024:- Moonlit Lake

Their destination was a truly scenic sight, the near-full moon was in full view, illuminating the perfectly still lake beneath. It looked to be like there were two moons, one on the ground and one in the sky.

Alessio barely gave the breathtaking view a second glance, he had seen it enough times to grow accustomed. He leaned against the balustrade with his back to the lake, his gaze on Silvan who was looking over the balcony to the lake surrounded by a flower garden, white flowers gleaming like stars on the ground.

He wanted to get closer to Prince Silvan for several reasons but the most important reason he wanted to gain the human Prince's trust was to learn more about Eleanor. It didn't feel right to question the grieving Prince about his dead sister just yet, so he hoped to build a decent friendship first.

"My sincerest condolences about the passing of the Princess," He said politely, choosing his words carefully.

Silvan wrenched his gaze from the lake below, looking at him with a gaze reminiscent of the first time they met, blue-green eyes stormy.

Alessio straightened up, panicked that he had made a blunder. "I apologize for overstepping."

Silvan forced himself to look away, the cold light of the moon showing the exhaustion on his face. "You didn't," He said but his voice lacked strength, "Thank you. It's just… it's only been a few weeks, it's difficult to speak about."

Alessio didn't speak further about the matter, his voice free of blame as he spoke. "I understand."

Silvan scoffed silently, the hard lines of his face tense as he looked over the balcony. How could a Vampire understand? The tension seeped out of his jaw, his shoulders slouching. Alessio was hardly to blame, there were a variety of reasons Eleanor had to live such a wretched life, and the Vampire Prince was at the bottom of the barrel when it came to dishing out the blame.

"Why don't we talk about something else?" Alessio bravely kept speaking despite the tense atmosphere. "What's your preference, arts or the sword?"

Alessio couldn't hide his curiosity, waiting impatiently for a response. He appraised Silvan as he waited, trying to come to his own conclusion. He truly couldn't say which, Silvan was reserved like one studying the path of knowledge but the Prince's physique said otherwise. He was easily a head taller than Alessio, and despite looking a bit emaciated, the strength in his body was evident at first glance.

"Neither," Silvan spoke little. He hadn't wanted to humor the Vampire Prince at all but Alessio was more insistent now that it was just the two of them than he had been at the grand hall.

Alessio paused and then laughed softly, turning to the side and covering his mouth, his shoulders shaking lightly in mirth. "I suppose I'm the same, also neither, I prefer decadence." He looked over to say, the corners of his red lips lifting.

Silvan felt the world spin a little in front of his eyes, only settling down when he glanced at the calming sight of the moon. He couldn't quite say that he used to be a man of the cloth until rather recently, so he chose silence, hoping that Alessio would take the hint this time.

"If you haven't tried wine, what else haven't you tried?" Alessio seemed to move even closer, his hair falling like a curtain when he tilted his head to the side.

Silvan could pretend not to hear but he had a feeling that it wouldn't be enough to deter Alessio. Now that the Vampire brought up this topic, his curiosity was piqued for the first time, after all, this was the man his sister would have married. "Pleasure." He said bluntly, his expression remaining unchanging.

Alessio hadn't at all expected that response, the Vampire hastily looked away, red crawling up his face and down the opening of his dress shirt. "Neither have I," He said quietly, "So let's call it moot. I'll go next," He cleared his throat lightly, regaining his courage with each word he spoke, but not enough to show his face.

Silvan was surprised by this, looking at Prince Alessio with new eyes. He watched the Vampire Prince struggle to regain his composure and fail, the flush seeming to spill past his slender wrists. He focused on Alessio's words then, wondering when this became a game of things they hadn't tried yet.

"Hunting," Alessio self-reported, his tone still quiet, his face averted.

"I've not gone hunting either," Silvan admitted, his words less clipped, faintly guilty about his assumptions.

This made Alessio turn around, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Are you just saying that to soothe me?"

"I wouldn't lie." Silvan said with far more weight than the light-hearted situation warranted. His back was straight, blue-green eyes cold, demeanor that of a High Priest.

"I didn't…" Alessio trailed off, taking a physical step back. "You want to return to your room, don't you?" He asked, more subdued than he was at the start of the conversation.

Silvan hesitated, he wasn't great with conversations, but he couldn't help but feel like he had said something wrong. "Yes." He replied coolly, sweeping one last look at the moonlit lake. If Prince Alessio didn't believe him, then that was it. He wouldn't try to convince the Vampire otherwise, he had nothing to prove.

"Come with me," Alessio invited, walking off the balcony, black hair swaying.

Silvan was grateful that Alessio was still gracious enough to lead him back to his rooms. He would try to get some rest when he returned to his quarters, he had barely gotten any sleep on the journey here and even before that.

Alessio was silent on the way to his quarters, it stood out because the Vampire seemed to seize every chance to strike up a conversation. Silvan glanced at him, unable to figure out if he had offended the Prince. This was progress if anything, he was actually a little concerned that he had offended a Vampire, perhaps it wouldn't be too torturous in the court of Vampires.