Lupin The Third: The Beast of Lykanisches

Chapter 7

As promised, following supper, the guests were given a tour of the castle. It was Bernhard who led the touring party as he regaled the tourists with all sorts of tidbits and factoids regarding the history of the castle and its architecture. Aderlass walked just behind Bernhard with Gloria Andilet on one arm and – much to her chagrin – Ruby on his other. He seemed to be reveling in the attention his illustrious position afforded him. He had insisted 'Gabriella' walk with him at all times, as he'd taken such a shine to her. And when he offered her his arm, Ruby felt as though to refuse would only arouse his suspicion.

Goemon, however, was never far behind. In fact, he remained at all times behind her, close enough that Ruby could feel his breath on the back of her neck, and she just knew his hand was on the strap of his shinai bag, ready to draw Zantetsuken at a moment's notice. The samurai's gaze moved briefly around the halls of the impressive castle, for as a thief, he knew the importance of memorizing the details of their surroundings. But at the same time, his gaze never fully left Aderlass and Ruby. And even if she was doing her best to hide it, Goemon could still see the subtle ways in which Ruby was feeling anxious. Thankfully, Aderlass didn't seem to catch on.

"The castle's structure is an 18th century Gothic Revival design, and was built in 1768, upon the decayed ruins of the original Schloss Lykanisches," said Bernhard. "As such, while this castle may be somewhat more recent than most would expect, there are portions of the lower structure and the foundation that date back to 12th century. Thus, there are even thought to be subterranean catacombs that have yet to be discovered under this castle's very foundation."

As Bernhard shared that last tidbit, Matthieu DuPont, who hung toward the back of the group, murmured to himself. "Catacombs... imagine that."

Bernhard provided an admittedly interesting history of the castle, but Ruby was experiencing far too much anxiety to really enjoy it. At the very least, Bernhard had yet to give any sign that he recognized her, for which Ruby was grateful. For if he did, he would no doubt tell Aderlass, and then their cover would be blown. As it was, it seemed nothing short of a miracle that he didn't recognize her, as she hardly wore a full-on Hollywood prosthetics caliber mask like Lupin did. Perhaps the change of hair style and color, along with the contact lenses were enough. And Ruby was pretty sure she'd lost some weight and color as well. She wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Tell me, ladies," said Aderlass to 'Gabriella' and Gloria, with whom he walked arm-in-arm. "What do you think of my home, so far? Gabriella, I know you spoke of it before, but now you are getting to see even more of it. I do hope you both like it."

"It's romantic," Gloria sighed, fluttering her lashes at Aderlass and snuggling his arm tighter. "Like something out of a fairytale."

"To me, it carries with it something of the macabre," said Ruby. "Like something out of Bram Stroker's Dracula... O-Oh, but, um, that can be romantic, too, in its way," she hastily added, not only because Gloria was giving her a warning look – though Ruby hadn't a clue as to why the woman cared what she thought – but also because she realized she ought to be more complimentary to their host. "After all," she continued earnestly, "even Dracula had a sort of romanticism, if not less-than-subtle sensuality..."

Ruby stopped herself abruptly and winced. 'Oof. I'm rambling way too much. This always happens when I'm nervous.'

But Aderlass only smiled at her remarks.
They seemed to please him on some level.

"The current iteration of the castle," Bernhard continued, "while dating back to the 1700's, has of course been renovated and updated for modern conveniences. Electricity, heat, air, running water... all necessities for comfortable living in the modern era." Bernhard looked to the group with the smallest of smiles. "So, if you were afraid that you would not be able take a warm bath or shower or charge your phones... fear not."