- I came to visit your count, but on the way I decided to stop by here, I thought they would treat me to something delicious here. And apart from insults, won’t treat me to anything else here.

He pretended to frown and made an offended face, which returned its arrogance after a second.

Fleetingly exchanging glances, Claire decided to enter into a dialogue with a stranger in order to protect old Pitt from a possible heart attack.

- Oh, no, please don’t misunderstand us. This... We didn’t mean to offend you. His Lordship, the Count Rochester, has not been seen in public for a long time. It is likely that he will be at his residence if you want to visit it. – the woman answered as politely as possible, adjusting a fold on her skirt.

- How long has he been a recluse? - Raphael said thoughtfully. - That’s not like him. Usually this little rat is too sneaky to be able to catch him by the tail. So who caught him?

Assuming that his answer was too rude about their count, Claire couldn’t find anything better than to remain silent. Of course, she had seen and heard news from Derrick Rochester more than once before, he was a local celebrity who liked to discuss everything from young to old, but lately there had been such a lull, as if he had begun to lead a reclusive lifestyle.

But none of this had anything to do with her or Pitt, so all she could dream about right now was that this strange man would leave their tavern as soon as possible and they could board up the door again.

- How boring. - Raphael drawled. - Get me something to drink before I go. Hurry up.

But instead of a woman, the tavern owner rushed for a drink, who was more than happy to disappear from the persistent vampire eye.

- Well, since Pitt decided to do it himself, maybe I can help you with something else? - Claire asked, purely out of politeness.

The man came closer to her and unceremoniously put his hand on her shoulder, which made her cringe and tense every muscle of her body.

Grinning at her behavior, he bent down so that his face was on a level with her. Her face was stoically impenetrable, but her excessive pallor and frequent blinking betrayed her tension.

- You don’t disgust me, woman, so I won’t hurt you. However, is there anything I would be interested to know? - His venomous scarlet eyes literally melted her mind.

- Her Majesty came to our city a couple of months ago. They had a secret meeting with my Lord Rochester. Some guards were aware of this, and one of them told me about it when he was a little drunk. No one knows what exactly they were talking about and what happened behind closed doors, but after that His Excellency did not appear in public, and all orders are given through a messenger.

Raphael listened silently and very attentively, but this story did not inspire him much. It was obvious that Lillian would try to subdue everyone in power. However, he still put a tick in his head, to look at Rick for tea and inquire about his health.

He continued to listen as the woman told him that almost all men were called up for military training, ostensibly to protect the borders of the kingdom, but it was clear to everyone that something more was expected, that everything was going to war.

Many men cowardly abandoned their families and fled abroad in an attempt to save their miserable lives, while women had to drag the family burden on themselves with the last of their strength and opportunities and find food for growing children.

Claire chatted incessantly, as if she was a vessel that had finally had its lid ripped off.

- Rumor has it that the magic in the royal family has almost dried up and the king is no longer able to protect his people, while the queen now occupies a more advantageous position, because her magic remains with her. This is quite strange, because they must be related by marriage. And also...

- What else? 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

- I do not know how important it is, but not so long ago a young guy came here. - She paused, as if remembering that day. - He looked very elegant, completely different from what our guests usually look like. He looked like he was in a hurry somewhere and was asking about vampires. Maybe he’s one of the hunters...

- Was that the important thing you wanted to tell me? Seriously? - Raphael grumbled with displeasure.

What did it matter to him. The clan of hunters has long outlived itself and even the weakest vampires were not afraid to meet them, which cannot be said about werewolves. That’s who really was the vampire’s key enemy.

They were just as strong and hardy, just as ferocious and unbridled, and just one drop of their poison in the blood of a vampire made them die the most painful death.

- I can’t say why I remembered it now, but this guy seemed a little strange to me. - Claire tried to justify herself, but at the same moment her consciousness went out and she fell with a resounding crash to the floor.

Raphael didn’t even blink an eye to help soften her fall when he forced her to forget this conversation and fall asleep, but Pitt, who came to a sudden noise, fell under a hot hand.

At the sight of Claire’s unconscious body on the floor, he threw a decanter of wine at the vampire, which he was going to bring, and in a matter of seconds took out a pendant hanging on his chest on a massive chain.

The magic amulet began to glow so brightly that it almost blinded, and at the same time, with a slight crackling, it helped its owner to compensate for the amount of magic.

Old Pitt ruthlessly directed the amulet towards Raphael, throwing electrical discharges at him that could incinerate an ordinary person.

He sent Raphael verbal curses and insults, continuing to attack him, but the vampire skillfully dodged without even straining. It was so weak for him, as if he was fighting not with an adult magician, but with an untrained human child.

He had absolutely no intention of making too much noise in this place, as well as killing anyone, but this man was too expressive and, due to his decrepit mind, could not think of the fact that Claire could still be alive, albeit unconscious.

Dodging another weak attack, Raphael reached the elderly man in a second and without batting an eye twisted his neck, forcing him to fall dead to the floor next to the sleeping woman.

- I didn’t like you right away. - Raphael said with a grimace, looking at the corpse in front of him.

No matter what anyone thought about his suddenly awakened humanity, which he showed to Amanda, but his soul was still full of darkness, judging by the ease with which he took the life of an innocent old man.

Just something happened that made him lower the level of his bloodlust and that "something" was a red-haired young witch who bravely stood up to him, knowing that he could kill her.

He chuckled, remembering her image. Did she think that he could easily take her life? The life she clung to so carefully, running away from her negligent father. Did she think he might not recognize her?

Although it’s worth noting, her disguise was exceptionally good and if it wasn’t for the familiar smell of her sweet blood, he would have definitely killed her.

Closing his eyes, he frowned even harder. The realization that he could have killed her with his own hands made his mind wake up and settle down. It was a shock release for him.

At that moment, when he held her limp body, choking and bleeding, he wanted only one thing – to take her with him, cure her, and then lock her under lock and key in the basement where he kept Giselle, so that she would never dare to escape from him again. But fortunately, this thought was fleeting and he did not do it.

For the tiniest fraction of a second, his heart ached with fear for her and he realized that now was not the best time to destroy her disguise. If he wanted to protect her, he had to let her go, even if it made him suffer and suffer without her.

He missed her so much.

She looked different. Completely unattractive to him, outwardly she was not the one he fell in love with, but she still had her soul, her kindness, which did not allow her to harm him. He felt so acutely her restraint in attacks, but did not attach any importance to it.

His body was starting to shake again. It was like that every time he remembered her. As if a huge regret had crept into him, he was thinking about what would have happened if he had taken her with him after all?

And every time he reproached himself for not knowing what would be the right decision. His whole mind was full of doubts and it drove him even more crazy.

Stepping over the lifeless body of the dead man, he quickly disappeared from his seat, finally heading to Rick, who was supposed to distract him from the newly flooded distracting memories.

The large estate on the outskirts of Raswell looked as well maintained as ever. No one would have thought that something out of the ordinary could have happened, but only Raphael’s smile stretched to the limit could make it clear that something had happened after all.

He closed his eyes, as if enjoying something that no one could see or hear. But Raphael heard very clearly and loudly, as if it was an annoying fly in his ear.

Whistling some spontaneous melody that appeared in his head, he headed for the sound that sounded in his ears, at the same time noting that this very well-kept estate was unusually empty.