Less than fifteen minutes later, in Cycelia's palace room…

Cycelia shuts the door behind herself and takes a seat on her bed, then begins slipping her shoes off.

「Whew… That's at least one worry off my shoulders.」

She lets out a large, fatigued sigh and begins crawling towards her pillows.

As soon as she pulls the blanket away, the door opens.

「Hey, Lia…」

「Eh? Straf?…」

Straf peeks his head in through the open door, causing Cycelia to freeze up from the surprise.

「…What is it?」

She says, blinking her large emerald eyes at him.

「…What happened to all those vampire lamps that were dismantled? You didn't trash them, right?」

Cycelia notices Stripe and her golden eyes over his shoulder as he asks.

「No, of course not! They're in secure storage. Tolwick or the steward should have access to them. Why?」

She gets out of her halted crawling position and kneels on her bed with her hands in her lap.

「I wanted to tinker with them a little. Thanks. Goodnight, Lia.」

Straf nods, and backs his head out of the room.

「Uh-huh. Goodnight, Straf…」

Cycelia nods her chestnut head back, furrowing her brows slightly as he shuts the door. She stares blankly at the door for a few seconds before shrugging.

「I hope Straf is not mistreating her…」

She mumbles to herself as she slips under her blanket and rests her head on the pillows.

「…But then again, he's not the type of guy to do that.」

With a sigh, she wiggles herself into a more comfortable position.

「…What a troublesome thing, that collar. He could make anyone do anything if he slipped it on-」

She mumbles quietly before her emerald eyes snap wide open. Her fingers dart to her neck as she thinks, blinking a few times.

「He put it on me once…」

Cycelia thinks out loud, staring blankly at the furniture in front of her as she lies on her side. She then rolls onto her back, and stares at the canopy.

「He…」

《…He could have made me do anything.》

She thinks, and her heart begins to beat markedly faster.

《Straf could have ordered me around like a dog… I'd have to do everything he says…》

「Haah… Haah…」

Cycelia breathes heavily, and a light flush appears on her cheeks.

《If I had that collar on Straf…》

She thinks, and begins fantasizing about the things she could compel Straf to do.

「Nooo… Stop iiiit… What are you even thinking about?…」

Cycelia chides herself, hiding her face in her hands as she rolls around in her bed. Regardless of her conscious attempts to suppress the thoughts, images of Straf on his knees in front of her, Straf taking his shirt off, and Straf letting her feel his muscles with her dainty hands fill her head.

《That's not something a lady should think about!… And definitely not before bed!…》

「Gnnhhh!…」

She lets out a muffled groan into the pillow while she kicks her feet under her blanket, feebly trying to calm down and stop thinking…

…

An hour later, in an unused magic workshop within the palace…

The dim room has only one magic lamp lighting it, wrapping the rest in dark shadows. In the back, there are a few small bookshelves, though they are mostly empty. Straf has laid out a few vampire lamps on the sole workbench of the workshop, and has already pried one of them open. Stripe stands beside him, watching with gently furrowed brows and a wary expression.

「…Oh yeah. I forgot about one certain vampire.」

Straf lifts his head up from the vampire lamp he's working on with his screwdriver-like implement.

「What?」

Her eyes narrow, and her face turns somewhat concerned.

「This is the part where I drop everything and go see her… Buuuuuut… I now have my handy dandy secretary that I definitely do not do anything inappropriate with!」

He adds, turning his grinning face to Stripe. Her jaw drops in shock, revealing her pronounced canines.

「We do not do anything inappropriate!」

She shouts back, clenching her fists in indignant anger.

Snap.

「Exactly. So even if we did-」「We will not!」

Straf snaps his fingers and points at Stripe's face. She shouts again, cutting him off.

「…But even if, we can just keep saying that we definitely do not do anything inappropriate!」

「Because we do not!」

He nonchalantly returns back to fiddling with the open vampire lamp while Stripe keeps shouting and insisting.

「That's right. But everyone expects high-up people and their secretaries to be up to something, so we can strategically deny it ahead of time.」

Straf lets out an amused huff from his nose, and shrugs.

「Don't deny something so specific! It makes it sound like it actually happened!」

Stripe demands, clenching her teeth.

「Okay, I won't deny we did inappropriate stuff-」「No!」

Grinning, he shrugs again with a tilt of his head while he works on the lamp. She cuts him off with a shout again.

「Anyway… I want you to go get the skateboard from Lily.」

Straf casually changes the subject, or rather, returns to the original topic.

「What is a skateboard and who is Lily?」

Stripe asks, slowly calming down. Her golden eyes become wary once more.

「Lily is the big little vampire all other vampires are afraid of. She should be in her bell tower…」

Straf replies, then straightens out as he points his magic tool at her.

「…And a skateboard is… You'll see. Just tell Lily you came to get it. She will know what's it about. Tell her I'll get upset if she doesn't hand it over to you.」

His eyes drift upward as he thinks for a brief moment, then shrugs and explains.

「…Why do I have to-?」

Zzap.

Stripe's brows furrow as she asks in a disgruntled tone before the collar abruptly shocks her.

「Ow. Nrrrghh…」

She winces in pain, then groans in anger with her clenched teeth bared.

「Get to work, slave! What am I paying you for!?」

Straf exclaims as he points at the door.

「You're not paying me anything!」

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

Stripe shouts back as she stomps to the exit.

「Exactly!」「Tsk…」

Chuckling with his fists on his hips, he nods at her with a huge grin. She clicks her tongue and leaves while shaking her head…

…

An hour later, after sundown, on the capital's streets…

Stripe is nearing the bell tower in a sour mood. The vampires on the street look with curious red eyes at her animal ears and her collar.

《That bastard Straf… What even is a skateboard!?… Wait.》

She suddenly stops in her tracks and looks over her shoulder.

《…I could find Sparrow and-》

Zzaap.

「Agh…」

The moment Stripe considers doing anything else but recovering the skateboard, the collar painfully shocks her in the neck, causing her to rethink the notion in an instant.

《Damn bastard… I suppose I could do it afterwards…》

She thinks while gripping onto the collar with her fingers, her mouth heavily scrunched to the side.

Knock knock knock…

Stripe approaches the bell tower door and knocks a few times. After a moment, it swings open.

「Er… Yes?…」

A hesitant man peeks his concerned eyes past the open door. The moment he sees her face, his gaze drifts up to her ears.

「Is a Lily here?」

Stripe asks in a tone sounding like she'd rather do just about anything else.

「The baroness?… Yes, she is… Why?」

「I need to talk with her.」

The man asks, and Stripe bluntly replies with a frustrated grimace.

「She doesn't like to be disturbed… Especially by non-vampires… You are not a vampire, are you?」

He looks into her golden eyes, focusing on her slit pupils before glancing at her ears again.

「…No.」

Stripe denies, and gains a tight-lipped grimace.

「Then I'm afraid she won't see you-」

「I need to see her. It's about the skateboard. Tell her Straf wants it back.」

She interrupts the man, crossing her arms as she appears more and more frustrated with each second.

「Straf?… Ah… I will let her know, but I don't guarantee she'll want to see you. Wait here.」

Hearing Straf's name, the man's demeanor shifts somewhat. His face grows weary and apologetic, and he nods in response. He slowly pushes the door shut, and Stripe waits outside.

ThudthudthudTHUD!

After what seems to be far too long for someone to simply relay a message, someone on the other side of the door approaches with rapid and heavy steps. It violently swings open.

「…Huh. A real beastman. If you were pretending just to see me, I would have ripped your arms out.」

A little girl no older than 12, perhaps 13 declares with her clawed fists on her hips as she looks up at Stripe's perplexed face.

「What do you want, woman? Are you another one of Straf's minions?…」

The vampire girl asks, tilting her golden blonde, twin-tailed head as she crosses her arms.

「I am not his minion!」

Stripe clenches her fists in a loud and angry denial.

「…Have you lied to me in order to see me, then?」

The girl's scarlet eyes narrow, and her disinterested face becomes visibly cold as she glares at Stripe. A sense of unease fills her while the vampire stares at her with a piercing gaze.

「…He sent me for the skateboard.」

Stripe replies, breaking the eye contact and turning her golden eyes away in shame. Lily's mouth slants, and she nods with a disapproving look on her face in silence.

「So you didn't lie to see me, but you lied to me just now… Or, you gravely misinterpreted your place in relation to Straf… No matter. I'm not giving it to you.」

Lily bluntly declares, and shrugs her shoulders.

「But I came here to get the skateboard. He told me to get it from you.」

She explains, spreading her hands.

「So? And I'm not giving it to you. If he wanted it that badly, he would have-」

Scoffing, the little vampire smirks and places her clawed hand on the door.

「He said he'll be upset if you don't hand it over.」

Stripe adds, cutting in. The girl's crimson eyes widen, and she appears to be taken aback a little, blinking at her in shock.

「…Is that what he said?」

Lily asks with a wary gaze.

「Yes. He specifically told me to say that.」

The slave beastman nods her head with her hands spread, and sighs.

「Tsk…」

The vampire clicks her tongue and turns her head aside. With her arms crossed, she begins rapidly tapping her foot on the wooden floor, her mouth heavily scrunched to the side.

Her foot stops abruptly, and her upset scarlet eyes snap to Stripe's.

「…Fine.」

Slam!

Lily replies, and slams the door in her face.

「…What?」

《Did she agree, then?》

A little confused by her reaction, Stripe furrows her brows at the closed door. Unwilling to barge in and lacking for better options, she throws her hands up and begins idly pacing around outside the door. The vampires continue staring at her, causing her to feel a little discomforted by the attention. The passing Ministry agents as well as random citizens likewise stare at her and her ears.

《The fact that the queen just agreed to host the vampires here is pure madness… All that stops them from slaughtering the humans is a frail little promise.》

She shakes her head as she thinks, and continues pacing around with her arms crossed.

《Wait…》

An uncomfortable realization dawns on her face as she stops before her next step.

《The agreement protects humans. What about beastmen?…》

Stripe thinks, and side-glances at the group of vampires passing her. They stare at her like a pack of hungry animals the whole way before turning a corner.

With a tight-lipped grimace on her face, she swiftly jogs rights up to the door and turns her back towards it. Her head begins rapidly swiveling left and right.

After what feels like an eternity and greatly unnerved by the hungry crimson stares, the door opens.

「…Here.」

Lily says, holding a board with four wheels out for Stripe.

「This is the skateboard?」

She asks, staring at it with her brows furrowed.

「What do you think, idiot? Take it, or else I'm taking it back.」

The little girl growls at her angrily, and turns her pouting face away. Stripe hesitantly takes the skateboard into her hands.

「…Tell Straf he should see me personally next time.」

SLAM!

She adds, briefly turning her scarlet eyes to Stripe's as she's holding the door, then slams it in her face again. The sound echoes across the mostly empty streets.

「Okay…」

Stripe says quietly, and turns around. There is a small gathering of vampires standing in front of the bell tower, staring at her. She gulps, and hugs the skateboard closer.

「…O- Official business! Coming through! G- Government business!」

She exclaims as she walks past the group. The vampires glance at each other, then follow after her.

Realizing her footsteps are not doubled, but perhaps octupled or more. She looks over her shoulder. The group of vampires is still following her, albeit at a considerable distance. While the distance would have been more than enough to feel safe for a human, for a vampire, it can be crossed in seconds, only adding to the tense atmosphere. Just as Stripe was hoping to see a Ministry agent, or at least a regular human citizen of the capital, they are nowhere to be found while she's walking back to the palace in a rapid pace.

She turns her head forward and tries to pay them no mind, while also accelerating. Hugging the skateboard tight for comfort, she stares forward with a wide-eyed gaze and a nervous face.

《Straf you bastard… You bastard! If I get eaten by vampires I'll curse you for a thousand lifetimes, you bastard!…》

Stripe clenches her fists and teeth while hoping to make it to the palace in one, blood-filled piece…

…

Ten minutes later, outside the palace gate…

Stripe appears from beyond the corner of one of the buildings and onto the main street. As soon as she's in the plumed guards' line of sight, she begins running.

They look at each other before turning their eyes back to her. A moment later, a horde of vampires emerges from behind her.

The guards glance at each other again, this time wide-eyed, and grip onto their halberds. They take a few steps forward, tilting their blades forward a little.

「M- Make no attempts to breach the gate! The queen and the baroness will be informed about any intrusions!」

One of the gate guards attempts to sound authoritative, but stammers when warning the vampire horde.

Clutching the skateboard close to her chest and with an anxious, tight-lipped grimace on her face, Stripe runs past the gate.

「Tsk…」「…Damn…」「…Maybe next time…」

The vampires slow down to a halt, then slowly begin to disperse in all available directions while grumbling and shaking their heads. Some even spit on the road as they leave.

At the same time, both of the plumed guards let out large, relieved sighs. Their armored shoulders slump with a faint clatter of metal, and they return back to their post.

《Damn you, damn you, damn you!… I'll rip your throat out with my bare hands the moment you close your eyes to sleep for this, you bastard!…》

Stripe heads for the palace door, already cursing Straf in her head while gritting her teeth in indignant fury…