Chapter 10: A Lost Love

Diana gathered her courage and accepted the invitation. She moved quickly, shutting and locking the door behind her. “How did you know I was outside your door?”

“I heard your heart beating like a symphony,” Rosaline answered in a coy tone. She sat at her desk performing her duties as Colchester’s overseer. Her eyes seemed to glow in the candlelight as she flashed her guest a warm smile.

The hunter grit her teeth in agitation. “Why do you keep saying such things? We met only yesterday, and you speak as though we’ve been together for years.”

Rosaline turned her chair around and grinned. “Have you no sense of romance? It was love at first sight.”

Diana’s cheeks almost glowed bright red. “L-love? You don’t even know me!” she argued. “I came here to kill you! How is that the basis of a healthy relationship?!”

“It’ll become a funny story to tell our friends,” Rosaline suggested as she stood up from her chair. Diana backed up as Rosaline stalked toward her. She fell back on the bed and shivered when the vampire pinned her down.

“W-wait,” Diana weakly pleaded.

Rosaline immediately stopped. “Yes?” She pulled away and let Diana sit up.

“I… I’ve never been in a relationship before. I don’t know how this is supposed to work,” she confessed. “And I don’t really know who you are.”

Rosaline gently smiled and offered her hand. “All very fair points,” she agreed. “Come, let’s talk. I’ll answer all of your questions.”

They sat at opposite ends of a small table with a candle between them. Rosaline admired Diana’s eyes as the candlelight illuminated them. “So, what do you want to know? Ask anything you’d like.”

Diana tried to settle her pounding heart and gather her thoughts. “Your family name, de Clairmont, is French, right?”

“Yes. My family is from France. Most of them are still there.”

“You don’t have a French accent. Without your name, I would have assumed you were born and raised in England.”

Rosaline lightly chuckled and spoke in her normal French accent. “I have traveled the world over numerous times and learned how to change my voice,” she explained. “Would you prefer to hear my normal voice, dear?”

Her sultry voice echoed through Diana’s ears. “I-I don’t care,” the hunter insisted.

“My castle was destroyed during the wars between France and England. A group of hunters used the war as cover to attack. My father insisted that I flee to our ancestral home while he and his knights defeat the hunters,” Rosaline continued, reverting to her English accent. “No matter how many years pass, I will only ever be his little girl.”

“He designed and oversaw the construction of my current castle near Colchester. I’ve only ever visited this place once every few years after I founded it, and few would come looking for me,” she finished.

“You said you founded Colchester. How old are you?” Diana blurted out.

Rosaline feigned offense. “My, how rude of you to ask for a lady’s age.”

“Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean-!”

Rosalien laughed. “It’s fine! I promised to answer your questions,” she waved away Diana’s concerns. “I was born in the Greek colony of Massalia in 602 B.C. My parents helped found the colony and worked tirelessly to make it a safe place to have me. We stayed in the area and watched Gaul become Francia, and later the Kingdom of France.”

Diana’s mouth hung open in shock. “You’re two-thousand years old?!”

“Yes. I don’t look like it, do I?” Rosaline smiled in glee, enjoying her guest’s reaction.

“No, not at all,” Diana breathed.

“My, thank you~.” Rosaline teased, earning another blush from her guest. “Now, if I might ask you a question in turn?”

“Oh, yes. Please do,” Diana didn’t expect to be questioned, but she didn’t mind it.

“Why have you walked the path of a hunter?”

Diana thought for a moment. “Well, my father works for the Newcastle Clan, and it seemed natural to follow him,” she began. “I’ve seen the sort of horrors that monsters can inflict upon humanity. Vampires, werewolves, demons, wraiths, you name it, I’ve seen their victims. I want to be there to help people before they’re ripped from their families.”

Rosaline was sympathetic to her cause. “That’s why I underwent the trials to join the Shadow Inquisition,” she revealed, surprising Diana. “I’ve seen countless atrocities committed by both humans and non-humans. Though I take great pleasure in punishing the guilty, I find greater meaning in offering a hand to those who need help.”

Diana smiled and nodded. “I like helping people, too. I feel a sense of pride when I can save people from those creatures.”

She felt more comfortable around Rosaline. No flirting, no jokes, she knew they were on the same side in the battle against evil. Diana studied Rosaline’s smiling face and tried to fight back the one question she wanted to ask. She knew it would remove that smile the moment she said it.

“I’d like to ask something else, but you don’t have to answer it,” she finally said.

“Oh? What is it?” Rosaline was curious.

“You mentioned Catarina de’ Mozzi before. What exactly happened to her?”

A look of sorrow overcame Rosaline’s face. “Catarina and I, we were together for five hundred and ninety-nine years. We were going to celebrate our anniversary soon,” she began.

“Wow,” Diana was impressed. “When did you get married?”

Rosaline softly chuckled. “Vampires have their own wedding ceremony called a soul bond. We each mix a drop of blood and a special potion into a chalice and trade them. Then we drink. We share memories and experiences, and we’ll be able to sense one another no matter where we are in the world.”

“I guess that’s the best way to tell if someone really loves you,” Diana commented.

“Yes. We share our past, present, and future,” Rosaline explained. “We lived in a villa in San Severino, Italy. Catarina felt it was secluded enough for her to conduct her research. Personally, I’ve always loved Italy. She oversaw the villa’s construction herself. It was our home for over two centuries.”

“Then, someone delivered unstable mana cores,” Diana offered.

Rosaline nodded. “This was almost a decade ago. I heard that a group of hunters was searching for a tatzelwurm. Catarina insisted that I help them since it was so close to San Severino.” She narrowed her eyes and looked at the candle. “I gathered my equipment and rode off to help the hunters. I was a mile away from home when I sensed Catarina’s emotions change from curiosity to fear. Then I saw the light erupt from our villa. I sensed her die.”

Another question nagged at the hunter. “Catarina worked with the Shadow Inquisition, right? Why didn’t your people launch an inquisition?”

Anger and resentment boiled within her. “Catarina was known for her dangerous experiments. They said the explosion was most likely an accident and that I was lucky to avoid her fate.” She took a deep breath to settle her nerves. “I refuted those claims and even challenged some of her accusers to duels to defend her honor. Our king stepped in to calm the situation and gave me leave to investigate.”

Diana rose from her chair and went to Rosaline. She pulled the vampire up and wrapped her in a warm and comforting embrace. She felt warm, and her perfume nearly clouded her mind. The woman in her arms didn’t seem like an immortal killer, but a woman who bared her soul and left herself vulnerable. “I’m so sorry.” Her voice trembled. “I understand why you’re so determined to find the people who sent us to kill you. I promise to help you find them.”