It was the dead of night, and Angelina was on her bed, pretending to be asleep. The female servants were fast asleep, snoring. The young woman waited until Ioana picked her up; she didn't want to go. She was afraid of what Vlad would do after what happened with the infant. 

A gentle pat on her shoulder; Angelina slowly turned to the left. 

"It is time," Ioana whispered.

Angelina shivered as she sat up and got out of bed. Ioana gently grabbed her hand while leading her out of the room and toward the secret passage. Ioana felt Angelina trembling. "You are afraid, but you mustn't be. I know the Voivode will not harm you."

"H-How do you know? I defied him and convinced him to keep his child that he wanted to dispose. I'm sure that he's going to send me to my death."

"Oh, sweet child. You truly are innocent; he won't kill you. You are one of the few people who hold innocence; it attracts him. Believe me. Come along, we don't want to keep him waiting." 

 Every step felt like a step toward death. "I-I made a decision, and I have to stick to it! There's no turning back!"

They arrived at their destination, where the door was closed, but a dim light was seen inside. 

Vlad was inside, waiting for Angelina. The women stood side by side, eyeing the door. "We have arrived, and remember what I have told you. I will be here in the morning; may God bless you." Ioana walked away, leaving Angelina alone.

Angelina stared at the door, her hands and fingers fidgeting. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door. "Come in." Angelina slowly opened the door and entered the room. The Voivode was seen sitting by his desk, writing. He didn't look at her even once when she fully entered the room and closed the door behind her. Angelina dared not move closer until Vlad ordered her to; the tapping of the quill echoed, along with the flames of the torches. 

The silence intensified her nervousness, and she decided to take the risk. "V-Voivode?"

Vlad stopped writing, but his eyes were still on his paperwork. "What did I command you to call me when we are in private?"

"Oh, uh, s-sorry Vlad."

The Voivode put his quill pen away as he finally looked at Angelina. "You forget to call me by my name and your place. You made a fool out of me."

"I need to stay calm. I need to put my foot down. There's no turning back!" She took a deep breath. "If you speak about the child, I have no regrets protecting him. He has no blame for being born the way he did; the child is innocent."

Vlad slowly stood up from his seat and walked around his table. "Are you saying it is my fault?"

"Please don't confuse my words, Vlad. It is no one's fault. Sometimes genetics can be a fickle thing."

"Genetics?"

"At least I was able to calm him down." Angelina looked at him nervously. "Genetics is the study of genes, which carries the information of our body's characteristics. Genes are passed down to the child, but sometimes, they can be flawed. There are also times when it can skip generations." She realized the explanation sounded worse; either Vlad or Minah might have passed down a defect. Another idea came to mind. "Also, inbreeding can be a cause of defects."

The Voivode was expressionless as he tried to comprehend the information. "Inbreeding? You mean breeding among one's own family?"

"Y-Yeah. I learned this in my era since we tend to learn from the past. Marrying someone related can cause passing down similar dominant or recessive traits that many family members may carry. When this reoccurs repeatedly, it can cause problems such as disfigurement and different forms of disabilities. That's why it's safer to marry outside one's circle who has different genes." 

Vlad paced back and forth in front of his desk. He was angry about the child's deformity since he believed that it would cause his reputation to be soiled. However, Angelina's explanation of genetics made more sense. He stopped pacing and gave her his attention. "Minah and I are distant relatives, so we passed similar traits, correct?"

"I don't know how distant you are, but it would be possible."

"I see." Vlad walked closer to Angelina, who slowly walked backward to avoid him. Her back hit the wall. "So I need to have a child with someone with different 'genes'?"

"Y-You can." Angelina felt his warm breath on her skin, sending a shiver down her spine. His intimidating, powerful aura washed over her; she couldn't help but find it invigorating. 

Vlad chuckled as he slowly walked away from her and sat on his bed. "What you did today, I would usually have you beaten or hanged. However, I see that you are very useful to me, so I decided to keep you alive."

"Th-Thank you, Vlad. B-By the way, does the boy have a name?" Angelina feared she could have triggered him again when there was no answer.

"I will not name that child. Another thing I wish to say is that by the end of four moons, I will host festivities in the castle and the nearby city to celebrate my family's legacy. You will be a part of the festivities."

Angelina was off guard. More festivities? The memory of what happened to the previous guest made her stomach quench. "What happens if I am not interested in taking part of the festivities?"

Vlad smirked. "Ah, it would seem the memory of what happened to those traitors clouds your mind. Worry not, I will not do something drastic since it for my family's legacy. You will sing and have fun, of course. You will be given a dress befitting a woman who pretends to be nobility. I will not take no for an answer." He couldn't help but enjoy her look of concern and surprise. He hadn't had so much entertainment in so long. "Now, let us focus on the current matter at hand. Come to my bed."