Outside, the dark clouds delicately covered the morning light and gave the scenery a melancholic feeling. At the entrance of the manor, two rows of maids and servants halted in two parallel lines, in the middle between the two rows, stood the count wearing a gray Victorian formal custom with a burgundy long tweed coat, arms straight down, hands forming fists. To his left was Mr. Hendrickson in his black overcoat with a cape, leaning on his cane while the right side of the count was occupied by the tall and hairy butler struggling to fit into his costume.
The count bent diagonally over Nicolai, whispering into his ear: “What should I expect? A bunch of monsters on four legs, as big as Sequoia tree, with long fangs and giant horns, puffing fire from its mouth and nostrils running toward us…” his sarcastic tone was mixed with some seriousness.
“No,” Nicolai said indifferently, then he followed: “I hope so.” He changed his mind and tried to play along with the Count, but his tone was terrible if considered as sarcastic.
The count looked at Nicolai directly and answered: “This is not an optimistic response…”
Nicolai asked him without looking at his face: “Have you ever seen a Polymorph in his other non-anthropoid form?” his question was a bit; genuine.
” Yes, it was the fifth war… But only Lycanthropes I make contact with… after that, I have never made direct contact with any kind of them. I always use mediators such as yourself.”
“You are a veteran? I didn’t know.”
“Of course, my dear friend, there are a lot of things that you didn’t know about me.”
After Francis’s answer that contained a double meaning, Nicolai switched to his indifferent mood and resumed the root talk: “Then you know that this nomenclature that got popularized before the fifth war on purpose was used by the old generations of pure bloodlines to diminish the grandness of those breathtaking creatures.”
Francis turned his face to look ahead when he heard the sound of a grinding glass approaching, but he didn’t stop the conversation: “This is my first time learning that those barbaric and animalistic creatures hold your interest? I thought It was just work and mutual benefits.”
Nicolai observed the count from the corner of his eyes; he wanted to borrow the Count’s earlier words about : “There are a lot of things that you don’t know about me.” but he restrained himself before he answered: “Passionately.”
Nicolai didn’t oversee the Count’s expression at his answer. However, he had a clear idea of what he should expect. While Seaben was halted in silence, listening to this little conversation and no one fathomed his mind.
A carriage’s sound was heard from the distance, eyes inclined towards the nearing black dot that starts to take shape as it got closer at a steady pace, breaths held in anticipation. Pulled by what it seemed two mechanical horses. Black and shining silver colors intertwined as the mechanical horses approached yet the sound of the metallic moving joint was faint compared to the sound of hooves hitting the cold soil and the iron wheels breaking the ice, the count asked Hendrickson, his voice revealed a touch of shock and surprise: ” Aren’t those two horses the ones that you get from the auction of the fallen house of Godbert?”
Nicolai was also stunned, it seemed that his fear about the Corcotta representative was. The person was riding there surely wasn’t the one who he was hoping for. But yet he answered the Count’s question without letting his disappointment be revealed: “I was asked to play a mediator and buy them no matter high the price, it was a friend request.”
A black and silver barouche carriage became recognizable, accompanied by two hooded people leading it. Nicolai added while he attempted to see the two other people sitting in the back: ” And the carriage was a gift from me.” Everyone was eagerly waiting to glance at the face of those important guests of the Count.
The overwhelming presence that settled in everybody’s heart when they glimpsed a pair of pale yellow radiant eyes centered by a vertical black pupil. The pupils changed size depending on the angle of light that fell on them. It was clearly a female wearing a long, fit, and flare black dress in long cape sleeves.
Her facial features were masked by the shadow of the black hood of an open mantle. And when she dismounted from the carriage. The wind exposed her black hair arranged in a braided side bun and toyed with her turfs. Her skin was dark, and her lips were thin and curved to a smile. When she walked toward the three standing gentlemen. She was accompanied by the person who was sitting next to her, who happened to be a young lady who had the same facial features, the same wavy black hair, and the same eyes. However, she was younger, letting her long hair loose in the play of the cold wind. Under her black mantle, she wore an asymmetrical black skirt with high boots. Her pair of pale glittering yellow eyes jumped through each standing gentlemen analyzing them carefully before they landed on the last one.
Mr. Hendrickson tried to bow in respect, although the leg injury prevented him from performing the gesture adequately, mirroring the slight bowing of the two ladies.
“It was so long since I heard from you.” The older woman said, addressing her parole to Mr. Hendrickson. “I surely feared that you were dead.” She continued without expecting any response from him. Yet Mr. Hendrickson hasn’t stayed silent: “Well, my Lady, there were some unfortunate events more powerful than my desires to contact you and explain the matter that happened here.”
The displeasure on the count’s face was traceable, and his attempt to surpass his feeling was also noticeable. He wanted desperately to include his person in the conversation, hence he forwarded: “How about we continue our conversation inside my ladies?”
The older woman gave the two servant girls that came with her to let the workers of the manor handle the carriage and the two mechanical horses. Her pair of angry pale yellow eyes looked at the speaker. There seems some kind of reciprocal hatred at the first sight between the two of them. Or was it just the remains of an ancient long history of war and grudge?
