Interrogation

No word was said. The other people in the tavern stayed silent.

Roman still had a wide smile on his face, his blue eyes becoming even lighter.

"I am not going to ask you again." Roman repeated, his voice low, "Will you stay for dinner tonight?"

My body was stiff. I clenched my hand under the table into a fist.

Eden's look of annoyance didn't change. However, she knew that a direct fight here against a knight of the Froste family was suicide.

"Of course," she said, her voice cheerful. She sat back in her chair. "If you insist. I don't want to be rude."

The tension didn't disappear, but it seems like Roman lowered his guard for now.

"Great!" Roman clapped his hands together. Roman then called out, "Father, we have a guest for dinner. Can you close up a bit early tonight?"

Then the scenery around us changed; the blurriness was gone. The crowd had vanished, leaving only a handful of people behind.

Andor then came out from behind the bar and looked between the three of us. He sensed something was wrong but couldn't put his finger on

He was a simple man who ran a simple tavern; knights and their strange missions were beyond his world. He grunted in agreement, getting ready to move and tell the drunk men to finish their drinks.

I stayed frozen, thinking. Roman knew about Eden, but how? She shouldn't be detectable by normal means. Also, why not just attack us since he already put us in an illusion?

Eden gave me a quick glance.

Roman broke the silence, his cheerful tone returning. "The food my father makes is excellent, but this place isn't exactly suited for a private conversation. There's a room upstairs. We can eat there."

I didn't dare to reply, knowing that he had already caught on to my connection to Eden.

I nodded, pushing my chair back. Eden also got up.

We followed Roman up. Andor watched us with a worried frown but didn't say anything.

The room was simple. It was Andor's small office, with a round table and three chairs hastily placed in the center.

A single oil lamp was on the wall. Roman closed the door behind us.

"Please sit." Roman gestured to the chairs.

We sat. Eden on one side, me on the other. Roman remained standing, his back to the door.

He looked at Eden, and the friendly mask dropped away. "My name is Roman Summers. A knight of the Froste family. My mission in Carleone is to investigate the recent surge in vampire activity."

Eden replied with surprise, "Vampires? Here in the capital? How interesting. What did they do?"

Roman looked at her and let out a short laugh. "Some. A few low-level adventurers have gone missing. Rumors of the great vampire families making moves. And then, something truly surprising: the assassination of Lord Winfield himself."

His eyes turned to me.

"The official story is that a young, unknown undead infiltrated the Winfield mansion. Manipulated the children and then killed the lord. The assassin's name was Taro."

My heart rate went up. How could I be so stupid? I should have used a fake name from the moment I escaped.

Conall had faked a story, and now it's the official truth. It even got to the Froste family.

"That sounds stupid," Eden said, her voice light. "It sounds like a plot from a cheap novel. Do people actually believe it?"

"My superiors do. And my job is to find the killer. I followed a lead last night. "A simple vampire; instead, I found you." He pointed a finger at me.

He paused for a moment before continuing, "You fought well. However, you are undead, and your friend here," He looked at Eden. "She smells of jasmine. I don't think you're a fan of flowers, are you, Eden?"

He figured it out. Just like that. What do I do?

"I don't know what you're talking about," I said, my mouth moving before my mind.

Roman let out a disappointed sigh. He reached into his coat and pulled out a small silver object. It looked like an old pocket watch; he placed it on the table between us.

"This is a family heirloom," Roman explained. "The 'Truth Clock,' my grandfather named it. It doesn't reveal any truth in reality. However, it reacts to night creatures."

He looked at Eden. "Its hands get faster when near a vampire."

The watch on the table remained still. Eden had a smile on her face. "Is it broken?"

"No," he replied. Then he tapped the watch. "It wasn't on."

His thumb pressed a small hidden button on the side.

A soft blue light emanated from the watch. The light was faint, and then the watch's hands began to move faster and faster.

And each time they slowed down when they pointed at Eden.

Her smile was gone, and for a moment her eyes went back to red.

"So," Roman continued, "let's stop acting. You are a vampire of a noble line. And he—" He looked at me. "Is the one they call the assassin of Lord Winfield. Why are you here? And why are you together?"

Eden took a deep breath, thinking of what to say. "I am Eden Winfield."

Roman's eyes widened a bit. She was the daughter of the lord who had just been killed.

Eden continued, "And Taro is not a killer. He was a victim."

"A convenient story. Why should I believe you?"

"..." Eden looked at the ground, then me. "My brother, Conall, is the one who killed our father. He used a ritual to become the new head of the family. He used Taro as a scapegoat, leaving him to bear the weight of the Reverse Death curse. I am sure you've heard of it before since you seem to be a high-ranked knight."

She leaned on the table, her red eyes glowing. "You said your mission was to investigate a surge in vampire activity. And it will continue even after Taro's death. Because of Conall, he has our father's power but none of his restraints. Ever since he was a kid, he believed that the five families are weak and that they should unite under one ruler. him, he will start a war. And when he does, it won't just be our kind who suffers. Day creatures like you will be in danger as well."

Roman was silent, his gaze still on Eden. He was listening, then he glanced at the pocket watch; it vibrated as she spoke.

Truth watch. It was used in the war by his grandfather as a way to interrogate night creatures. It first detects their presence. If they speak the truth, the entire watch vibrates. If they lie, the hands spin counterclockwise.

It seems like she was telling the truth. Or at least that, she believed what she was saying. But it didn't confirm her story.

Taro might've brainwashed her into believing all of this.

I watched Roman's face; he was processing the info.

"What about you, Taro?" Roman asked, his eyes shifting back to me, "Where do you fit in all of this?"

"Eden took me to the mansion to help me. And I became friends with Conall, believing that he was trying to help his father. Then he used me to take the blame for him." I explained, following Eden as she said the truth.

Roman didn't seem like a bad person, and he was listening to us. If there was just a chance he could help us, then we could use the Froste family.

"Your story is compelling," he admitted with a smile, "but it's just that. A story. My orders, however, are clear. I am to find and eliminate the assassin."

His eyes moved to me in a flash.

"Is that your only order?" Eden asked suddenly.

Roman's head snapped up. "What?"

"The Froste family are not fools," Eden said. "Solfrid Froste is the most cunning of all the family heads. He would not send a knight of your caliber on a simple mission to help the vampires. That's odd, isn't it?"

Roman didn't answer.