"Getting lost? True, it can always happen."

Josef asserted without giving a direct answer.

He was trying to name the confusion that was gripping him.

What was it about those eyes that was so magnetic that caused him to break out of his usual behavioural patterns?

The mere desire to find out what lay behind the beautiful façade of the two nobles was not enough to push his hunter's nature onto an unknown battlefield.

He thought back over the past years.

He had rarely had to deal with female vampires compared to male vampires, but he remembered them all wrapped in this aura of timeless beauty. Few, however, had an affable expression.

Because at the end of the day, those creatures had no need of a bewitching smile to draw out their victim, perhaps they wore it as a farce to chunk, but then the only thing they would show was a cruel grin.

And a pair of ruby red eyes if they smelled blood.

Strangely, he found it hard to imagine Maria's blue eyes turning in crimson chdespair.

That she was just a particularly lucky girl to be as beautiful as a goddess?

"What do you find so interesting that you don't take your eyes off mine?"

Maria asked softly.

"Oh, excuse me... I was lost in my thoughts, I apologise."

"Despite your concentration I see that your steps always go perfect and sure."

"By dint of accompanying my clients and my creations I have become an accomplished dancer."

"And tell me, have you ever danced with a girl who wasn't one of your customers?"

Josef's gaze darkened. "What an impertinent question."

He said without actually giving an answer.

"In case you have never done it... I would say this is the first time. Or is it?"

Maria smiled. "Don't worry. I think this situation won't last much longer."

He looked at her curiously. What was she playing at?

"Soon it will be my birthday. Every year my father always tries to surprise me with something unique and inimitable..."

Josef burst out laughing.

"So, you have returned to Gibergan to chase after my fame."

This time it was she who laughed.

"Let's not exaggerate. I'm quite convinced, though, that my father will ask you to make me a new dress. Something to match me." She added.

"It will be an arduous task. To create something that can match and enhance your beauty."

The music of the first dance came to an end, Josef paused, ready to leave the girl, but she seemed of a different opinion.

"Wait."

He looked at her confused. "It's over..."

"So you're telling me that we'll be sentenced to death if we allow ourselves another round?"

Josef's confusion was quite evident from his gaze.

"No, of course not. I will grant you another dance if that is what you wish."

"And I will gladly accept your generous offer, my dear Josef."

Herius watched his daughter's actions from afar.

He didn't entirely agree with her decision to grant the man a second dance, but he wouldn't question her conduct.

After all, she was trying to lure him to them.

And she was doing it discreetly well.

He saw that the hunter was good at dealing with prey.

Not a single hint of wavering had he seen in his attitude.

Perhaps he really was worthy of his name.

Josef Jäger, a name, a guarantee.

One day he would ask him why he had chosen such a transparent name to inaugurate his new life.

In the meantime, he had approached the Reddan counts.

They too were connected to the tangled web of plots that had shaken the town. Several times he had laid eyes on young Amalia, there was a certain resemblance to her brother, he had to admit. And, from what little he had glimpsed, he was certain that Aloysa's affair had shaken her too.

He had also noticed the look in Josef's eyes when he had thrown himself at Maria, immediately recognising the nature of those feelings.

He was genuinely sorry for that scene, but he knew that his daughter's charm and beauty were unmatched.

It was surely a pity that Maria would never have any feelings for Josef and the same would happen to him once he truly understood her nature.

He would have liked to console young Amalia and tell her that perhaps things weren't as they seemed, but, of course, he couldn't.

But he could still have a few words with the Reddan counts. He was very curious to see how far Dietrich's description corresponded with reality.

Herius wasn't the only one who had observed Maria's attitude.

Everyone had seen how she had asked Josef for a second dance and everyone had started to make their own considerations. Perhaps that Josef really was as much of a womanizer as some rumour had it.

Almost everyone knew about his latest escapades with the daughter of the Reddan counts and was impressed by the speed with which he seemed to have found a new partner for his adventures.

Maria tried not to show the exasperation that the chatter inside the room was bringing to her; it was not giving her any information that she didn't already know.

She wondered if her father was listening; after all, she hadn't reported that he had followed Josef and Amalia to the scene of the attack. She wondered what his knight would have thought if he had known the machinations coming from the lips of the nobles.

"And what drives a handsome and charming man to a remote country?"

"I could ask the same question, don't you think?"

"I certainly cannot leave my father during his travels... I do not have all the mobility of movement that you are granted."

In fact, Maria's statement was partly true. She had never strayed too far from her father figure.

"Doesn't the capital offer more job opportunities than a small, hidden village?"

"Maybe, but every now and then it's good to get a change of scenery and try new things. You, on the other hand, seem to me to have decided to run away from that city that you say has so much to offer."

Maria feigned astonishment.

"How do you know that?"

A smile escaped Josef. "You and your father have been the main topic for about a week in this backwater, but you should already know that." And he gave her an eloquent look.

Oh yes, someone is talking about it now too, you know, down there.

But she could hardly give him confirmation that she had such fine hearing.

"Apparently we're quite famous. You can tell you get pretty bored in this place if they don't have anything more interesting to discuss..."

"That's bound to happen in such small places. I imagine, on the other hand, that in Vienna hardly anyone noticed your departure. How long had you been there?"

"Since I was born, I have always lived in Vienna."

Josef wondered if that was really the case.

It all depended on whether Maria and her father had really been vampires.

"Didn't the idea of moving to a place with fewer possibilities bother you?"

"I think it's like you say, we should also try new emotions once in a while!"

He paused briefly, trying to figure out what would be the best question to pique his interest.

"How long have you been involved in tailoring?"

"About ten years or so."

"Definitely a good amount of time, I hope you can really meet our expectations. Oh, pretend to be surprised when my father asks you about the gift!"

The music was about to move towards the final notes.

"Are you tired already?"

"I could spend the whole evening dancing in your company, but I think we would stir up so much chatter that they would still be talking about it ten years from now."

And he wasn't lying; after all, he knew that their last passage through the small town was linked to rather confusing and nefarious rumours.

"Clever girl I see."

Having finished their dance they headed towards Herius Regulus.

Josef was surprised to find him standing next to Count Reddan and Amalia.

He exchanged a brief glance with the young woman and what he saw in her eyes didn't comfort him at all. Apparently, his suppositions had found their basis and the girl seemed to really have a crush on him. A rather strong crush he had to admit, but he didn't care.

True, he had undoubtedly been attracted and mesmerised by Maria's beauty, but he sensed how this was connected to something inhuman.

Something that would never stir any feelings on his part.

Not even his pity deserved those creatures.

They never had it while they were killing.

"My dear, did you have fun with Mr Josef?"

The duke's question brought him back to reality.

"Of course! Why else would I have asked him for a second dance?"

She teased him.

She was quite certain that her father hadn't entirely liked her move.

"What a fool I am." Chuckled the duke.

"Josef, I thank you for the dances granted to my little girl. You know, I was exchanging a few words with Count Reddan and his daughter, and I couldn't help but notice how they sang the praises of your tailoring skills! And I could see with my own eyes how much care you put into your creations."

Josef didn't have to look as surprised as Maria had suggested. He really was.

Could it be that those two were only there to commission him for a dress and had no ulterior motive?

Maria watched him out of the corner of her eye.

What was it exactly that surprised him so much?

The fact that they weren't killing every single person in that room?

She returned her focus to her father, getting angry at that moment wouldn't have been smart at all.

"You seem surprised... wouldn't it be the case that the austere nobles of this country didn't do you all the proper honours? Yet it seems so to me."

"I didn't expect so much consideration from you, duke."

Herius smiled.

"So you really cannot imagine what my next request will be?"

"A dress for you?" The boy asked, partly confused. Something about the nobleman's attitude put him in extreme awe.

He had an aura that he could hardly explain.

It was as if the person he was talking to was a proud Roman emperor ready to be worshipped as a deity.

He was regal.

He gave the impression of being easygoing, but he perceived an unbridgeable gap between them.

If the man had really been a vampire, he would have looked peculiar in his eyes.

It gave him the feeling that he could never have committed the horrendous crime that had taken place some time ago in the town of Gibergan.

"Mr Jäger?"

Herius' firm voice brought him back to reality.

"Oh, I must have been distracted..."

"I had noticed. I was asking you for an errand, but not for me."

And he nodded towards Maria.

"For her?" The boy asked.

Herius asserted. "Exactly. It will soon be her birthday, and this year I must say I really had no idea what I could give her. But seeing your work, I was inspired. I'm convinced that you are just right for me. What do you think, darling?"

"I don't think I need new clothes."

"Do you not consider my skills to be equal to your beauty?"

Maria continued to stare at her father.

"Nothing and no one can measure up to my beauty. Nothing human, at least."

Herius' eyes were crossed by a dark shadow.

"I insist. I am convinced the young man will be able to meet your low expectations."

Maria snorted.

"So, however, you have ruined the surprise for me. Don't you find that too?"

She addressed the question directly to the Reddan counts.

"You are right. A surprise gift is always better." Amalia's voice echoed crystal clear.

"Someone who thinks like me! Parents just don't understand sometimes!" Maria snorted. She turned to Amalia again.

"I have not formally introduced myself. I am Maria Regulus." And she bowed slightly.

Amalia blushed, "I... I am Amalia Reddan." She mumbled, returning the bow.

"I am happy to make the acquaintance of someone my age, I hope you might like to come and have a cup of tea with us!"

Amalia was somewhat surprised by the proposal, but not as surprised as her parents were.

"That sounds like an excellent idea. I wouldn't want Maria to get too bored with an old man like me."

That sentence clashed with his figure. He didn't seem to be as old as he decried.

"I, on the other hand, would need Mr Jäger's presence, so that we could decide together what kind of clothes to make for you so that you can have this surprise factor."

"Sounds like a good solution to me dad."

"All right, duke. All that remains is to make arrangements."

But the only thing Josef felt was confusion, extreme confusion.

I've decided I'll reveal the title of next chapter from now on!

Next chapter: 8 - Vortex

17/11/2022