Trembling in fear and her mind awash with confusion, Lycoris was in no real state to question the identity of her savior. The woman had called herself Rosa. Her faded pink hair and rose-colored eyes was familiar to the shaken girl, but she wasn't sure where she would have recognized a vampire from.
Lycoris attempted to stagger up to her feet, but flopped back down when her jelly-like legs refused to cooperate with her brain.
The woman circled around and crouched in front of her, looking her up and down with a furrowed brow. “Hmm… You appear unharmed, fortunately. Come on, let's get you home.”
“A-Ah, wa… wait wait…”
Lycoris fiddled with the brooch and turned her gaze toward the ground. She suddenly felt incredibly self-conscious about the length of her hair, as she felt it pull against her when she tried to move her head. It’d gotten stuck under her backside when she fell back over, reminding her of at least one occasion where she’d fumbled her way out of bed in the morning.
While the girl was busy tripping over both her body and words, Rosa stood back up and retrieved her swords before leaning over Athena as she checked her condition, rubbing her thumb against the unconscious maid’s cheek and lips.
There were a million and one questions going through Lycoris’ mind, but one thought in particular managed to force its way between her lips as the woman snapped the shackles off of the maid. She had to maintain some semblance of appearances, after all.
“I’m not… I mean, Lilianna isn’t… The Exaltare’s not—” she struggled to deliver the same half-baked excuse that she’d used on the civilians.
“It’s fine, Lycoris.”
“Ahm… You… know my name?”
“Twins are psychically linked, after all,” Rosa teased. “Though, I have trouble telling what’s actually going on in my sister’s head these days…”
“T…Twins…?”
Her reply slammed into Lycoris like a barrel of salted cod, rendering her speechless. Rosa didn’t resemble Lilianna in the slightest… aside from their jawline. And cheekbones, and ears… and general physique.
The longer she stared at Rosa, the less confident in herself she became. At the same time though, it gave her something halfway positive to contemplate. Anything was better than thinking about what almost happened to her…
“She never mentioned anything about a twin.”
“Really? We have been on poor terms with each other, but to not even tell her own daughter about dear Auntie Rosa…”
“You even know about that, huh…”
“It’s rather obvious, dear. You look just like her, and I don’t just mean the hair.” She reached forward and gently pinched Lycoris’ ear. “Your ears curve ever so slightly downward at the tip.”
“Th-That tickles! Let go! I get… I get it!”
Lycoris squirmed away from her and slowly crawled up to her feet, bracing herself against the furniture in the corner. Her legs still felt weak, but at least she’d gotten herself standing.
“Feeling a little better now, honeydrop?”
“H-Huh? I-I, um…”
A shiver ran through Lycoris as she watched the woman closely. She wasn’t doing anything particularly frightening, all she did was take a cloth to Athena’s face as she wiped some of the blood off, but Lycoris’ focus was on the pointed ears poking through her rose-colored hair.
Sure enough, she had the same slight little downward arc that she’d pointed out on Lycoris. Her mother said that a typical heir’s hair and eyes would only change after succeeding the throne, so maybe… Lilianna originally had pink hair and eyes?
Lycoris tried to imagine her mom, only younger and wearing clothes like Emma and Seraphine, rather than as the imposing and majestic Exaltare… Only to feel a bizarre sense of second-hand embarrassment as she ended up picturing herself with pink hair.
At the same time, she thought of her mother in the same position she’d once occupied. A vampire fighting wicked vampires, just as she’d been a knight dealing with humans that broke the law and defied the Goddess’ teachings.
…She hadn’t considered until that moment if vampires even had a religion, or what they thought of the Goddess.
Bad humans, good humans, bad vampires, good vampires… frustration mounted as she realized that, on some level, a vampire was ultimately more similar to than different from a human—on an emotional level, at least. Though she wasn’t sure who to be frustrated with.
Peeling away the labels she’d put on them, all that Lycoris saw was people who’d threatened her, scared her, reminded her of the men her original mother—
“Ah!”
Her legs gave out once more, but she was caught in Rosa’s arms before she crumpled to the floor. The look of concern on her face really did remind Lycoris of her… her real mother.
If showing kindness was morally good, then Lilianna was far more human than the woman who had given birth to her. As were Rosa, Emma, Seraphine… Maybe not Tethos, he seemed more than a little shady.
“Still shellshocked, huh?”
Rosa softly sat Lycoris down and knelt in front of her. Taking the brooch back out of her hands in order to tie her hair for her up, she stopped as the girl reflexively pounced forward and buried her face against her chest.
She placed a hand delicately atop Lycoris’ head and slowly patted her, awkwardly but carefully tying her hair into a loose bun. She pulled the hood back over the girl’s head as well, hesitating for a moment as she looked down at her silver hair.
“How does one even go about punishing a girl like this? You certainly have your work cut out for you, Lilianna.”
The woman sighed and wrapped her hand around Lycoris’ head, holding her still in the dark room, the quiet dripping of blood rhythmically pattering in the background.
Lycoris kept her face hidden, concealing the embarrassment she felt at acting so immaturely to a total stranger. Her head was a mess, she couldn’t tell if she was still only pretending to be a child, or if her heart and mind had succumbed like her body, or if the distinction even mattered anymore.
Lilianna had given her a taste of the sweetest nectar, which only became a poison in her heart once it mixed with the terror of death. She had been fine with throwing her life away, until she realized she’d never feel the warmth of her mother’s love again.
When she eventually managed to pull her flushed cheeks away, the woman’s sharp tulip eyes were staring toward the window, rather than her. Without even waiting for Lycoris to ask, she scooped the girl back up into her arms and pressed her face into her shoulder.
Lycoris heard voices from the street outside, though she couldn’t make out what exactly they were saying. They sounded urgent, but not panicked. There was the sound of heavy footsteps approaching up the stairs, and—
“They arrived quicker than I expected… Allow me to carry you, Princess. We’ll be taking a different way out.”
“Wh-Who did? Wait, put me down, I can walk on my own just—”
—a light breeze brushed against her back as Rosa held onto her newsboy cap.
A shiver ran through Lycoris’ body as momentary vertigo overtook her, and the chill of the night air sank through her clothes.
Did she just teleport us? Without a ritual or incantation or spell circle?
She looked around at the nondescript alley they'd suddenly arrived in, unsure where exactly it was. While unlit and unfamiliar, it appeared much like the ones she’d skulked through alongside Mizar when they had to duck out of the sewers. Meaning that they were at least still in the capital.
At the same time, another troubling thought occurred to her: if her rescuer turned out to be an even more powerful kidnapper, Lycoris had put herself completely at her mercy. In the most ideal scenario, she’d been sent by Lilianna to bring her back, or even…
“Are you sure you’re not secretly my mom?” Lycoris grumbled into her ear.
“Well, we are twin sisters,” she chuckled back softly, “so I won’t say no if you want to call me Mama instead.”
“N-No thanks. I’ll pass.”
“But you did earlier,” Rosa pouted.
“That’s ‘cause I didn’t know you weren’t her! Not my fault you were using the same swords… Wait, why were you—”
“Speaking of 'mamas' and such, aren’t you supposed to be a princess, dear? You should be talking more formally, shouldn’t you?”
“Huh? Aren’t you a noble? What’s your excuse?”
“Because I’m in disguise, of course~”
Rosa winked at the sulking princess as she carried her out onto the main streets, where Lycoris recognized the familiar shape of Pulia Park nearby. That made sense, and was a bit of a relief. Teleportation grew exponentially more difficult the further one traveled; if Rosa had been capable of taking her even somewhere else within the sprawling capital with nothing but her own power, it'd make her one of the most terrifying and talented mages in the known world.
The moment Lycoris turned her head to take in their surroundings, she heard a familiar pair of voices from behind her—or rather, in front of them.
“Lyco!? Are you alright?”
“We saw the guards rushing towards the building you ran off to and got worried…”
“Gah—!”
Lycoris winced and began squirming in Rosa’s arms. Worst-case scenarios ran through her head as she wondered how Lilianna’s twin would react to other people knowing she existed. Assuming that she was coordinating with the Exaltare, that is.
If she was lucky, Rosa would disregard them entirely. Though… she would still probably tell Lilianna. And if she did…
Quietly—coldly—she whispered into Lycoris’ ear, “Who are these two?”
That’s not a good sign.
“Th-They don’t know anything!” After a slight pause, she added, “Please don’t kill them.”
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“They obviously know your name at the very least. I was hoping to get you back home without anyone approaching us. Hence the teleportation spell, ‘Lyco.’”
The slight hint of irritation in her voice was like a warning siren in Lycoris’ mind, eerily reminiscent of the way Lilianna would get whenever she tried talking back.
Frankly, with how exhausted she already was after this debacle of an evening, it was a miracle Lycoris didn’t pass out on the spot.
“Just set me down, I’ll talk to them, okay? They don’t need to know about us or Mom.”
“I reserve the right to handle them as I see fit… as my sister would.”
Delivering an ultimatum with rather foreboding implications, she acquiesced and gingerly set Lycoris down on her feet.
Her poor legs had gone slightly numb, but she managed to stand on her own after wobbling a bit toward the pair of civilians, who were occupied with glancing—or rather, staring—at Rosa.
“Hi, you two… sorry for—”
“Wait a minute… I recognize you!” Seraphine pointed at Rosa. “You were at the park…”
“Huh?”
Lycoris looked back at Rosa, a momentary flash of terror gripping her when she saw the shadow cross Rosa’s expression. She had the same murderous mien was natural to Lilianna, as befit someone colloquially titled "The Tyrant" by humans. Maybe Lycoris looked that way herself when she got angry; she hadn’t really considered it before.
Emma scratched her cheek as understanding slowly dawned on her, placing her hand over Seraphine’s and slowly pushing it down.
“Seraphine, don’t point, it’s rude. Are you a child? Lycoris, could it be that—”
“S-S-She’s the person I was talking about! Ahaha…hahaha…”
“'Talking about?'” Rosa growled.
“Oh! So you must be her… mother.”
Don’t either of you have any sort of survival sense!? What’s wrong with you? Are you blind? She’s clearly furious!! Stop digging yourself deeper into a hole!
As Lycoris mentally chided the pair of seemingly oblivious women, she turned back to give an encouraging smile and weak thumbs up to Rosa.
Rosa, in turn, glanced down at her, face contorting as she clearly went through the mental gymnastics of deciding if she should kill the two of them.
“I am… the young Lycoris’ contact. Of House Drimus. I came to retrieve the Young Lady.”
She offered a miniscule bow toward Lycoris, keeping her eyes locked on Emma and Seraphine.
Only after she spoke did Lycoris realize that she’d never asked Lilianna what house she originally called family. Assuming Rosa was being genuine, that is. Since she’d only ever seen Lilianna—and, begrudgingly, herself—as Aphtangloa, it never really occurred to Lycoris that her mother had been a member of one of the Seven Families before.
It was a little strange finding out something that seemed kind of private in such a roundabout manner. Lycoris was left wondering if it’d be a sensitive topic to bring up, or if she should feel some sort of kinship herself to one of the Seven, considering her mother’s potential ties…
…Wait, what am I thinking? They’re vampires, of course I shouldn’t! Besides, if I remember Mom’s lectures right, the Drimus are all either opportunistic fence-sitters or warmongerers anyways!
“The honor is ours, Ma’am! Come on Sera, quit staring!”
“Y-You were staring too! At least let me salute them instead…”
Emma bowed deeply to Rosa, pressing a hand down on Seraphine’s back to force her to do likewise. Grumbling, the golden-haired woman followed suit, bowing deeply before the two of them.
“I’m, uh… sorry, for worrying the two of you,” Lycoris apologized.
“Lycoris, they are commoners. Do not apologize to them.”
“Right! Sorry Moth—urgh!?”
It sounded so much like her mother’s usual chastisement that Lycoris reflexively responded as though it was Lilianna speaking. Even though she’d already been standing properly with her hands in front of her, she straightened her back ever so slightly more.
Emma pretended to ignore Lycoris’ slip up, though the girl could see her lips curl into a wry smile even while keeping both her head and Seraphine’s bowed low.
“You more than flatter us with your concern! It is more than we deserve; we were more than happy to serve as a mere forgettable escort, and are delighted to find you in good health together with Lady Drimus. Please, excuse our needless interruption and we’ll be on our way.”
“You are dismissed,” Rosa interjected, “expect a summons to Her Majesty’s Court at a later date.”
“E-Eh!?” “Huh!?”
“Rosa, is that… really necessary? All they did was walk me here…”
“And you recall the state I found you in, do you not?”
“But that wasn’t their fault!”
“Can you prove that?”
The woman’s penetrating gaze felt like a spear through the heart, but Lycoris held her ground. She felt as if she had finally regained her emotional footing, or at the very least, found something she knew she couldn’t back down on.
She couldn’t let these two suffer solely because their own concern for her had led them to cross paths. She knew that Emma and Seraphine had nothing but kind intentions, even if they’d accidentally fed her Human blood. But there’d been no malice behind that, they just wanted to cheer her up by showing a sheltered girl things she wouldn’t have seen, and treat her to something that would be up to her standards.
She recalled words that she’d once imparted to someone dear to her; someone who she’d once hoped would go on to save the world.
Lycoris removed the locket from her blouse and squeezed it, mustering up her courage to rebuke Rosa,
“Trust is hard-earned, easily lost… and once broken, twofold difficult to mend. By my name, I speak for the measure of their character and honor.”
“Lycoris…”
Rosa stared at her silently, assessing her resolve.
The pair of women at Lycoris’ back were frozen with awe; though she couldn’t see it, she could’ve sworn she heard one of them sniffling.
Eventually, the rose-haired woman smiled sharply. “Easily lost, is it? It shall be up to those two to determine how their future goes, but in your honor, they’ll be treated fairly. Your words have guaranteed their lives.”
Her smile softened, and she offered her hand to Lycoris like a knight would to a noble girl. It was an odd feeling, being on the opposite end of the gesture for once.
Not to mention, it was the most noble that Rosa had sounded all night, reminding Lycoris that the world that she’d stumbled into wasn't so different from the one she'd initially sworn to protect and uphold.
“Let us return you home then, Young Lady. It is far past your bedtime, I’m sure, and there are repercussions indeed for your breach of conduct, noble though misguided your intent may have been.”
Lycoris’ face blanched.
Oh crap. I… forgot about Lilianna for a moment there. I don’t know if she’d actually kill me but I… I…
“I… can’t feel my legs.”
With her tension ebbing and flowing between the situation with the civilians resolving and her own plight returning, worry joined hands with exhaustion as her head swirled with fatigue.
Lycoris tipped forward gradually, falling face-first into darkness as a familiar warmth enveloped her.
＊ ＊ ＊
With a heavy, out of character sigh, Lilianna slumped into her office desk. Even though she’d finished her work for the night already, several “urgent” missives had piled up all the same. What should have been tomorrow’s problem instead became tonight’s, as she needed something to distract herself with.
Normally, she would have lamented the ever-growing pile of treatises that required her personal attention, wishing that the Empire—and entire world beyond—slept on the same schedule as her. Or that she could be the invincible, indefatigable figure that her daughter imagined her to be.
But she was only mortal, like anyone else. She needed her sleep, she could be stressed, and she was just as prone to mistakes as any of her subjects. The consequences for everything were simply magnified exponentially in her case.
And her daughter’s.
Lilianna had been utterly blindsided by how deeply her daughter cared for the maid. Sure, she was a rare diamond in the rough; durable, determined, and fully aware of her place in the world… But she was still just one single maid.
The truly baffling part was that Lycoris hadn’t pressed her on the matter like she did whenever something else clashed with her values. Instead she ran off on her own, cavorted with random civilians and… endangered herself.
She wasn’t sure what was more surprising; the fact her headstrong daughter had run away to pick a fight with a bunch of thugs, or the fact that she’d been found on her knees terrified for her life.
Just what could they have said or done to reduce her to such a state? Surely she could have slaughtered them all without batting an eyelash, there must've been something we've overlooked…
Lilianna listlessly scrolled through messages as she focused instead on her own thoughts, her desire to tear those men limb from limb—though they were already dead—rising with every passing second.
Her daughter had been safely brought back and put to rest, having fallen asleep on the way home. It brought Lilianna little ease though, as she wondered just what exactly her daughter’s goal had been.
Her thoughts drifted back through the few weeks they’d spent together, arriving at the very first time they fought, where she locked eyes with the half-hearted swordsman and recognized the spark within him. They’d been the eyes of someone who’d found a cause to lay down their life for.
No… they were the eyes of someone who had already died long ago.
A harsh laugh cracked through the silent office, her hand slapping against her face as the painful truth impaled her with its barb.
Over three thousand years, the current Exaltare had ruled for; she’d seen all manner of faces, from dissenters and dissatisfied nobles that’d challenged her. All of them had looks of defiance and passion, hope and conviction, or despair, grief, or madness. But not a single one of them had looked at her with grim satisfaction.
It was revolting to even think about, her reflexive thought demanded that she prove that sight wrong. As though doing so would be revenge against those wretches that inflicted such a burden on her darling Lycoris, proof that they had been wrong. Not that she’d ever cross paths with the likes of them.
It was the same reason she had eventually accepted her lot in life and taken the throne to begin with. To prove that all those who came before her were fools, that stagnation would only lead to obliteration, that something had to change—lest they all face a crisis greater than the one that led to the original Humanity Preservation Accord.
And of course, though she'd taken the throne, she still wanted to be a mother.
It was a strange miracle that Lycoris ended up being the one to stumble into her throne room. The results of a seed planted in ignorance and yet… exactly what she needed. Perhaps her Ancestors really were watching over her.
Though in practice, it didn’t matter how thick or thin the blood flowing through Lilianna’s daughter ended up. She’d decided to shower the girl with love, make her feel like the most precious princess in all the world, and eventually pass the “keys” to the Empire to her no matter what sort of blood ran through her veins.
However, Lycoris’ recklessness still exemplified the eyes she had seen through that helmet. She didn’t doubt that the girl cared deeply and passionately for others—else she wouldn’t have had the idea to run off to begin with.
But she would not entertain the foolishness of a martyr. She had no intention to raise a child that thought so little of herself.
Opening her eyes and realizing she’d completely pulverized the stylus in her hand, Lilianna tossed the fragments and wiped the dust off into a trash bin with another sigh. Despite her hopes, she hadn’t managed to get any work done. If she tried to force the issue, it’d probably only lead to more work in the future as she had to clean up after herself.
Abandoning the computer and stretching her arms, she instead got up to pace the halls instead, worrying over what to do when her daughter would awaken. There was no question that she’d have to punish such absurd and reckless behavior, and that she would have to do something about how the girl viewed and treated herself.
But how could she instill a sense of self-worth inside of Lycoris, while also punishing her, and without further scarring her already wounded heart?
Being a mother… sure is difficult. Perhaps we shouldn’t have been so livid over your betrayal after all, Lilianna. Our shared wish was quite the foolish thing.