"Pop...!"
And at this very moment,
the corks of those two bottles of red wine were pulled out,
and the vivid, dripping red wine was poured into the tall glass goblets, appearing even more vibrant and beautiful under the reflection of the lights.
It was an intoxicating shade of red;
it was the fine wine, sanguis virginis, meticulously brewed from blood and grapes.
It was also the daily staple for Lady Dimitrescu and her three daughters. Without the supplement of blood, it was difficult for them to maintain their abilities.
Javier's glass, however, was filled with a new wine that had a faint purple tint—it was normal wine.
It was filled with the sweetness of fruit, without even a hint of the metallic taste of blood.
Javier, with his keen sense of smell, could easily distinguish this, which caused him to raise an eyebrow in surprise.
He couldn't help but marvel that aristocratic hospitality was actually quite good; knowing he was a living human, even the drinks provided were normal.
Although he knew that Lady Dimitrescu and her three daughters killed people frequently, at this moment, Javier had to admire the aristocratic code.
It was as if they were saying, "While I usually enjoy killing people and drinking human blood, I treat my guests with the utmost excellence." This contrast felt very strange to Javier!
"Mr. Javier, it seems you already know our identity, but aren't you afraid?"
"You should know... with just a little carelessness, you'll be sucked dry of your blood and die, just like the people in the movies."
The dinner was set,
and the eldest daughter, Bela, who had pushed the dining cart aside, glanced at the movie on the projector before suddenly moving to Javier's side.
Her slender, icy fingers suddenly brushed against his shoulder.
Leaning down, her blood-stained black lips parted slightly,
and with breath as sweet as orchids, she exhaled hot air into Javier's ear, asking in a faint, charmingly seductive tone.
The two were positioned very close together,
almost pressed against each other.
Of course, the posture was also very ambiguous. Through the Van Helsing movie playing on the projector just now, the clever eldest daughter, Bela, had likely guessed Javier's origin.
During their first meeting for the marriage proposal,
Javier had called himself Van Helsing, attempting to use this name to deceive her and her mother.
But unfortunately,
Van Helsing was the name of a character in a late 20th-century fantasy novel, and the richly stocked castle contained many such books.
She and her mother both knew the novel Dracula and knew there was a Demon Hunter named Van Helsing in it.
And now,
Javier was playing this movie again.
Undoubtedly, he was introducing himself. Javier's identity was not that of a Merchant,
but a Demon Hunter like Van Helsing, and he also knew that she and her mother were Vampires.
And this visit to the castle, the so-called marriage alliance, was just a joking excuse. This Demon Hunter was likely truly here to hunt monsters.
However,
even so, Bela, as the eldest daughter, didn't care at all.
Because she was well aware of her mother's power, she did not fear whether Javier was truly a so-called Demon Hunter.
On the contrary, Javier now dared to be alone in a Vampire's castle, having dinner with these Vampire daughters.
Based on this courage alone, Bela felt that Javier was far more interesting than the Demon Hunter Van Helsing in the movie!
"Giggle, giggle..."
And it wasn't just the eldest daughter, Bela;
the second daughter, Cassandra, and the youngest daughter, Daniela, hearing their sister's provocative words, couldn't help but let out silvery laughter as well.
Undoubtedly,
they now also understood Javier's identity.
They knew Javier was aware of their Vampire status, but even so, they still didn't take him seriously.
This was their confidence in their mother's strength;
they believed that even if Javier were a Demon Hunter, he wouldn't be able to cause any trouble in this castle, which was why they dared to laugh so wantonly.
Of course,
to be honest,
they really didn't want to kill this Merchant, Javier, right now, regardless of whether he was a Demon Hunter or not.
Given the entertainment equipment Javier had brought, plus his lack of fear toward the three of them,
to be frank...
with such an interesting human,
they didn't want to hang him on an execution rack to drain his blood; rather, imprisoning him in the castle as their pet seemed like much more fun.
"Click, clack, click, clack..."
"It seems everyone is here, and our honored guest is already seated. My apologies... as the mistress of the house, I spent too long bathing and changing."
"I've kept you waiting, Mr. Javier. I trust my daughters have entertained you well? After all... treating everyone with equal courtesy is the basic etiquette of our Dimitrescu Family."
Just then,
the crisp sound of high heels interrupted the conversation.
Lady Dimitrescu, dressed formally, reappeared before Javier. She had changed out of her previous white evening gown,
replacing it with a black lace evening gown with gold trim. It was a completely different color; black was more solemn and majestic than white.
The clothing of aristocratic families usually only came in black and white,
because these two colors were suitable for any occasion. Her original large black wide-brimmed hat had been removed,
as there was no need to wear a hat inside the castle, revealing Lady Dimitrescu's true appearance.
Her jet-black short curly hair was elegantly and neatly pinned up in a noblewoman's hairstyle unique to the late 20th century.
She still wore the gold earrings and pearl necklace, but the flaming red lips were gone, replaced by a rare purple lipstick.
Her corsage had also changed from a black rose to a white rose.
The black lace evening gown made her tall, full figure appear more reserved and understated, yet without losing its sexiness.
It was a stark contrast to her daytime attire, but it must be said that it looked quite good.
Even her originally pale skin now had a bit more color; at least it wasn't that deathly white, and one could now faintly see a few blue veins.
And this was the result of Lady Dimitrescu's formal grooming. At this moment, a faint, deep fragrance lingered around her.
That was the result of her bathing in the bathroom with the long-aged blood-red wine, sanguis virginis, and rose petals.
This originated from the legend of Carmilla or Elizabeth Báthory, which were also among the archetypes of the Vampire.
To maintain ageless youth,
the Vampire Countess Elizabeth Báthory murdered a large number of young girls, using their virgin blood to bathe and maintain eternal youth.
And now,
to make her skin look better,
Lady Dimitrescu also used the brewed blood-red wine, sanguis virginis, for bathing. After the baptism of blood, her skin had indeed improved somewhat.
"Clack..."
With Lady Dimitrescu's appearance,
the three Vampire daughters, who had been giggling and noisy, returned to their usual disciplined selves, obediently returning to their seats to begin dining quietly.
It seemed that as a mother,
Lady Dimitrescu's teaching and prestige were quite effective, making these daughters very obedient; they truly showed some traces of being young ladies of an aristocratic house.
No talking while eating, no speaking while sleeping.
Generally, without a question from their mother, they did not dare to speak at will; this was what the upbringing they had received since ancient times told them.
"Entertaining equipment and delicious food..."
"Mm, today's steak is seared very well, and the sanguis virginis is passably fresh. Bela, your cooking has improved."
"Cassandra, Daniela, find more time to help your sister share the housework, rather than spending all day busy with playing and fighting. You are already of marriageable age, yet your personalities are still like children; you won't be able to get married like this."
"Yes, Mother..."
Once seated,
Lady Dimitrescu took a few bites of steak and swallowed some blood-red wine, finally picking up a handkerchief to elegantly wipe her lips.
After slightly praising and admonishing the three daughters, she finally slowly turned her gaze toward Javier.
"Mr. Javier,"
"you may now begin your marriage proposal. As the mistress of the castle, I am willing to listen."
"However... a marriage alliance is likely just a clumsy excuse of yours. No human would be so stupid as to run into a Vampire's castle to be a husband."
"After all, a man like you would be squeezed dry within a week. Since you are here as the Demon Hunter Van Helsing, I imagine your true purpose is for Mother Miranda. Is your real goal 'the gift'...?"
Volume 10 Resident Evil Village, vendetta: Chapter 7, Sowing Discord
Some might ask,
why Lady Dimitrescu and her three Vampire daughters didn't just kill Javier directly, but instead had the leisure to sit here and talk.
In fact, the reason is very simple:
they are also people, not just brainless monsters. They too can negotiate and trade, making choices that are beneficial to themselves.
Just like when facing Ethan in the original timeline, they would still fight over him.
Even after Ethan threw himself into the trap and reached the castle, and was brought before Lady Dimitrescu by her three Vampire daughters,
Lady Dimitrescu still didn't rush to kill Ethan, but instead went to consult Mother Miranda before making a decision.
This point alone
is enough to prove that their intelligence is far superior to the monsters possessed by the Plaga parasite. This is the real reason why they are talking peacefully with Javier.
Furthermore,
around the eighties at the end of the 20th century,
it wasn't as if Lady Dimitrescu hadn't traded with local human traffickers; did she kill every human trafficker she saw?
That would be impossible...
For a long-term supply of living humans, she paid more attention to long-term interests, and the treatment of Javier the Merchant was naturally the same.
Although Javier could not provide a long-term supply of living humans, he had similar value in other aspects, which was why they were discussing things so amicably here.
As for whether people would still ask if Lady Dimitrescu and her three Vampire daughters consumed other food besides human blood,
the answer is yes.
Just like the steak earlier,
their main source of energy is blood, but it's not as if they can't eat anything else.
It's just that blood is an indispensable necessity.
Like mosquitoes, in fact, most male and female mosquitoes do not suck blood.
They still consume nectar to survive.
Only when a female mosquito is pregnant and needs to lay eggs will she start sucking blood to supplement nutrition for delivery and egg-laying, and the same goes for Lady Dimitrescu and the others.