Rebecca immediately grabbed Diana's arm.
"What are you doing? You're going to get us killed!" she shouted, dragging her backward.
Diana dug her heels in, wrenching herself free of Rebecca's grip.
"You can leave if you want," she snapped, "but I'm not leaving until I speak to Dracula."
A feminine voice, dripping with malice, spoke from behind them.
"And what makes you think you get to demand a hearing from Dracula?"
A chill crawled down their spines as a blood scythe formed beside their necks, its edge humming softly.
"Make one sudden move," the woman continued calmly, "and that gate will be the last thing you ever see."
When did she get behind me?!
Both Rebecca and Diana froze.
Diana slowly tilted her head.
A woman… then that must be the Left Horn.
"Excuse me, great one," she said carefully, forcing calm into her voice. "I had no intention of incurring your wrath. I only wish to speak with Dracula."
Lilith said nothing.
The blood scythe crept closer.
"That's enough."
Dracula's voice cut through the air.
In an instant, the scythe liquefied, dripping to the floor and melting stone where it touched.
Diana's breath caught as she turned.
Dracula stood before her—crimson eyes empty of emotion, long black hair barely arranged, as though he'd forgotten it entirely. Behind him, Varin leaned casually against the wall, grinning and waving.
For a moment, both women forgot how to breathe.
Then reality struck.
They bowed deeply.
"Leave," Dracula said coldly. "Whatever brought you here—let it never bring you here again."
He turned to walk away.
"Wait!" Diana cried.
Dracula stopped, but did not turn.
"You killed my brother," she said.
"He isn't the first person I've killed," Dracula replied, glancing at her from the corner of his eye. "Do you intend to seek revenge?"
Diana's legs gave out. She collapsed to the floor.
"N-no… not at all," she said weakly.
"Then what do you want?" he asked, his voice void of warmth.
Diana forced herself upright.
"I need your help."
Dracula resumed walking.
"Ouuuu—tough luck," Varin chimed in cheerfully. "Maybe next time."
"Wait!" Diana blurted. "Can I make you an offer?"
Dracula stopped again and turned fully this time.
"And what," he asked, "do you possibly have that you could offer me?"
Diana swallowed hard.
"I noticed… your hair looks rather unkempt."
Silence.
Varin's grin vanished.
Rebecca's eyes widened in horror.
Lilith was already moving, blade forming at Diana's throat.
We're going to die, Rebecca thought.
They're dead, Varin thought.
"I'm not mocking you," Diana rushed out. "I don't know where you've been, but I run an orphanage. I cook, clean—and I cut the children's hair. I could help with yours too."
Dracula paused.
He lifted a strand of his hair between his fingers.
"Hm."
Everyone froze.
"In exchange for what?" he asked.
"I just want you to hear me out," Diana said quietly.
A long silence followed.
"Very well," Dracula said at last. "You may begin whenever you wish."
Relief washed over Diana—until reality struck.
"My equipment is at the orphanage," she admitted. "I'll need to go get it."
Dracula studied her for a moment.
"That's fine," he said. "We'll go there now."
At the orphanage, clothes swayed gently on a line, catching the afternoon breeze.
In one of the rooms, Dracula sat in a wooden chair, eyes closed. His fingers tapped rhythmically against the armrest—slow, precise, impatient.
Children ran through the halls, their laughter echoing. Varin chased after them playfully, pretending to stumble as they squealed and scattered.
Lilith sat apart on a chair, a book resting in her hands.
A little girl noticed her. She picked up a book of her own, ran over, and quietly sat behind Lilith, mimicking her posture while sneaking curious glances.
Lilith shifted her eyes toward the child, then back to the page.
"Little one," she said calmly, "do you know how to read?"
"No," the girl answered immediately.
"I thought so," Lilith replied.
The girl frowned. "How did you know?"
Lilith turned her head slightly. "Your book is upside down."
The girl gasped and quickly flipped it the right way.
"I want to learn," she said softly. "But the caretakers are always busy."
Lilith closed her book.
"I will be here for a while," she said. "I can teach you what I know."
"Yaaay!" the girl squealed, climbing into Lilith's lap.
Lilith stiffened for half a second—then allowed it.
In the other room, the mood was suffocating.
Caretakers stood frozen. Rebecca hovered near the door. Diana stood in the center, breathing heavily, sweat tracing down her temples.
"How could you do something this reckless?" a male caretaker whispered. "Bringing Dracula—and his Horns—into an orphanage?"
"It wasn't her fault," Rebecca said quickly. "He insisted on coming himself."
The man turned sharply. "Who the hell are you?"
Rebecca froze, words caught in her throat.
"You should be careful with your tone," Diana said, stepping in. "I've heard he despises the mistreatment of women. He might interpret your words as abuse—and then you'd be dead."
The man went pale. The room fell silent.
"Asking to cut his hair is a death sentence," another caretaker muttered. "You've been shaking since you arrived. One mistake, and we all die."
Diana clasped her hands together.
"I thought I hid that well," she said, letting out a nervous laugh.
Then she slapped her cheeks—once, twice—and straightened.
"The Vampire King awaits," she declared.
She picked up her equipment. "Rebecca, grab that bowl of water and come with me."
Rebecca blinked. "Wait—why me?"
Diana slammed the door open.
Rebecca froze behind her, shaking uncontrollably.
Dracula opened one crimson eye, glanced at them, then closed it again—adjusting his posture as if nothing had changed.
It's do or die, Diana thought, forcing herself forward.
Rebecca followed close behind.
"What kind of hairstyle are you looking for?" Diana asked.
"I have nothing in mind," Dracula replied calmly. "You offered the cut. That means you already do."
Diana didn't answer. She kept her smile fixed.
Must you make things harder than they already are…
She reached for his hair—hesitated—then finally ran her fingers through it.
Her eyes widened.
It's… surprisingly soft.
"It seems you aren't as scared as you were before," Varin said casually from the doorway, two children perched in his arms. "Is my master's hair really that soft?"
Diana jerked her hand back instantly.
"Man, I'm so jealous," Varin continued. "He never lets us touch his hair."
"That's a you problem," Lilith replied without looking up from her book.
"Why are you so cruel?" Varin sighed, walking away.
"You always try to mess with my hair," Dracula said flatly. "I will let you nowhere near it."
"How could you say that to your day one?" Varin protested as he left.
Dracula turned his attention back to Diana.
"Lady."
"Yes, sir," she answered immediately.
"Why do you need my help badly enough to risk your life?" he asked.
Her expression faltered as she began rinsing his hair.
"I want to kill someone," she said.
Lilith's gaze snapped toward her. She stood, lifting the little girl and the book into her arms.
"Let's go read somewhere else," Lilith said gently as she exited the room.
Diana exhaled slowly.
"No… killing wouldn't satisfy me," she continued. "I want to torture him. I want to watch the life drain from his eyes."
"Then why haven't you done it?" Dracula asked.
"This man… he's a monster. Even harming him feels like a fairy tale," Diana said, drying his hair with a towel.
"An Elder?" Dracula asked.
"Yes," she replied. "A sick, twisted man who worships you like a god."
"I have no worshippers," Dracula said calmly.
"You'd be surprised how deranged people can become," she answered.
"Is he responsible for the scar on your stomach?" Dracula asked.
Diana froze.
Her hand instinctively pressed against her abdomen.
"How did you know I had a scar?" she asked, shaken.
"There is an unhealthy concentration of dark mana around it," Dracula replied. "Lilith and Varin noticed it as well."
She lowered her hand.
"Yes… and for some reason, I can't have children," she said quietly.
"What happened that day?" Dracula asked.
Diana lifted the scissors and began trimming his overgrown hair.
"I think I was twelve," she said softly. "I lived in an orphanage… just like this one."
She paused.
"The difference is… back then, I was truly happy."