Take my blood, but don't kill me..
Lady Dimitrescu was silent for a moment. His grip on the neck of your shirt loosened slightly, but he didn't let me down. He looks at you with a strange look—a mixture of a deep thirst and a dark admiration for your resignation.
"Offer yourself?" he whispered, his voice now sounding more subtle, almost like a deadly caress. "You know... Many beg to remain intact, but you are instead throwing your life on a silver platter."
He brings you closer to the dim torch light on the walls of the basement. Its sharp thumbnails gently scrape the skin of your neck, giving it a cold sting.
"Ordinary man's blood... It's usually bitter and unattractive," he mutters as he inhales the scent from the corner of your neck. "But your courage gives a different flavor. A little... sweet."
Suddenly, he let go of his grip. You fall down sitting on the cold stone floor, right next to the broken bottle. Lady Dimitrescu stands up straight again, looking at you from her incredible height.
"Alright, I accept your offer. I won't kill you... today."
He took an empty crystal glass from a nearby shelf and threw it into your lap. Ting!
"Slice your wrist a little. Fill the glass to the full. Don't let a single drop spill on the floor like the bottle," he ordered in an undeniably cold tone. "After that, I'll take you to my room. I need a 'faithful' servant to take care of me while I rest. You'll be mine completely, not my daughters, and not Miranda's."
This is a deal with the devil. You survived instant death, but you are now physically and spiritually bound to the ruler of this castle.
-
*I filled the cup to the full, it was very painful* it was done, *I brought the cup to the lady* my dear, it was full..
You stand with trembling legs, holding back the pain that radiates from your wrists. The crystal cup was now heavy, filled with a warm thick red liquid—your own blood. With a pale face, you step up to the giant figure in front of you and thrust it out.
"Honey... "It's full," you said softly, trying to stay firm in the face of death.
Hearing the word "dear" come out of your mouth, the atmosphere in the cold basement suddenly felt frozen. Lady Dimitrescu was stunned for a moment. His eyes widened, and then he chuckled—a low, hoarse, intimidating laughter that was seductive.
"How brave... call me that," he whispered, taking the cup from your hand. His sharp nails come into contact with your skin, sending out a cold sensation that contrasts with your warm blood.
He lifted the cup, inhaled its scent with his eyes closed, then took a slow sip. His eyes gleamed with satisfaction.
"Amazing. It's a lot purer than I imagined," he murmured. She placed the empty cup on the wooden table, then suddenly, her giant hand grabbed your waist and pulled you closer until your body clung to her cold white silk dress.
"You've fulfilled your promise, little man. Now... I will fulfill my promise."
He takes you out of the basement, past his daughters who are staring at you hungrily from behind the shadows. They hiss, but don't dare touch you because Lady Dimitrescu holds you possessively.
You arrive at Lady Dimitrescu's Private Room. The room was very spacious, luxurious, and smelled of intoxicating rose perfume. He sits you down in a large velvet chair, then he himself sits in front of him, looking at you with the gaze of an owner who has just gotten a favorite toy.
"Rest here. Don't try to run away, because out there, Mother Miranda and my other brothers won't be as gentle as I am," she said as she rubbed your wound with a silk handkerchief. "From tonight, you are my personal servant. Your job is only one: Never bore me."
-
What if you're bored? Can I get out of this village?
Lady Dimitrescu placed a silk handkerchief that was now stained red on her magnificent dresser. He stood up, walking slowly towards the large window that overlooked the village that was frozen in the moonlight.
"Bored?" he muttered, his voice sounding like the ringing of distant church bells. He turns around, looking at you with a smile that is hard to describe—half mocking, half bloodthirsty.
"If I'm bored, little human... I'll probably leave you to Heisenberg. He likes new 'toys' for his butcher's machines. Or maybe I'll let my daughters slowly polish you to decorate the walls in the lower hall."
He stepped closer, his gigantic shadow swallowing you up completely.
"Get out of this village?" She laughed, a beautiful but very bitter voice. "Nothing really 'comes out' of here. The village is surrounded by misleading fog and creatures that will smell your flesh from a mile away. The village gate was only opened with Mother Miranda's permission, and she never let her assets go just like that."
He bowed, his pale face now very close to yours. His white-gloved fingers caressed your cheeks with a menacing tenderness.
"But with me, you have a wider world than just that cold forest. This castle has thousands of secrets, an endless library of reading, and my protection. As long as you can make me laugh, or at least... It doesn't make me want to rip your throat off, you're safe."
She then sat down on the edge of her enormous bed, crossing her long legs.
"Don't think about 'going out'. Think about how you can stay alive until tomorrow morning. Because tonight... I felt very anxious to hear stories about the outside world. Tell me something that is not in these old books."
-
Tell about modern technology (Internet, smartphones, or skyscrapers that might amaze him).
You take a deep breath, try to calm your heart palpitations, and then start telling a story. You're talking about a very different world from this cold stone castle—a world where people carry a "glass box" in their pockets that can answer all questions, about an iron plane that splits the clouds higher than the castle tower, and cities whose lights never go out, even on the darkest nights.
Lady Dimitrescu listened intently. He looked glued, his cigarette pipe left to go out in his hand.
"A glass box that can show a person's face from thousands of miles away?" he murmured, his eyes slightly widening. "That sounds like a lot more sophisticated magic than anything Miranda has ever done with her parasites."
He looked fascinated, but there was a streak of sadness or perhaps envy that passed through a glimpse on his pale face. He had been trapped in this village for decades, even hundreds of years.
"Your world sounds very... noise. And full of light," he said quietly. "It's a stark contrast to the eternal silence in these mountains."
Suddenly, he stood up and walked towards a small locked closet. He opened it and pulled out a small bottle of bluish-green liquid—not blood, but some kind of medicine.
"Stretch out your wounded hand," he commanded.
When you stretch it out, it drips a little of that liquid into your wound. The sore taste suddenly disappeared, replaced by a strange cold. Your wound closes at an absurd speed, leaving only a thin line mark.
"It's a special drug. I don't want my personal servant to die of a cheap infection," he said as he returned to his dominant position. "Your story is interesting. You have comforted me... for now."
However, suddenly there was a loud scratch sound at the door of his room.
"Mom! We know she's inside!" Daniela's voice rang out from behind the door. "We smelled the smell of his fresh blood! Let us in!"
Lady Dimitrescu snorted angrily. He stares at the door, then looks at you.
"My daughters are starting to get impatient. They are reliable hunters, and they are very thirsty," he whispered. "I could have told them to leave, but it would make them even more curious about you."
-
And how can you become the ruler of this castle?
Your question made Lady Dimitrescu speechless. The sound of her daughters' claws behind the door seemed to fade into the background as she took a deep breath, giving her a distant and secret look.
He stood erect, walking towards the large gold-rimmed mirror, staring at his majestic but cursed reflection of himself.
"Ruler?" He smiled bitterly. "In the past, I was just a noblewoman from the Dimitrescu family who suffered from hereditary blood diseases. I came back to this ancestral land to seek healing, but what I found was Mother Miranda."
He turned around, his shadow extending on the floor of the luxurious room.
"He promises immortality. He implanted Cadou—that cursed parasite—into my body. His experiment was successful, but at a very high price. My body is growing uncontrollably, and I need a constant intake of human blood to keep my cells stable so that they don't turn into disgusting monsters."
He stroked the carvings on his oversized chair.
"This castle was given to me as compensation for my loyalty. I am the ruler here, but in Miranda's eyes, I am still one of the 'children' of her experiments. I am trapped in an eternal beauty, as well as an unquenchable hunger."
Suddenly, the door creaked loudly. Cassandra managed to open the door opening, her crazy eyes peeking in with a crowd of buzzing flies.
"Mom... The story is enough..." Cassandra despised. "We want to play with that little guy!"
Lady Dimitrescu turned her head towards the door with a cold gaze capable of freezing blood. Then he looks back at you.
"You already know my secret. Now, choose a way to survive my daughters," he whispered in a tone that was no longer angry, but more like a test. "Use what you know about your world, or use my name to subdue them."