Sunday arrived.

  Like every Sunday morning, Aria was not supposed to train because it was the day of rest and the city, for that day, stopped working, leaving the shops, stores and markets in silence. The rooms filled with families who left the house to go for a walk, play with their children and do all those activities that were too long or tiring to do on other days.

  The person who most respected this day was Madame Doroteya, faithful to her beliefs and who went every Sunday to pray at the nearest temple. Since they had closed the main one to carry out the investigations, she had to go to a smaller temple, a little further from Villa Zotova, and that would be the first time she would go there.

  So, after getting up an hour earlier than usual and preparing breakfast for Mr. Ungern, having finished dusting the house a bit and done other household chores, she got ready by changing her clothes and throwing on a little perfume. She liked to wear the nicest coat she had, which she kept in a closet so it wouldn’t get mixed up with her other clothes. For her hat, she used one of Aria’s many, and she had made the scarf herself with a needle and string.

  While she was humming a holiday song, she didn’t realize that two eyes were watching her from the top of the stairs. Aria was sitting there watching her with an apple in her hand that she took a bite out of after every sigh. When the apple was finished and only the core remained, she got up to go down the stairs, leaping up the steps and filling her basket.

  She stood between the governess and the exit door.

  “Where are you going?” she asked Madame Doroteya.

  “Aria! You gave me a shock… it’s not like you to get up so early.”

  “I want to come with you.”

  The governess made a strange face, then started laughing and stopped immediately after when she realized that the girl’s request was serious.

  “You? To the temple?” she couldn’t hold back another laugh, “And since when did you become faithful? You haven’t set foot in a temple since you were four and you promised me you wouldn’t do it again.”

  “You’re right, but today I want to go and you’re going, so I want to accompany you.”

  Keeping that incredulous but also a little cryptic look, Madame Doroteya agreed to let them follow her. They stopped, however, just before reaching the gate and greeting the guard to change direction.

  “Let’s get some flowers first.”

  “Okay.”

  The girl continued to follow the governess, walking along the marble tile path that surrounded the villa. The two bent down every few steps to pick some flowers and put them in a basket. They were white muqetti of rare beauty and Aria’s gaze continued to linger on them after picking them and before putting them in their place.

  “We’re done, we can go.” said the governess.

  They continued on their way to the temple. It wasn't as far as it looked, but they had to travel a bit of the long road and then cut through a western neighborhood.

  Once they arrived, Aria felt a palpitation. The images of the priests’ corpses were still strong in her mind and the fact of having to set foot in a temple was something that made her a little afraid. Many things could have gone wrong, but that day she wanted to get rid of those thoughts.

  With the bouquet in her hand, she followed Madame Doroteya inside the temple, where they sat on one of the benches. There weren’t many people inside and the average age was quite high. The youngest must have been two unarmed soldiers who were in their early twenties. Then, a man on the right, alone and with a rose in his hand, two old ladies on the left and a woman a little further ahead, probably a widow.

  Madame Doroteya clasped her hands in a single gesture and began to profess some words that didn’t manage to reach Aria’s ear. So, the girl tried to do the same, but she couldn’t concentrate enough and immediately got distracted.

  “What is it?” Madame Doroteya asked.

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  “I’m worried.”

  “Worried about what?”

  Aria looked around again. The woman had just gotten up and was leaving the temple, while the other people were still where she had last seen them. A priest had arrived, however, and was standing in the front row praying as well.

  “It’s because of my father. I’m afraid, Madame Doroteya, afraid that he might have mixed up in some business…” she didn’t know how to say it without sounding strange to her, “shady?”

  “Shady?”

  “Yes…”

  “If it’s because of those two men, I think they were just private guards.”

  “No, it’s not just that… I mean… that too, but there’s more.”

  “Tell me, my dear.”

  Aria looked back at the others, then lowered her head a little and spoke into the eldest’s ear.

  “I’m afraid for our safety… for my father’s and for mine… and for yours, of course.”

  “We have guards, my dear, nothing bad will happen like last time.”

  Madame Doroteya tried to comfort the girl, but Aria had noticed that her words were reluctant to come out of her mouth and that her gaze was not the most serene.

  “You must not underestimate vampires, they are-“

  “No Aria!” the governess interrupted her, “Do not bring evil into a temple! Do not say that word in this place… those two gentlemen are one thing… another are the…”

  “I’m sorry…”

  She didn’t understand why she was so angry. Was Madame Doroteya perhaps afraid of vampires? Or did she really think that even saying the word ‘vampires’ in a place like that could somehow bring bad luck?

  “Come, my dear, I’ll take you to confess.”

  “Wh- Why?”

  “Because when we get home I don’t want to fear for my life!” the woman exclaimed, grabbing her arm and dragging her into the confessional.

  “I don’t want to confess!” she whimpered, but then she found herself inside the wooden confessional, sitting on the bench and obscured by the curtain. It was cold in there and dark as night, but then a priest appeared from the other side of the partition.

  She couldn’t get a good look at his face because of the thick retina, but she could swear she had seen those features before.

  “What’s your name?” the priest asked.

  “Aria.”

  “Aria?” the priest asked with a moment’s hesitation. “You are the girl who saved me!”

  “You are the priest of the temple…”

  “That’s right, and I owe my life to you and your friend. Tell me, Aria, what brings you here today?”

  Aria remained silent for those seconds that seemed like an eternity. She didn’t know what to say to him and she didn’t know if she should say it. She didn’t want to remain silent because it didn’t seem right, but on the other hand she didn’t know if she could trust him to reveal certain details. She just tried to follow her heart.

  “I’m scared. Scared of vampires and scared that the people I love might get hurt.”

  “It’s normal to be scared, Aria, it’s part of human instinct. I was scared myself when I saw my companions die…”

  “Yes, but now I can protect myself, so the fear is slowly passing.”

  “So what is tormenting you?”

  The girl began to sigh. She looked down at her hands and checked the calluses one by one that her sword training had left. She was unwatchable, her nails no longer worthy of a duchess and she hadn’t even added a bit of polish that day.

  “Am I selfish if I just want to protect myself?” she asked, but didn’t want an answer, “Am I selfish if I decide to train with the sword in case a vampire wants to harm me? Am I selfish if I ask to have some peace in my life?”

  She continued before the priest could utter a word. “That’s all I want… but no one seems to understand.”

  “Aria, it’s normal to ask all these questions, I guess you’re a new huntress, right?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I thank you for what you do, but you should know that there are many who do not appreciate your work, I did not even to be honest... I am locked up here all day praying and trying to do good for other people, but when you felt love towards me, I did not hesitate to change my mind towards yours.”

  “I-I do not know what to say…”

  “Know,” continued the priest, “that there are also people who appreciate what you do, and if you can protect them, then you will have additional support from you.”

  “And what if those you protect do not want me to be a huntress?”

  “You must protect them anyway, because that is what a huntress does. You may be hated for what you do, but if it is what you truly want, no one can stop you from doing it.”

  The priest placed his right hand on a lever and pulled it. The partition opened slightly and, on the other side, Aria could see that the priest's hand had reached her side. A pendant was dangling from his fingers.

  “I want to give you this gift, Aria, in recognition of your help. Take it.”

  The girl did so and placed it around her neck. The pendant depicted a sun.

  “This pendant is imbued with magic, true magic, and it will protect you in your darkest moments. Always wear it around your neck and never take it off.”

  “Thank you…” she almost became emotional, but resisted because her father had always taught her that crying in front of strangers was bad manners.

  “I will.”

  The girl rose from the bench and started to pull the curtain away, before casting a final glance at the priest.

  “I will continue on my path as a huntress. That’s what I want to do right now.”

  She nodded her head and then walked over to Madame Doroteya, who had just placed the bouquet of muqetti in front of a candle.

  “Your father wasn’t the only one who lost someone dear to him, Aria, during the war.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “That’s why I go to the temple every Sunday to pray.”

  “Can I… can I know who?”

  Madame Doroteya shed a tear, then wiped it away with a handkerchief. They had never discussed that topic and the girl didn’t even know that Madame Doroteya had had someone who was considered ‘dear’ in her eyes. She had always been a strong and independent woman, tenacious and a warrior. She had never seen her in that state and even crying a tear was something she could never have imagined being able to talk about.

  “My son.”