After dropping them off at the hotel, which turned out to be a learning experience for the duo, Karl and Aurelia were escorted to their rooms. Throughout their walk, the cousins had schooled their expressions to not give off any signs of inexperience.
A young man—clearly a magus—had been chosen as their escort and was supposed to handle all their requests. Including if they choose to leave the building. It was apparent to Karl the purpose this man served, besides reporting on them, was to inhibit their sphere of activity.
After dropping them off at their room, the man said, "If you have any requests, I will be in the room next door. Please don't hesitate to knock."
Karl nodded and asked, "What's your relationship with Edward?"
The man raised a brow at that, seemingly surprised at something, but was quick to school his expression. "He's my master." He replied.
"Talk later," Aurelia looked at him excitedly. "Now, where's my room?"
"This is your room." The man pointed at the door.
Karl frowned. "And where's mine?"
"This is your room." The man pointed at the same door. "Both of yours. I'm sorry, is there any problem?"
Karl shared a look with Aurelia, feeling his lips twitch slightly. "Why is there only a single room assigned to the two of us?"
"But Master Edward said to only book one." The man replied.
Karl sighed, while Aurelia looked troubled.
"I apologise." The man bowed slightly. "But if you would like to have separate rooms, then it's of no consequence. I will arrange it in a jiffy."
"No!" Aurelia voiced. Seeing the attention directed her away, she stammered. "Um. I mean, now that you've already booked a room for us, there's no need to change the arrangement. We would be perfectly fine with a single room."
Karl eyed her critically but chose not to comment. He watched as the man bowed one last time before retiring to his own room. He did hand them a card before that. It was supposed to be lodged into the slot, and then you turn the knob, and the door opens.
"We should talk inside," Aurelia suggested.
"Yeah." Karl agreed and pushed the card into the slot, retrieving the card back by turning the knob. Except the door didn't open. "Strange." He knit his brows in confusion.
Repeating the same pattern didn't work. "Did he lie to us?" Karl felt anger surge within him. First it was Edward, and now even his acolytes were mocking him.
"I don't think he did." Aurelia swiped the card off his hands. "See this arrow over here? I think it's supposed to go down." She put the card into the lock, and a small green dot blinked into existence. Pulling out the card, she turned the knob, and the door opened.
"Oh!" Karl raised a brow, but not seeking to be teased, he hurriedly walked past her and into the room.
"So, why did you change your mind? You were clearly expecting a different room for yourself." Karl couldn't help but ask. Given their enhanced bodies, it would take extensive effort to wear them down. But Aurelia had recently arrived back home, and even if her bodily fatigue had been washed away after a night's rest, the same couldn't be said for her mind. He had been expecting her to take these days sleeping it off.
"Well, um," she started, before sputtering off into hesitation.
"You know what? I don't care." He said. "Besides, I wouldn't reject the company of a beautiful woman such as yourself."
Aurelia smiled inwardly, but a faint blush crept on her cheeks.
"Hey, we are just sleeping alright." She sauntered off to the side to check out the room, which turned out to be more than just a room.
After the duo had finished peering at every nook and cranny, they gathered in the bedroom and eyed the black rectangular box attached to the wall. There was a cord of some sort plugged into a specialised spot on the wall, but Karl couldn't understand the functionality of this box.
"What do you think it is?" He asked.
"Hmm." Aurelia put on a thoughtful expression. "No idea. There's probably something inside, though I cannot make out the purpose of this glassy material lining the front. At least the bed is cosy."
Karl nodded at that. It was a given there would be a bed large enough to accommodate more than two of them, but it had been a blessing to find it so comfy. Again, he couldn't exactly pinpoint the mechanics that allowed for the cushy behaviour. One more point to drive home the unfamiliarity.
"I am going to take a bath first," said Aurelia.
There was a lot Karl had enquiries about, but the one book he did find was written in an unfamiliar language. A lot of the systems, like lighting, were at least familiar. He didn't know which way around it was, though—did the mages copy humans? Whatever the case, he could shelve all the questions for later, because he had a long night ahead of him. Alone. With Aurelia.
He moved to the balcony to gaze at the outside world, finding his fascination renewed with each visit. And this had been essentially hogged by mages for so long. Yeah, he could understand the animosity vampires held towards the mages.
Minutes passed as he lost himself in the sights. Lights like twinkling stars dotted every which way. Cars and other larger or even smaller vehicles drove through the roads, reaching speeds that barely any beast could hope to reach back in the Night Realm.
He even once spotted an avian contraption shaped like a bird with giant wings and blinking lights. The fact that humans could accomplish all of this with science filled him with curiosity. What principles drove the mechanism behind these vehicles, those ever-present lights, and allowed for the construction of glass structures? Karl longed to discover.
"It's stunning." A soft voice sounded from behind, and he turned just in time to see Aurelia in all her shining glory. Her hair undone and dripping liquid droplets on the floor, her eyes shining slightly and matching the colour of her rose-petal lips. She wore a loose bathrobe that allowed him to see her deep ravine that went to her flat belly. Her pearly toes were bare and looked every bit as delectable as he found her lips.
Tearing his gaze away from the incarnation of beauty and looking ahead, Karl mimed a nod. "Yes, it is."
"You should go take a bath yourself." She advised. "They have this intriguing mechanism for water to shower you with. And a number of amenities that I unfortunately had to use based on guesswork."
Clearly Edward had to have anticipated all of their difficulties, yet he had left them to their devices. Petty revenge for looking down on him perhaps, but Karl wasn't the one to let others walk all over him. He would get what was coming for him. A malicious gleam flashed through his eyes.
"You're thinking of pranking someone, aren't you?" Aurelia asked, with a level tone.
"No," Karl denied calmly.
"You think I wouldn't know that look." She sighed. "Look, Karl, you're older now, so please stop with these childish antics of yours."
"I don't know what you're talking about." He blinked his eyes innocently.
"Whatever, just keep it for after we have finished negotiations."
Karl didn't nod, knowing it was a trap. "I will be taking my bath now." He quietly left the place to where he supposed the bath was.
Trying to understand the various features and more blinking devices was an exercise in frustration, so he gave up and quietly took the bath.
After having their dinner, which was delivered to their room, and listening to Aurelia compliment the cuisine, because yes, it was really good food. The only thing that fell short was the beverage, and even then it was just above average, rather than being awful.
"At this rate, I might just want to settle here." Aurelia stretched her arms while lying on the bed. "It would be wonderful, just the two of us."
"Yeah, it would be." Karl smiled as he took his place next to her. "Maybe someday."
The two lay on their backs, gazing at the ceiling. Each lost in their thoughts, hopeful of that promised tomorrow. Karl could envision such a life, but indecision took hold, and he doubted whether such a day may come to pass.
A third figure also rested her body on the duvet; her tiny figure lay unblinkingly staring at the chandelier. The lights, the smell, and the warmth of her company. Karl may be hopeful, but she was sure. In her heart, there was no safe- haven beside the person she was lying next to.
Aurelia, on the other hand, had entirely different thoughts. She could understand her beloved's worries, and her own fears put any hopeful dreams to rest. But she wasn't afraid of that future; no, what she was afraid of was a world where they couldn't be together. It didn't matter if they met their end, as long they did it together.
She turned her head to look at his side profile. Locks of pitch-black hair gave him a wild look, and those demonically enchanting eyes made her weak in the knees.
Karl turned his head to meet her gaze. Thousands of words couldn't have conveyed that one feeling that crossed their gazes. He leaned in slightly and felt her heated breath.
She leaned in further, and their lips met for the first time. Under the glow of that innocent light, a blazing passion was birthed in loving hearts.