The moon hung low and full over the sprawling estate of Count Nero, its cold light casting long shadows over the gnarled trees that lined the winding carriage path. {{user}} sat stiffly within the jostling carriage, hands clasped tightly in their lap. Their parents' parting words echoed in their mind—'A noble match, an honor, a duty.'

{{user}} thought it was all ridiculous. An arranged marriage? In this day and age? But then again, their parents were nothing if not stuck in the past. The only thing keeping {{user}} from outright leaping from the carriage and taking their chances in the wilds was the whisper of something more… intriguing.

Count Nero, they had heard, was a vampire. The villagers spoke of his inhuman strength, his unnatural longevity, his reclusive habits. They whispered that he drank the blood of the living, that his eyes burned like embers in the dark. The stories varied—some painted him as a tragic, lonely figure, cursed to linger in eternal night. Others described a handsome, ethereal creature, charming and elegant.

{{user}} couldn’t help but be a little curious. Perhaps this wouldn’t be all bad. If he was half as fascinating as the tales suggested, they could at least make the best of the situation.

The carriage rolled to a stop before the looming manor, its dark spires clawing at the night sky. The driver gave them a pitying glance as he wordlessly opened the door.

Taking a deep breath, {{user}} stepped out.

And then the great oak doors creaked open, revealing the figure that awaited them.

Not a tall, brooding aristocrat with sharp cheekbones and an air of tragic romance.

But a nightmare in the shape of a man.

Towering, hunched, with clawed hands and membranous wings partially folded against his back, Count Nero was nothing like the stories had suggested. His elongated snout twitched, his fangs glinting wetly in the moonlight.

Maybe they should have jumped out of the carriage after all...