To avoid drawing attention from both humans and vampires, they traveled by chariot. Selena sat beside Mr. Finch, while Lyra took a seat next to Drake.
"How old are you, Mr. Finch?" Lyra asked with much curiosity.
"I'm thirty," he replied.
"You finally spoke!" she laughed, teasing him. "Do you have a girlfriend or a wife?"
"No," he said plainly.
"Oh? What do you think about Selena? You're five years older than her. Don't you have a crush on her?"
"I respect Lady Selena," he said firmly. "And I'm just a butler."
"I have a crush on Drake," Lyra announced boldly.
Drake choked on air at her words, coughing in surprise. Selena's expression tightened, irritation clearly growing on her face. Lyra, noticing it, grinned mischievously and continued to tease them both.
Lyra scooted closer to Drake and clung to his arm. He tried to push her away, but she held on tightly, refusing to let go. Selena's jealousy became more and more obvious, her eyes narrowing as she watched them. Without a word, Selena suddenly stood up and sat down in the space between them, firmly placing herself between Drake and Lyra.
Drake and Mr. Finch struggled to hold back their laughter, but Lyra couldn't contain herself and burst out laughing.
She stood up and moved to sit in the middle, but Selena quickly grabbed Drake's arm, holding him tightly, refusing to let Lyra sit next to him. Undeterred, Lyra calmly pried Selena's hand off.
"Guys, stop that," Drake said, clearly annoyed.
He stood up and moved to sit beside Mr. Finch instead.
"You two sit next to each other and stop arguing," he added firmly.
"Good choice!" Mr. Finch grinned and gave him a fist bump.
The two girls look disappointed, but the two guys don't seem bothered at all—they're having their own chitchat. A moment goes by. The two girls lean their heads against each other and fall asleep, while Drake keeps staring out the window and Mr. Finch reads a book.
Drake is lost in thought, trying to understand what happened to him that day. "Am I turning into a vampire? But I don't feel any bloodlust. Whatever it is, if it helps me survive, then I don't care. I just need to improve it," he muttered to himself.
"Why not take some rest?" Selena said, just waking up.
"I can't sleep. I'm just trying to make sure no one's following us," he responded.
"Are we still far?"
"We're almost there."
"What's that?" Selena asked, noticing something in the distance.
Lyra and Mr. Finch immediately tensed, their senses on high alert. As they drew closer, the chariot slowed down. A kid wearing a mask stood in the middle of the road.
They continued moving forward, passing trees adorned with countless masks hanging from the branches.
"This must be the Mas'kaar tribe. I've only read about them in books," Lyra said.
"Stay alert, and try not to make a scene," Drake warned.
The chariot stopped at the tribe's gate—a giant human face covered with thousands of different masks. Then the driver opened the small window behind him.
"I can't go any further," the chariot driver said.
"Well, that's fine. Just drop us here," Drake replied.
One by one, they climbed down and gathered their bags. The chariot left.
"Do you think they'll allow us to enter?" Selena asked.
"Yes. We've got a badge as vampire slayers, so you have nothing to worry about," Lyra replied.
"What about Lady Selena and me?" Mr. Finch wondered.
"Well…" Lyra paused, thinking for an answer.
"We can act as couples—Lyra and Mr. Finch, me and Selena," Drake suggested.
"Ehhhh… but I want to be your wife," Lyra said, pretending to pout before chuckling.
Drake and Selena's face turned red, but she stayed silent, too embarrassed to respond.
"Please act accordingly to avoid any trouble." Drake reminds them.
Everyone took a moment to freshen up and adjust their clothing before approaching the guards. Drake and Lyra showed their badges, and just as expected, the guard questioned Selena and Mr. Finch.
Drake answered calmly, and after a brief pause, they were allowed to enter.
Everywhere they looked, masks covered the surroundings—the houses, the shops, even the walls. The entire place was decorated with mascaras, each one more intricate and haunting than the last.
"This place is a little creepy… but it's kind of nice," Lyra chuckled.
"Shhh," Mr. Finch hushed her.
"Okay, husband," she whispered with a laugh.
Mr. Finch just rolled his eyes.
"Excuse me!" Drake said, stopping a girl who was walking past them. "Do you know any inn we can stay at?"
The girl didn't say a word—she simply raised her hand and pointed down the road.
They continued walking and soon arrived at Le Mas'kaar Inn, a five-story building with a large, ornate mask sign hanging above the entrance.
As they stepped inside, all eyes turned toward them. Guests and staff give them a cold gaze—the group was the only one not wearing masks.
"I think we should buy some mascara," Selena suggested quietly.
"I guess so. Look at the cold stares we're getting," Lyra agreed.
"We'll do it later," Drake said, cutting in.
"Welcome to Le Mas'kaar. How many rooms?" the front desk attendant asked politely.
"Do you have four—" Lyra began.
"Two rooms, please," Drake interrupted.
Lyra looked at him, confused.
"May I have the names for each room?" the attendant asked.
"One for Drake and Selena, and the other for Lyra and Finch," Drake replied calmly.
All three of them stared at him in shock.
"Okay... here you go," the attendant said, handing over the keys. "Rooms 405 and 406."
"Thank you," Drake said, taking them.
They all headed up the stairs.
"I can't sleep with him!" Lyra exclaimed.
"Nor can I," Mr. Finch added with a frown.
"We have to act like couples. What do you think they'll say if we sleep in separate rooms? They'll figure out who we are," Drake explained. "We don't have a choice. We need to stay safe."
Selena just nodded, though her heart was pounding fast.
"Until then, we act like couples in front of others. We'll figure something out later. For now, let's get some rest," Drake said.
Drake and Selena entered their room, and so did Lyra—her face clearly annoyed—and Mr. Finch.