A fine idea to utilize the history of the setting to give us this great ending and congratulations on the well deserved Curie vote! 😎
One thing that sets your story apart from the others is the history of the man, revealed to be the new Master of Castle Dracul. His heartbreaking journey of the loss of his sweet little Claudia and servitude to a monster arouses empathy from both Joelle and readers. His role is elevated to more than simply 'the villain', which is a track many entries have taken.
Though the story ends with Joelle trapped in a role as his new concubine, his sharing has lessened her fear. (I did have a chuckle when mention was made of his attractiveness. I'm sure his being so made the pill easier to swallow. 😉)
~Bris