"Good morning, Your Highness," Vita greeted me from the foot of my bed. I sat up and met her gaze. "Good morning, Vita," I replied, my voice full of grace.

This was our morning routine. Vita would arrive shortly after dawn to awaken me and I would greet her in turn.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, her voice flat and lifeless as usual. Vita's expression was the same as always, her stoic eyes and impeccable maid outfit beacons of solemnity.

"I am well, Vita," I answered, "How are you this morning?"

"I am blessed by the Cinder Moon herself to your highness’s presence this morning," Vita said in a dull monotone. "Today is the eve of Crimson Swan’s Festival. The queen has requested that you join her for an early lunch."

Vita had been my personal maid since I had been born, and I trusted her deeply for her capabilities and reliability. Despite her deadpan exterior, I knew she cared deeply about me. Honestly, I found her charming. She was a human, but despite the claims in the codexes on humankind that I had found in our library, she was sharp-minded and sincere.

"Your Highness, I hope you're well-rested after your extended morning slumber. Shall we get started?"

Maybe even too sincere.

"Prepare a dress for me," I said, glancing at the mirror. "The festival is arriving soon; I need to look my best.”

She turned to my wardrobe and pulled out a few dresses. "Your Highness, may I offer a suggestion for your attire this morning? The emerald green silk Peplum, the pink gown you received from the Fae Queen, or perhaps something more fitting for a lady of your status?" She asked, her tone neutral but with a hint of emotion in her eyes—playfulness. Of course, she was teasing me, but anyone else would have missed it.

"The pink gown and the diamond brooch that Mother gave me for my 15th Cinder Night," I instructed her, not bothering to acknowledge her subtle jest.

"As you wish, Your Highness," Vita said with a nod, her expression and tone unchanged.

Vita was the epitome of efficiency. In no time, she brought over the pink gown and dressed me. The fabric was soft and light against my skin, and I could feel the warmth of the sun seeping through my window as I stepped into the morning light. "Is there anything else you need this morning, Your Highness?" Vita asked, bowing.

"Yes, thank you. I would like you to brush my hair," I requested, turning to face my reflection in the mirror. With a quiet display of emotion—happiness—Vita set a chair in front of the mirror and gestured for me to sit down. I placed myself in her care and let out a sigh as she began to tenderly brush my locks.

As per the ritual, I examined my reflection, reaffirming the clear and utter lack of imperfections that made up my visage. My flawless and perfect complexion complemented a stunning face framed by shimmering golden locks. Under my bluntly cut bangs a pair of striking ruby eyes and bright lips. Perfection indeed. I smiled at the mirror in satisfaction, revealing the pair of fangs. I was not just a creature of beauty, but also an apex predator. A Vampire of Hel.

"With your bed hair under control, you look quite stunning Princess Evette," Vita said, her voice low and even. She stood back to admire her work, and her lips curled a minute amount in satisfaction. I nodded in agreement, so with my look complete, the pink dress perfect for the season and the diamond necklace adding a touch of glamour, I was ready to greet the day.

"Thank you, Vita," I said to her, my heart brimming with confidence. "Do you have any other suggestions?"

"No, Your Highness," Vita said, bowing. "You look as beautiful as the moon daughter herself."

I appreciated the compliment, but it wasn’t true. Nothing could compare to the brilliance of my mother. I was a pale imitation, I could not receive Cinder’s blessing directly, I had to consume blood in order to replenish my mana. But I was still strong, and I was still the princess of Hel.

"Let's go," I said, standing from my chair. Vita stepped aside and gestured towards the door. I thanked her and stepped out into the hallway.

As I walked down the palace halls, I saw people whisper salutations to me—most of them not looking away from the floor as they spoke; others who stared into space in reverence or shock. For being so young (only 15), my reputation had spread across the Moon Daughter's kingdom and throughout Hel. No doubt the miracle of my birth, the first vampire in a century, and the first of the primeval bloodline—ever—had a part to play in my fame, but it was a lonely fame.

I was alone.

In my 15 years, the closest thing I had to a friend was a maid ten years my senior. Although she was always polite and respectful, she kept me at a distance and rarely expressed any emotion.

I was the princess, and she was the maid. I was a vampire of Hel, she was a human.

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As I walked down the corridor, I heard a voice call to me.

"Good morning, Evette!"

My head perked up as I recognized the voice: it belonged to the most powerful creature in existence—my mother, the Moon Daughter herself. She looked back with an unabashed smile, her eyes like shimmering depths of flame. My breath caught in my throat at her beauty; her body was timeless and eternally perfected, face was somehow both stern and serene, and her glowing white hair a clear indication of her divinity.

"Mother!"

I ran up to her and embraced her.

"Evette, I have good news," she said, eyes perking up as she embraced me.

"You look lovely." She said while patting my head. "You’re like a freshly plucked flower from a garden.”

Mother wore her usual red flowing silk dress, perhaps the eve of the festival wasn’t worth dolling me up to the extent that I had after all.

I sighed, dejected.

"Mother, Vita told me you wanted to meet for lunch today," I said, blushing.

Her eyes pierced through me in a way that was all-knowing but never in accusation.

"She did indeed. Let's go eat our lunch, daughter. I have excellent news to share!”

I followed my mother down the hall to the dining room, where we were greeted by a chef who had recently finished training in our kitchen. Selected from the general population for his keen interest and ability to cook, he joined the staff three years prior. As an elf, he had a thin build with fair skin and nimble hands. He bowed deeply to my mother, and then to me.

"Welcome, Your Highnesses," he said, his accent vaguely foreign and melodious.

Elves were long-lived creatures that appeared on Hel shortly after vampires. For most of our history, we had either been at war or their race had been subjugated into slavery. Their skill in craft was legendary, famously inventing magical armaments to compete against my people’s superior might.

I returned his bow with a nod and sat at the table, dismissing him back to the kitchen. The first course was a cold salad of spinach, red grapes, and avocado slices with a light vinaigrette dressing designed by a visiting master cook from the neighboring kingdom of dark elves, the Drow Coven. She had been training our staff in the aeroponic arts for years, and the resulting ingredients were finally bearing fruit for the tables of our kingdom. In exchange, our kingdom had loaned our greatest architect to help renovate their home coven. Many in the Moon Daughter's Realm were skeptical of these exchanges following Hel's unification, but the results were undeniable. Friendly cooperation had spread prosperity more in 15 years than it had in hundreds of years of subjugation and war.

I took a bite of my salad, savoring its fresh taste before continuing. I could hardly believe that such delicious food had been grown in a building made of molten sand. After finishing my plate, I looked to my queen and asked, "What is it you wish to discuss mother?"

"Mother moon, this is divine." She praised, having moved on to the second course, which consisted of a delicate array of fresh strawberries and tomatoes. "Before that, I have a story to tell you, Evette.”

"A story?" I wondered, as Mother rarely delved into stories. What could she have in mind?

"Yes, a story," she said, licking strawberry sauce off her fingers. "Mother Moon, damn this is good!"

“Mother, language!” I chastised.

"I'm sorry, Evette. I'm sorry, Cinder. May Mother Moon's light shine down on us always," she spoke, her words sounding like a recitation of a familiar lesson.

Her expression grew serious as she turned to me. "But more importantly, it's time I tell you about your birth. Can you hold your questions until the end? And make yourself comfortable, it's a long story," she smiled and gestured for me to join her on the nearby sofa. "You can feed while I talk."

For a moment, I froze. An irresistible thirst overwhelmed my mind. My heart hammered in my chest as my fangs extended. All I could do was focus on my steps as I approached my mother’s side, laying on her lap as she held out her forearm and gently brushed my hair.

How long had it been? A week, a month? She had been weaning me of her blood for a while, preparing me for something. It didn’t matter. I couldn't resist the pull any longer and bit into her flesh, letting her comforting scent wash over me as I consumed her blood.

"Drink up, my little Evette," she said in a soothing tone, her voice full of understanding. "You must have been sooooo thirsty." She cooed.

For all her beauty and power, my mother was kind. "Today you may drink as much as you want my dear," she said, stroking my hair, and my fangs pierced deeper. Her delicious, powerful blood put me in a state of utter bliss.

"We have a couple of important guests coming in three days, and you and I will need to prepare for their arrival as soon as possible. For the next two days, I will be teaching you directly in the forbidden wing of the palace. Neither you nor I will participate in the festival."

Having guests was not unusual, but the forbidden wing was something that only my mother was allowed to enter. I wanted to ask her a question, but if it meant taking my mouth away from her delicious blood, it could wait. She had told me to hold my questions, after all.

"On the third day, your second mother and..."

"Wait, what?!" I blurted out, spraying red liquid all over my mother's face in a not-so-princess-like manner.

She chuckled and flicked me on the forehead. "Hold on, let me finish. I haven't even started my story yet," she admonished me. A shimmer of light evaporated the blood on her face into nonexistence. No doubt her blood art, glamour.

"You see Evette, unlike your many aunts and cousins, I was cursed to be barren. The price of divinity, it seems, is being unable to create life in one's own body. It was a cruel fate for a true immortal, and after living for thousands of years, there was nothing I desired more than to have a child. And so, for thousands more years, I despaired. I sought out powerful witches and other immortals to find a solution. When it appeared impossible to cheat my nature, I sought a way to remove my divinity, and when that failed, I even sought out a way to die."

"Then how...?"

"Yan Ailing, your second mother, found a way." Her eyes looked distant, and a bittersweet smile pursed her lips. "Eighteen years ago, she, a mere human, appeared from seemingly nowhere and demanded that I, the Moon Daughter and Queen of all that bleeds, grant her a favor." Her voice rose in a mixture of burnt pride and a single tear streamed down her face.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. My second mother was a mere human! But even more shockingly...mother, my mother, was shedding tears at a bittersweet memory of her lover!?

"Naturally, I attempted to kill her, but after three days of fighting to a stalemate, I decided to at least humor her. She was unlike any human I had ever met, passionate and powerful, but also unflinching and ruthless." She chuckled, and I wondered what it was that made her so amused.