Emiel Regis x Reader

Twenty-Three

With a satisfied look on your face, you sat next to Dettlaff, right across Orianna, and smiled at her. Politely, you bowed your head to greed everyone at the table and took a sip from the goblet, that stood right in front of you.

"Ah, I see you two have decided.", Orianna smiled pleased. "I am glad you are here. I was very excited to meet you. And Regis is always a welcomed guest at my table. Please, suite yourself. I hope the servings are to your liking."

Thanking her with another nod of the head, you let your eyes wander over the table.

There were plenty of dishes, from filled pies, to grilled mushrooms, lots of exotic fish and even an entire pig, that had been roasted over open fire. It smelled of thyme and other fresh herbs, that grew in Regis' garden. There were a few other options, like salted potatoes and noodles but you were quite hungry and went for an entire meal, including veggies, meat and a bit on the side.

"So tell me, Orianna, how do you and Regis met?", you asked, while your mouth was empty. "He never really told me. And he also never told me about the origins of his and Dettlaff's friendship."

The black-haired vampire to your left smiled politely. Dettlaff was younger than Regis, at least he wasn't all that grey yet and seemed a little less wise. Nevertheless, he was friendly, as he was the only one besides Regis and Orianna, who really tried to be reasonable and did not look at you like you were some sort of disease.

"It's a funny story, but maybe for a later point of the evening.", he said, swallowing his food. "Without the right amount of alcohol, it is kind of a strange story and maybe not very fitting for this occasion. But I'll be glad to tell you, if Regis doesn't do it at some point this evening."

Dettlaff had not talked a single word with you until now. He had already drunken a bit of wine and seemed to be in a rather good mood, despite the many people sitting around the table. Regis had told you that he was not all that social but right now he seemed like an important part for the life of the dinner.

"Oh, please, we can't tell that today. People will think we are morons.", Regis protested, while laughing.

The goblet, that he drank from, was filled with water. He had refused to drink any wine and especially not the liquid that smelled suspiciously like blood. Orianna had not offered him any but the other guests had demanded for him to drink, so each one would have been able to enjoy themselves.

But Regis had been persistent and refused every single time. You, on the other hand, felt a little bad, since you were on your second glass of wine already. But drinking blood was out of the question for you too.

The mood was good, even though Regis was a little tense next to you and kept glaring over to the lady who was sitting at the other end of the table and having a great time with the men in the circle. Cheerfully laughing, she took a sip from her goblet and straightened the folds of her black dress smoothly.

Did he still love her?

"Regis has a lot of stories to tell.", said the woman who had to be Teriana, smiling sweetly at Regis. "That's why I loved him so much. I never got bored. He said nice things to keep me in a good mood. I think his stories were the reason why he was my favourite."

Her face had taken on a slightly red color, she was probably already a little drunk. But that didn't stop her from drinking more. With each sip, she became more and more lively, chatted more and you could see that Regis was just getting stiffer.

Worryingly, you grabbed his hand under the table and squeezed it.

"Are you all right?", you asked whispering.

He nodded quickly, but wouldn't let go of your hand. His fingers were soft and slim, but shaking a little but in your grip.

"You never told me you liked my stories.", he suddenly said to Teriana.

Why did he even care?

They weren't dating anyone. Everything was way in the past.

So why did he had to ask this, as if it was supposed to be an accusation?

That kind of bothered you. But there was no way in hell, that you were showing that in public.

A soft laugh escaped Teriana, as she emptied her goblet and put it back on the table, to look him right in the eyes.

"I thought you knew.", she said in a sweet tone. "I always listened to you, no matter how long. I always thought they were stories that you had made up to entertain me. But now I know, that they were just stories about your adventures. To be honest, that makes them all more entertaining to me."

She smiled even broader, leaned forward a little and raised her chin. Now, everyone had a deep view inside her décolleté. Of course, it was meant for Regis.

But he and Dettlaff were the only ones who did not try to look at it.

"It always felt like you were mocking me. As if I was a liar.", Regis said, not letting his eyes off her face.

Teriana stopped smiling.

"Well, you did tell a lot of weird things."

"We are vampires, Teriana. How more weird can it get?"

For a moment, she just sat there, unsatisfied and maybe even a little annoyed by his emotionless response. But then, her eyes fell onto you and the smile returned. This time, however, it was an evil smile, that foreshadowed nasty words and hurtful things.

"Well it can't really get weirder. But it can always get more terrible.", she muttered. "As terrible as a vampire human crossbreed. Speaking of wich, how does you little... experiment go? I'm sure the eldest would like to hear about your progress."