Welcome!

You carefully headed up the stairs, with invitation in hand. The guard let you through with a mere look and you entered the grand building. People already whispered around you, giggling for the fact that you came alone. You ignored them and went in further the heart of the ballroom. Ceilings high with a beautiful crystal chandelier that radiated over everyone. People of all shapes in sizes, short, tall, fat and skinny. Some you could recognize and dreadfully and quickly avoided cause just a mere more of a moment would have you leave this instant. You found a small open space near the front of the ballroom to squeeze into and you hushed a small apology to a rather slender and tall gentleman. You wondered how a dress as large as this could not be inconvenient. The gentleman you had bumped into, however, did not seem to mind at all and went back to minding his own business. You couldn’t help but to look back and observe him. He wore a dark blue suit with a long tailcoat clad with a black mask with gold trimmings that decorated the edges. He had white gloves on with a black handkerchief tucked away in his pocket. Gold buttons and cufflinks stood out upon his suit. He did not wear a top hat like most did and his black hair was short and framed his small face wonderfully. Even with the mask, you could tell he was a dashing young man who may be not much older than you. The women around him stole glances and giggled behind him in awe and delight. The mayor had finally stopped talking and the orchestra began to play the intro to the long night. You, however, stayed put as you did not have a partner nor were in the need of searching for one. You watched as men and women quickly partnered up and spun around across the ballroom. Even the gentleman beside you was now waltzing with some gal in front of you, though he did not seem much entertained as the woman gripping him were. She was practically having a giggling fit as it were, the blush very bright on her face.

Two songs… three… four… and not a single person has yet approached you nor did you try. Hopelessly bored, you looked around observing the gathering of people here and there. You were then taken off guard by a hand reaching out to you. You turned back at the owner only to meet face to face with a rather portly short man.

“Care for a dance?” He said with a drunken smile.

“O-oh I couldn’t.” You gently tried to turn him down but he clearly did not get the message. He took a step closer and the smell of alcohol reeked from his person.

“How could I let a pretty flower as you stand alone all night long? I know much more fun things we could do instead if that is what a woman of your measure would like instead.” You twisted your face in disgust and pulled away from him as he advanced closer.

“Pardon me, I do believe she saved this dance for me.” The gentleman from earlier quickly stepped in and offered his hand.

“I thought you’d never ask!” You said and quickly took hold. Swiftly as he came, he led you out on the ballroom floor, escaping from the predicament you were in. You had no choice but to take at least this one dance for all eyes were now laid upon you and your now knight. He elegantly bowed to you and you curtsy in return before he took your left hand in his, with his right hand gently holding the small of your back. A dark and mysterious waltz number begun and he started to lead with you following behind.

One, two, three, one, two, three. You nervously counted the steps in your head, praying that you wouldn’t accidentally miss a step and make a fool of yourself. You looked up at him and his brown dark eyes had a ghostly shine to them, unmatched with the canny smile across his face.

“Thank you for saving me earlier, one minute more and I would’ve most likely been taken away by the guards.” You chuckled. He grinned with a closed smile,

“Now we wouldn’t have wanted that, now would we? Although he wasn’t wrong with not wanting a beautiful woman as yourself be a wallflower for the rest of the night.” He spun you out and back into his arms in first position. You never would’ve thought you danced so well with a stranger for the first time. Perhaps father’s dancing lessons were for naught. 

“I bet you’ve said that all to all the ladies you’ve danced with tonight.” you scoffed.

“Oh? So you were watching me then?”

“No! I was doing no such thing!” You flusteredly attested. He laughed, “I may have danced with many but only you have entertained me as much.”

“You’re a dangerous one, aren’t you? You asked jokingly.

“Dangerous as I’ll ever be mademoiselle.” The number ended and he stepped away bowing and kissing the tips of your fingers that he held. You curtsy and feel the heat rising to your cheeks in his gesture.

“Come, there is a quieter place that I know of that would be better to your liking.” He led you away from the clamor and out to the gardens behind the castle. In the middle of the tall bushes was an open gazebo that sat under the moonlight. You could still hear the music playing but not as loudly as it was before. You sat on a stone bench that faced a fountain with a statue of a woman cupping her hands as water spilled from them. He was right, it was a much more pleasant place for you. You could finally breathe again, away from all the noise and drunkards of the night.

“The moon… it is so beautiful and full tonight.” You spoke softly, admiring the glow of night.

“It pales in comparison to your complexion my lady.” He teases. You blush with his compliment. Never would you have thought that a man could sweep you off your feet as he did. He had a gentle soul, almost that of an aged man, yet he still had the elegance, humor, and good looks of the younger. There was something about him that drew you closer, making you want to pick all the locks that opened to his secrets. And still, you hadn’t the slightest idea what that mask hid beneath it.

“So what does my hero of the night look like underneath that mask?” You asked him.

“Ah, so the lady is now curious, hm? I guess I should not disappoint! However, only on the condition that I may see yours as well.” You agreed. He reached towards you, taking the ribbon that held it together.

“May I?” You nodded and he unraveled it, the mask falling away making you feel exposed to him.

“Beautiful…” he whispered with a glint in his eyes, different from the look you saw before.

“My turn.” You said and he closed his eyes as you reached behind him, pulling away the mask. You felt like you lost your breath when he opened his eyes. He was even more handsome than you could have fathomed. There was not a single imperfection on his skin from the rounded button of his nose to the plump and full lips that any woman would have been envious of. He was absolutely breathtaking and full to the curious eye, almost unworldly for a being of his caliber to even exist.

“Am I that enchanting that I’ve captured you in this stare, my lady?” He chuckled, breaking the silence you had created momentarily.

“Yes, I would certainly say that for many would die for looks such as yours.”

“Perhaps they would have to.” You looked at him questioningly for such an odd reply. He took your hand, brushing off the look on your face and kissed it again as he did before.

“May I ask, what is your name, mon chérie?”

“I-it’s ___.”

“Ah splendid, I am Hyungwon. Your name is just as lovely as you are.” He flattered. You were mesmerized by the look in his eyes as he held your hand to his lips. He leaned in closer to you guiding your hand to rest on his shoulder. His face grew closer to your left shoulder and he left a small old kiss, the feeling almost electrifying through your body. He moved up towards your neck and breathed in.

“This smell, you are absolutely delightful,” he whispered as he placed a gentle kiss there. Finally, your anticipation running high, his lips were now close to yours. Your eyes fluttered closed as he leaned in, his lips just barely touching yours with a feather-light brush. You fell in deep to his kiss once you finally connected, and you swore your heart was beating out of your chest. Never have you had such an intimate feeling with another, let alone with a man you just met tonight. He was gentle with the first kiss and with the second, but you wanted something more. You found both of your hands holding the back of his neck and you tried to kiss him deeper, yet he pulled away.

He chuckled, “I’m flattered by the notion but I’m afraid it’s getting late. We can save more for another time.” You grew a deep red and wanted to bash yourself for being too forward.

“Come, we’ll get you home.” He kissed you again softly and offered an arm that you happily looped your own into.

“I promise that we will meet again. I will send you a letter as to when and where by night.” He leads you back to your carriage and you to your dismal watched his figure grow smaller into the distance. 

It had been only days since the first letter and then days became weeks and weeks become months when you spent more and more time together. You were kept busy by day from all your home lectures and classes that father had given you, endlessly waiting until night when you could sneak out to the gardens or a walk through town with Hyungwon. You never complained that you did not ever go for a stroll when sunlight was out, but you couldn’t help but feel the nostalgia of the first meeting under the moonlight. Plus the moon and stars above comforted you, unlike the bustling busy life the sun brings by day. He never pushed you to do the things you didn’t want to nor did he advance much further in intimacies. All were just soft melting kisses and not much more. You could never suspect why he never wanted to go further but you didn’t dare push for more. He had respected you and your boundaries so you should only do the same for him. You grew to learn more about him, like how much of a gentle and emotional man he was that hid beneath the flirtatious actions. Or how he loved to speak of the unknown world and what yet is still to be offered to the unknowing eye. He was intriguing and still a little mysterious but it gave him a charm that no one else had.

Tonight you were to meet him where you first met as it was the anniversary of that day. Instructions in the note he sent told you to wear what you wore that night and that he’d do the same, only without masks. After you were sure the house was asleep, you escaped through the back window and made your way briskly across town. In a few minutes time, you made it to your destination, Hyungwon’s lean figure in the suit you loved, waiting for you at the entrance. He smiled widely as he always had done and led you in with him to sit.

“Tonight, my love, there is something I wanted to ask of you. Something that I’ve been stuck in thought for a very long time.” He kneeled in front of you, taking a ring off his finger before presenting it to you.

“This is my family crest ring that has been passed down from generation to generation and at this moment I want to ask you. Will you be mine and be the next to carry on this ring’s history with me?” You couldn’t have been more delighted to agree, taking the ring from him and placing it around your ring finger. He leaned up to kiss you gently, but this time with much passion than most.

He pulled away and held both your hands, “There is still one more thing I must show you, however, I need you to promise me to not be alarmed and always trust me.” It was an odd request from him, but surely it wasn’t too big of a secret? After all, you have been together for a whole year with nothing strange to notice.

“I promise.” He looked at you, staring intently and suddenly you saw the glint of his eyes change front the warm brown you loved to a crimson red. You were wrong.

“W-what?” You said, but he didn’t stop there and took your hand and delicately placed a finger in his mouth. You felt the normal rows of teeth that anyone would have and questioned why you were doing this until you felt a sharp tip. You pulled away and he smiled with teeth for the first time you had been with him and saw the oddly elongated canines he had. Now things were starting to come together from the first night until this very moment. Why his body always felt cold, why he never spent time with you during the day, and why the kisses were never anything more. He was a damned vampire that you heard about from the stories your household maid told you as a youngin. He looked at you anxiously with the unfamiliar eyes he had and you were more shocked than scared of him. You had so many questions but the main one was why you couldn’t find a normal gentleman to fall in love with? This is why people made fun of you ___.

Stressed, you closed your eyes and gently rubbed your temple with your fingers.

“So you’re a vampire?”

“Yes.”

“You have color-changing eyes and fangs?

“Yes.”

“Do you drink blood?”

“…yes.”

What were you supposed to think now? Maybe that he never truly did fancy someone like yourself but more what was coursing through your veins? You were hurt more by the possible chance that you wasted time on someone who didn’t really love you to begin with.

“Hyungwon.” You said with a whisper of a voice. “Did you ever once truly show affection for me? Or did you deceive me up until now for only the red that runs through me?” He stayed quiet for a moment, contemplating his answer.

“Yes, I had at the beginning of that night when I had rescued you from that drunkard, but after the dance and the moment we spent out here, I knew it was something more. It was companionship… an intimacy that I craved. I wanted to be more for you, a hero, a part of your life… a part of you. I’m begging you to please stay by my side regardless of what my initial intentions were that night. Please…” his eyes begged you for forgiveness and genuine sorrow spilled from each of his words. He seemed to be telling the truth, only letting his heart open up more to you for who he is. The loneliness in his eyes only spoke truths of the meaning behind those words he tried to convey.

“I…I believe you and I forgive you for all the deception as I can imagine what it would be like in your position. It is hard for me to say that I can’t trust you since I have blindly loved you for this long and you only ever being so gentle with your actions,” you said carefully. He rose to hug you tightly, emotions overwhelming him as he held you close. Hyungwon pulled away and tucked a loose curl behind your ear, being as careful as he always was and has been. 

“My love, I would like to make a contract with you. I swear with my life that I will never lay a finger on you, never tempt or to drink from you unless you ask me of it. Even if I’m dying of thirst and hunger, I shan’t harm you. You are more precious to me than my entire being and I don’t want to lose you. Not one strand on your head will be harmed while you are with me.” He looked down at you with such affection and care, each touch of his as floating as the last. Those crimson eyes may not have been the same color as they once were, but they were still of ones of the man you have loved for this short while. You reached up to hold his face in the palm of your hand, softly brushing the high of his cheeks with your thumb. He closed his eyes and leaned into your touch, placing his own over yours never wanting this moment to end. You leaned up, placing a kiss on his other cheek, then burying your head into his frigid chest now only noticing the absence in the sound that was supposed to keep him animated. He opened his eyes a little and looked down upon you as he spoke, “I suppose this is where I must take you home. It’s only the beginning of the night but I fear my hunger is starting to arise and I do not want to startle you more with what I’ve done already.” He continued to explain to you that as the brighter the moon was and the duller his eyes appeared, it meant he had an immense desire to feed. He didn’t want to ask you for anything more in fear it would drive you away. But you felt like that maybe you should allow him to feed on you. Have it be the first bond and promise of this new remembrance that tied you both closer together. 

“Mon amour, why don’t you drink the life from me?” You asked him, still hesitant in your decision.

“Non ma douce, I could not bear seeing you ache. It will sting and I do not know if you could take such pain.” he declined.

“I want it to be a special memory for us. Tonight while we are standing beneath the moonlight as one. I want to be a part of you as much as you’ve longed for in your lifetime. Let me be the one.” He thought about it for a moment and sat down on the stone bench, motioning for you to sit in his lap. You promptly sat down into his embrace and he held you tight, placing the hair that covered your neck aside. 

“Are you sure this is okay?” he questioned as he placed fluttering soft kisses of where he was to prick the skin. You nodded but he still was unsure. 

“Please, tell me again so I know I’m not dreaming of this moment.”

“Hyungwon, drink from me and make me yours,” you whispered in his ear as you held the back of his head. His lips brushed across the side of your neck before he hummed into it. Your heartbeat raced as you felt the hot breath from his open mouth and felt it dance across your skin. Shortly there was sharp pain as his teeth pierced your skin into your vein eliciting you to cry out. He quickly retracted his fangs, stopping for a moment to rub your back in comfort to let the pain subside before continuing. He began to draw blood from you in small sucks, taking his time to not overdo it but to savor your taste as well. You felt a chill as the warm liquid was reaped from you, it was as if your very life force was being consumed by him. Blackness and blur started to flood your vision as he took his fill, your grip on him loosening as you ran out of strength to keep holding on. He quickly finished, lapping the last droplets from the wounds he made and closing them up. He laid your head across his lap, holding the back of your hand to his cheek, worry written across his face. 

“My love, are you alright? I fear that I have taken more than you could handle.” 

“I-I’m alright… I think I just need a rest for a minute. “He feared the worse when your once warm hands were nearly as cold as his own and your reply was slow and sluggish, but you assured him that you only needed a good night’s rest and you would be just fine. His eyes were beautifully radiant like the moon that shone behind him and you could only be in awe of how perfect he looked in the light. 

“I love you, Hyungwon.” You whispered to him.