"Is ignorance truly an excuse, Dr. Lecter?" Ignacio replied with a certain twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "Allow me to educate you," and he relaxed in his chair, one leg crossed over the other, his voice smooth and calm as he began to regale Hannibal with the tale of one of his favorite subjects.

"Rafaello d'Este is a King above mortals, a Lord of Vampires such as myself. And, also like myself, his title was earned through violence and intelligence, not by blood alone. The house of Este is rich and storied, an ancient noble line which houses many of our powerful brethren, and he earned his place amongst them. As a mere human he excelled, his reward was eternal life and powers, some of which are even beyond my own. He embraced these gifts, made them his own, and accomplished feats in his world that would take novels to truly inform you about but one of the key being that he ended a racial war between fae and vampires, natural enemies who hated each other since the beginning of time. He was their bridge and even wedded a fae, not even for the sake of that alliance but for love."

Ignacio had no need for breath but he paused momentarily there, his expression full of admiration. "He is no less than magnificent, my first love, the one who opened my heart after thousands of years of keeping it closed. Every ounce of respect must be given to him for I will tolerate no less than that. Do you understand?"

The other topic could wait, as this was far more important to him.