The widowed duchess could not sit still, pacing from the window to the door and back. Her sister and niece had still not arrived. They had sent a letter at the moment of their departure, and they should have been in Kas for five days now. Delays on the road are possible, but not for five days! Her heart was anxiously tightening.
— Your Grace, Captain Vilor, — the old maid bowed, awaiting orders.
— Call him in.
The knight entered the room, barely managing a proper bow, and delivered the news.
— The search has yielded nothing, Madam. Seven days ago, your sister left the village of Nizkoye and has not been seen since.
The woman collapsed onto a chair in horror.
— But why didn't they travel on the main road?
— Your husband provided a small escort for your sister. Apparently, they feared the bandits who are still encountered there.
— Go, Captain.
Left alone, the duchess cried. Poor little sister. The youngest. The beloved. "I can't even properly avenge you, there are no people to help."
After crying it out, the woman composed herself and rang the bell. A maid came running at the sound and asked what her ladyship desired. The lady wished to write a letter.
The most unpleasant thing about summer is its end. There is nothing sadder and more melancholic than realizing that the end is near. Even autumn, with its withering, is beautiful. But the very end of summer, when everything around is still full of life, but you know that everything has already been sentenced… Alexander was always irritated by this. His own helplessness in the face of an almost endless celebration of life, expressed in the harvest of vegetables and fruits. Now, however, he felt no unpleasant emotions. For this alone, it was worth becoming a vampire.
— So, our fugitives have settled in the capital? — The triumvir stood by the window, looking at the stars, while the returning scout stood nearby.
— We tracked their route to Kas and their entire stay in the city until they left. The information about Kasiya is only rumors that came with merchant caravans.
— But they didn't hesitate to kill people left and right in Kas either.
— Correct. In a short period, they killed over sixty people, mostly bandits, so there was no panic in the city.
— Idiots.
The scout remained silent, though he fully agreed with this opinion. After a while, he spoke up with something quite different.
— Should we no longer look for the fugitives in the duchy?
— On the contrary. During all appearances in Kas, we should definitely check if our renegades have shown up in the city. I understand that the chance of their return is slim, but they acted like idiots and might make a mistake, deciding to return to more comfortable places. We have a good climate for vampires here.
— I understand, triumvir, — the scout bowed.
As soon as the vampire left the office, a young lady fluttered in. Fifteen-year-old Yulia, who had approached Alexander some time ago and offered to help with his tasks. The girl did not want to escape from construction work; all the help she intended to offer was extra work. Events almost a year ago had left a significant mark on her soul, and the feeling of gratitude to the person whom the vampires owed so much was very strong.
Seeing how one remaining triumvir was overwhelmed with work, she sincerely offered her assistance. Initially, she was refused; vampires still protected children, even though they drank the same blood as everyone else and knew all the adult world's rules. But after some thought, Alexander accepted the girl's offer, and she officially became his assistant. When the two other triumvirs returned from their campaigns, her position was officially titled Secretary of the Triumvirate.
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