Franka

Kevina had gotten married one year ago.

Telman von Moosbaum came from a smaller aristocratic family. But through the production of beautiful glass diamonds, his own idea, he had made it to great wealth. Particularly popular, however, were glass brooches, which he started to produce about half a year ago. His jewelry looked very expensive. His target audience and main customers were middle-class citizens. The cheap jewelry sold well and Telman increasingly gained prestige among the nobility. He was twenty years older than the now thirty-year-old Kevina. But, as is usual for long-lived people, this was not visible to the two.

Kevina was waiting for her family in front of the rather modest door of her new, simple property. She and Telman had only recently moved in. The property needed to be renovated. During the eleven months, the two had lived with Telman's parents. The renovation wasn't quite over yet, but the two couldn't stand it anymore to live with his parents. The older vampires had special ideas about how the two should conduct their marriage. Ideas with which both did not agree. Telman's parents meant well. They were generally good people. But Kevina didn't appreciate being interfered with or questioned (albeit with good intentions) in her decisions.

Kevina wore a dress made of shimmering fabric that reminded Franka of a foggy night. Within the past year, Kevina had gained weight. Her dress stretched something under her arms. But she was beautiful. Franka envied her straight hair, which shone silkily. However, Kevina looked unusually pale and sickly. There was no sign of her once rosy cheeks.

"Daddy!" Kevina stormily greeted her father and then the rest of the family. "Wonderful! The house is almost finished. I can't wait to show you everything. Telman has exceptional taste! The façade will be even more magnificent and two rooms are not yet finished, but that doesn't matter. You will be amazed!"

"Should we be afraid?", Coletta whispered to Franka.

"I don't know", Franka murmured. "Which family had owned the property? It is said to have been cheap. Maybe it's haunted here..."

Coletta chuckled. Kevina, who had heard everything, wrinkled her nose. "It's not haunted here. No ghosts. No. I would certainly not tolerate any hauntings in my house!" Her gaze lingered briefly on Coletta's dress, which was embroidered with sunflowers. "You look pretty, Coletta. I like your dress."

Franka smiled. Coletta, on the other hand, secretly rolled her eyes.

Kevina led her family into the estate. Telman was waiting for her at the stairs. He wore a white dressing gown that seemed to glow in contrast to his darker skin. His brown hair was disheveled.

"Our guests are already here?" Yawning, he smoothed out the fabric of his gown. "I must have overslept... Sorry for my appearance. I'll be with you in a minute!" Grinning, he hurried off to put on something more appropriate. Just like Kevina, the vampire was of round stature.

"He had to take care of his company for many hours yesterday. There was a fire. Fortunately, the damage has remained minimal", Kevina explained. "Come. I'll show you how nice it is here." She led her family through almost every room. Franka grimaced as she spotted all sorts of grotesque vases and smaller statues among the expensive, dark furniture. Coletta, on the other hand, seemed to be amused by the decoration. She just pointed to a strangely twisted figure of a naked man. "Franka! Look... The... Dingeling is way too long!", she whispered to Franka, giggling. "That's up to his knees! Do you think, Kevina was disappointed on her wedding night?"

"Coletta!", Franka hissed.

Their mother, on the other hand, tried to praise every room, while their stepfather also was irritated by the decoration. The tour ended in the dining room. Speechless, they stared at the large dining room table, which Kevina praised to them, like the greatest treasure.

"This table is custom-made. Telman made the sketches according to which this gem was built. He's so talented!"

"I can see that, my darling", her father murmured. The table, made of reddish-brown wood, had the shape of an unclothed human body, with bite wounds from a vampire on his neck. The proportions of the 'man' were too long. The human face, which had been made of coarse, various pieces of wood, stared enraptured at the painted ceiling. The old ceiling painting showed women and men looking down at the table with amusement.

"Delightful", Prince Tenner breathed confusedly. "An interesting table."

"Indeed!" Nodding contentedly, she sat down on one of the fine chairs. “Sit down, please. Telman should be here right away. I instructed the servants to serve a light soup. You're hungry, aren't you?"

"Of course." Franka's mother nodded. "You've really thought of everything!"

Ignoring the table, they sat down. It took some time for servants to bring the food and dishes. Of course, this was unusual, normally the table should already be set, but Kevina did not mind. She had wanted to present the table in all its glory. Franka struggled to hold back her laughter.

"I chose the wrong seat!" Coletta muttered, pointing to the table. Now Franka had to laugh after all. Coletta sat right in front of the shown human’s Dingeling, as she used to say. "Telman has problems! Big problems!", she grumbled. "And Kevina likes this? I hope she's just pretending. I bet Telman's parents kicked them out because they couldn't stand the madness anymore. Not Kevina and Telman."

Franka agreed with a giggle.

When the soup was served, a vegetarian vegetable soup, Telman sat down with them, dressed all in black. Over dinner, they talked about Kevina and her husband's plans for the future. Kevina still hoped to inherit the throne. The final decision was still not clear. The soup tasted good, but to everyone's chagrin, they were not served any blood to drink.

"We're living as vegan vampires now!" Telman replied when Kevina's father asked for blood. "No blood. Neither animal blood nor human blood. When it comes to food, we alternate between vegetarian and vegan. But when it comes to blood, we are vegans. To sharpen our minds. I'm sure Kevina will become a wise queen. Renunciation as a conscious decision will steel us!"

Kevina nodded in love.

"Oh", Martha replied. "But... Blood is vital for us. Without it, we get sick! And the succession to the throne has not yet been decided. Aren't you exaggerating?"

Tenner shook his head and kissed Kevina's hand. "We're doing wonderfully. And I believe in my wife."

Franka and Coletta exchanged shocked looks. This explained why Kevina seemed sickly and had gained weight. When vampires did not drink blood, they instinctively tried to make up for the deficiency with other food. Since this was not possible, it caused them to overeat. At the same time, they became weakened and susceptible to human diseases, which vampires normally could not infect with. Their lifespan was not automatically shortened, but they could die from human disease.

"And if you get sick?" Franka asked, alarmed. "That's dangerous!"

"It will strengthen us, Franka. We're not going to get sick", Kevina replied with a faint smile. "But I'm glad you're worried about me. I promise to take care of myself. Don't worry."

Kevina - With 20. (She is 30 years old now.)

Coletta - 18 years old.

Franka - 19 years old.