Would she reconfirm what she had said the other night? She sustained the vampire's gaze, but doubted that her eyes could reassure him in any way. If it was true that the eyes were the windows to the soul, then they must surely show what she was feeling.

What did she feel? Even she found it difficult to untangle the skein of thoughts that crowded her mind.

One of the few things she could clearly analyse was that Ferid had decided to reveal his past to her and expose himself completely. She couldn't deny that this contributed to her points. It was a demonstration of love. No doubt about that.

It was everything else that had thrown her off balance, making her unable to react promptly. There were several things that needed to be processed. She needed to metabolise everything he had confessed to her.

But how could she not deny the one detail that had made her feel so close to the vampire she loved? Yes, the vampire she loved. She had loved him that night and continued to do so now. He, too, had been hurt and abandoned by his father, though not his biological father, that was how he had appeared in the vampire's conversations. Of course, it wasn't exactly accurate to say that she had also been abandoned by her father, officially he hadn't abandoned her. They saw each other and communicated with some regularity. For purely professional reasons though. Nothing more. There had never been a real father-daughter relationship between the two.

The man had never made her feel loved, no matter how hard she tried to gain some recognition in his eyes. Her efforts had been to no avail, she had never managed to get her father's love. One of the few things she desired. The only one before she met Ferid.

Had he killed people? Did he enjoy doing it? Did he enjoy the despair he created in humans? She couldn't be unreasonable. And she wasn't dumb. She could hardly expect him to have lived by preaching love for others. She remembered the first day that she was a vampire. She was reminded of the canines he plunged into her skin to steal her vital fluid, reminded of his inhuman strength and his icy touch on her warm skin.

She knew she had fallen in love with a vampire, the cards had always been clear. She couldn't be shocked at his unchristian choices. She couldn't hold it against him. Although she would have liked some clarification on certain points on which the vampire had not dwelt.

The Apocalypse, for instance. There were several things that should have prompted her to distance herself from the vampire. She lowered her gaze, breaking the eye contact between them.

Ferid knew this would happen, knew he had demanded too much of an innocent human. That was why he had prepared over and over again for that eventuality.

He had imagined her begging him to let her go, that she did not want to stay with a monster like him. But none of that had happened, or rather, it hadn't happened yet.

But the sight of her slowly lowering her gaze made him shudder to the core.

Yurika also clearly sensed the tension in the air, to which her silence was contributing. She found it hard to believe that the two of them were more similar and closer than she had ever thought. Of course, there were also many points of dissonance.

Ferid was a vampire, she was a human.

He loved destruction, she couldn't bear to hurt others.

He had lived for centuries, she just over twenty years.

If he was incredibly strong, she was extremely weak in comparison.

There were several elements that made them incompatible with each other.

Yet they had managed to prove to each other that they were capable of living together without too many complications, and had managed to create a very good atmosphere. They were good together. And now she discovered that the vampire was plotting behind everyone's back. She had also devised a way to free Kurena without ever telling anyone about it. Both had been hurt by a fatherly relationship that hadn't turned out to be one of the best. They could understand each other more than she would have even remotely imagined.

She closed his eyes. Yes, her judgement of Ferid Bathory would not change: he was and would always remain her home, her safe haven.

She sighed, breaking the tension in the air and looking back at Ferid, finding the courage to gather his thoughts.

"Yes, Ferid. You definitely messed me up though... here, I'm willing to reconfirm what I said that day. I'll be ready to do it as many times as you want." Inevitably, she felt her cheeks rise in temperature. She had never felt comfortable expressing her feelings, not that she had ever really felt the need to do so. Yet in that situation she felt she had to, but more importantly she wanted to show Ferid that nothing changed for her. Or, at least, almost.

But, before she could even try to do anything the vampire took her face in his hands engaging her in a long kiss. He sighed.

"You don't know what a burden I've gotten rid of..." "Well..." Yurika whispered. "I'd say it was quite a burden. But you see, that doesn't change the way you make me feel Ferid. Really."

The vampire's cold hand stroked her face gently. "I have an idea to lighten the day. In fact, two. First I'll show you something our house doesn't have, then let's really put our pleasure trip into practice." "Since when is this our house?! I thought I was just a guest." "A special guest. Would you prefer me to say the house where this sweet girl is being held captive by an evil vampire to satisfy his insatiable desires?" Yurika swallowed, "Perhaps that would be more realistic..."

It was amazing for her to watch how, from one moment to the next, Ferid had been able to switch from a serious attitude to his more appropriate joking and mocking tone. He almost seemed more believable in these clothes; as a serious man he was more awe-inspiring. She was more aware of the differences between them.

Ferid guiding her around the house reminded her of the first day she had spent with him. Who would have imagined that time would bring such a radical change in her life? She had started out terrified of him, but now she even loved to feel his cold hands touch her. A rather surprising, but also positive change. If back then she had felt a strong tension inside whenever she was in the presence of the vampire, now she was perfectly at ease. She felt safe.

That's why she didn't protest when the vampire suggested putting his hands over her eyes to make things more fun. She had agreed, at first oblivious to the fact that this vampire could do anything to her. She could only console herself by thinking that, after the workshop with the bodies, nothing would be able to dent her quick wit. She noticed a rise in temperature in the room they entered. Where had he taken her? "Ready?" She nodded, curious as ever.

Once again she found herself facing a room she had never, ever expected to find in a vampire's home. A thermal bath. "No way." The structure was that of a normal in-ground pool, but Ferid, or whoever, had managed to make the atmosphere there magical. There were stones along the edge of the pool and beyond. From what she could see, it seemed that the inside of the pool also had these stones. The ceiling and walls were entirely covered with wood. Yurika was enchanted. Even though that bathtub was artificial and placed inside a room, it still managed to create an enchanted atmosphere.

"But why did you decide to make it right here?" She laughed. "Oh. I enjoy giving each house elements that make it special and fun." "Is a spa bath really fun for you too?" "Fun is not exactly the term I would use to define a spa bath." "You don't mean to tell me you've never read Shikitei Sanba, you disappoint me Ferid." The vampire stared at her. Decidedly surprised. "You don't say anything, huh?" The girl mocked him. "Keep it up my dear and you'll float too. In the water though." "You would do that to a poor defenceless creature?"

Ferid's mind was shot through with the image of her emerging from the tub, the fabric of her dress dangerously soaked that would outline the curves of her body. He sighed. "Better not." He whispered dejectedly, keeping his fantasies to himself.

"It would be nice to try..." He walked over to the tub. "It would be wonderful. Completely naked in the water? What more could I want?" Yurika shuddered as she felt the vampire's fingers caress the skin of her arm, while his other arm wrapped around her waist, bringing their bodies closer together. She felt a shiver run through her. She took a deep breath. "Maybe another time." Ferid said nothing. He knew perfectly well what her refusal was due to, yet it still gave him pause. It was true that she had explained her reasons for withdrawing from him, but his self-esteem still suffered.

Why did she not seem to feel the same deep desire as him? Perhaps telling her everything had affected that and made it more difficult for her to open up fully to him. The girl noticed Ferid's prolonged silence. She wriggled out of his grasp. She took his hand and lifted it to her cheek, squeezing it. "You knew nothing would happen. At most I would consent to the bath." "I know Yurika. I know." And he gave her a kiss on the forehead.

The second surprise was located elsewhere. For the second time the two of them found themselves in the car, but this time the vampire's driving was quieter, he'd messed up his Yurika enough for the day, it didn't seem appropriate for him to infer further. The sea began to appear in the distance. The vampire shifted his attention to the rippling of the waves. It was quite bizarre how the sea looked the same to his eyes. A thousand shades of blue and azure, studded with the brilliant shimmer of sunlight reflected in it. That light that gave life to living beings, while for him it was nothing but pure poison. But in that sad game of fate, the sea water had also become lethal to humans. In those days, bathing in nature was certainly not advisable. Perhaps that was also why he had tried to make up for it in his own way. Not that a vampire could still fully enjoy certain things, but it still felt good to be surrounded by water. It gave them a sense of peace. Even though it wouldn't be possible for them to get close and touch the water, he still thought that a stop at the sea wouldn't be bad. He just hoped he wouldn't run into any enemies who might ruin their day, even if they had no chance against him.

Yurika, too, had noticed the blue surface getting closer and closer and had perhaps guessed the vampire's objective. It remained to be seen whether he simply wanted her to admire the beauty of the sea from afar or whether he intended to do something else. She would have liked to go to the beach. It had never occurred to her.

They stopped at a widening not far from a beach and Ferid, to the girl's immense surprise, pulled a basket full of food out of the trunk of the car. "A romantic trip to a house full of corpses ended just a few metres from what I consider poison. You should rethink your concept of romance." "If it comes to that, I'll remind you that you're in a romantic love affair with a vampire. Human predator in case you forgot." Yurika burst out laughing. She walked over to him and laid her head on his shoulder, the vampire held her close. "Ferid, can we stay and watch the sunset?" "Anything you want sweetheart." And so as he waited for the sun to go down, embracing the girl he loved, he was able to forget the scary outside world around them.

19/05/2021