BLOOD.FANGS.N'.FIRE

"Took you long enough," Gavriel commented, rolling his eyes at the supposedly "bright" duke.

Lester looked at the king with a scowl, ignored his remark, and said, "How bold of them!"

Gavriel slightly nodded and went on to sip his wine, "As a host, I should make sure to entertain my guests." He said all of a sudden

Lester looked at the king and knew that whatever he was planning to do would end badly for whoever was involved in his plot.

Unlike the previous balls where a few bold influential people would come up to the king to try and establish relations that they would exploit for their future benefits, for this year's ball, only those that had solid matters that they hoped to run by the king approached him.

It wasn't because they hoped to leave the man to himself, but rather what had happened with the Bladens' daughter last time made them extra cautious to not anger the pureblood vampire.

"So far, our members have found nothing that is out of the ordinary senior captain Robert. " a young human whispered to one of the senior captains of the House.

"Hmmm, you can never be truly certain of such a conclusion when dealing with the king. Everyone should have their senses sharp and be vigilant at all times." Robert, the senior captain, instructed

The youthful man nodded and went back to relay the message to his colleagues.

Matthew was in ear reach to hear the conversation and internally said to himself to be more careful and what goes for the king. He could never know.

"How lucky are you, Milady, to have gotten such a date!!" Rollana, a youthful vampiress, remarked while slowly sipping from her glass.

The liquid was so thick that one couldn't really make out whether it was blood wine or just blood only.

Rollana came from the Cartvell family, one of the oldest vampire families in Zadroth. Her family were merchants, and they were as wealthy as they came.

The family rarely involved themselves in the political affairs of the Kingdom, but they made sure to send at least two or three members to attend balls organised in different parts of the kingdom.

This time, they had sent three of their youngest offsprings, two vampires and a vampiress.

Rollana had the typical striking features of a vampire,

Brown almond shaped eyes, small pointed nose, supple pink lips, and pale clear skin.

Her height was average, but she carried a certain charm to her and an alluring charisma.

Now she wore an off-white silky dress that hugged her body in the right places, accentuating her slightly plumg figure .

Her delicate hands were also covered in white gloves with her right hand holding a glass and the other clutching her purse.

She offered a pearl white smile to Karrina as she complimented her choice of a companion to the ball.

Karrina offered the same smile as she blushed a little to the compliment.

She had had a handful of interactions with the vampiress, so she wasn't surprised by her words or presence.

"Ohh, forgive my manners, Milady. A pleasant evening to you." Rollana bowed her head a little while she greeted the Duke's daughter.

Karrina did the same as she wished the vampiress a pleasant ball as well.

"I apologize for disturbing your peace, Milady, but do you mind if I stay in your company for a minute or two,"

Rollana kept her request polite and respectful.

Karrina was surprised, but she kept a passive expression, "Oh no, Milady, you don't have to apologize for anything. It would be my pleasure. " She replied

"That's a beautiful dress, Lady Cartvell," Karrina commented

"Oh, this old thing, it used to belong to my mother."

Rollana brushed off her words.

"But coming from such a well-dressed lady like you, Milady, l am humbled." Rollana shyly tucked away a strand of her straight golden blonde hair.

The two looked at each other and slightly chuckled,

"It sounds too formal when you address me as 'MiLady', please call me Karrina." Karrina voiced

Rollana nodded smilingly and also said, "Lady Cartvell is my mother. Please call me Rollana as well." Rollana also said

"How is the ball so far, mi...Karrina?" Rollana quickly corrected herself and smiled

"Well, just like every other ball, I am pleased to meet many powerful figures in our society, I also admire the vibrant decor chosen for this particular one." Karrina kept her response passive

" Yes, I also second that the choice of the decorations is vibrant, sort of like a mood booster." Rollana said, and blonde haired vampiress nodded

While the two were quietly sipping their drinks, when all of a sudden, Rollana said, "It seems like I am not the only one who likes the bitter taste of rowan tree berries."

Karrina paused in her actions thoughts astray as she turned to face the vampiress.