Dom was right.

This was an undeniable fact. And although, under different circumstances, being correct in his speculations would have filled him with pride, the truth was that in this case, it only made him feel disdain.

He had predicted, correctly, that the soldiers at the Sforza residence gate would be skeptical about letting anyone inside. He also assumed that, once Raffaele arrived and explained the reason for their visit, those same soldiers would take the message to the count and, eventually, grant them access.

This was exactly what happened, just as if Dom himself had been the one pulling the strings in this strategy.

Raffaele and he were promptly guided into the manor's interior; a baroque-style palazzo with French influences, much more modern and better preserved than the castle in the woods — as Raffaele ventured to remark, with evident admiration in his tone. As for Dom, although he wasn't blind enough to miss the lavish decor, he chose to remain silent, not even allowing the butler who guided them to meet the count to know what he was thinking.

Since his time at the monastery, he had learned that when dealing with an unfamiliar place, full of people he didn't trust, it was best to stay quiet and observe everything until he could get a better understanding of the exact situation.

So, showing that caution, Dom entered the spacious room where Count Sforza would receive them.

Raffaele had taken the lead in the entire journey, and now that the butler had left them alone, waiting for His Lordship to grace them with his presence, Dom hoped it would remain that way: He had no problem speaking with the upper classes, but experience also told him that they were the ones who usually had issues talking to people like him.

"He must be very busy with official matters," Raffaele commented after five minutes in the empty room.

"It's a test," Dom observed, seeming more paranoid here than at the supposed vampire's fortress. "He's making us wait to see if we're foolish enough to steal something when no one's watching."

"Huh? I would never do such a thing! And you wouldn't either, right?"

"There wouldn't be much to steal," Dom shrugged, avoiding admitting that he might have resorted to such delinquency if the need had been extreme. "And besides, it wouldn't be very smart to do it now. This could also be a ruse to get us nervous."

"Nervous?" Raffaele repeated, incredulous. How much evil had this man been protected from?

"You know, making us wait until we start wondering if he'll really see us, if the trip's been worth it. These lords love to do this kind of thing."

"I've never made anyone wait who showed interest in visiting me," Raffaele protested, though far from angry at the insinuation, he seemed more curious. "Not unless I really was caught at a bad time and couldn't let them in right away."

"You're different, this doesn't apply to you."

Needless to say, Dom wasn't trying to be specifically kind to him. Wasn't he right, though? This suspicious individual who might be a vampire was more pleasant than many humans Dom had met. And putting aside the waiting business, Dom believed him capable of the slightest offense: His conscience wouldn't allow it.

Having such a good opinion of him made Raffaele happy, and he smiled non-stop until, after almost fifteen minutes of waiting for any sign from the owner of the villa, Count Sforza finally made his appearance.

And he did so, just as Dom expected. That is, without offering much of an excuse for his tardiness, claiming he had been occupied with some unspecified matter, and addressing only Raffaele, as if Dom weren't present. Or, more likely, as if Alessandro Sforza had mistaken him for a servant, and therefore didn't consider him worthy of speaking to.

A common attitude, in fact, for not many nobles would approach His Lordship with the expectation that their servants should be included in the conversation.

And Raffaele, though he might have been offended by this, wisely decided to focus on what they had come to do, starting, as he should, with an apology for coming here without a prior appointment.

"What brings you here?" asked the count, who, after accepting the apology, seemed more curious about Raffaele's presence than annoyed by the potential interruption to his routine. "It's not that I mind your visit, in fact, I still have that invitation to fulfill. It's just that today I wasn't prepared to receive anyone."

"Oh, no, we came about something else. A more urgent matter that we know has been troubling the whole village; the dinner can wait."

"Today's not a day for collecting taxes either, though, unlike a good meal, I wouldn't mind advancing that, if someone felt so inclined."

Raffaele took a few seconds to understand that, if he did nothing, someone would proceed to strip him of his wealth in the fine manner feudal lords used when dealing with someone not too different in social status. That is, with kind words, pretending that such a financial sacrifice would be for the common good.

Luckily, Raffaele was able to reposition himself in time:

"I was referring to the attacks."

"The attacks?" The count looked momentarily confused.

"The vampire going after innocent children? I understood you were offering a reward for anyone who had information about its whereabouts."

"Oh, that! What a fool I am, with so many things going on I sometimes forget the most basic things," he suddenly became serious, as if divine enlightenment had finally struck, making him remember. "Yes, that's right. I've been worried about these constant attacks on our youth for some months. An atrocity that, as you can understand, cannot be allowed. If barbaric creatures start feeding on children, who will be left to do the work in the future?"

"Uh... yes, that's a valid concern," Raffaele put on his best diplomatic tone, though Dom was certain that wasn't what was worrying him. "That's why we decided to help with the cause."

"Does that mean you've found the vampire?"

"Not exactly." Was it Dom's imagination, or could he sense a sigh of relief from the count when Raffaele said this? "I think we'll need more clues to find it, and that's why we thought it best to come to you."

"I barely know anything about the matter, only what I've heard here and there in the streets," Sforza stated. "I doubt I'll be of any help: The only reason I offered a reward is because it seemed like a serious matter when I heard it from the villagers. As for me, I've never been attacked by any hellish creatures."

"It's a great stroke of luck that you've stayed safe, no doubt. But... uh... I was thinking, maybe you'd have an idea of who the first person to be attacked was? We're conducting our own investigation, but we've found that the villagers' accounts are somewhat... inconsistent, at best."

"I know that feeling. I was a bit skeptical at first too, but after hearing the rumors, I finally thought, why shouldn't it be real? The testimonies match the supernatural legends our ancestors used to tell us."

"I suppose that's true..."

"Regarding the first victim of the monster... What was their name? I'm terrible with names," the count seemed to be thinking for a long while, during which no one said a word, before continuing. "I think it was someone called Carlo or Callisto. I don't know, I can give you a description if you want, because I have no idea what their surname is or where they live."

Any help was welcome, and thus, Dom and Raffaele gladly accepted the possible name along with its corresponding description. Apparently, Sforza wasn't going to be of much further use to them: It was already quite unbelievable that the man even remembered the child who had started it all.

Now, with nothing else to contribute to the cause, the lord of the land seemed eager to send them off.

"If you have no other questions, I'd appreciate it if you would leave. I was in the middle of a game..." he paused, quickly correcting himself, "I mean, in the middle of reviewing some very important documents that I have to send to Milan, and I think I've already delayed long enough."

"Just one more thing, Your Lordship," Dom ventured, before Raffaele could proceed with the goodbyes. "I don't mean to sound impertinent, and I apologize in advance if I come across that way, but... Knowing there could be a vampire in these lands, is there any reason why you haven't sent your guard to try and capture it? Not to discredit the reward and the opportunity for the villagers to catch it themselves, of course."

Sforza looked at Dom as if he had just appeared out of thin air before him, unsure which confused him more: that he was there, or that he had dared to speak to him.

"It's a matter of resource scarcity, truly," he finally responded. "This is a small village, and I'm an important man. One cannot just send out all the few men he has to go on a witch hunt. And no, it's not that I don't believe in it; quite the opposite. I wouldn't offer so much money to capture the vampire if I didn't think it was a real threat! But I'm not willing to leave my home unprotected just so the villagers can feel safe. That's why I turned to my second-best option: pay outside people to do the job."

Dom nodded, lowering his head as he had so often done during those times when he had to exchange a few words with authority, and said nothing more. Raffaele was the one who, once again, thanked the count for his help, and finally proceeded with the long-awaited goodbyes.

It had been tricky, but it hadn't gone too badly.

The count had been cooperative, and despite his sudden appearance, he never reproached them for taking the initiative. In fact, before leaving the meeting room, Sforza reiterated once more, with a serious expression, how much he appreciated that there were people willing to leave their daily tasks to help with the vampire cause.

An attitude that Raffaele appreciated, but which Dom found more and more suspicious.

"Do you believe what he said about the guard?" Dom asked Raffaele once they were back on the street.

"Well... yes. This isn't a big city, it's normal not to have a lot of staff," Raffaele replied. And, perhaps sensing Dom would have something to say about it, he added, "What do you think?"

"It's true that you wouldn't need much staff to live in a village, but in that case, it makes me wonder, what are the duties of the servants Sforza currently has? Do you think it's necessary to have a couple of armed guards at the door of his mansion twenty-four hours a day?"

"If it were me... or rather, I think most lords, living so far from a large population center, would settle for having a butler to open the door for visitors."

"That much security wouldn't be necessary," Dom confirmed.

"Unless..." Raffaele began, grabbing Dom's arm as if by reflex with the sudden realization, "unless the count has valid reasons to suspect that it's him they're going to target."

"But didn't we agree that the vampire was only after children?"

"That's what they say... And His Lordship, too, perhaps to avoid looking vulnerable in public. However, you've said it yourself, it's strange that he would need so much security with a threat hanging over the townspeople."

"Do you realize that, regardless of whether you're right about this, it puts Sforza in a terrible light? He'd practically be admitting that he cares more about saving his own skin than ensuring no one else gets hurt."

"Maybe," Raffaele conceded, although it was clear that speculating negatively about others wasn't something he particularly enjoyed. He then suggested, "Why don't we go ask more people about the attacks? There's still some daylight left, let's make use of it. Maybe we can still uncover something interesting."