Chapter 8: New World vs Old World

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Drogo and Nicolae stood on the snow-covered lawn in front of the Victorian house, while Viktor toured the grounds with the owner. They had walked past the black wrought-iron fence that surrounded the property, and were now examining the plain red brick facade and the stairs to the front door. The door was flanked on either side by a statue of a lion which seemed a bit out of place in this remote part of the world.

"It's not much to look at, is it?" Drogo turned to Nicolae.

"It certainly isn't anything like our house in Vienna... or Viktor's castle in Transylvania," Nicolae replied. "But at least the grounds are large, so there's room to expand," he continued. "And the woods are right behind... so hunting won't be a problem."

"Aren't the woods behind every house in this God forsaken place?" Drogo arched a mocking eyebrow.

Nicolae rolled his eyes. "Here we go again," he muttered under his breath.

"What? I'm not complaining. I'm just stating a fact," Drogo pretended to be unjustly accused.

Nicolae turned his grey gaze toward him: "Right. And I was born yesterday."

Just then, Viktor approached them, the property owner on his heels.

"I'm glad we could come to an agreement, Count Bartholy," the owner shook Viktor's hands. "I hope you will be happy here."

"The price was certainly right, Mr. Turner," Viktor replied. "And it does border my other property... so it will do just fine."

"Other property?" Drogo whispered to Nicolae, who shrugged in response.

Viktor obviously overheard his son's inquiry. He approached Drogo, a sneer on his face: "Yes. I already own a nice plot of land that was kindly donated to me by the town of Mystery Spell just this past spring."

"It was our pleasure, Count Bartholy," Mr. Turner replied. "We owed you a debt of gratitude for paying for the reconstruction of our town hall."

"What is he talking about?" Nicolae arched an eyebrow toward Viktor, but Mr. Turner immediately started to explain.

"After the passing of Halley's Comet on May 19th of this past spring, there was a terrible fire here in Mystery Spell," the man said. "It completely destroyed our town hall. Your father here, kindly offered to pay for its reconstruction. As a show of our eternal gratitude to such a wonderful benefactor, our citizens decided to donate a lot of land to Count Bartholy."

"I see," Nicolae replied. "So why buy this house as well," he turned to Viktor.

"Because, I haven't had a chance to truly explore my property... apparently much of it is covered by a wooded area, isn't that so, Mr. Turner?" Viktor asked.

"Yes. That is correct. Unfortunately, we didn't have much available land that was construction-ready at the time," Mr. Turner sounded apologetic. "Especially a lot that size. However... this will be a perfect solution, won't it?" He tentatively smiled. "I do hope you will like taking over my personal house."

"I'm sure my sons will be delighted with it," Viktor answered. "I will be splitting my time between Mystery Spell and Vienna, so, in truth, they will be the real owners," he smirked toward Drogo.

Drogo grimaced when he heard his father's last words. So Viktor planned to stay with them some of the time. He had hoped he'd never see him again. Still.... it was better than having his constant supervision.

"We will meet at the bank tomorrow then, to finalize the paperwork at your convenience," Mr. Turner told Viktor before boarding his carriage. "But feel free to bring your belongings over today. I know you are a man of your word."

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