Maria tried hard not to burst out laughing, instead she tried to put on a surprised expression.

"Mr Jäger? What is the matter with you? Amalia is my guest, she certainly does not have to follow your orders!"

The vampire paused briefly and smiled mischievously.

"Or is there something you are hiding from me that I should know?"

Maria saw the flames in Josef's gaze.

She smiled.

If Amalia had not been present, she was certain the man would have coveted her head.

She could see it in his eyes.

That boy had gone to his head and soon she and Herius would prove to him that it was not so easy to take their heads off.

She looked forward to that moment.

Josef for his part knew very well that he had reached his limit of endurance. One more word from Maria and he would have lost control.

A small part inside him was aware of how he had lost any shred of professionalism in the last five minutes.

A mistake that could have cost him dearly.

A mistake that was costing him dearly.

He didn't care too much what Maria thought now, but about Amalia.

She was out of their worlds.

If he continued like this, he would look like a fool to her.

And she would never have agreed to go back with him.

He tried, with difficulty, to compose himself.

"You are right, Duchess. Amalia is your guest; she is not obliged to return with me...?"

"But? Are you afraid a bear will attack her on the way back? Or some other strange animal?" Tried to poke the vampire.

She was having fun.

"It simply didn't seem nice to allow a young girl to return home alone and defenceless."

"Mr Jäger. As I came alone, so can I return. There is no need for you to worry about my safety." Amalia intervened in a hesitant voice.

Josef restrained himself from grabbing her arm and forcibly yanking her out.

Not only would that have been seemingly unjustifiable conduct, but it would have completely ruined his reputation.

"I understand, but wouldn't you be calmer coming home with me?" The man tried to soften his tone.

Screaming would get him nowhere.

Maria watched the scene in amusement.

This is how you create a reputation as Don Juan.

"My father and I could take her back if it really bothers you that much."

"Oh, Maria, please, there is no need for you to bother! I can..." Amalia's voice was overpowered by Josef's.

"If she returned with me there would be no need for you to accompany anyone. Amalia, you don't want to inconvenience even the duke when I could be the one to accompany you back safely?"

Maria gave him a dirty look.

Was he really trying to make Amalia feel guilty?

Once again she restrained herself from laughing, but she noticed how Josef's nervousness was still all too present.

If she teased him again, she would probably have brought forward the timing of their confrontation.

And Herius would not have appreciated that.

In particular, he would not have appreciated Amalia's unnecessary involvement in their affairs.

It would have become a not inconsiderable problem to handle.

"Perhaps you are right..." He heard the young woman whisper.

"Are you sure Amalia... It is not a problem for us if you want to stay again..." This time Maria's tone was also softer and more permissive.

She wanted to make Josef understand that she had momentarily laid down her arms.

The man could hardly hold back a sigh of relief.

"Yes, I'm sure. Besides, come to think of it, it's starting to get late. Maybe it's not a bad idea to think about coming back. I wouldn't want anyone at home to worry!"

"Of course, I understand you! But remember, you are always welcome. I will invite you again!"

Amalia paused briefly to think.

Maria had not only invited her once but had offered to spend time with her again. Perhaps it would have been rude not to try to return the invitation? She briefly thought about whether it would be a problem for her parents, but after all her father's talk, she doubted it ever would be. On the contrary.

She would probably receive her father's praise if she managed to bring Maria Regulus home.

So, she tried to take a step forward.

"You are so kind. If you would like I could invite you to my place as well... if you would like to visit our humble home, of course."

Maria smiled.

"Of course, it would please me! I would be honored to receive an invitation from you!"

At these words Josef blurted out for the umpteenth time.

"Well, now would you mind letting us go?"

"Of course, no problem, I'll walk you out!"

No more words were added to their conversation, but Maria noticed the protective manner Josef had towards Amalia.

I hope the little one doesn't get her hopes up about Josef too high.

She thought as she watched them walk away.

Her father was right, Josef was smart.

Approaching him had not been such a risky move.

Maybe he could be the person they were looking for.

Even if she doubted it would be easy to interact civilly with him once it was just the three of them.

She returned to the house ready to take stock of the whole situation with her father.

In the meantime, Josef and Amalia were returning with the carriage.

The tension in the middle could easily be cut with a blade.

Amalia had remained silent at first but felt that perhaps Josef owed her an explanation.

Why had he reacted in such a mysterious way and why had he been so insistent on taking her back?

She was certainly a dreamer, but not a fool.

Those attentions certainly did not stem from the presence of any feelings Josef had for her.

However much she might have hoped, it was clear to her that that was not the answer to her questions.

Nevertheless, she felt that Josef could grant her an explanation for his abrupt behavior.

"Mr Jäger, there was no need to be so insistent..."

"Yes, there was." The man replied abruptly.

"But for what reason? Is there by any chance...?"

"Will you shut up?"

The girl chilled as she heard Josef's tone, wondering if, in that situation, he was not the one she should have been paying attention to.

Josef immediately noticed Amalia's reaction and cursed himself.

It was the first time in all his years that he had lost control like that.

He had always been much calmer and more rational, but he also knew that the circumstances were quite different from the usual ones.

He was not used to dealing with vampires of this caliber and still did not know what their target might be.

The creatures of the night he was used to dealing with travelled alone and did not come into so much contact with human society, while the Regulus seemed to be more brazen, he had to study them better.

And the idea of abandoning a young girl to their mercy did not appeal to him at all.

He sighed and tried to calm himself.

"Amalia, I ask you to excuse me. I was abrupt. Both now and before, when I took you out of that house. I should have posed in a kinder manner, but...?"

"But what?" Amalia asked guardedly. "I can't understand your attitude..."

"Trust me, it was better not to let you stay alone in that place."

Amalia looked at him confused.

"For what reason?"

Josef fell silent.

Yes. For what reason?

It was a more than legitimate question, but one he was not allowed to answer.

"The Regulus may not be what they seem."

"Yours is a very cryptic answer, Mr Jäger. The Regulus have only recently arrived and even you have only had a chance to see them a couple of times, how can you claim to really know anything about them?"

"The same goes for you, my dear. How can you claim to know anything about someone you barely know?"

"They seem like decent people..."

Josef leaned towards her.

"You said well. They seem."

"And you also seem to know something I don't know, or am I wrong?"

Josef returned to resting his back against the carriage seat and raised his eyes to the sky.

"I think you heard that I asked Maria to visit me. Do you think I should take back the invitation? That would not be very courteous."

"No, of course it wouldn't. But I ask you to be careful what you do Amalia, it could cost you dearly."

"All you are doing is scaring me."

Josef laughed.

"You really should be."

"I wonder who I should be scared of. You are making me regret coming back with you."

Josef did not comment on this statement but fixed his glacial eyes in hers.

Why could he not recognise the danger posed by the Regulus?

Why were humans unable to perceive the dangers of a vampire?

Why did they ignore all its signals?

Why didn't they run away from their predators?

Why were they always so entranced by them?

Perhaps because it was difficult to escape the clutches of a monster once one had entered its range of interest anyway?

And perhaps Amalia had indeed entered the Regulus' sights?

Maybe Duke Herius himself wanted her?

Perhaps he loved to steal the innocence of defenseless young girls and turn them into his personal dolls as long as they were capable of understanding.

Or maybe it was Maria who had perverse tendencies.

These were the thoughts that crowded his mind and from which he could not free himself.

Why had the Regulus approached Amalia?

Josef remained silent till the end of the journey, but once they reached the Reddan residence, he whispered to Amalia a 'be careful'.

He himself would try to keep an eye on the situation to prevent anything unpleasant from happening.

But he had to pay particular attention to her movements, or he risked thwarting his efforts.

He should not have reacted so abruptly at the Regulus.

In doing so, he had probably given a clear answer to any doubts the two had raised about him.

His mind briefly returned to the new information he had learnt during his chat with the two young women.

Maria had said that her brother would soon join them.

He imprecated.

If that were true, the situation would have become very complicated because he would have had to stand up to three vampires.

Sometimes he had had to face two of them and he had already risked a lot in those cases, but with three the situation could easily lead to the worst scenario.

If he died, who would be able to defend those poor people from an onslaught of them?

04/08/2023