Franka

"And? I heard you were able to admire your sister's new home. Unfortunately, Kevina hasn't invited us yet", the Queen said. She and the King had invited Franka and Coletta for tea (and blood). They sat together in the salon. In addition to a wonderfully fragrant tea, there was also a carafe of preserved bovine blood on the table, which had been sweetened with honey and refined with cinnamon.

"Well, we can't just visit someone either!" Her grandfather smiled.

"It was different", Coletta murmured, looking pleadingly at Franka to take the answer.

"Telman has an unusual taste. Their shared home is bizarre. The two feel comfortable. I think that's the most important thing. Kevina seemed to me to be very happy. I'm happy for them", Franka said. "But the decoration would be a bit too much for me to be honest."

"So bad?" The king giggled like a little child. "I rarely hear you describe anything as bizarre, Franka. So Telman doesn't have any taste, does he?"

"Indeed!" Coletta snorted, pouring some blood into her teacup. "But the two of them are happy."

Queen Neda nodded. "In this case, we can be thankful that we can't just leave the castle. And now, I have something else to tell you, children! I've heard about a wonderful seamstress!"

"A seamstress? Grandma!" Coletta almost jumped up. "She must be great when you tell us about her, grandmother! Do you want to have a new dress tailored?"

The queen reached for a biscuit that had been baked with blood in the dough and therefore had a reddish, dark brown color. "Absolutely. She is already on her way here. I want to see for myself what she can do."

The King rolled his eyes. "You know your grandmother. Constantly on the lookout for the most magnificent dress. If it were appropriate, I would walk around in the flour sack all day. They look comfortable!"

"Sunil! Don’t you dare!" Neda snorted, while Franka and Coletta suppressed their laughter. "So! I'm planning a special ball!"

"Again", murmured the King.

The Queen, annoyed, poked him in the side. Then she continued, "So! A ball. On the occasion of the... Oh! It doesn't matter. I want to celebrate. Does a Queen need a reason for this? No! And if the seamstress is as wonderful as I heard, then I let her sew dresses for my two darlings. You! And maybe a suit for Heinrich... But the boy is too much like his grandfather. If they were allowed to do so, they would appear naked at the ball!"

"Who doesn't like a fresh breeze between their legs!", joked the King. "It brings some swing that way!"

"Sunil!", cried the Queen.

"Grandpa!", shouted Franka and Coletta at the same moment.

"What?" Their grandfather winked at them. "This officially royal attire is uncomfortable. My grandson Heinrich at least understands this torment! The fabric is stiff!"

Neda rolled her eyes, but then she started laughing. "That's true, though."

When Franka and Coletta stepped out of the castle in a good mood to go home in a carriage, Heinrich came to meet them. He looked good. He had tied his blond hair into a short braid and wore a shimmering silver suit. "Franka! Coletta! What a surprise! This night can only be a good one if it starts with such a sight."

"The queen invited us for tea. Why are you here? To help your father? I heard he was sinking into a military financial report. Grandpa passed it on to him", Franka replied dryly, while Coletta's face turned red up to her ears. In fact, they had met their uncle in the castle. And he didn't look happy when he told them about his day's task.

"Ah! The King wants to discuss something with me. Hopefully, I'm not supposed to help with the boring report! Did you enjoy a tea party? What a pity that I wasn't invited. I would have liked to sit across from you two pretty girls!" He winked at them, then went into the castle. "I'm sure I'll see you again soon!" But he got stuck on a staircase with one of his fine shoes and stumbled. "Stupid expensive shoes, stupid stairs!", he muttered as he caught himself again. Franka giggled amusedly.

Coletta, on the other hand, stared after him with her mouth open. "He called us pretty."

"Hm." Franka rolled her eyes. "I don't like to be reduced to my looks. Do you?"

"Yes!", Coletta blurted out. "Uh. No. No!"

"I heard that!" Smiling, Franka pushed her sister to the carriage. "Just like I saw your red cheeks, dear sister!"

"I don't have red cheeks!", grumbled Coletta immediately.

Heinrich - 24 years old.

The Vampire Castle.