In the dark basement, a cold atmosphere filled the air.
Yuri held an old, thick book in one hand and, with the other, carried a lamp with a dark green flame.
In front of her, Luna's body lay on the floor, sculpted with a magic circle.
Around Luna’s body, a circle of vampire maidens stood, each holding a bell.
As they gently shook the bells, a beautiful rhythmic sound of chimes was heard.
"The darkness never retreats, and death is not the end—"
Yuri recited ancient and solemn words of prayer.
"The lamp with the soul’s flame will guide her lost direction..."
"The sound of the summoning bells will restore her lost power..."
"Luna Bartoli—"
"Now is not the time for eternal sleep—"
"Please, awaken from your brief rest—"
"It is time to serve the Bartoli family..."
"It has come—"
The movement of the bells in the vampire maidens' hands accelerated, and the previously gentle sound became chaotic and deafening.
Especially in this somewhat small basement, the sound seemed to have a peculiar echo.
A common human entering here would likely have lost their sanity and mentally collapsed.
Even for the vampire maidens, this was not a pleasant moment.
At that instant, the words in Yuri's old book began to glow, and the green flames in the lamp exploded.
The light radiating from the magic circle enveloped Luna’s entire body.
Suddenly, it felt as if something had materialized in the room, making the atmosphere colder for everyone.
But soon, this cold sensation disappeared without a trace.
The light began to dissipate...
Luna's body still lay there, her limbs still sewn to her torso with thick stitches, and her face still showing the long, torn wounds, looking especially horrific.
The vampire maidens stopped shaking the bells, and the sound gradually faded away.
Yuri closed the old book, and the flame in the lamp extinguished.
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She watched Luna in silence.
Suddenly!
Luna’s eyelashes fluttered slightly, and it seemed her eyes were moving.
Then, she suddenly opened her eyes.
They were grayish-white pupils with a strong aura of death.
"Where am I?"
Luna didn’t appear weak, as if she had returned from the dead; instead, she quickly stood up and asked Yuri.
"Hmph..." Yuri was not in a hurry to answer her question. "You made a grave mistake by taking Princess Shirley out..."
Luna furrowed her brow slightly, but her heart, which no longer beat, also relaxed.
If Yuri still had time to mock her, it meant Shirley was okay.
"I will apologize to Princess Shirley for that. I don't need you to reprimand me."
Upon hearing this, Yuri's gaze turned sharp, and the murderous intent she emitted made all the vampire maidens in the room tremble.
"Get out!"
This command was like great news to all the vampire maidens, who were pleased internally but dared not show it until they left the room.
After the vampire maidens left the room...
"Ah!? Do you still dare to speak after I reprimanded you!?"
"What a joke! Who do you think you are to reprimand me... Hmm, that mouth seems a bit strange..."
"Ha ha, you old toothy!"
"Toothy? I'll tear your mouth apart and leave you like me!"
...
When the two of them left the room, both wore dark and serious expressions.
The oppressive atmosphere made the vampire maidens outside hold their breath.
Something quite unpleasant must have happened inside.
After all, one was the administrator and the other the head of the maidens, highly favored by the master...
The relationship between them must have been like water and fire...
At least, that was what the vampire maidens thought.
...
Before meeting Shirley, Luna personally changed clothes and then looked at herself in the mirror to assess her new appearance.
Her skin was even paler, and the aura of death she emanated was evident.
However... As a high-class vampire and a prominent member of the Bartoli family, she had several ways to contain this aura of death in daily life.
But her face...
After becoming a creature of the dead, the wounds couldn’t be healed...
Would Princess Shirley like her current appearance?
And after becoming a creature of the dead...
She couldn’t lick Princess Shirley’s face while she slept, could she...
Hmm, hehe...
Remembering the old times, when Princess Shirley thought the drool on her face was her own while she slept and felt embarrassed, Luna found it very amusing.
After thinking for a bit, Luna decided to wear a mask and then meet Shirley.
Arriving at Princess Shirley’s room, Luna knocked lightly on the door.
"Come in."
Shirley’s familiar voice almost made Luna cry with emotion, though she couldn’t actually cry.
"Princess Shirley."
As she called Shirley's name, Luna opened the door.
What she saw was the figure of Princess Shirley, whom she had longed to see.
Only, a crooked skull-patterned eye patch covered Shirley’s left eye.
"Princess Shirley, your left eye..."
"Oh, that..."
Shirley smiled and touched the crooked skull-patterned eye patch, which even looked a bit cute.
"Karina sewed it, but her work is really poor, she couldn’t even sew a skull properly."
Shirley looked a bit displeased, but her tone was more like showing affection.
"Sorry, Princess Shirley, it was my fault..."
"Enough!"
Shirley directly interrupted Luna’s apologies.
"Between us, we don’t need to talk about these boring things. By the way, do you really need to wear that mask?"
"Well... if I don’t wear the mask..."
"Take it off and show me!"
Since Princess Shirley had asked, Luna had no reason to refuse.
Shirley looked at Luna after she removed the mask.
"That’s it! I already thought you resembled that woman with the cut mouth before, and now you look even more like her!"
"Woman with the cut mouth?"
Luna tried to recall.
Although the description was quite vivid, she didn’t seem to have heard of this person.
"Well, don’t worry about that." Shirley waved her hand, "Come, help me comb my hair."
"Yes, Princess Shirley."
Luna approached Shirley and suddenly remembered something more important to say.
"Princess Shirley, there’s something I need to tell you about... ‘her’..."
"Oh?" Shirley narrowed her eyes, "Go ahead, I’m listening."
"The story begins with..."