HECATE

IV

He was beautiful. Words such as hot or sexy didn’t do him justice, the word that best described him was beautiful. He had long, straight, black hair that reached his lower back and the most beautiful golden eyes. That was very unusual, though, because vampires always had red eyes. The three-piece suit he was wearing was completely white. Only the tie and the dress shirt were black, along with his shoes. That was another unusual thing because vampires mostly avoided the colour white. He was tall, probably 6'3, and towered over her, despite her being considered tall for a woman. He took large steps as he walked towards the dining table and slightly bowed down at the waist.

“My name is Asterias Achlys. My apologies for being late tonight and it is a pleasure to meet all of you for the first time,” His voice was deep yet frosty.

As he spoke, she felt a faint connection to him, a pull that drew her in and had her hanging onto his every word. Until now, she never felt something like that for a person, man or woman. She only had a few lovers who were nothing more than a means to satisfy her needs, which they gladly did, but it soon got boring. She had a few decent lovers, both male and female, but she knew that she would probably never find someone to love her and whom she could love back.

But Asterias was somehow different. It almost felt like a string was connecting the two, and she couldn’t explain it, yet she wasn’t sure whether she wanted to even resist. The one thing that Hecate was almost certain of was that Asterias seemed to feel a similar pull because he was looking at her the same way she was sure she looked at him.

“Rias, dear, please sit down. I was just talking to Arcene about you and the troubles you have with your magic.” Asterias did as his mother instructed and sat down next to his older sister, opposite Hecate.

“Actually, regarding your request Amelia, I would like to accept. If it is not too much trouble after your long trip, could you come to my laboratory after settling in your room? That way I can get a rough idea of what I am dealing with so I can create a treatment plan, so to speak.” Hecate explained all that in a mostly neutral tone but she could not keep the gentle smile off her face as she looked at Asterias’ beautiful face.

“Of course, that would not be a problem. After all, I am the one receiving your help, Princess Arcene.” Asterias’ tone was soft as he spoke with a gentle smile, unlike his previously aloof expression.

His refined manner of speech was like music to Hecate’s ears. Hecate was by no means someone who was against the use of casual speech, but she very much put emphasis on manners and respectful behaviour. Her mother had taught her that and so had her royal tutors, so she always found it irritating to hear people talk casually with her when she had just met them.

The others returned to their previous conversations and so Asterias continued their conversation more discreetly.

“So you are interested in magic research, Princess?”

“You can drop the title, Prince Asterias, and I can do the same if you agree. I feel more comfortable this way since we both share the same rank. Regarding your question, yes, I have great interest in magic and the different forms it can take as well as all the possibilities that magic offers to us if we could just utilise it correctly,” While passionately talking about the research she conducted, Hecate’s dark blue eyes sparkled with flecks of silver, resembling the night sky.

“Arcene, you have no idea how beautiful you look right now while talking about your interest so passionately. Your eyes sparkle in a way I have never witnessed before,” Asterias’ sincere words strangely made Hecate blush, which was a first for her. She never blushed when someone complimented her beauty, much less when that person was a man.

It was different as Asterias said it, though. She felt that he meant those words completely objectively while being surprised about feeling that way. She felt that he did not simply utter those words based on her appearance alone and that confused her. That one sincere compliment surprised her to the extent that, for a second, she forgot to keep her emotions in check and caused the stars outside to shine so brightly that everyone inside the dining room was momentarily blinded. That bright light, which only lasted a total of three seconds, caused a huge commotion as all the guests as well as her family wondered where that light came from and what its cause was. She quietly thanked Asterias for the compliment and then proceeded to eat her food without commenting on the phenomenon.

After that incident, the evening progressed with Hecate not talking much and stealing glances at Asterias, who was busy doing the same thing. This time, she made sure to keep her emotions under control to not cause a second astrological change. Their subtle glances stayed unnoticed by most sitting around the table except for Queen Amelia, who watched the two curiously after having seen an expression on her son’s face she had never seen before in the eighteen years she had taken care of him, even if she had not seen him very often after he turned sixteen and had started travelling.