Chapter 9- The Vaylor Estate (Part 2)
Nobody truly knew exactly where this plague came from. But countless people died from it, and that death was the most painful, gruesome death humanity had ever seen. The blood within the body starts boiling as if it were put on fire, and the person remains in agonizing pain until their heart stops and they die.
It lasted exactly 7 days, during which more than half the population was wiped out. Numbers not even the worst tragedies in history combined could ever come near, let alone compare to.
It was a disaster that completely changed everything about the world, and to this day, nobody truly knows why this plague appeared, why it killed so many people, and why it disappeared just like that, as if it never existed.
A mystery mixed with tragedy that every person could only wish to understand.
On the way, the limousine stopped near a fast-food location, and the butler walked out and bought a meal for Elio. It consisted of synthetic chicken, fries, and a drink. After the Blood Plague, all kinds of meats became rare and expensive, so companies worked on creating synthetic, lab-made meats that taste exactly like the real meat. The real meat was left for the wealthy to enjoy.
It was a breakthrough that easily saved people from starvation and restored the balance in the market a lot quicker than one would've expected.
Elio stared at the meal, his eyes glistening as if he was staring at a pot of gold. He hadn't eaten this kind of food in years. In fact, Elio had forgotten how meat tasted since it was far too expensive for him.
"Is the meal to your liking?" Fiona asked when she noticed that Elio didn't start eating.
"W-What? Ah, yes! Thank you very much! It's just…" Elio smiled awkwardly. "I haven't eaten this in years, so I'm a bit taken aback. I really can't thank you enough for this. I'm truly grateful."
His smile was pure, sincere, and filled with countless emotions of gratitude. Fiona stared at him silently. Nobody knew what was going through her head at that moment, but it was clear in her eyes that she felt something.
Perhaps being so desensitized toward genuine emotions, or perhaps it was simply how pure and bright Elio's smile was, she simply couldn't look away.
Eventually, she snapped out of her daze as she looked at her book again. "Go ahead, eat."
"Mhm! Thank you again." Nodding his head, Elio started eating with a happy look on his face. The food tasted heavenly. It was so good and full of flavour that he wanted to cry. His stomach happily welcomed the food and greedily consumed it as if it were a festival.
He tried to maintain etiquette to a degree and not wolf down the food without any manners in the presence of Fiona, but it was an extremely hard task. In the end, he finished everything within minutes.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Elio looked down. 'That was the best meal I probably ever had… It tasted so good. I'm so grateful to be alive.' He smiled faintly.
That was also the first time Elio felt completely full in weeks, possibly. His body was already losing weight due to his malnutrition, so he wouldn't be surprised if his body consumed everything and left nothing.
"We are almost there."
At that moment, Fiona announced. Elio immediately stared out of the window, and all he saw ahead of him were extremely tall walls, reaching almost 40 meters in the air. Alined with these tall, fortified cement walls were large trees across the entire length of it.
These walls surrounded the Vaylor Estate from every single angle, and those trees made it even harder to climb and take a look inside.
The car eventually reached the large gates and stopped as the butler pulled the window down.
Then, he showed what seemed to be a card of sorts.
"Everything clear. Open the gates. The Lady has arrived home." A voice spoke through the speaker. A second later, the gates started opening on their own.
'Ridiculous technology.' Elio muttered.
The car then moved in, and the gates closed behind them. The boy took one last stare at the outside. He didn't know why, but he felt like he needed to do that.
Then, he stared ahead, and what he saw was simply a sight straight out of a dream. A large, beautiful mansion sprawled before his eyes. Beautiful marble, shiny glass, and a design mixed between futuristic and modern touches, giving it a classy appearance. It was incredibly large, easily hundreds of meters in length and width.
Around it were large gardens, with beautiful sculptures, well-trimmed trees, and seats for people to sit down and admire the sheer beauty of it.
Then, they passed large swimming pools, fields for tennis, basketball, football, and many other sports. Then, they passed a large outdoor bar before they finally reached a whole new section of the estate. The car moved into a tunnel beneath the ground, going deeper and deeper inside.
Meanwhile, Elio watched everything as if it were an alien world to him. He didn't even understand half the things he was seeing. This was far beyond anything he could've imagined.
'What is this place… What in God's name is this place?' He gulped.
The car continued its path until it reached a vast, open area. It was a parking lot, filled with all kinds of cars. All luxurious and very expensive-looking.
Moving through the rows, it came to a stop in one of the empty spots.
"We have reached our destination, my lady."
"Good work, Alfred," Fiona said. At the same time, the gates started automatically opening.
Fiona and Elio left the car. He looked left and right like a kid lost in a mall.
"Let's go, the way is from here," Fiona said and started walking. Elio didn't waste time and chased after her so he wouldn't linger around.
On the other side of the parking lot, there was an elevator that seemingly led to the main mansion.
Getting inside, the two were brought up several floors, and when the doors opened, they entered a whole new world.
For a second, Elio was blinded by the beauty of everything around him. It was like he walked into a divine palace. They were in a vast hall, with a large golden chandelier above them. Beautiful furniture and decoration filled the place with nice music playing in the background. Everything looked squeaky clean and spotless as if this place was frozen in time.
'Wow… So beautiful.'
"Welcome to the Vaylor Mansion," Fiona said calmly. "This is where I live for the most part."
'For the most part?'
"Good evening, my lady."
At that moment, three women clad in maid clothes approached Fiona before they bowed respectfully.
"Good evening."
"Who is this distinguished gentleman, may I ask?"
"He's a classmate of mine. I brought him here for a reason."
"Should we notify the Lord?"
"No, it is not needed. He is here for my personal reasons. My father doesn't need to concern himself with this."
"Understood."
'The Lord… As in the patriarch of the Vaylor family? Is he here? And why does she sound a bit colder talking about him?'
Even by her own standards, Elio could tell Fiona wasn't pleased about the maid's question.
"Follow me, Elio."
"Yes!"