That evening, Lycoris was dressed up in traveling clothes for the first time.
She’d been ignorant of just how much preparation went into a proper excursion, even setting aside obvious details like securing a route and escort. By virtue of how far north they were relative to her homeland… previous homeland(?), the winters were far colder and required more layers of clothing.
Athena had slid white tights up her legs, the fabric clinging weirdly around her waist as she wiggled about, and over her dress and shawl put on a deep blue button-up traveling coat. Finishing the ensemble, a silver-blue scarf with woven mythril thread imbued with a warmth enchantment had been wrapped around her neck and tucked under the coat.
It was a stuffy outfit that felt harder to move in than she was used to, but she couldn’t deny how warm she felt. Almost swelteringly so.
Lycoris hadn’t considered it until then, but the Transfixion of Heaven was always dry and temperate. There was no trace of a draft, even as high up as they were and in the dead of winter, and it certainly never felt humid or muggy like the capital city of Traskia often got during the late summer.
It must have been some form of environmental control magic, but only select few rooms in the King’s very castle had such luxurious magic placed upon them—and possibly some nobles’ bedchambers—so to have an entire towering palace fully enchanted was a level of magecraft beyond the scope of Human imagination.
Athena was in the midst of idly braiding her hair into a half updo, humming quietly as Lycoris stared vacantly down at the picture of herself in her mother’s arms on the phone’s lock screen. She rubbed her chin against the soft cotton scarf, feeling restless as she waited for her mother to arrive and escort her to the teleportation circle.
Her luggage had already been packed, everything neatly folded and tucked into a rectangular wheeled bag with several compartments all over its front. She had no idea how it worked, but far more stuff fit inside of it than she had thought possible. Most likely, it worked like the containers that Witch employed… or like her own Blood Storage ability.
“And, done! What do you think, Your Highness? Personally, I believe it makes you look quite regal!”
Lycoris looked up at herself in the mirror, seeing her silver tresses braided around behind her head like a laurel, fastened at the back by the Aphtangloa brooch she’d adorned herself with that evening so many months prior…
A complicated feeling welled up in her gut, as she realized it was the exact sort of hairstyle Fawaris often sported. It felt wrong to see it on herself, but… she was a princess.
“It’s… lovely. But I’m not sure it suits me,” she honestly stated.
“Oh but of course it does! You’re always complaining about people looking at you like a child, and I think this fixes that nicely! Unless… you’d rather go with your usual twintails? I packed your favorite hair ornaments already, but we can take them out if you’d like to make a swap.”
“Hmmm…”
As she hemmed and hawed over it, there was a gentle knock at the door, and Lycoris turned her head just in time to see her mother enter with a reserved smile on her face. She had a small velvet box in her hands.
Instead of immediately rushing over, Lycoris purposefully straightened her back and folded her hands over her lap, looking towards Lilianna with a sheepish smile.
“Good evening Mother. How… do I look?”
“Hmm, like you’re prepared to tackle a blizzard, we would say.”
“Ehhh? Nothing about… looking regal or mature…?”
Lilianna’s demure smile widened as Lycoris admitted the real reason she asked.
“Indeed, you look like a model princess, darling. Though… there is little you can, or should, do about your youthfulness. Though we suppose it is ever the hallmark of a child to rush toward adulthood, hmhmhm.”
“I… That’s… Huhm. That’s a good point, actually. I’ve been so mired in getting back to where I was, I didn’t even think about that. …But aside from that, what exactly about me is so childish!?” Lycoris huffed.
“Hahaha, your big round eyes and soft little cheeks, your petite arms, your unadorned ears and brow…”
“Okay, okay! …I get it. Hmph.”
Lycoris puffed her cheeks out and folded her arms, turning away from her mom as she sulked.
She pointedly ignored Athena’s stifled giggling, knowing exactly what sort of self-flagellation would escape from her mouth if called out on it.
“But your hair does look lovely, dear. We think it quite suitable for your public appearance.”
“Actually, I wanted to ask about that, too. Aren’t we just teleporting out to Condore? Do I really need to be so, um, suited up for that?”
“Things are never so simple for us royalty. You are a symbol of salvation and grace to the poor people of Kranes. It would be meaningless for you to visit without a suitably grand showing.”
Her mother stepped over to where she was seated and held out the small box.
“This is the third of our gifts to you, and… it comes with a heavy burden, unfortunately. However, it is also a symbol of our trust and, perhaps, might help you ‘express your maturity’ somewhat. …And it will undoubtedly be of assistance while you are away.”
There was a hint of weakness in her voice as she finished her explanation and Lycoris took the box. Pulling the lid off, she saw a luxurious platinum ring with a large round opalescent stone set in it, though a crescent slice of the side was shaded black. It had a lustrous rainbow sparkle to it, and seemed to radiate a faint glow… but it didn’t seem to bear any obvious enchantments.
As she saw the ring, Athena let out a choked gasp and nearly tumbled over backwards.
“It’s very pretty… But, what is it?”
“Th-That’s… The… Oh, I need to sit down I think… My apologies, Your Majesty, Your Highness… Punish me later.”
“Athena…?”
“This is the Moon Gem, Lycoris. A gemstone plucked from the ruins of the old capital, said to be a piece of the moon itself, given how it matches the current phase of the jewel traversing the sky above. It is the Exaltare’s signet, given to the Heir-Significate as proof of their position. Think of it as a credit card with no limit or APR, if you show it to any business.”
“What’s a credit card?”
Athena had collapsed onto a chair, and Lilianna’s smile grew somewhat strained as Lycoris looked up at her with innocent confusion.
She put a hand beneath Lycoris’, slowly pushing the box and ring closer to her.
“Let us not dwell on that for now. The point we are trying to make, dear, is that the ring shall serve as all the finances you need to cover whatever expense may arise. But, try not to go overboard. We would rather not find that the entire treasury of Tenebreimen has been depleted by frivolous purchases. It would be quite inconvenient to mortgage the Transfixion.”
Lycoris struggled to imagine what she could even buy that would cost so much.
Still, she understood the severity of what it was, and closed the box with a nod of understanding.
“I’ll safeguard it with my life.”
“We would prefer that you prioritize your life, Lycoris. Now then, let us be off. We shall see you as far as the car.”
“The… what?”
Lycoris looked up at her again, repeating her earlier gesture of innocent confusion.
Lilianna gave her head a gentle pat, refusing to elaborate.
＊ ＊ ＊
In front of the palace at the bottom of the steps was a long… carriage of some sort. It sat low to the ground, and at the front it bore a mythril insignia of a winged rose atop the hood. She found it hard to imagine anyone sitting atop that to steer it, it looked far too long. And there weren’t any horses—thankfully.
Everything about the carriage was pitch-black; the metal making up its body, the thick and rubber wheels bolted on to it, even the windows were tinted a dark hue that blocked Lycoris from seeing what was inside. It looked like a coffin on wheels, an unpleasant omen.
More imposing than the vehicle, however, was the massive crowd of people that’d gathered in the streets and were cheering and flashing their phones at her, with a barricade and line of guards keeping them a fair distance away and off the streets.
She looked momentarily stunned as she gazed out at the throng, but quickly recovered as she realized this was no different from her debut. It wouldn’t do for Lycoris to show anything but perfection, like her mother.
Moving somewhat stiffly, unused to acting gracefully while so bundled up, Lycoris carefully descended the steps, hand in hand with her mother, Athena following close behind.
The wind blowing through the streets was bitterly cold. She was grateful for the extra layers, even though it was surprising just how stark the difference was. Lycoris knew it grew colder the further north one went, but she didn’t get how so many people could bear this chill without magic.
As they reached the bottom of the steps and approached the mystery carriage, she glanced around, looking for any sign of Seraphine. Lycoris had made sure to send her a message explaining that they were going to teleport to Condore, and to come meet up with them. She hadn’t heard anything back yet, but assumed that her mother had made arrangements and let her twinge of concern settle.
When they stepped up to the vehicle, the door clicked and swung open on its own, the dark crimson interior inviting her like the belly of an iron beast.
Lycoris turned to look up at her mother as she let go of her hand, a sudden spike of separation anxiety setting in as the reality that she would be traveling far, far away dawned upon her. Her body moved on its own as she pressed herself against her mother.
“Hmhm, having second thoughts, little flower? Do not forget we’re in public,” Lilianna muttered quietly, returning the embrace.
“No… I’m just… just…”
“Fueling up for the trip? Try not to linger too long… though admittedly, the crowd seems quite exuberant. You’ve managed to build quite the reputation already, Lycoris.”
There were plenty of cries from the spectators of how cute Lycoris was, how brave she was being, how they were certain that she would raise the morale of their troops and the like.
Apparently word must have spread throughout the city already, though Lycoris wasn’t sure how, given that she and her mother only found out that morning…
With a final squeeze, Lycoris pulled herself away and forced a smile. “Alright, I’m off, then.”
“Stay safe, dear. Call us as soon as you get there, understood?”
“Yes Mother.”
Accompanied by sniffles from the crowd, the Princess stepped up into the vehicle and glanced around the interior. The roof was lower than she expected, but Lycoris was small enough that she could still stand at full height inside.
As strange and futuristic as the exterior was, it certainly had all the furnishings of a luxury carriage, with plush velvet red cushioned seats lining every side but the entrance, and plenty of leg room. Lycoris noticed that she could see out from the windows that had blocked line of sight from outside, along with a divider separating the seats in the back from a pair of men seated in the front, one with a wheel and the other speaking into a cell phone. She couldn’t hear what they were saying through the divider, but they were both wearing sharp indigo-blue suits.
There was a large iron box tucked behind one of the front seats, and beside one of the seats was another one of those panels like the ones beside the elevators, and what looked like a miniature bar counter… And there were small fixtures set in the roof.
With a dull thunk, Athena closed the storage compartment on the back and shuffled around to climb in behind her, prompting Lycoris to hurry up and take a seat.
Only… she wasn’t sure where it was appropriate for her to sit, as Princess. Deciding it didn’t matter for the moment, she sat down in the first spot available, opposite the door. After speaking in a hushed tone with Lilianna, Athena closed the door behind her and took a seat near the iron box and front of the steel carriage, right beside Lycoris.
With Athena’s delivering of a firm rap against the divider, the driver gradually impelled the vehicle forward, and Lycoris watched her mother wave goodbye as they started off toward the teleportation site.
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“…”
“Are you alright, Your Highness?”
“I am. Carriages always make me a little dizzy. I’m surprised there aren’t any horses pulling this one. Is it really powered by magic?”
Lycoris decided that it would be better to focus on making smalltalk, than contemplate the feelings of longing in her breast.
Athena quietly regarded her, rather than immediately answering her question as normal.
Feeling her frustration begin to mount, Lycoris glanced around at the interior before looking back at her.
“Did I… say something wrong? Athena?”
“Hm? Oh, m-my apologies, Your Highness! What was the question?”
“…Nevermind that, why are you so out of sorts?”
The maid fidgeted with her hands, clearly hesitant to raise whatever was on her mind. It was the first time Lycoris had ever seen her appear indecisive like this.
“Do I have to order you to speak what’s on your mind? I’ll do so, if only so I can help.”
“That’s… sort of what I’ve been wondering about, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t… take this the wrong way, Your Highness, but… What is your real reason for heading out to Kranes County?”
“…Huh?”
“I mean, this Emma Gansley… there’s something more to all of this than just her, right? Or, I mean…”
She fumbled over her words, almost getting tongue tied as she tried to put her thoughts in order.
Lycoris frowned. “She was one of the people who helped me out when I left to rescue you. Both her and Seraphine are people I consider friends, just like you.”
“That’s it! That’s what I mean! I understand why you would care so much for your mother, and vice-versa, but… Your Highness doesn’t act at all like Her Majesty when it comes to other people. Your Highness doesn’t know things that children even half your age would, yet you hold an awareness of certain fields that eclipse many adults. Your Highness can be as fickle and emotional as a little child, befitting a girl your age, and yet sometimes you behave more properly and with greater patience than an adult…”
A sense of danger crept up Lycoris’ spine. She thought she could trust Athena—no, she knew she could trust her. But also, the woman was making some very dangerous implications.
It wasn’t as though she had been trying particularly hard to conceal her identity from the maid—if anything she was having an awful time trying to do the opposite.
And yet, she suddenly felt extremely anxious as her personal attendant began putting everything into a neatly arranged list.
“Well, that’s…”
“You casually suggest things that sound like blasphemy and… Well… How do you know who that ‘Tatyana’ is? You sounded so confident, but I can’t imagine… F-Forgive me for even suggesting such an insolent possibility, but… has Your Highness been speaking to such a dangerous terrorist behind Her Majesty’s back?”
Athena muttered in a hoarse whisper, questioning her own words even as she spoke them. It was clear she didn’t want to believe it.
It was also a horrendous, if not unreasonable, misunderstanding. The mere concept that she would even cavort with Tatyana, much less prioritize her over her own mother, was enough to cause the veins on the back of Lycoris’ hand to pop up.
Lycoris guffawed. “H-hahah? No! I’d never willingly associate with that bitch, knowing who she is now! I’d sooner tear her throat out and break her fingers, lord over her crippled figure as she’s unable to do the magic she’s so proud of, and watch the life fade from her eyes as I slowly drag my scythe across her torso! Or maybe I’d toss her into a pit of ravenous shaderats and watch them take her apart inch by inch after sewing her mouth shut and stitching her arms together. The fact she tricked us, lured us into a Vampire ambush, and killed our comrade and left Mizar and I alone to face the entire capital on our own is… I’ll… ah.”
She clenched her hands furiously, her shoulders heaving as she breathed heavily. Looking at her reflection in the tinted windows, she saw the horrifying visage of a furious slit-pupiled vampire. But she had startled herself because of what she said, not how she looked.
“Y-Your Highness… and… Mizar? That’s the name of that human. The one you—”
“SHHHH shh shh, don’t… don’t say whatever weird thing you’re about to! I, um, he… we…”
“It… It couldn’t be… But… Could it?” Athena muttered to herself, aghast.
“What. Spit it out,” Lycoris growled, ignoring how contradictory she was behaving.
“Well, um… I-I-I don’t know how it would happen but… Um… Was… Your Highness raised outside of the Empire, in secret, hidden from the Seven Families to avoid being snuffed out in your infancy before you could protect yourself!? Like a little fruit bat hiding in an orchard, brought back by sympathetic humans who sought to reunite you with your mother, only to be betrayed by one among your number at the last minute!?”
“Wh— Uh…”
Lycoris stared at her blankly, the sound of the car near-silently rolling along the roads toward their destination the only reminder that they were even moving. The vehicle had remarkable anti-inertial properties, even Lycoris didn’t feel ill sitting inside while it moved.
…But that wasn’t what she should have been focusing on. Something far more outrageous had just been suggested!
“That would also explain why Your Highness has such reservations about consuming human blood! If you were raised by them, I’m sure it must be hard to distance yourself from their faces whenever you feel hungry…” Athena shot her a pitying look.
“I… That’s…”
It wasn’t… wrong, sort of.
But it was quite obviously off the mark. It wasn’t that Lycoris was a vampire raised among humans, but she was a human. It was like this maid would go through any sort of mental gymnastics to avoid the idea that Lilianna had embraced Lycoris like any vampire would to any human…
At least, that’s what Lycoris thought. But she was starting to doubt it herself.
Had she been a human?
She certainly didn’t fit in with anyone in her village, she had to work harder, train more, than the other soldiers to keep up. Her memories were hazy, blotted out by alcohol, but there were things that didn’t add up. She had absolutely been a knight, there was simply too much knowledge she possessed to discredit that, but aside from that…
“I’m… I was a human, though…” she said meekly, as though trying to convince herself. “I worked hard, I trained soldiers, I… I was a washed up lush… That’s right! I was a middle-aged man! How do you explain that!?”
Athena shrugged her shoulders and shook her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Your Highness. I’ve never seen anyone but Princess Lycoris, the cute forty-six year old daughter of Her Majesty Exaltare Lilianna Majalis Aphtangloa.”
“That! Right there! I’m forty-six! That’s over the hill by Human standards! If I wasn’t kicked out of the army, I’d be nearing retirement age!”
Wait… why am I trying so hard to convince her of this? Wasn’t I worried she was just about to put it together herself!?
Athena put a finger to her cheek as she tilted her head, looking dangerously deep in thought. Nothing good ever came of allowing that maid to think.
Lycoris scrunched her brow, worried what insane theory would come out of her mouth next. But instead, she seemed almost reasonable as she mused to herself.
“It does seem hard to imagine a vampire being able to live among humans undetected for nearly half a century… And it’s harder still to imagine Her Majesty even entertaining the notion of being separated from you for such a vulnerable period of your life. But you’re undeniably her daughter.”
“I… yeah.”
They both fell into silence again, looking away from each other as the small cabin space filled with awkward tension. Neither of them could properly deny each other’s theory; or rather, Lycoris would never deny Lilianna was anything but her mom, even if not by birth. While it didn’t matter to Lycoris, she had undeniably fully inherited her mother’s natural gifts. Nobody could argue against the Aphtangloa blood that now flowed through her veins.
But that was why this whole situation was so confusing.
“…My apologies, Your Highness. It seems I’ve once more caused undue stress by speaking out of turn.”
“N-No, it’s okay. You’re not… entirely wrong, anyways. Even if there’s a lot of holes in your theory, you were right about me living with humans until I met Mama. That’s how I know who Mizar and Tatyana are, and why I’m so ‘uneducated’ and… don’t like drinking Human blood. I guess it must be part of why I look pretty silly and childish to you, huh?”
“It’s admittedly quite a shock to hear… P…Pardon me, Your Highness.”
“Hm?”
Athena reached over and opened the iron box, taking a chilled bottle and glass out of it and pouring herself a drink, tapping a button on the panel beside her to cause the sofa to slide apart and reveal an ice bucket. She set the bottle in the bucket and took a steadying sip of blood, closing her eyes to collect herself.
“It would certainly be a scandal, but… perhaps not one to end all scandals. The notion of a child being hidden in seclusion for their own safety isn’t exactly untrodden territory after all. Being raised among the humans would certainly be beyond the pale, but… it sounds like something out of a fairy tale, like the sort you’d hear about Joras or Lilith or Quelann. I’m certain Her Majesty would kill me for even finding such a thing out, though.”
“I won’t let her! …B-Besides, it’s not like you’re going to tell anyone, right?”
“Stake my heart and hope to die! I would never, not even under threat of death.”
“Do stakes actually work on vampires?”
“As well as they do on humans I imagine! Actually, that does make me curious. If Your Highness is willing to humor me, there are a few things I’m curious to find out about.”
Lycoris glanced out the window at the streetlights flickering by overhead, realizing that she wasn’t sure how far they were actually going. Maybe she could refer to the map on her phone, but that seemed a little rude in the middle of a conversation.
“As long as we have time, I suppose it’s okay… Maybe I can ask you some questions too, to help fill the gaps in my knowledge that Mother hasn’t tended to yet?”
“Oooh, that sounds fun! Anyways, first: how’d you deal with the sun? Humans don’t have cloud generators, right?”
“Er, no. We… Or, humans worship the sun. It’s the symbol of the Goddess, the guardian who shields them from the threat of vampires.”
“Oh goodness, how terrible!”
“M…mmm… Well, there’s good and bad people everywhere, I guess. A-Anyways, I didn’t really do anything special to deal with the sun, it was never an issue for me…”
“That’s… unbelievable!”
“Imagine how I must feel about all of this.”
Lycoris chuckled nervously, feeling remarkably refreshed as she shared some of the things that had been weighing on her.
“I couldn’t even begin to. It’s no wonder you’re so clingy to Her Majesty, mhmhmhm~”
“I’m not… okay maybe I am a little, b-but… well… actually you’re not wrong. Ugh…”
“So, if you didn’t drink Human blood while living there, what did you do for sustenance?”
“Guh… M-Maybe you could ask questions that are more, er… cultural in nature? I mean, I drank a lot of alcohol and mostly ate bread, pork, and cheese…”
She fiddled with her thumbs, feeling rather ashamed of how little she took care of herself in her twilight(?) years. To say nothing of how the questions Athena was choosing specifically brought to attention the conflict between their two theories. Or rather, her theory and the truth.
“Ancestors! No wonder you’re so small. Poor dear. Are you sure I can’t tempt you to share this bottle with—”
“No! Hmph, have my words been flying in one ear and out the other?”
“Hmm, no but… I mean it’s not like you’re really hurting anyone; this bottle will get drunk either way. Plus you won’t get any bigger if you keep… nevermind, how was it living as a princess in Human lands? I’m sure it has to be completely different than it is here at home!”
At home… she says… Lycoris sighed, thinking of the unpleasant village where she initially grew up. I guess, just going by lifespan, I’ll probably spend way way longer in the Empire than the Kingdom…
“Um, well, I lived as a commoner. But I did know a princess!”
“What!? How… How dare they treat Princess Lycoris like a common plebeian! We have to wipe them out—”
“Wait wait wait! W-Wouldn’t it, um, have blown my cover? Haha…”
Lycoris was already feeling fatigued, but she continued to answer the question, going over the differences between her current life and what she recalled of Fawaris’ daily routine.
The questioning didn’t end there, however, as Athena eventually branched out into asking what towns were like, what people did for entertainment, how they traveled around, what sort of problems they faced on a day-to-day basis, what their clothing was like, and just about anything else a person could reasonably think of.
Lycoris never even had a chance to ask a single question of her own, given how excited the maid was to learn something she’d probably never have a chance to otherwise, and Lycoris was begrudgingly happy to indulge.
The rest of their ride to the teleport was filled with Lycoris sharing as much as she could remember about what Human life was like, while Athena listened with rapt interest, and occasionally offered her looks of pity or surprise.