"The dress looks great on you; we'll make a great impression!"

"Of course, father." Amalia replied apathetically. 

The situation seemed so surreal to her. 

Her brother had run away because he had lost the girl he loved, and their parents were giving a ball as if nothing had happened. 

Because the main thing was to try to make up for the smack the eldest son had caused the noble family, and feelings couldn't fit into that intricate scheme. 

She too would have liked to run away, but she was a girl and girls weren't allowed certain freedoms.

"Come on, Amalia. We're going in." Her father's abrupt voice brought her back to reality. 

She wrapped her arm around the man's and prepared to play her part. 

The part of the perfect daughter. Of the ceramic doll without a single crack. An empty shell flaunting glitz and beauty. 

She heard a flurry of excited voices all around her. Amalia tried to isolate her mind. She knew that, among that annoying buzz, she could identify unwelcome voices that would make her falter. She was certain that it was not only compliments that graced the evening. 

Yet she soon realised that she wasn't the only object of the main attention. After all, there was another presence that sparked interest within the community, namely the maker of her beautiful dress. 

Josef Jäger. 

A certain agitation took possession of her heart and, inevitably, she wondered who would be the lucky one to have the man as a dancing partner, not denying to herself that she would have liked to be the chosen one. After all, she was the one wearing his creation, it would be logical to dance together. 

She located the man at a spot not far away. Her father directed her in that direction. 

For the briefest of moments, Amalia imagined the man was walking her down the aisle. She sighed. 

Apparently, she too had fallen victim to Josef's charms. She had realised this since he had entered the house to take her measurements, but that evening he looked even more elegant in his evening dress. She wasn't exaggerating in saying that he was the most handsome man of the night. 

"Good evening, Count Reddan. Amalia, you look lovely." 

The count smiled. "And your dress only enhances her beauty, doesn't it, darling?" "Yes, father."

 "Josef, would you like to open the dances with my Amalia?" 

Josef cast a brief glance around the room before answering. "Certainly." 

Amalia wondered what the hesitation was due to. Could it be that he was so bothered by the idea of dancing with her? 

Despite appearances he still made a half bow, offering his hand to Amalia. "Would you do me the honour of this dance?" The girl blushed slightly.

"With pleasure." She whispered, taking his hand. 

They made their way to a central area of the room, centre stage, under the gaze of everyone. "Time to officially open the dancing." Amalia let the man guide her completely, increasingly aware of the effect he had on her, but equally aware of how she didn't have the same power over Josef. He kept his gaze on her and didn't miss a single step, but Amalia sensed how his attention seemed to be on the outside and not on her. Was she looking for someone? 

She was so engrossed in fantasising about what might be going through the man's mind that she almost winced when he finally decided to speak to her seriously. 

"It seems that my creature is having the desired effect, doesn't it? All eyes are on you." 

The girl wasn't too surprised at his statement. That was what he was interested in. He was trying to see if his suit could open the way to new trade for him. Understandable she thought, but not without a hint of regret. 

"It's all thanks to your work Josef, the dress is really exquisite. I bet others will envy it." 

"Oh, I hope so too. Gibergan sounds like a great place to do business." 

There was a brief pause during which Josef aimed his inquiring gaze at Amalia. 

"Hoping nothing bad happens to me, I wouldn't want anything strange to happen to me or any of my future clients." 

Amalia's body suddenly tensed. Josef pretended not to have perceived that change and continued with his speech. 

"Like to that poor peasant girl." 

The girl's eyes widened as Josef leaned dangerously close to her ear. 

"If you are willing to tell me your side of the story, I will gladly grant you a second dance." 

He whispered to her as the last notes concluded the round of dancing. Amalia swallowed.

Under normal circumstances she would probably have blushed at the man's move and perhaps that was what those watching would have expected of her. Why would someone who had just arrived in the city show such interest in this sad affair? Did he want to hear the grisly details? Did he think she could satisfy his unhealthy curiosity? There was only one way to find out how things really were. 

"I would really like to have another dance with you." Josef merely smiled at Amalia's request. 

"Why are you so interested in this?" His lips curved into a smile. 

"I don't think that was our deal, my dear." 

"And you think it's really wise to broach the subject in a ballroom..." 

"The typical plan of the careerist who seeks to get into the good graces of a helpless young woman in order to push her to drown her sorrows in a new dress." 

The girl looked at him curiously. She had to admit that he was pretty good at charming clients and was perfectly aware of the effect he had on them. 

"And what specifically would you like to know?" 

"Did any of you see the girl's body?" 

Amalia shuddered at that question. 

"My brother." 

"And did he tell you anything?" 

No answer came to Josef's aid. He sighed. 

"It seems my second round of dancing was wasted." 

"You should ask the Keryaks. Although..." 

"I certainly won't be able to go to them under the guise of having to make a dress..." 

Amalia felt Josef's hand twitch slightly around hers. 

"Why do you care so much?" 

"I want to know what killed that poor girl." 

If up to that moment the man's voice had been calm and measured the girl was sure she sensed resentment mixed with pain. 

And that look. 

Poisoned. 

Only one other person had shown her such an expression. 

Dietrich before abandoning everyone after Aloysa's death. 

"You could still try to go to them." She whispered weakly. She paused for a moment to think. "Or you could go to the guys who found the body. Dietrich had accused them of doing something to her... He was beside himself." 

This time it was he who observed the girl with a surprised look. 

What had suddenly made her turn to him as if he had become her personal confidant? Either she was bloody stupid or that story must have shaken her up a lot. Or, simply, her charm had struck more than usual. 

He didn't care what the explanation was. The girl seemed not only well-meaning towards him, but also willing to broach the subject without dismissing it as a trifle of no importance. 

He still shuddered when he thought back to the cold reply he had received some time before from Count Reddan. 

As if the murdered girl had never had any kind of relationship with his son. 

As if her life had had no importance whatsoever. 

After that unpleasant conversation, he had been tempted to abandon the dress commission for the Reddans, but he couldn't afford it. It would have been the key to staying in Gibergan.

And seeing a possible ally in Amalia could only hearten him, at least perhaps his work had not been wasted. Although, of course, part of him hoped that his work had been in vain, that he had misinterpreted the signs, that he had been wrong. He always hoped that this was the case and that there might be a logical explanation, an animal or whatever, but unfortunately he knew that this was not the case. 

The more the years went by, the more his ability to be able to immediately find the signs of a creature of the night passing by increased, rarely had he been wrong in a prediction in recent years. Count Reddan had reacted coldly to his enquiries about the young girl's disappearance, but if the death had been caused by a vampire, then nothing could prevent a pretty girl like Amalia from being targeted next. Who knows if his armour would have fallen in that case. 

But it wouldn't have. He was there to stop that creature and prevent it from bringing more death to that small town. "Yes, that might be an idea." He answered her after a few minutes of silence. 

"I could accompany you, I would also like to have some clarification." 

Josef weighed the girl's request, if she would follow him and his theories proved correct he risked putting her life in danger as well. It was a scenario that didn't reassure him at all, but something suggested it would be the best choice. After all, standing next to him would be the least risky situation for her; it wasn't so easy for vampires to catch him in check. 

"Yes, I will not stop you from coming if you wish." And he left the girl's side, he had put on enough of a show for the evening. 

He returned beside Count Reddan and his acquaintances, happy to see how he had managed to gain more potential customers. He was discussing proposals, terms, and deliveries when another man introduced himself to their group. 

"I wonder if the Regulus Dukes will also be interested in this talented young man's products." 

A sudden silence fell among them. Josef observed the equally astonished faces of the others. 

"Dukes, they must be rather pretentious?" He asked. A male voice replied. 

"They haven't stayed in Gibergan for years." 

"Yes, some fifty years ago they had moved to Vienna, you know, they said they got fed up with provincial life, they needed more leisure. Whereas now they seem to have decided to come back here." 

Josef noticed out of the corner of his eye how Count Reddan's face had grown paler, but, after all, everyone knew that his eldest son had travelled to the capital to escape the madness there. 

What a curious coincidence. 

"The new duke has two children, a boy and a girl." 

"Franz, you are always up to date!" 

The man laughed. "Of course! I too have two children to take care of!" 

A general laughter followed that statement. 

"Why are you laughing?" 

"You know too that the Dukes have always been wary, they never mixed their blood with us poor people, indeed your grandfather must have known that, didn't he? Didn't he try to woo the then duchess back then?" 

"And she was so enraptured that shortly afterwards the whole family left!" 

More laughter rumbled through the hall. 

"They compare the daughter to a Lorelei so beautiful she is." Whispered that supposed Franz. 

"Even? I doubt he chooses your children at all then!" And the debate continued in that direction.

Josef listened distractedly to those speeches. 

A Lorelei they said? With that he could agree. 

A beauty that bewitched and hid the sharp rocks that lurked around the corner and made even the most fearless sailor shipwrecked.

And now we can start the dance!

The drawing of this week is of Amalia 💜

For those of you unfamiliar with German literature/culture, I'll give a brief explanation of what this phantom Lorelei is: as Wikipedia suggests (XD), she is a legendary figure from Germany, a kind of water fairy briefly, or a river mermaid XD, of the Rhine in this case. Very similar to mermaids because with her beautiful appearance and her voice she lures sailors to her, causing them to sink rip. The legend is linked to a particular stretch of the Rhine where the river bends in a tight bend to the right from the bottom of which rises a 132 m rock called Lorelei. Apparently, sailors used to pray before crossing this stretch lol. My source of inspiration was the poem of the same name by Heinrich Heine, and even though we are not on the Rhine, but we are still in the German-speaking world, I would say that it's still OK! I will also spam you the poem below, English and original version after!

20/10/2022

I know not if there is a reason
Why I am so sad at heart.
A legend of bygone ages
Haunts me and will not depart.

The air is cool under nightfall.
The calm Rhine courses its way.
The peak of the mountain is sparkling
With evening's final ray.

The fairest of maidens is sitting
So marvelous up there,
Her golden jewels are shining,
She's combing her golden hair.

She combs with a comb also golden,
And sings a song as well
Whose melody binds a wondrous
And overpowering spell.

In his little boat, the boatman
Is seized with a savage woe,
He'd rather look up at the mountain
Than down at the rocks below.

I think that the waves will devour
The boatman and boat as one;
And this by her song's sheer power
Fair Lorelei has done.

The Original:

Ich weiß nicht, was soll es bedeuten,
Daß ich so traurig bin;
Ein Märchen aus alten Zeiten,
Das kommt mir nicht aus dem Sinn.

Die Luft ist kühl, und es dunkelt,
Und ruhig fließt der Rhein;
Der Gipfel des Berges funkelt
In Abendsonnenschein.

Die schönste Jungfrau sitzet
Dort oben wunderbar,
Ihr goldenes Geschmeide blitzet,
Sie kämmt ihr goldenes Haar.

Sie kämmt es mit goldenem Kamme
Und singt ein Lied dabei;
Das hat eine wundersame,
Gewaltige Melodei.

Den Schiffer im kleinen Schiffe
Ergreift es mit wildem Weh;
Er schaut nicht die Felsenriffe,
Er schaut nur hinauf in die Höh'.

Ich glaube, die Wellen verschlingen
Am Ende Schiffer und Kahn;
Und das hat mit ihrem Singen
Die Lorelei getan.