and there's nothing. He must've crossed the river that night."

"It's fine. I wouldn't worry about a single human-"

"It's not fine, if the town finds out he's the only one that survived then they're going to believe him and come for revenge. Imagine a town, all coming to kill us. We might have a kingdom but we're really not a kingdom."

Ugh, I feel so sick. I glare at my hands, frustrated of the past sticky feeling of dried blood staining my fingers. I wiped them on my dress repeatedly, hoping the feeling would wipe off as well.

It hadn't been long before the vampires realized that a single human had managed to escape the fire. Phinks said that the man had ran all the way back to his town and if he spread the word- which he most likely did- another group of hunters would be heading our way sooner or later.

Feitan had gone days without sleep, constantly searching through towns in hopes of finding the missing man but there had been no sight of him yet. It was stressing him out, and seeing his king completely unbothered stressed him even more.

"There's really nothing to worry about."

"You're doing it again, Lucilfer."

"Doing what?" He finally snapped.

"Not taking anything seriously anymore. You're letting Hisoka take over the meetings and you're not even bothering to send out a group to find this man." He pointed out. "If we don't find him then eventually more hunters are going to find us and then next time we might actually all end up dead. Why can't you understand that this is all we have left? This is all of us."

"Then find him and get it over with." He pushed past him. "It's really not that big of a deal. If you're truly the man you say you are then you wouldn't be complaining to me about it."

Feitan clicked his tongue and watched as the ruler of the ghostly kingdom walked away. I see Chrollo walk down the hallway through the open windows and when my eyes flicker back to Feitan I find him already staring at me. He's the first to look away and then he's gone in an instant.

I turn away and focus back on my book.

"An unbothered king is often frowned upon. This is why he hid for years in his castle while his people parrished." His voice has me rolling my eyes. I look up to see Hisoka towering over me and then he's crouching down to reach my eyes. "You're now seeing who he truly is. Did you really think he was such a great ruler of a ghostly kingdom?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do. You're the one who goes into his room late at night to see him writing those letters. It's like he's put into a spell, a never ending torture of writing until his hand finally gives out on him."

"You seem to know everyone very well. What do you want me to do? You don't think I've tried to stop him from exhausting himself every single night?"

"Well you wear his colors so proudly." Hisoka pointed out. "The least you could do is help him pull himself together."