Allure Of The Night

Chapter 268 Room for the dead

Music Recommendation: Elizabethan Masque- Frederico Bayco

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The passages of the inn weren’t too wide and had enough space only for two people to walk at a time. The wooden floor creaked as they walked. Lit lanterns hung at every corner of the corridor, leaving the centre in slight darkness.

Walking up the stairs and now in the corridor, Eve came upon a window and looked outside. The velocity of the wind outside the inn was high, and the snowstorm had begun, making it hard to see anything.

The inn’s owner turned and said, “The snowstorm is not going to stop anytime soon. It is good that you were able to arrive here before it started, Sire. What would you like to eat for dinner? Fresh fish was caught this morning and has been charred with lemon. Would you and the lady like to have it along with a drink?”

“We aren’t fond of the taste of fish. Do you have fresh blood?” Vincent questioned, and the owner quickly nodded.

“We do!” Though the inn’s owner was a human, he appeared to specialise in catering to all kinds of people.

“Fantastic,” Vincent smiled brightly, one that he often gave to everyone that wasn’t warm but cold even with that expression. He said, “You can lightly char the vegetables with some lemon instead.”

“That can be done, Sire,” the inn’s owner bowed, and he pulled out a bunch of keys from one of his trouser’s pockets, before he stopped in front of a closed door. He placed the lantern on the door’s hook.

Picking out a key from the lot, he placed his hand on the handle and pushed the key. Turning it, he opened it. He stepped inside the room and prepared the fireplace, lighting it up and also the three candles which stood on one stand.

“For hot water, it is going to cost a silver,” the inn’s keeper could tell that the vampire in front of him was a wealthy man. He cleared his throat before adding, “It is very difficult to get dry logs of wood in this frosty weather.”

Eve noticed how such a simple room, with a decent-sized bed and a bathtub, cost more than it was actually supposed to. The inn’s owner was trying to charge the customers who were coming to take shelter in his inn so that he could profit more than he usually did.

Vincent pulled out a silver coin from his pocket between his two fingers and dropped it in the palm of the greedy human.

“Let me show the lady her room and then I will be on my way to bring your food to the rooms,” the inn’s owner informed Vincent and was ready to turn, when Vincent stopped him by saying,

“The lady will be sharing the room with me.”

Eve, who heard this, tried not to look affected, but her heart raced at the thought of spending the night alone with him. She would have argued with him to have a room for herself, but something told her that later she would end up with a pillow and a blanket in front of his room. Especially after the look she had received from one of the werewolves, which had turned her uneasy.

The human looked confused. He apologised before asking, “Forgive me for my rudeness, but you asked for two rooms?”

“Yes, we need two rooms,” Vincent replied with a solemn look on his face as if something sad and terrible had happened. This intrigued the inn’s owner, who paid close attention to the vampire, who sighed, “Three hours ago, we were on our way from Berkshire when our carriage fell off the bridge and into the water, killing our coachman.”

Did he just kill someone who was still alive? Eve stared at Vincent, who had constructed a lie out of thin air.

“How unfortunate!” The inn’s owner shook his head.

“May his soul rest in peace,” he crossed his heart in pity. He then exclaimed, “Oh, you must have your luggage to place in the room!”

“That’s right,” Vincent responded, and Eve noted the sinister smile on the pureblooded vampire’s lips. “But the room is for my deceased coachman. You see, he wanted to visit the town and was looking forward to spending some time in the inn. You never know if his soul decides to visit.”

The inn’s owner nodded, not expecting to see a wealthy vampire showing such sentiments toward his servant and was booking an extra room in the dead coachman’s name. Who cared, until he got his money. He then offered, “Let me go order my servant to fill the water in the tub and bring your luggage,” he bowed at Vincent and then at Eve, picking up the lantern on the door and walking out and away from the room.

Eve asked Vincent, “What was that about?”

“He is charging us more than the actual price. This is just harmless fun,” Vincent grinned, showing his fangs to her.

The inn’s owner now walked in the corridor, his body swaying a little, and when he was climbing down the stairs, he noticed the lantern on the desk had extinguished. The lantern that he held, the oil had almost exhausted, lowering the flame. He called his servant,

“Bram! Why is there no light at the desk? You wouldn’t know if a customer comes in!” He shouted, looking in the direction of the inside door, and when he heard the tinkling of the bell from the main door, he turned to look in its direction, where there was darkness. “Who’s there?” He questioned.

When he didn’t receive an answer, the inn’s owner raised the lantern in his hand, and at the same time, he saw the light fall on a person with snow covering the top of his head. His face was pale as a ghost, and there wasn’t a hint of a smile. The inn’s owner looked at the person wearily and asked,

“What do you want?”

“The key to my room,” came the answer from the person.

The inn’s owner looked perplexed as he had never seen this person before, lest give him a key to one of the rooms. “My master must have already paid for the room. The vampire with silver hair and–“

“AHHHH!” The inn’s owner screamed, while flailing his hands and dropping the lantern. He quickly ran inside the other door, while Mr. Briggs stared in the direction where the human had run.

“What was there to scream? Did Master Vincent scare him?” The coachman frowned.