A part of Lady Frisk wanted to know the truth about Lord Nightmare.
They were right there in his castle. And seen as their mind wouldn't leave them be about the question.
Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to learn the truth and silence Lady Frisk's curious mind.
"It's quite late to be having dinner isn't it?" Frisk pushed, they'd already embarrassed themself. So long as they're not so disrespectful to get kicked out by Lord Nightmare, they should be fine.
It never crossed Frisk's mind that Dream could have a foot to kick anyone out himself.
"Our family has never been one to shy from the night as others do." Dream answered.
"I see. But aren't you afraid?" They asked.
"Of what?" Dream was unsure of what Frisk was talking of.
"Vampires. They're everywhere now. It isn't that uncommon to hear about them." Frisk spoke.
"Most talk of vampires are just rumors Lady Frisk. You should be careful of your sources." Lord Dream warned them as Lord Nightmare started to steam with outrage for Lady Frisk's bravery of bringing up the topic of Vampires in his house.
"But surely you've heard of their growing numbers. It's wise to at least take into account to defend Dreamtale from them." Frisk pushed.
"You think us incapable of defending our own land?" Nightmare growled. Dream drank from his glass, passively hiding behind it.
"No..." Frisk whimpered.
"Have you ever seen a vampire, my Lady?" Nightmare leaned into the table as he stared them down.
"Not that I know of..." Lady Frisk gulped quietly, hoping that Dream will save them from Nightmare's stare. Lord Nightmare sat bavk in his chair at Lady Frisk's answere, he did his best to swollow his rage.
When Lord Dream stayed out of what Frisk started, Lady Frisk chose to fight back at Nightmare. "I only mention it because the vampires have been proven to target small villages. Villages much like the one on your land." They bravely spoke up.
"Another rumour. Used to scare children to sleep, and entertain the old folk who have nothing better to talk about." Lord Nightmare dismissed it. He knew what to look out for to defend Dreamtale. "Perhaps you need to stop gossiping with old women like your mother."
"Nightmare!" Dream spoke up disapprovingly. Lord Nightmare scoffed.
"But if everyone in the kingdom says it, is it truly a rumour? Lord Nightmare?" Lady Frisk shot back, stepping perhaps a bit too far toward outright saying "I think you are a vampire."
Lord Nightmare glared, it was unmistakable this time. Frisk had crossed a line with him. Everything seemed to stop as Lord Nightmare growled his lecture.
"You may as well have said it. Do you think I'm so unaware of the rumours spread about me? Did you think that I would be oblivious to what you are doing?" He galred at them, "I am not a vampire. Those rumours that you keep in your head were made up by the disrespectful people who live off of my own land. That village has not seen a vampire in decades because I defend my land! And that is without the assistance of the King's Guard or the so-called Vampire Hunters. Not to mention that Dreamtale has no army to speak of."
"I'm sorry, my Lord..." Lady Frisk sunk.
"You say that you haven't seen a vampire? I have. And they are not so special to deserve the praise that you give them. They're too hell-bent to truly hide among us mortals, so if you do meet one. You'll know it. Do I look hell-bent?" Nightmare continued to lecture.
"No my Lord..." They responded.
"Good." Lord Nightmare sat back in his chair, "Tell this to your gossipers, the only power that vampires really have, is the fear that is spread by your rumours. There will be no more talk of these lies under my roof. Understood?" He spoke as if scolding a child.
"Yes my Lord..." Lady Frisk felt thoroughly defeated, and definitely regretted pushing the subject as far as they did.
Everyone went back to eating, the room fell deathly quiet after that.
"I should write to Sans in Outertale! It's been too long since I've written to him!" Lord Dream tried to change the subject.
"I'm sure that he would like to hear from you." Lady Frisk nodded their head to Dream approvingly before everyone went quiet again.
It seemed like forever before Lady Frisk was able to hide in the guest bedroom and sleep off their embarrassing dinner event. Even so, as the beds were maybe the most comfortable they'd felt, it was difficult for them to sleep in such a gothic castle.
The stone walls had next to no insulation, aside from the decorative drapes that hung on said walls. Usually showing scenes of trees and stone status covered in overgrowth of a fruitful garden on the hand-woven banners. Some of the art in the castle could have been a hundred years old for all Frisk could guess, maybe more.
Lady Frisk got maybe some hours of sleep before they heard muttering and footsteps walk by their door.
Curiosity urged them to sit up from their bed.
"Why do we need to close all the curtains before morning?" A young man asked another young woman sleepily. They both must have forgotten or not known that Frisk was sleeping in that particular guest bedroom. But Lady Frisk's curiosity was peaked at what the two may have been talking about. They snuck out of bed quietly and went to their door.
"Because the Lord of the house requests it! It is not our place to question why." The young woman was a maid, teaching the other male maid how to do the rounds of the early morning shift.
"Oh ya! The sunlight! Duh!" The maid laughed at himself. He was tired from doing his first night shift he'd ever done. Frisk creaked their door open as the maids voices started to fade.
"Do you want to lose your job!?" She yelled at him.
"Please! If I get fired by Lord Nightmare, I'm more likely to lose my neck!" The maid joked, earning a good playful elbow in the side from the other maid.
He was a vampire. Lord Nightmare was a vampire. And Lady Frisk knew it all along!
First light would be coming soon and they needed to get out so they could tell someone!
Lady Frisk got dressed, taking what was left of their own things and putting them in a case themself. Without the help of one of their servants'!
Desperate times!
They took their poorly packed case of yesterday's travel clothes as they tried to sneak away to the foyer where they knew that their driver and chauffeur would already be getting the carriage ready.
Assuming that Lord Nightmare did indeed tell them to be ready at first light... and that was assuming that Lord Nightmare did indeed want Lady Frisk out of his castle and off his land. Unless Lord Nightmare didn't tell the staff to be ready, and they were going to be trapped in this castle until he knew everything that Lady Frisk knew.
What if Lord Nightmare knows what Frisk knows? Goodness Lady Frisk was tired. How could they let their escape plan revolve around the chance that Lord Nightmare told the staff to be ready?
In the time that Lady Frisk was in bed, their driver could've already been killed if Lord Nightmare wanted Lady Frisk to never leave!
Lady Frisk turned a corner, walking exponentially fast for someone who was guiltless of anything. They ran directly into Lord Nightmare as he was walking through the halls.
Lady Frisk yelped upon seeing Lord Nightmare right there in front of them, standing between them and the only way out.
They dropped their case to the ground, practically leaping for the curtain next to them and pulling it open to shine the morning sun into the hall.
Lady Frisk let out a breath of relief at the sight of the sun's protective ray, but as they turned to see Nightmare standing directly in the sun's ray, he did nothing but squint at the blinding light.
"I... I don't understand." Lady Frisk was sure that sunlight harmed vampires. A burn, or even something as dramatic as flames should happen to a vampire in sunlight.
"How. Dare. You..." Lord Nightmare seethed with rage.
"I didn't..." Lady Frisk stammered helplessly.
"I don't want to hear it you life-sucking latch!" He spat venom at them, "I give you food and shelter in your time of need and YOU make an attempt on my Life!?"
"I didn't!" Lady Frisk objected.
"What exactly did you think would happen if I was a vampire? When you were convinced that I was one, you seemed to have no problem with what would happen to me. Get out." He growled at them.
"What?" They felt small as they whimpered back.
"GET OFF MY LAND!" Nightmare roared, making the entire castle shake.
Lady Frisk took their case and ran past Nightmare to the foyer. Nightmare made sure to see them out.
"And if there was a bloodsucker in Dreamtale, I would hunt and KILL IT MYSELF!" Nightmare yelled before their carriage took off in a hurry.
Nightmare let out a deep sigh, watching the carriage leave down the road before closing the door and blocking out the sun.
He turned back to Lord Dream who stood a safe distance away in the shadows.
"Did you have to be so mean?" He asked. Nightmare went to his side calmly.
"They're gone, aren't they?" Nightmare hummed as he calmed down.
"That was too close... They were so convinced that you were a vampire." Dream couldn't help but worry for his Nightmare. "We shouldn't gain a reputation for scaring away guests."
"We already have a bad reputation. No thanks to the gossiping leaches in the village... Imagine if they had opened that certain while you were there!" Nightmare growled.
Dream wrapped his arm behind Nightmare's neck and pulled him down to kiss him softly.
"Our reputation could be a lot worse." Dream explained as Nightmare wrapped his arms around Dream's waist and pulled him in. "I'll gain the people's hearts back, and you keep doing what you're good at~" Dream traced his finger along Nightmare's chest.
"And that is?" Nightmare purred at Dream lovingly.
"Keeping me safe... Protecting me, and our home." Dream smiled softly.
"I thought you would say kissing you." Nightmare teased with a smile. Dream let out an amused huff as Nightmare locked his mouth with Dream's. Slipping his tongue into Dream's mouth and feeling along Dream's sharp fangs.