A Banquet at Basarab Castle

Just when Crina smiled, Romano felt his heart was trembling violently. However, he immediately tried to control himself and his sight. As a married man, he knew that glancing at other women was inappropriate. And as a sane man, he felt there was no need to offend the feelings of the host of the event, aka Crina's husband.

Everyone knows what the man called Vlad Basarab is like. Although the truth can not be confirmed, rumours say that Vlad can turn into a blood-sucking creature after the day turns into dark.

...

Tepat ketika Crina tersenyum, Romano merasa jantungnya bergetar hebat. Namun, ia segera berusaha mengendalikan diri dan pandangannya. Sebagai seorang pria beristri, ia tahu bahwa melirik wanita lain bukanlah perbuatan yang pantas. Dan sebagai pria yang masih waras, ia merasa tidak perlu menyinggung perasaan sang tuan rumah acara, alias suami Crina.

Siapa pun yang masih waras tentunya tidak akan main-main dengan suami Crina. Semua orang tahu seperti apa pria yang dipanggil Vlad Basarab tersebut. Meskipun belum bisa dipastikan kebenarannya, kabar burung mengatakan bahwa Vlad bisa berubah menjadi makhluk pengisap darah kala malam telah larut.

...

This story got the 5th rank in a national short story writing competition held by Heliacal Group and Mi Casa in 2023.