The sun dipped low over the Marudas estate, bleeding red across the horizon as Nerine stepped out of her room. Her thoughts were a storm, circling, heavy, and sharp-edged. She made her way down the marble corridor with steady but quiet steps. Her father was in his study, she knew he was back.
The one with dark walnut shelves and a decanter of brandy he drank too often. The door stood half-open. Without knocking, she entered.
Sir Marudas looked up from a parchment, his brows furrowing. "Nerine."
"I want the truth," she said, closing the door behind her.
He said nothing.
She crossed the room and stood before his desk. "Am I really being married off to a vampire?"
His sigh was long and rehearsed. "I planned to tell you myself."
"So it's true."
Marudas stood slowly, moving around the desk. "It's more than a marriage, Nerine. It's an alliance. It will elevate your position—secure your future."
Her stomach twisted. "My future? You mean your standing with the council. With the court. Don't pretend this is for me."
He reached to touch her shoulder. She flinched.
"I thought you'd be different," she whispered. "I thought—somewhere deep down—you cared."
Marudas's expression tightened, but he said nothing more.
Nerine turned and left without another word.
She didn't come down for dinner that evening.
Downstairs, Lady Kate sat at the head of the table, delicately slicing a piece of roasted meat. Sofia, glowing with smugness, filled her goblet with wine.
Sir Marudas, unusually quiet, finally spoke. "What you did this morning was uncalled for."
Sofia blinked innocently. "I simply shared exciting news. She would've found out anyway."
"You told her as if it were gossip at a tea party."
"She's not a child. If she can wear gowns and pretend to be a lady, she can hear a little truth."
Lady Kate smirked faintly, but Marudas's gaze remained stern. "That wasn't your place."
Sofia didn't apologize. Instead, she took another sip of wine and shrugged. "Maybe now she'll stop pretending this is her story."
" Do you want to go as normal in Nerine's place?" He asked her .
She was about to reply when she felt her mother's warning gaze and kept her gaze down.
" She just being childish don't mind the rubbish she said ." Lady Kate said to ease the tension on the table.
*********
Blackthorn House.
The moonlight spilled across the stone floor of Blackthorn House as Kael pushed open a heavy iron-bound door tucked away behind the west Smoke swirled in the air as he stepped inside the quiet room.
The scent of lavender and parchment filled the space.
"Penelope," he said softly.
A small figure sat in a cushioned chair, sketching at an easel set up before the large open window. The girl turned her head, her pale blue eyes brightening.
"Brother."
She couldn't be more than ten in appearance, her small frame wrapped in a velvet shawl, dark brown hair tied back with ribbon. Her skin was pale....not the kind worn by most vampires, but the kind that lacked warmth, vitality. A delicate ghost of a child.
Kael sat beside her, gazing at the sketch. It was of the garden....the same one just outside the window, now bathed in moonlight.
"You've improved," he said.
"I had time," Penelope replied, brushing a charcoal line. "When will I be able to go out again?"
Kael's heart twisted.
"Soon," he lied. "We just need to wait until the weather is gentle enough."
She tilted her head. "You said that last spring."
He looked away. "You're still healing."
Penelope glanced down. "You mean I'm still weak."
"No," he said firmly. "You're different. Special."
"Different means weak," she whispered. "I haven't grown in years. I can't even drink blood like the others."
Kael remembered the many physicians he'd brought over the years....each one stunned by her condition. Vampires didn't get sick. Not like this. None had found an explanation, much less a cure. And each one left under compulsion, their memories wiped, their tongues sealed. No one could know.
He gently placed a hand over hers. "I made a promise to our mother. That I would keep you safe."
"You also promised I could dance in the snow," she said with a tiny smile. "That one I still want."
Kael swallowed hard, pressing a kiss to her forehead. "You will."
He stood and quietly left the room, his footsteps heavy as he made his way through the manor to the rear tower. There, on the narrow balcony, he lit a cigarette and exhaled into the night.
Behind him, footsteps.
Kostas.
"My lord," Kostas said, holding a sealed scroll. "A message from the council. Your bride arrives in three days."
Kael didn't turn. "Three days?"
"Yes. They expect you to receive her personally."
Kael scoffed, flicking ash from the cigarette. "Would they give me a break?"
Kostas hesitated. "Should I prepare the house?"
Kael crushed the cigarette beneath his heel. "Prepare the estate. But not for celebration."
*******
Marudas Estate – Later That Night
The hall was quiet, save for the sound of heels against marble.
Sir Marudas unsealed the letter with practiced fingers. His eyes scanned the elegant handwriting. His face grew still.
"What is it?" Lady Kate asked from across the room, draped in her usual dark silk robes.
He handed her the letter. "The engagement is official. Nerine is to be escorted to Blackthorn House in three days for the formal announcement."
Lady Kate's eyebrows lifted slightly. "Lord Kael himself?"
"It seems so."
Lady Kate exhaled slowly. "I didn't expect him to be the chosen match."
"He's the most powerful vampire in the Northern Territories."
"Also the most dangerous."
Sir Marudas paced. "Should we still proceed? Perhaps we could....."
"No," Lady Kate interrupted. "You already brought the girl here. Changing plans now will raise too many questions."
"But Kael isn't a fool. He'll know if something's amiss."
"That's why we let the engagement happen." She folded the letter back neatly. "Once the contract is signed, there's no going back. By then, the alliance is sealed....and it won't matter who she is or where she came from."
Sir Marudas frowned, still uneasy. "He's known for tearing holes in political masks. I don't want this to come back to us."
Lady Kate stood, walking toward him. "Then we keep everything neat. Quiet. And we send the her."
She paused, a thin smile tugging at her lips.
"And who knows? Maybe she'll serve a greater purpose in the end."