Chapter Two

   The mansion had sprung to life with the hustle and bustle of the staff. The dining room was set with fine china, the aroma of food being prepared filled the halls, and guest rooms were in the process of being cleaned. The preparations were almost complete. Chimes sounded throughout the mansion, announcing the arrival of the first guests.  

  

   "Master Wesley," an elderly man dressed in a butler's uniform called out.  

  

   Esper's father made his way back to the foyer, the girls trailing behind him. As they lined up, Esper tried to hide behind her friends. She was nervous about being in the presence of some of the world's most sought-after bachelors, but Saffron was having none of it. The brunette vampire took hold of her friend's arm and shoved her forward. Letting out a huff, Esper forfeited the battle and resigned to standing at the front with her father. 

    Once they were settled, the butler opened the door and ushered in the guests. Two males rushed into the warmth of the building, escaping the snowstorm. Esper smiled when she saw a familiar face among the men. It was her cousin, Asher. She wanted to run over and give him a hug but felt it might have been inappropriate in front of the other guest. Her smile quickly faded to a blush when Esper caught the piercing green gaze of the other arrival. 

  

   "Thank you for joining us for my daughter's Rites of the Winter Solstice and welcome to my home." Wesley and the girls bowed down respectfully. The two men returned the gesture and spoke in unison. "Thank you for allowing us to participate."  

  

    "Please follow one of the staff members up to your prepared rooms. There is still some time for you to settle in before dinner." Outstretching his arm, Wesley gestured towards the stairs. The young vampires nodded and followed their guide. The green-eyed bachelor looked back at Esper, catching one last glance before heading to his room.  

   As the first group disappeared from view, the chimes sounded once more. Two more suitors arrived, and the round of formalities started again. The two men were polar opposites of each other. One was a caramel-haired male with an air of innocence surrounding him, and the other had danger written all over him with his dyed maroon hair and face tattoos. 

            

  While the second group was escorted to their rooms, Wesley was deep in thought. There was still one more vampire he was expecting. Although he could understand him being late with how terrible the storms were this time of year. Deciding to wait a few extra minutes, Wesley instructed the girls to wait for him in the dining room. He stood around another ten minutes before heading to dinner. The last guest would arrive eventually. 

           

   When Wesley arrived, everyone had already been seated. He took his seat at the head of the table and looked around the room. To his left was his sister Quintin and his niece, Saffron, on his right was his daughter Esper and her friend Senna, and the suitors filled the remaining seats except for one.  

  

   "Sir, one more guest, has arrived," the ancient-looking butler announced. A young man stood next to the butler. He was tall at 6'3" and a slender athletic frame, his face covered by his snow dappled hood.  

  

   "My apologies for being late." The new vampire bowed respectfully towards Wesley.  

  

   "No worries, we were just settling in for dinner, please take a seat," he gestured towards the vacant seat. The vampire male nodded and headed towards the empty place setting. As he removed his jacket and handed it to the butler, the newcomer stole a quick glance at Esper. His crimson eyes bored into her, causing the young woman to look down out of nervousness. 

    With all of the guests accounted for, Wesley stood and cleared his throat. 

  

   "I would like to welcome you all to my home, and thank you for joining us in celebration of Esper's Rites of the Winter Solstice." Wesley began, gesturing towards his daughter. Esper stood and curtsied, keeping her eyes lowered. The guests stared in awe of her striking beauty. 

            

   "It is a rare occasion but also a great privilege to celebrate this ritual. With Esper being the first pureblood in generations, we have called upon you all for a possible pairing. This year is exceptionally unique. Esper has requested her ladies in waiting also join the search for a husband. I hope you will all oblige this request," Wesley continued. The audience nodded; this was an agreeable arrangement for them. Even if Esper was not their bride, being in her court of nobles was just as honorable.  

            

   "Now I would like to go around the table and have each of you introduce yourselves. I will start with myself; I am Wesley Beaurepaire, the great-grandson of the Beaurepaire ancients and head of the family." He bowed and sat back down.  

    Quintin stood up next and swept a loose chocolate lock off her shoulder. Saffron was almost the spitting image of this woman, down to her ruby red eyes. "My name is Quintin. I am Wesley's sister and matriarch of the Almasi nobles."  

            

   Saffron followed suit and introduced herself. "I am Saffron Almasi, Quintin's daughter and cousin of Esper." As she sat back down, a man with sandy blond hair and copper eyes stood up. He was on the taller side and had a runner's build.  

  

   "Allow me to introduce myself; I am Asher of the Almasi family. I am also the brother of Saffron and the son of Quintin. It is a pleasure to make all of your acquaintances." The rest of the guests followed his lead.  

  

   The gentleman sitting next to Asher looked as though he just stepped out of a rock music video. His hair was a maroon color with jagged layers down past his shoulders, and had a tribal tattoo above his right eye with a similar tattoo under his left. He cleared his throat and began his introduction. "Hello, my name is Remy Blythe, a noble and a professional model/musician." 

   Following Remy was the green-eyed bachelor from before. He was an intellectual with dark onyx hair with piercing eyes peeking through his glasses. He had the look of permanent annoyance plastered on his face, almost as if being here was a waste of his time. "I am Maxim Huiyan, descendent of the Xiafeng legacy. It is an honor to be a guest in your home."  

   Next was the late arrival. He had beautiful obsidian hair pulled into a loose ponytail with a few strands hanging in his face and deep crimson eyes. His facial features strong and but a hint of mystery behind his glowing eyes. "Allow me to apologize for my tardiness. The winter storms delayed the drive from Belarus. I am Seraph of the Solar family and a soldier of the Imperial Sentry." 

   The room paused in awe; the Solar family was the founder of the Imperial Sentry and tasked with protecting Yggdrasil's secrets. To have another pureblood in their presence was a great honor, especially one from such an esteemed family. 

    The next vampire stood up nervously. He had curly caramel locks, golden eyes, and a shorter frame than the giants surrounding him.   

  

   "Uh, hello, I'm Lucca Starling. It is a pleasure to meet you all." He bowed quickly and sat back down. Senna was the next to stand, fidgeting with her dress out of nervousness.  

  

   "Good evening, everyone. I am Senna Moffet, Lady Esper's childhood companion. It is a pleasure to meet you all." She bowed and sat back in her seat, her breathing a little shallow. Wanting to calm her friend, Esper leaned over and gave her a soft, reassuring squeeze on the arm. 

    "You did great," She whispered with a smile. 

    "Thanks," Senna replied with a smile of her own. 

 Now it was Esper's turn to shine. She took a deep breath to calm herself and stood.   

  

   "I am Esper Beaurepaire, daughter of Wesley and granddaughter of the Penne ancients. It is a pleasure to meet you all." Esper looked around and noticed all eyes on her. Her cheeks grew red from the attention. Trying to deflect the attention, Esper raised her glass for a toast. "Let us make a toast to new acquaintances and new bonds in the upcoming thirty days of night during the Winter Solstice." 

   Everyone raised their glasses and joined the toast. At the sound of the group cheer, kitchen staff came flowing from the kitchen with carts of food cornucopias. Most of the guests looked at the buffet with confusion, but a few had an excited gleam in their eyes. 

   "I hope you don't mind an unconventional dinner." Wesley set his glass back down on the table. "My daughter has a taste for human food. She has an exceptional talent for tweaking recipes to incorporate blood into them. We also prepared our finest blood wines for those who have a more traditional appetite." 

   The crowd took a few portions of different cuisines, trying to be polite towards their host. Not wanting to stand out, Esper tried to follow suit and only take a couple, but Senna's mother saw through her façade. The matronly woman piled an array of Esper's favorites onto the plate. 

   "Don't go starvin' yourself just to fit in, missy. They are here for you, so they will have to learn to accept all of you. Including that gluttonous appetite of yours." Senna's mother gave Esper's hair a tousle before tending to her daughter. 

   Trying to ignore all the not so subtle glances, Esper focused on eating. She followed the conversation, giving a nod or small laugh when appropriate. Esper would occasionally make polite eye contact with the speaker but always kept it brief. 

   Being in such a formal setting was more exhausting than she realized. Esper was cursing herself for not being more like Saffron. Now she was a social queen. Saffron thrived in moments like this. She always had intelligent input to add to the conversation. But then again, Saffron had been training her entire life for this moment. She wanted to be the socialite wife on the arm of her highly respected husband. Esper didn't think Saffron was shallow. Quite the opposite, really. Saffron just knew what she wanted in life. 

   The socialite life wasn't for Esper, though. She wanted to travel the world and discover its mysteries. She hoped whoever she chose as her mate would like to do the same.