*haaaaah* Vespar exhaled as he finished dressing up. "Do I look good enough, sweetheart?" He asked with a nervous expression.
" What in the seven hells am I witnessing, darling?" She exclaimed dramatically
" Is Vespar Dawnshade nervous?" She said as she observed his attire.
Black colour two piece suit with a blood red shirt, that perfectly hugged his body giving a refined look, with a black tie, and black shoes.
*Fyuuuuu* she whistled. " I've gotta hide you from prying eyes, vampire women are very ' open minded ' , if you cheat on me, I'll make sure you're castrated for life , and yes you look good enough, but still were you ever this nervous?" She said with a loud chuckle.
"I'm really sorry sweetheart, i didn't have a wife before you so I don't know what to do when you meet your in-laws." He said in a sarcastic tone.
Vespar adjusted his tie, then immediately tugged it loose again with a grimace. "How do people wear these without losing the will to live?" he muttered, giving the fabric a look that could curdle blood.
Lilith, still lounging on the nearby velvet couch in a silken robe, propped her chin on her hand and smirked. "You know, you're kind of cute when you're this tense. I mean, not adorable—don't let it go to your head—but a little puppy lost in a ballroom sort of way."
Vespar groaned, dragging a hand through his neatly styled black hair. "I'm meeting your father. The man who could probably incinerate me with a glance. Can I not look like a confused blood bag with anxiety issues?"
"Oh, don't be so dramatic," Lilith said, standing and walking toward him. "He'll probably like you. Probably."
"Probably? That's not even a little comforting."
She reached up, smoothing down his lapel with delicate fingers. Her face was close now, her scent intoxicating—roses, ink, and something darker, more primal. "You're Vespar Dawnshade," she murmured. "The man who made me laugh until I snorted blood. The one who made me accidentally marry him. The one who broke through memory seals without trying. My father's not blind. He'll see you."
"See me as what, though?" Vespar asked, his voice dropping to a murmur. "A threat? A mistake? Or something worse—an unworthy consort to his precious daughter?"
Lilith raised a brow, then tiptoed slightly to brush her lips against his. "If he thinks that," she whispered, "I'll choose you anyway."
The silence that followed wasn't awkward—it was dense, heavy with meaning, the kind of silence that fills the cracks in old wounds.
Then, true to form, Vespar broke it with a smirk. "Man, this is really turning into a romance novel, huh?"
Lilith laughed. "Don't flatter yourself, Mr. Tie-Trouble."
He tugged at the knot again for emphasis. "This thing is evil, I swear."
Lilith walked to the dresser where her outfit lay neatly folded and enchanted. She began slipping into her ceremonial vampire attire—a floor-length black and crimson gown with embroidery that shimmered like living veins. Her long white hair fell in waves down her back as she transformed before his eyes—from sarcastic apothecary to something ancient, elegant, and deadly.
Vespar blinked. "I… am both terrified and aroused."
"Perfect," she said, pulling on black gloves. "That's exactly how you should feel when standing beside royalty."
He stepped back to watch her finish dressing, and despite the nerves twitching under his skin, he felt a calm settle over him as he watched her move. Even if he was walking into a lion's den, he was walking beside her.
"So," he said, straightening up, "how exactly are we getting there? Vampire Uber? Giant bat? Or do we just turn into mist and poof away?"
Lilith rolled her eyes, then extended her hand. "Hold still. I've only done this a few times without accidentally summoning a rain of frogs."
He hesitated. "Wait—what?"
"I'm kidding. Sort of." Her palm began to glow, intricate runes spinning around her wrist like a bracelet made of stardust and blood. The air around them started to hum, the vibration tickling Vespar's skin like static before a lightning strike.
"I really feel like I should've signed some kind of waiver," Vespar mumbled, though he took her hand anyway.
Lilith's voice grew solemn, deep, and melodic as she chanted an ancient incantation. The shadows in the room thickened, drawn toward the space in front of them like ink sliding across paper. The floor began to shimmer with red and black symbols, blooming like roses of fire.
Then the space in front of them split—a thin, vertical line tore through reality, widening until it formed a swirling portal of blood-red mist. The scent of iron and old stone drifted from within, along with the faint sound of chanting and bells.
Vespar blinked at it. "Okay… that's mildly terrifying."
Lilith squeezed his hand. "That's just the entrance. Don't worry, once you step through you'll be blind for only a few seconds, and then—"
"Blind? That seems like information I should've gotten a little earlier."
"Surprise builds character."
He gave her a look that was a mix between admiration and exasperation. "You really enjoy watching me suffer, don't you?"
She smirked. "Absolutely."
The portal pulsed, the chanting inside growing louder, more insistent, as if it were calling to them. Vespar took a breath.
"I swear, if your father kills me, I'm haunting you."
Lilith leaned in, her lips brushing his ear. "If my father kills you… I'll kill him."
He blinked at her, stunned into silence for once.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Define ready."
She pulled him forward by the hand. "Too late."
Together, they stepped into the portal, the mist swallowing them whole—two figures entwined in fate, walking straight into the heart of the vampire realm, where love and blood would soon be tested like never before.
---