The silver Mercedes purred along the immacutely maintained road, headlights cutting through the darkness as it wound toward the Eastern Resource Center. It was just past nine in the evening—early by vampire standards—and the night sky sparkled with stars above the Duke's territory.

  "You're unusually quiet," Maximilian observed, his eyes remaining on the road ahead. "Most evenings you've had rather more to say about... well, everything."

  Elias turned from the window, where he'd been watching the moonlit ndscape with uncharacteristic pensiveness. "Just thinking about the blood farm we're visiting. During our territory tour, we only saw the exterior. In Orlov's court, only overseers were allowed inside actual processing facilities. Resources were..." he hesitated, "...not considered worthy of noble attention beyond ceremonial feedings."

  Maximilian adjusted his unnecessary gsses, a habit Elias had learned signaled either nervousness or contemption. "This visit will be more thorough. Internal operations. Feeding stations. The entire process." He paused before adding with a hint of enthusiasm, "We've been using variations of Count Dominic Ashcroft's model for years. The test automated feeding stations are particurly impressive. A remarkable improvement over traditional methods."

  The car slowed as they approached the complex—the same one Elias had glimpsed during their territorial tour a week earlier. By night, the university-like campus was illuminated with subtle blue lighting that outlined walkways and buildings. Nothing like the harsh spotlights and barbed wire of Orlov's extraction facilities.

  "We're here," Maximilian announced unnecessarily as he parked with perfect precision in a reserved space. His fingers tapped anxiously on the steering wheel. "Administrator Chen will provide the tour. She's quite knowledgeable. Helped refine our implementation of the Ashcroft protocols." His eyes darted briefly toward Elias. "You might have... questions."

  Elias heard the faint concern behind the statement. "I'll try not to embarrass you with my complete ck of resource management knowledge," he replied with a practiced smile. "Orlov never bothered expining blood farm operations to his decorative furniture."

  "Not about embarrassment," Maximilian responded, looking slightly offended. "Thought you might be... interested. In the differences. Between traditional and progressive approaches."

  The unexpected consideration caught Elias off guard. "Oh. Yes, I am actually. Thank you."

  Maximilian nodded once, then exited the car and circled to Elias's side with formal precision—the three-foot safety zone temporarily breached for the sake of proper consort etiquette. As he opened the door with a slight bow, Elias noticed his husband's eyes lingering briefly before quickly darting away.

  Administrator Chen approached as they walked toward the main building, a tablet in her hands and two assistants trailing behind her. She was human, Elias noted with renewed surprise. He had noticed humans in administrative positions during their territory tour but still found it jarring compared to Orlov's territory, where only vampires held any authority.

  "Your Grace, Lord Elias," she greeted them with a precise bow. "We're honored by your inspection. Everything has been prepared according to protocol."

  "Thank you, Administrator," Maximilian replied, his voice shifting to what Elias had begun to think of as his 'Duke tone'—slightly deeper and more formal than his usual speaking voice. "We'll focus on the new feeding stations today."

  "As you wish, Your Grace." Administrator Chen gestured toward the main building. "This way, please."

  As they walked, Elias again noticed several cars parked nearby—modest but well-maintained vehicles that clearly belonged to the staff. Another difference from Orlov's territory, where human workers lived on-site in dormitories and never left.

  The main building doors opened automatically as they approached—evidence of the preserved technology that Maximilian was rumored to maintain. Inside, bright lights illuminated a space that looked more like a modern medical clinic than the processing centers Elias had glimpsed in his home territory.

  "Your Grace, as requested, I've prepared a demonstration of our automated feeding stations," Administrator Chen said, leading them down a wide corridor with polished floors. "The test upgrades have been quite successful. Extraction efficiency is up seventeen percent while resource recovery time has decreased by nearly a third."

  "Extraordinary," Maximilian murmured, his schorly interest clearly piqued. "Better than the projections. And the blood quality metrics?"

  "Improved across all categories, Your Grace. Particurly in stress hormone reduction."

  Elias followed slightly behind, taking in details that would have been unthinkable in Orlov's court—humans in medical uniforms moving confidently through the facility, resources walking unescorted between areas, the complete absence of chains or restraints.

  "This doesn't look like any blood farm I've seen before," Elias commented quietly as they turned a corner.

  Maximilian gnced back. "Most traditional facilities emphasize... containment. Control through fear. We've found that approach remarkably inefficient." There was something in his tone that suggested he had more thoughts on the matter than mere efficiency concerns.

  The feeding station room they entered was unlike anything Elias had ever seen. Instead of the crude extraction chairs he was familiar with, the space contained what looked like comfortable medical recliners arranged in a pleasant space with natural lighting from skylights above. Music pyed softly in the background, and some resources were even reading books while connected to extraction equipment.

  "As you can see, Your Grace, the automated system regutes flow rate according to individual health metrics," Administrator Chen expined, demonstrating the monitoring equipment. "Each extraction is precisely calibrated to preserve resource longevity while maintaining optimal yield."

  "Fascinating," Maximilian murmured, examining the equipment with schorly interest. "And the recovery protocols?"

  "Still following your established guidelines, Your Grace. Full nutritional supplementation, 48-hour recovery periods, and activity modifications based on individual health markers."

  Elias watched a resource disconnect from the system. Instead of colpsing or being dragged away, as he'd seen in Orlov's farms, the person was offered juice and a protein bar by an attendant, then escorted to what appeared to be a recovery lounge.

  "This is... different," Elias said carefully.

  Maximilian turned to him, a hint of pride visible behind his schorly reserve. "The Ashcroft-Bckwood model prioritizes sustainability. Traditional extraction methods produce higher short-term yields but destroy resources prematurely. Historical analysis demonstrates this approach has always been shortsighted. If you study ancient agricultural practices—" He caught himself and adjusted his gsses. "Forgive me. The point is that our approach increases total lifetime production by 43% while reducing repcement costs."

  It was the most animated Elias had seen his husband outside of discussions about historical artifacts. Clearly, this methodical vampire applied his schorly passion to everything he cared about.

  Elias realized with a start that he'd been so focused on the differences that he'd neglected his actual mission. He needed to look for weaknesses, areas where Orlov's forces could potentially exploit Maximilian's territory if conflicts escated. But as they continued the tour, moving through residential quarters that resembled a comfortable dormitory rather than cells, he found himself reluctantly impressed.

  "And here is our education center," Administrator Chen announced, opening double doors to reveal what could only be described as a school. Resources of various ages sat at workstations, some reading physical books, others using preserved computer terminals.

  "You educate them?" Elias couldn't hide his shock.

  "Of course," Maximilian replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Educated resources produce higher-quality blood. Stress hormones decrease with mental stimution and purpose. Additionally, educated resources can contribute to knowledge preservation efforts."

  They passed through a medical facility where resources received what appeared to be genuine healthcare, not just the minimal maintenance Elias was accustomed to seeing. Everything about the operation was methodical, efficient, and—he struggled with the concept—humane.

  "Your educational background is quite evident in the facility design," Elias commented as they paused in an observation area. "It's very... academic."

  Maximilian adjusted his entirely unnecessary gsses, a habit Elias had noticed occurred when the duke was pleased but trying not to show it. "Pre-evolution university campuses provided efficient models for community organization. The physical yout encourages optimal circution patterns while the social structure promotes stability."

  Elias blinked in surprise. This contradicted everything he'd been taught in Orlov's court about primitive pre-evolution humans living in crude settlements with barely functional social structures. The idea that humans had created sophisticated community models worth emuting was entirely foreign to him.

  "It's impressive," Elias admitted honestly, momentarily forgetting his role as spy. "The resources seem... content."

  "Contentment is a measurable variable correted with blood quality," Maximilian responded, though Elias caught the subtle softening around his eyes that betrayed his satisfaction with the compliment.

  Their tour continued to a demonstration area, where Administrator Chen presented their newest implementation with obvious pride.

  "The test Ashcroft-model automated feeding station," she announced, activating a sleek terminal. "Resources can now schedule their own extraction appointments within medically approved parameters. The system manages the entire process, from scheduling to extraction to recovery monitoring."

  Maximilian circled the equipment, examining it from all angles with schorly thoroughness. "The integration with the health monitoring system is seamless," he noted approvingly. "And the interface is intuitive enough for resources with minimal education?"

  "Yes, Your Grace. We've had a 96% successful adoption rate among all literacy levels."

  Elias watched this exchange with growing fascination. Everything about Maximilian's approach to resource management contradicted what he'd been told about progressive territories. According to Orlov's court, Lucius-aligned nobles were weakening vampire society by implementing "sentimental" policies that wasted resources on human comfort. Yet everything Elias had seen tonight suggested the opposite—Maximilian's methods were producing better results through systematic efficiency rather than cruelty.

  As they concluded the inspection and returned to the car, Elias found himself thinking about the implications. If all of Orlov's intelligence about progressive territories was this inaccurate, what else might be wrong?

  The car doors closed, and Maximilian started the engine, seeming lost in thought as they pulled away from the facility.

  "You're very quiet," the duke observed after several minutes of silence. "Was the inspection not what you expected?"

  Elias considered his response carefully. "It was... educational," he said finally. "In Archduke Orlov's court, we're taught that progressive territories sacrifice efficiency for sentimentality. But your methods seem quite... logical."

  Maximilian's eyes remained on the road, but Elias caught the slight upward curve of his lips.

  "Logic isn't the exclusive domain of traditionalists," Maximilian said. "Nor is efficiency. The Ashcroft model has demonstrated that treating resources as renewable assets rather than disposable commodities produces superior long-term results."

  "Count Dominic Ashcroft," Elias mused, recalling the name repeatedly mentioned during their tour. "His methods seem widely adopted in your territory."

  "The Ashcroft model was partially inspired by Baron Cassian's earlier reforms," Maximilian expined, shifting into lecture mode as he often did when discussing history. "Count Dominic adapted and formalized those approaches for his territory under Archduchess Seraphina several decades ago. His documented evidence that sustainable practices increase total yield while reducing procurement costs convinced Archduke Lucius to encourage simir methods throughout his aligned territories."

  They drove in silence for several more minutes before Elias ventured another question.

  "If these methods are demonstrably superior, why doesn't Archduke Orlov adopt them?"

  Maximilian's hands tightened slightly on the steering wheel. "Traditional factions prioritize... different values. Perceived strength through dominance rather than actual efficiency through sustainability."

  It was the closest Elias had heard his husband come to directly criticizing the traditional faction. The implications were troubling, especially given his mission to gather intelligence that could potentially harm Maximilian's territory.

  A faint vibration from his pocket reminded Elias of the communication device concealed there—Orlov would be expecting his report soon. He would have to decide what to include and what to omit.

  "You're thinking quite intensely," Maximilian observed, gncing at him briefly. "Did something at the facility concern you?"

  "No," Elias answered truthfully. "I'm just... processing. Everything is very different from what I'm accustomed to."

  Maximilian nodded, his schorly expression softening slightly. "Adaptation to new systems can be challenging. If you have questions about any of our protocols, I'm... avaible. For consultation."

  The formal phrasing made Elias smile despite himself. Three weeks of marriage, and his husband still couldn't manage a simple offer of help without sounding like a reference librarian.

  "Thank you," Elias replied. "I may take you up on that... consultation."

  As they turned onto the main road leading back to the duke's estate, Elias found himself facing an unexpected dilemma. The blood farm's efficiency would be valuable intelligence for Orlov's faction—but its humane practices had awakened something uncomfortable in Elias. For the first time, he questioned whether his mission served the right cause.

  Maximilian's car accelerated smoothly into the night, and Elias watched his husband's profile against the dashboard lights. The duke appeared deep in thought, probably already calcuting ways to implement improvements throughout his territory.

  Efficient, methodical, and unexpectedly compassionate. Duke Maximilian was proving far more complex than the simple target Elias had been assigned to spy upon. And that realization was becoming increasingly problematic for a mission that had once seemed so straightforward.