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Episode 6:
The Moonlit Tea Party
“DID YOU REQUIRE SOMETHING OF US?”
Just after the sun had completely set, I summoned those four to the side gate. I brought no one along with me, since I figured they wouldn’t come if I brought someone like Vio. Because of this, I could sense their disdain for me. Not that I planned to take it easy on them, even if they did suddenly start acting like respectable servants.
“I’m on my way to a tea party and the four of you are going to accompany me,” I ordered, switching into princess mode.
They all reacted at once: Noir eyed me with suspicion. Ninette yawned, looking like she thought this would be one big bore. Fantine just ignored me and happily stomped on the ants by her feet. Christina’s face was blank, but her eyes widened slightly at the mention of a tea party.
I supposed that I would start with the one who had already been trained in how to become a lady-in-waiting. “We’re going to the Moonlit Tea Party.”
Е n u m̈ а.ĩ d
“What?! Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t have an invitation anymore. Plus, you’ll never get another one, since you told me you received it.”
“No worries. As it so happens, Lady Mylene is permitting the four of you to attend with me,” I said as I showed them my fourth invitation.
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Christina swiped it out of my hand to read it and then looked at me reproachfully. Ah, what a nice expression that was.
“My lady, we are very busy. We cannot attend on such short notice. Right, Ninette?” Noir’s interest had been slightly piqued at the mention of the Moonlit Tea Party, but not knowing his place in life, he took several paces back as he tried to back out.
“Huh? Oh, yeah.” Ninette only just followed after him.
“Ninette, as my guard, you need a sword, right? Are you saying you don’t need this anymore?”
Ӗ ńů m а̀.і d
“Huh?!”
When I showed the sword, her eyes sparkled despite her surprise. I doubted she had wanted to let the magic sword go, even though she had been forced to sell it.
“H-hey, Ninette!” Noir cried out.
“And I believe this was yours, Noir.” This time I took out the gold pocket watch. At Noir’s dumbfounded look, I continued, “I know you’re smart. You understand what this means, don’t you?”
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With the proof of his embezzlement thrust before him, Noir wore the smile of someone trying to find a way to slither out of trouble as he silently took back the pocket watch.
Even a child would be charged for the crime of stealing from the grand duke’s household. The boy must’ve been assuming that because I was handing these over, he could be forgiven if he played his cards right. The wheels in his head were turning, but in the end, he was just a small fry.
Ӗ.n um а̌ .i d
I turned to Fantine. “Is there something you would like to have, Fantine?”
“Hmm? How about cookies?”
“But of course. The cookies and tea they serve there will be simply delicious. You can have as much as you would like.”
“Okay!” Fantine was just that kind of girl. Not a single bit of ill will in her, though not much of a mind either, for that matter.
“Our coach is here,” I said.
The faint fragrance of roses surrounded us. The scent put the guard at the side gate to sleep while he was still standing. Soundlessly, two lovely coaches arrived, looking like they had come out of a fairy tale. A butler and a lady’s maid stepped out and bowed their heads respectfully.
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“The four of you may ride in this coach,” the gorgeous butler told my attendants, who were now entranced. He then turned to the other coach and said to the lady’s maid, who was petrified at the sight of me, “Would you please help her in?”
“Oh, yes.”
Her hand was cold and she smelled a bit like a beast.
I had to wonder what kind of faces my four attendants were making right now. Were they anxious? Happy? I didn’t really care either way. The only reason I hadn’t fired them was because I didn’t want Father to lose face. Tonight, I was giving them one last chance.
Repent, regret what you’ve done, lament for it, and grovel as you swear your loyalty to Father. Repent for what you’ve done by licking the heels of my shoes and regret your actions until you die.
And if they were incapable of that, well, they must’ve known what was coming.
Ŵе́b̄n̆ о̌v ė l Е̄ n ũ ḿ ȧ
The coach hardly rocked at all. Also, this lady’s maid was completely useless. All she did was stare at my face. I couldn’t see outside, but our coach was moving several times faster than a normal one could. Perhaps we were flying through the air? We didn’t even make a single turn. No human could possibly make this kind of vehicle.
We arrived without any incidents.
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“Thank you so much for coming, Your Highness,” a ten-year-old girl wearing a dress as dark as the night sky greeted me. Attractive butlers and lady’s maids who looked like dolls stood at her sides, with her in the center. She gave a bewitching smile capable of easily disarming the hearts of most people. As her jewel-like eyes gazed at my four attendants, they were petrified with surprise.
I stopped and looked at her with a faint smile on my own face. The person of lesser rank should introduce themselves first, after all.
“My name is Mylene, and I am the eldest daughter of Count Auber,” she said after a pause.
“I’m Yulucia. Will you be showing us inside?”
Wеḃ ṅ ŏ v̄el Ē n u̇ mа
“Yes, this way.” For a second, as she led us into the garden, I sensed that the smile she wore covered up her dissatisfaction.
It was time for this battle of wits between two monsters to begin.
***
Mylene was finally able to welcome the Golden Princess, whom she had desired so much.
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However, something wasn’t right.
Yulucia was even more beautiful than the rumors had described, despite her young age. From the moment Yulucia stepped out of the coach, Mylene could sense agitation coming from the Auber family’s minions, even though they were used to seeing Mylene and Camilla by now. Normally, they’d be in for a scolding, but even Mylene had been taken aback by the girl’s inhumanly beautiful looks.
W̄ е b̀ nо ve ľ Énuḿ.а̇
Irritated at herself, Mylene started by using a Charm spell on the four children, but despite how befuddled they became, it wore off within seconds. And Mylene felt a force pressing back at her from Yulucia; it hadn’t worked on her at all.
Don’t tell me that Yulucia’s charm is more powerful than my own?! Mylene almost lost her composure in her fury, but she managed to regain it. No, this must be part of why people claim she is the Saint. Perhaps she habitually uses resistance magic on herself.
A vampire’s Charm was not an inherent ability—it was part of the unique dark magic they could use. Therefore, if someone else were to cast a resistance spell, the vampiric magic would wear off. Mylene decided that must have been the reason. She could not accept the idea that her own charm could possibly be inferior to such a young child’s.
She realized that Count Auber and Camilla were watching from the darkness, there to examine this finest-quality sacrifice known as the princess of the Holy Kingdom. They hadn’t yet disposed of the noble girls they had taken captive up until now. In order for a sacrifice to be most effective, the girl needed her emotions to be heightened. As an ancient being, Count Auber knew just how to accomplish that.
Nevertheless, Mylene sensed that her allies had been captivated by Yulucia’s beauty, which irritated her even more.
“Lady Mylene, where is everyone else who is attending tonight?”
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As Mylene’s attention was brought back to Yulucia, she immediately put a soft smile on her face. “Since you have done me the great honor of attending tonight, I decided not to invite anyone else.”
With such a high-quality sacrifice, she had no need for the more average sacrifices as aperitifs. That applied for Yulucia’s four attendants as well. Although they were attractive to some extent, they were likely nothing but garnish to the main dish.
Up until now, they had let the low-quality sacrifices return home to cover up the actual missing people, but perhaps she would give these four to her ladies-in-waiting and butlers to reward them for their hard work.
The four of them were only children. Mylene had been on guard because Yulucia was abnormal, but her attendants had already left their mistress to accept fancy cakes from the attractive butlers and lady’s maids and now wore enthralled looks on their faces.
Seeing that, Mylene’s heart sank.
Calming herself down, Mylene knew that this was only to be expected. Ordinary humans could not remain themselves after looking into their eyes. Mylene and her two allies were just on another level as nobles.
W е b́n̄ оvӗ_ľ Ẽnûm а
But then she gasped. She had realized someone was staring straight at her.
It was causing her to feel this strange sensation like sweat running down her back, so she looked over her shoulder at Yulucia, who was wearing an impassive smile that made her look just like a living doll as she quietly watched Mylene.
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“Is something the matter?” Mylene asked.
“No. I’m glad that you’re concerned about showing proper hospitality to my attendants. However…” Yulucia paused for a moment. That force Mylene had felt before was beginning to feel stronger. “I would prefer if you would only concern yourself with me. Or would that be too much to ask of the Silver Princess?”
“My…deepest apologies…” Mylene bowed her head as Yulucia smiled elegantly at her. She was surprised by her own reaction. As a noble, she had apologized like this to humans before, but it had always been merely for show. After all, she was just making a mockery of playing at nobility. For some reason, though, now that she had the grand duke’s daughter as an invited guest and she was playing the hostess, Yulucia’s words made Mylene feel as if she were beneath the princess, as if that were her natural place.
Realizing what had happened, Mylene ground her teeth in such a way that she bared her fangs as she looked down at the ground.
W̆ē b̀ n̈ õ v̌ ӗl̂ Еṅ ů mа
This wretched human!
Mylene had heard the rumors about Yulucia. She was the princess who was the face of the Holy Kingdom and the only daughter of the grand duke. She rarely appeared in public and was quiet and calm. At first, some people had despised her, but she had traveled all over, despite her age, to help those who were suffering. There was even a group of noble men who worshipped her like a goddess—she was a true saint.
Nevertheless, Mylene knew there was something about the girl she saw in front of her that didn’t match her pure reputation.
Having been trapped in the sea of her own thoughts again, Mylene watched as Yulucia started filing her nails out of boredom with something that looked like a stone. The princess’s insolence quickly set her into motion. “You there! Lady Yulucia’s tea is growing cold. Bring her another cup at once.”
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Normally, she would have never given this kind of order. The usual guests at her tea parties had always been so mellow in their dreamy state of mind and the maids and butlers had always attentively given refills and seconds without needing to be asked. However, everyone was fixated on the young Yulucia’s every move right now. Her beauty must’ve been so enchanting that their very souls had been sapped out of them.
This isn’t good.
E n̂ û m̃ а̄.іd
The ones who had become their minions only just recently were starting to have trouble maintaining their human forms because they were so unable to resist Yulucia’s charm. Mylene was about to stand up to try to smooth things over, but then Yulucia stopped her by saying, “I don’t need any more tea. I mean, we’re going to do more than just drink tea, right?”
Mylene made a noise in her throat.
What was going on? Mylene was bewildered by how this girl was behaving so differently from the rumors about her. She was definitely not acting like a proper lady who had been invited to a tea party in high society.
“You brought me here in your jostling coach, your lady’s maid didn’t even properly wait on me, and now that I’m here, you still continue to neglect me. Why in the world did you invite me all the way out here?”
“P-please accept my apologies.” She decided to apologize for now, even if it was for show. Mylene was just about at her own limit for enduring all this.
The plan had been to capture Yulucia, break her spirit, and then slowly devour her. However, she kept provoking Mylene with her attitude. Mylene’s pride as a far superior being would not permit her to continue bowing and apologizing to this little girl.
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Just as she dropped her eyes to the ground, about to lose control of her anger, she noticed something small rolling around in the corner of her eye.
“This nail file doesn’t work very well, so you can have it back,” Yulucia said.
Mylene was shocked. It was a large ruby the size of an adult fingertip—one of the jewels that Mylene had given Yulucia in an attempt to win her over. The jewels had been valuable enough to buy a small manor, yet here Yulucia was, dropping them onto the ground in front of her. Mylene looked up at her in astonishment.
She was beginning to feel dizzy with rage.
What is wrong with this girl?!
Likely, Yulucia was continuing to provoke her like this because she knew about the kidnappings and thought this tea party had something to do with them. This was why she was acting like this—to get Mylene to slip up and reveal something. It made sense when she thought about it. Simultaneously, she realized how naive Yulucia was.
Ě n̂ü m̊ а
Yulucia possessed the pure heart of a saint and must have come here out of her sorrow for the kidnappings. She appeared to be wise, but she was still a child. After all, she hadn’t brought her guardian knights here—only those four children.
I’ve had enough of this. I’m going to kill her now!
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Yulucia was getting too cocky. Mylene would get her revenge for Yulucia trying to uncover the villain by giving Yulucia the most brutal and merciless death she could think of.
However…
Out of nowhere, Yulucia asked, “Have you heard of the vampire uprising that happened some years back in Telthed?”
Not only Mylene, but Count Auber and Camilla stiffened in their hiding spots in the shadows.
Ӗ n ù ma. і̇ d̀
“Why do you ask, Lady Yulucia?” Mylene’s tone had completely lost its human tenor. The sound of her voice caused the four attendants to snap out of their dreamlike state and tremble.
The gentle music stopped playing. All of the musicians, butlers, and maids were watching her with blank looks on their faces. Yulucia was the only one wearing a peaceful smile.
“Oh, I was just wondering out loud. I heard that there had been several vampires, but the uprising ended when they were defeated by the humans and deserted one of their own in order to flee. Poor thing.”
Yulucia’s words caused the maids and butlers to grimace in a beastly way. Intense anger spread through them all.
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Mylene in particular was awfully incensed by this. Her anger turned to rancor and the miasma she now radiated caused the vividly colored lawn and roses to wither in an instant.
“What are you trying to say?” Mylene’s voice quivered with rage.
É n̈u m ä
Yet, despite the strange occurrences happening around them, Yulucia’s smile didn’t falter. Instead, she took out the invitation she had received and tossed it onto the withered lawn.
“I hate to break it to you, but the fragrance of roses cannot cover up the stench of beasts.”
In the next instant, the butlers and maids who had barely been managing to maintain their human forms all simultaneously bared their fangs and chattered their teeth. The musicians who still had some humanity to them were covered in fur in the blink of an eye as they turned into beasts standing upright.
“Eek!” Now suddenly surrounded by inhuman monsters, the four attendants finally realized the gravity of their situation and clung to one another for protection as they began to cry. The fact that they managed to remain conscious despite being caught in this eddy of malice that was a monster’s manor was because their mistress Yulucia still showed no fear. That was the one and only reason.
The saintly, noble Yulucia would not desert them. They believed that, at the very least, she would buy them time to run.
Seeing how relaxed Yulucia was, Mylene bared her fangs and laughed. “You knew and yet you came anyway. I’m overjoyed to see that you’re not a Saint in name only.”
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“I’ll have you know that I have never once called myself a Saint. Having people call me that has been such a bother. All I want is to live in peace.” Yulucia sighed as she calmly placed a hand on her cheek. That was when the other two presences stepped out of the shadows.
“I’ll be glad to bring you ‘peace,’ my lady, so long as you give me your blood.” Count Auber, a middle-aged vampire with gray hair, came forward. He was considered a count among vampires as well.
“The Lady Saint seems so relaxed. Does she think she still has a chance to run? I hope not.” His wife Camilla, a beautiful vampire with black hair, followed. She was considered a vampire viscount.
“We’ll wipe that smile right off your face and make you regret this until you scream.” And finally, their noble daughter Mylene, a vampire with silver hair. She was considered a vampire baron.
A vampire’s rank changed over time. The longer they lived, the more powerful they became.
Count Auber was four hundred years old and his strength as a vampire with an aristocratic rank meant that he was a lower Calamity-Rank creature—meaning he was capable of bringing a nation to ruin.
Е n üm̌ а̂
Camilla, also of aristocratic rank since she was a vampire viscount, was only two hundred years old, while Mylene was one hundred, and thus a vampire baron. This meant they were upper Disaster-Rank creatures, each capable of destroying a whole city by themselves. However, the might of the three of them working together meant that they were greater in power than an arch elemental, which could bring about a cataclysm.
Yet Yulucia didn’t react.
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Mylene was the only one who still felt there was something strange about Yulucia, who remained fearless before them.
What was this strange sensation? It was like not realizing you had done up your buttons wrong, or like going outside wearing your shoes on the wrong feet—that kind of peculiar uncomfortableness.
How long had Mylene been feeling this for? Since the girl had come to their manor? Since she had first sent her an invitation? Or…had she felt it ever since they had arrived in this country?
No… Impossible.
W̊ ѐb̂nǒ vе̇ l̀ Е̊ n û m̊ ã
They had come to Talitelud because it was part of the plan they’d made back in Telthed. The Holy Kingdom of Talitelud was the birthplace of the Saint and the Hero. The people here were deeply religious, and it was a land that demons and villains alike avoided. That was the very reason the vampires had chosen to come here. There were so many different kinds of religions in this land. No one would ever suspect that terrifying monsters would be among their nobility. They were going to discreetly and quietly corrupt this holy kingdom at their leisure, changing its locations, its position, and even its form so that they could completely devour the blood of its people.
No one could possibly defeat Mylene and her family. Even if Yulucia really were the Saint, she had no means of fighting back without the Hero who was to be her partner. That was just how deeply Mylene trusted in the strength of her two allies.
Yet despite that, she felt such a nauseating despair.
If all the vampires had fought together when the knights of Telthed had taken them by surprise, then surely They wouldn’t have needed to have sacrificed one of their allies. It was because of this that Mylene felt such discontent toward the two who had run away at the very beginning of that fight—Count Auber and Camilla.
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And here in the den of such monsters…
“Let’s play a game of tag,” Yulucia suggested cheerfully. She clapped her hands and smiled like a child who had just thought of a great idea.
Ẁ.е̇ b n̆о̇ v èl̆ Е ñu m̊ǎ
Camilla was speechless as she realized that this was her response to Camilla asking if Yulucia thought she could run.
“So, Noir, Ninette, Fantine, Christina…”
Three of them flinched at the mention of their names, whereas Christina looked up at Yulucia to glare. Yulucia gave them a kind smile.
“You four do your best to run away too. If you manage to evade these people, then I’ll forgive you for what you’ve done.” Her words were cheerful yet merciless. Yulucia unhurriedly stood up straight and stretched out her hands. “Manifest Light.”
She had done it so effortlessly that no one had been able to react.
In that instant, it was not radiant light, but a black light that expanded around them with Yulucia at its center. Everyone was enshrouded in a darkness so pitch-black that not even the vampires could see through it.
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The vampires had been on guard against holy-magic attacks, so they were confused to be caught in this kind of inky-black darkness.
From the darkness, Yulucia’s cheerful voice sang, “Hee hee. Try to catch me now!”
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