Aulus was waiting in the meeting room. He was sitting on a chair, fiddling with a quill. He didn’t know why they asked him to come here after the gladiator match. But he was pretty sure he didn’t do anything wrong. He ran over his conversation with Niu over and over in his head, trying to see if he mentioned or did something he shouldn’t have. Other than that, his days had been routine, so if someone had a problem with him, chances were it was because of the human.

The door opened, and Aulus got up. A woman entered. She was tall, with long brown hair cascading in waves down her back. Her skin was smooth and had a slight pallor to it, and her face was as rigid as stone.

“Oh, it’s just you.” Aulus sat back down, exasperated. “Good afternoon Drusa. Do you know why I have been summoned here?”

“I don’t have the slightest idea why you were summoned, or why I was summoned.” Drusa sat down on the chair and leaned back. She picked up a grape from the table and ate it.

“And yet you are not worried in the slightest.” Aulus turned to face her. Now he really didn't know why he was here. Drusa didn't have anything to do with the humans. He felt Drusa was hiding the reason from him just because he wanted to see him sweat.

"That's because I don't think everyone should know how I feel all the time. Especially if you are a woman.” Drusa leaned forward, towards Aulus. “I really hope you change that by the way. I’d like to stop pretending I can’t do whatever I feel like doing.”

“Well, when I retire you two can do whatever you want with this society, even if it means burning it all to the ground.” The Emperor appeared at the door. Crispus was behind him, his shadow as always.

Aulus got up. "Hello, father. May I ask why we're here?"

"You don't have to ask because I'll tell you as soon as I sit down." The Emperor changed his posture. He straightened up and walked over to the only empty chair in the room with the speed of a twenty-something-year-old man. He sat down and stretched out, cracking his neck. "Ugh, we really need to make up another way to do this. Walking like this is exhausting." Crispus sighed, a well-known reaction to when a vampire thought they shouldn't pretend they were aging simply because it was boring.

Aulus cleared his throat. Drusa smiled. "I think you might need to hurry up master before your son’s tension makes him burst a vein.”

Aulus turned to look at her. That was when he realized he had been grinding his teeth so much his jaw and all the muscles in his neck hurt. He realized his father's first sentence was odd. He usually said that ‘when you are Emperor, you can do whatever you want with this society, even if it means burning it to the ground.'  This time he said ‘you two.'

“Don’t worry it’s nothing bad. I just gathered you here to tell you two are engaged as of today. You'll get married after the appropriate time according to these humans is… how long was that Crispus?"

"A year or so will do. The families are very familiar with each other, and it won't be hard to fake that you've been in love for much longer." Crispus put his hands behind his back and recited. Aulus sometimes really hated the guy.

"Look, father, I know I need to get married to take over, but can't I wait until I find someone I actually love?"

"No, it would take too long." The Emperor crossed his arms over. "You already know every single vampire in our circle, and you barely tolerate most of them. If you were to actually fall in love, it would be with someone from another faction, and we do not have the luxury of easy communication with them. So, I am picking for you. Deal with it however you want to. But as long as the outside world is concerned you two are madly in love and are going to have a bunch of kids and lead this country into prosperity. Even if you have to have an open marriage in private. Got it?"

Aulus knew it was useless to argue. And the truth was he didn’t really care one way or the other. He didn’t plan on getting married or having kids. In fact, he was only looking for the first opening he could find to leave this place and travel the world. He kept that a secret for obvious reasons. He wished that his father wasn't the one who found him in that ruin, wasn't the one that turned him. He'd be content to have been turned by a random low-level vampire like Sergius was. "Understood father."

“And you Drusa? Are you going to object?”The Emperor turned to look at her. Aulus turned as well. He had never known Drusa to exhibit any emotion, but maybe the reveal that she was going to be third in line now would be enough to crack that stone shell.

It wasn't. Drusa looked as bored as ever. "Whatever you say, master. You know I obey you no matter what."

"Oh, I am well aware of that. Now, if you excuse me, I'll go and ‘take a nap.'" The Emperor got up, smiling. He walked over to the entrance, slowing down his every next step until he was walking as slowly as a man his age should.

Crispus bowed to Drusa and Aulus and left. He looked like he was making sure the Emperor didn’t fall over, but Aulus knew he was making sure the Emperor didn’t speed up again and ruin the rumors of his declining health. It would take too long to start them up again.

“You must be loving this.” Aulus looked at Drusa.

"Am I loving having to marry you? No. But I am loving the fact I will be the next in line right after you.” Drusa got up and left the room without saying goodbye.

Aulus rolled his eyes. Well, it could have been worse. At least Drusa loathed him. His father could have picked one of the female vampires who tried to suck up to him so he’d like them, or order him to marry a newbie and have her think it’s some sort of sigh of true love. Aulus could live through this. And at least he had a year of freedom.

For some reason, his mind floated back to the human he was in charge of. He assumed it happened because he was hungry, so he left to go feed.