He got out of the carriage, the feeling of unease still present in him.

What was he afraid of this time?

Had also he been beguiled by the talk of this phantom Lorelei?

Rather than being misled by these rumours, he had registered the elements that were useful in his business.

It could well be that this duke's daughter was so beautiful as to leave everyone speechless, but he knew it was also one of the prerogatives of the creatures of the night he had hunted for so long.

A deceptive beauty.

And he would soon find out whether it was a natural feature or not, but just in case, he had brought the same tools he used when he went out with intent to kill.

From time to time he laughed as he thought back to when the young him believed that a crucifix could have harmed his enemy; that time he had earned a very nasty scar and only the vampire's distraction in the face of his inexperience had allowed him to save himself.

Boots were definitely not a fashionable item among the old men of the petty nobility, but they allowed him to hide blades inside them.

Silver blades.

He had found that they were very effective for his purposes, which was why he never parted with them. He didn't feel safe unless he had even a small dagger of that material with him.

Guns also had their uses. Ever since he had had the brilliant idea of loading them with silver bullets, they had proved to be valuable companions.

And that explained the function of his voluminous coat adorned with thick fur.

Just another ruse to try and conceal his assassin nature as best he could.

He also understood that it wasn't very professional to present himself adorned with lethal weapons in plain sight.

It would have put any customer off.

And as much as a gun might have gone unnoticed, other implements would have had a far different effect.

It was only the second event he was attending in that community, but he already knew that this evening he wouldn't be the long-awaited guest, but rather the dukes Regulus, who had finally returned to the village after a long absence.

The ballroom was buzzing, everyone was anxiously waiting for the stars of the evening to arrive.

They probably needed new topics to talk about.

Although his walk with Amalia hadn't been entirely unknown to those eyes and a few mischievous rumours had begun to circulate about him.

Normally he didn't care much for rumours, in fact he himself fed them, but, this time, even this situation created a kind of anxiety in him that he had stopped feeling for a long time.

It must have been the atmosphere of that place that made him quite restless.

After all, he was not fooling Amalia.

Only the eyes of those greedy nobles.

He caught sight of the girl next to her parents. She gave him a false smile. Josef reciprocated, approaching them.

"Will you dance with Count Schneider's daughter tonight?"

"I don't think her betrothed is willing to give her to me for a courtesy dance." Commented the man amusedly.

Count Reddan narrowed his eyes.

"It is enough for me that everyone can admire my new jewels. After all, it is to do business that I am here."

"Do you also wish to curry favour with the dukes?"

Josef weighed his answer.

"I don't care if it's dukes or counts. What I care about is creating clothes that exceed my customers' expectations. But I will not lie to you. Extra customers handy. In fact, I must thank you for giving me this opportunity. After all, it is thanks to you that I am here now."

Amalia admired Josef's quick response. He had also managed to flatter his father with ease. He had a way with words.

Excited whispers began to flow through the room.

Josef stood at attention.

It seemed that the special guests were about to arrive.

His hand clenched into a fist as soon as duke Regulus made his entrance, surrounded by a regal commander's aura.

He felt his breath catch as their eyes met.

Blue against blue.

He saw the duke smile and a cold shiver ran down his spine.

He didn't know why, but he was certain that the scornful smile was aimed at him.

At him and no one else.

What was happening?

And then it happened.

He shifted his gaze.

His heart began to beat frantically as he met another pair of dazzling blue eyes.

He opened his eyes wide, feeling a strange sensation wash over him.

Another smile seemed to be directed in his direction.

A bewitching, sensual, but tired smile.

A rare jewel set on diaphanous skin surrounded by golden waves.

Now he too understood what the poor sailors had felt in front of Lorelei's ethereal beauty.

What he was feeling.

The feeling that he had never seen a more beautiful creature in the world.

The feeling that time had stood still, gripping him in the clutches of that creature.

A creature incredibly beautiful and at the same time as deadly as a blade edge.

Like death itself.

How could something so beautiful carry that fetid feeling of death?

It was impossible for him to associate anything negative with her.

He stood still, as if in a trance, as the Regulus advanced into the hall.

Josef wasn't the only one who was spellbound, everyone present was open-mouthed.

All agreed that the voices didn't do her justice in any way, the daughter of Duke Regulus was far more beautiful than they could have ever imagined.

A Lorelei in the flesh.

Even Amalia was dazzled by such beauty, she paled when compared to her.

Almost immediately she turned towards Josef to see all her faint hopes crumble into sharp shards.

For what little she had had to do with him, she had believed that he was not interested in love; indeed, she had wondered if anyone had ever managed to break through what seemed to be a double-locked heart.

Now she had the answer.

She had it in his bewitched gaze.

A gaze full of life.

She felt the splinters of his illusion sticking in her heart.

After all, she had guessed from the start that the beautiful crush she had on the tailor was destined to remain a crush.

An unrealisable fantasy.

But seeing how much that sight hurt her, she realised that perhaps hers was more than just an infatuation.

That God wanted to punish her for what she had done?

Perhaps so, because the scene He made her witness shortly afterwards threw her into utter despair.

Maria watched their man out of the corner of her eye. So in the end not even he would be able to escape her charms?

That would certainly have made things easier for everyone.

Yet even she was surprised to see him advancing in her direction.

The only one who dares to approach us?

She asked herself partly amused, partly disappointed.

Perhaps she had hoped that, at least for once, someone wouldn't be immediately attracted to her.

What a frivolous thought.

She turned towards him when he was close enough to her.

She was struck by his sparkling gaze.

Why did he look so different from the rumours she had heard about him?

Had she missed something?

Was he not a simple careerist who thought only of accumulating capital for his illicit activities?

Or perhaps her vampire senses had detected something invisible to the human eye?

She was almost ready to extend her hand to show him her favour, but the man showed a different course of action from the one Maria had imagined.

When he was at a proper distance from the two, he stopped and made a short bow.

"Duke Regulus, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"And who are you, bold young man?"

"Josef Jäger, my lord. A humble tailor recently landed in Gibergan."

"Oh, so you are the famous young man of whom I have heard so much these days. Do you hope my daughter will also be attracted to your creations? You know, she is a pretentious girl."

"I would like to ask your permission to ask her for the first dance, I would be honoured."

Anyone who had heard Josef's request wondered what game he was playing.

By what right did he claim to dance with a person of such high rank?

They doubted the duke would allow his daughter to ridicule herself with a mere tailor.

Herius remained impassive.

Josef felt himself shudder.

Perhaps he had taken a step too far.

"You see, I don't think you are addressing the right person."

The man cursed himself.

"You should put the question to the person directly concerned."

Josef swallowed and turned to her again.

He made a half bow and extended his hand.

"Would you do me the honour of this dance?"

He didn't dare to lift his gaze back to her, but stood waiting, the tension in his nerves most likely perceptible to the two vampires.

He expected imminent contact with something cold if she consent to the dance, yet he hoped with all his heart that he could feel warmth emanating from that hand.

That is why he winced when her cold phalanges rested on his palm.

He lifted his gaze and stood for a second too long looking at her, enchanted and horrified at the same time.

How could she be a vampire?

"I would be delighted."

Her voice came to him like an icy north wind.

Frigid, but pleasant.

Incredibly pleasant.

He led her to the centre of the room, aware of how they were the focus of everyone's attention.

The music began.

They were silent for a few seconds before Maria took the floor.

"I wasn't expecting such a direct request."

"Why are they usually too busy admiring your beauty to even utter a word?"

He teased her, but the expression in her eyes didn't waver.

"Has no one ever told you how dangerous dancing is?"

"Aren't you good at it? Or are you afraid I might step on your foot?"

Once again her gaze remained impassive.

"It can be the start of a dangerous game. All it takes is... a small distraction to get lost, hasn't that ever happened to you?"

Oh, but he was already lost. Drowned in those blue eyes veiled by the slow passage of time.

This week a drawing of Herius and Maria for you!

Maybe the title was a bit too much, wasn't it?

And what do you think of this first encounter?

See you next week! 💜

10/11/2022