Lycoris dashed down the hall, bounding off the walls to take corners quicker; despite the fact he was less than half his old height, his speed had drastically improved, even without actively taking advantage of his new sizable reservoir of mana.

 He wasn’t sure exactly where the scream had originated from, but with how fast he could cover ground he was confident he’d find it before long.

 Whether or not he got there before it was too late for the desperate party… he was less certain.

 The silver blur didn’t have to travel far however, as he saw three figures right outside Lilianna’s study—the blue-haired maid from the other day, and a pair of men cloaked in black. He assumed they were men at least, given their posture and build.

 One of them had pinned the maid against the wall and covered her mouth, while the other…

 Stared directly at him, his lifeless gray eyes widening in surprise.

 But rather than fear, his look of shock hardened into resolve, and he reached for a plastic black container at his hip.

 “She's here.”

 The other two both turned to look at Lycoris the moment he spoke.

 “Mmmr (Your) Mmmdghh(Majesty) !?”

 The maid looked… understandably bewildered, but the other two didn’t seem to notice anything wrong with how she looked.

 Did Lilianna often moonlight as a little girl or something? Lycoris had no idea why they didn’t seem the least bit surprised by his appearance. Or… was he their actual target? Had the maid found them out? Was this a bid for power to try and undermine Lilianna?

 But more disturbing was the lack of guards rushing onto the scene. Athena had screamed loud enough for Lycoris to hear from his room, there was no chance they’d have missed it.

 Don’t tell me they’re all dead… or, are they with the ones in front of me, finally making their move?

 He didn’t want to think about the possibility.

 Clearing his mind of distractions, he leaned forward and fixed his gaze on the black tube. It was clearly a weapon of some sort, but he wasn’t sure what kind. His best guess was a knife of some variety.

 It’d be a bad matchup for the intruder, given that he had far greater reach with his—

 “Ah…”

 I forgot my scythe!

 Internally cursing himself for his carelessness, he adjusted his stance and readied himself to intercept them barehanded instead. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d have to fend off an assailant barehanded like this, though he was at a disadvantage in reach, and wasn’t wearing any armor. At least with his body’s rate of healing, a knife wound wouldn’t be particularly dangerous, but…

 “Mmmr (Your) Mmmdghh (Majesty) bbbhhjj (please) hhn(run)!”

 “Why the hell would I do that!? Also I’m not—”

 While he was distracted by the maid, the assailant darted forward; twisting the cap off with his thumb, he revealed… a glowing golden piece of bramble, with black rubber tightly wrapped around the base of it.

 Mizar!?

 He held his “blade” carefully, ensuring not to grip it by the glowing golden thorns, and thrust it straight into Lycoris’ chest before the child could recover from the shock.

 But the instant the bramble-blade touched his clothes, it almost appeared to swerve away, like it had a mind of its own.

 Clearly not expecting his weapon to deflect off of Lycoris like that, the man stumbled forward.

 “How… How DARE you!” Lycoris howled in fury, taking a rigid knife-like stance with his hand as he thrust it into the black cloth just below the man’s bewildered eyes.

 His fingers punctured warm flesh, and he ripped his claw through the fool’s neck, redecorating the wall with flecks of crimson life.

 In the same breathless second, Lycoris grabbed the bramble-dagger out of his hand as he collapsed and bee-lined for the other assailant.

 Seeing Lycoris swiftly dispatch his ally, the other adult let go of Athena and reached for his own vial, leaving her clinging to the wall as she slowly began sidling away.

 Compared to Lilianna, he might as well have been a tortoise. Before he could even bring his anathamous dagger to bear, the little warrior jumped, carrying the added momentum into his thrust as he shoved Mizar’s root up and through the soft tissue of the would-be assassin’s chin.

 Before it’d even pierced his brain, his skin began to smolder and turn black, his eyes rolled back in his head, and his body crumpled to the floor as Lycoris tore the other piece of Mizar out of his hand.

 While Lycoris still had his back turned, he felt something strike him in the back of his head, stars spinning in his vision as he rolled forward and turned around, hissing in anger.

 The first man—his breathing ragged as he clutched his neck with a hand dripping blood down it—had kicked him.

 “Damn that maid for screwing everything up. It was going perfectly until… Shit, the mission’s gone off the rails now.”

 Complaining to himself, he pulled out a small metallic disc and pushed a button at the center of it, a purple sigil lighting up along grooves etched into it.

 “I’ll… be sure to tear off a bigger piece for you… next time, ‘Your Majesty,’” he sneered.

 His taunt worked perfectly, whether or not he’d intended it to, as Lycoris howled and charged… only to stop mid-sprint as he heard the loud metallic clang of a fire extinguisher smashing into the back of the black-hooded man’s head.

 “How dare you disrespect Her Majesty!!”

 “Groark!”

 The man flopped face first into the soft carpet, twitching in place as red liquid spilled out from his throat…

 Something about it was… enchanting. The little vampire’s eyes narrowed as she honed in on the dampening carpet.

 That's right… I'm…

 Gasping for air, though she didn’t need to breathe, Lycoris staggered forward and fell to her knees, reaching out with a trembling hand.

 She was so thirsty, so so thirsty. It was fine… right…? They’d tried to kill her, that made them free game, right? She had to eat, her body was at its limit, even if the recesses of her mind were desperately screaming at her to stop. 

 But just as Lycoris touched her hand to the blood—

 “Your Majesty! Wh-What in the world are you doing!? You mustn’t dirty yourself with ghoul blood!”

 “H-Huh?”

 Lycoris blinked back to reality, as the maid had wrapped an arm around him and pulled him away.

 A dull pain filled his hand as he came back to his senses.

 “Ah! Er! I mean! A thousand and one apologies!! Please forgive this humble fool’s insolence, you may reap my life at your leisure for daring to lay a hand upon you!”

 “N-No, I’m… er, we… Do you seriously still think I’m Lilianna?”

 The servant kept her gaze averted as she bowed, nodding feverishly.

 “But of course! Only one among our kind has such magnificent locks of silver, and such divinely luminous ruby eyes!”

 “Then what about how I’m talking!? And the fact I’m so short! Hmm?”

 “That’s… true. Oh, is this a test, perhaps!? You’ve adopted a child-like form to test this humble Athena’s capacity to… Aghck! Your Majesty! Your hand!”

 “Huh?”

 He looked down at his hand, and realized he’d gripped the bramble directly, the thorns digging into his flesh with how intensely he’d squeezed down on it.

 That explains the stinging pain alright… W-Wait, Mizar, what are you doing!? Aren’t we allies!? …No what am I saying, of course you can’t tell, you aren’t even conscious anymore. But what was that before…?

 “We have to take care of this at once! Come with me! You may punish me as you see fit after!”

 The maid frantically grabbed him by the wrist and dragged him into Lilianna’s study, plopped him onto her luxurious seat, and shuffled over to get a blue satchel from a cupboard near the floor.

 She moved quickly, putting on a pair of gloves from inside and pulling out some metal scissors and pliers.

 “Can you open your hand, Your Majesty?”

 “Errr… Like I said, I’m not…”

 He winced as he tried to move his hand. It refused his demands, his muscles locked up around the bramble. Spikes of pain coursed through him as he tried to flex his rigid fingers.

 “N-No, it’s stuck.”

 “Okay. This may hurt a bit, but— what am I saying, of course you know better than this fool.”

 She shook her head and stared intently, her pale golden eyes focused wholly on Lycoris’ hand.

 Carefully, she pried the fingers apart one by one, as the trained ex-knight bit down on his other hand to stifle his screaming, his fangs accidentally puncturing his skin.

 His hand burned with excruciating, searing pain, as though someone had taken several hot pokers and jammed them into his flesh.

 The skin that’d touched the bramble looked wrinkled and dried out like sun-kissed fruit, though unlike the man from before, it hadn’t turned black or begun to smolder at all.

 “Are you feeling okay, Your Majesty?”

 “Do I LOOK like I’m feeling okay!?”

 “R-R-Right of course! Ah ahm umm… okay, let's take these and…”

 Frazzled by his shouting, she picked up the pliers and gingerly squeezed them around the bramble, gripping his wrist with her other hand as she wrenched the vestige of Mizar free.

 “MMMNNNGGHHH!”

 Tears of pain welled up in his eyes, as he looked and saw small pieces still embedded in his poor hand. Some of the thorns had embedded themselves into his wrinkled skin…

 “Hhh…Hahh… it’s still not over?” he felt slightly dizzy, his vision blurring.

 “Your Majesty, please stay conscious! There’s just a few more pieces to remove!”

 “R…Right… Okay…”

 She took a pair of tweezers out next, carefully pinching the blood-soaked thorns out and depositing them onto a small dish. Each one removed came with another jolt of pain, as he tried to wipe the blue blood from his other already-healed hand.

 Even after they were all pulled out, the sting remained as he flexed his tender hand.

 “Hehe, as expected of Your Majesty, that cursed magic barely had any effect at all!”

 “Watch your tongue,” he snapped back.

 “Ack! M-My most tremendulous apologies! Please, take my head in exchange!”

 “No seriously, do you just have a death wish? Or are you just that masochistic… Ugh.”

 He wobbled slightly unsteadily, putting his good—though still blooded—hand to his forehead and leaning forward.

 Is this… my fault for getting complacent, Mizar? I’m sorry, I just don’t think I’m cut out for slaying Lilianna… She's too much for me. In a lot of ways. Go easy on me, would you?

 As Lycoris sighed internally, Athena placed a mythril glass of scarlet liquid on the table next to him.

 “Ah, no thanks I don’t… d…drink…”

 His heart beat again, faster this time—faster than when he’d been fighting for their lives.

 “Your Majesty seemed desperate though… F-Far be it from me to presume anything but… You have not been fasting, have you?”

 “F-Fast…ing.”

 Even as his trembling hands cupped the cold glass, he understood what this was.

 He’d been trying his best not to think about it.

 He’d pushed his thirst aside, assuming—or wishing—it was just his old alcoholism rearing its ugly head once more.

 But he was at his limit.

 His head spun as he lifted the glass and tilted his head back, the sweet tang of life flowing down his gullet, nausea and delight mingling in his stomach as a deep and bitter sense of loathing welled up from inside him.

 After downing the entire glass, the worst part was… he didn’t even feel satisfied, not even remotely.

 Like a desert traveler having just found a micro-oasis, he didn’t want to stop at just a taste.

 But his disgust welled up in equal measure, and he hurled the glass against the wall.

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 “No… no no NO NO NO! AaaAAAAH! WHY!?”

 He knew. He’d known the entire time. That was never wine inside that cupboard, he’d simply been deluding himself, wishing that it were the case—that he could claim it was just part of his promise to remain sober.

 But the truth was far worse; and the most horrible, cruel part was that he enjoyed how it tasted. It was a blasphemous ambrosia, satisfying his palate and slaking the hunger that’d been simmering beneath the surface—the thirst he’d been feverishly trying to suppress.

 All it took was a single glass in front of him to completely shatter his willpower.

 What good was he!? How could Mizar have trusted in him? He was worthless, he didn’t deserve to be compared to his companions at all!

 I’m not… I just… Goddess… What do I do!?

 “Y-Your Majesty!? What’s the matter!?”

 “Lycoris!? Are you okay? We’re here, calm down!”

 The door slammed open, and the furious visage of Lilianna appeared in the doorframe, a blade already in her hand as she locked eyes with the maidservant.

 “You,” she snarled.

 “H-Huh!? Your Majesty!?”

 “Wait!”

 Closing the gap in a heartbeat, Lilianna brought down her sword… and stopped centimeters away from Lycoris, who’d interposed himself between her and Athena.

 He still felt nauseous, sickened by what he’d done, but he couldn’t let the woman who might’ve just saved his life—was it even worth saving his life?

 He couldn’t let her die though. He’d purposefully gone out of his way to save her from those two invaders, what purpose would that serve if he let Lilianna cut her down?

 She hadn’t done anything wrong. She… It was his fault for not being able to resist his own damned temptations!

 “She… s-saved my life, probably… please, don’t hurt her, mama…”

 “MAMA!?”

 “Lycoris…”

 Lilianna discarded the sword, letting it splatter into a puddle of blue liquid that slowly crept back towards her along the carpet, holding her daughter in her arms instead.

 “That’s the first time you’ve ever called us that…”

 “I-I’m sorry… Mizar… I’m sorry.”

 “Mizar…? Maidservant.”

 “HHhaaah! Y-Your Majesty!”

 But why’d she save his life? Why’d Mizar save his life? Why was he still alive? It was all his fault. He shouldn’t have drank that. He should be dead. Mizar should’ve been the one to fight Lilianna… if only he’d been able to convince the Hero. It was all his fault.

 “Please forgive my supreme discourtesy! I-I had no idea that you had a… child. I didn’t even realize… n-no, what am I saying? You may do with my life as you please!”

 “Enough with that. Explain.”

 “At once!”

 It was all his fault. All of this was his fault. Why’d he give in? Mizar… Mizar. If only Mizar were here, if only Mizar had killed him! He had to die, he was a monster. His death was the only way humanity could be saved. Why…? Why? Why?

 ＊

 The mummified remains of the personal guard crumpled up outside of her wing had been the first strike. The hallway decorated with foul-smelling blood and two dead ghouls right outside her private study was the second. And she’d heard Lycoris’ wail of agony.

 By all accounts, this maid groveling on her hands and knees should be long dead, her soul suffering every form of excruciation the Exaltare was capable of performing.

 But Lilianna had spared her the torment, because her dear sweet little flower had begged her not to—and called her mama, no less!

 The poor thing had curled up on herself after, her eyes darting around in clear panic. All Lilianna could do was hold her close as she sat down in her rightful chair, and give her daughter a warm lap to calm down on.

 At least it gave her plenty of time to hear whatever excuse this servant could concoct, and why Lycoris had spent the last vestiges of her willpower to beg for her life.

 She was… Athena, if memory served. She remembered plucking her from the clutches of the Ochros family; they’d foolishly tossed a perfectly good woman to the wolves simply because she hadn’t inherited enough of their bloodline. Truly there was never any more proof that their Traditionalist line of thought had long since proven worthless.

 Of course she knew the woman had been sent as just another sacrificial spy, but she was the easiest one to turn to Lilianna’s side yet.

 Honestly, you’d think they’d know better by now.

 Athena’s explanation was roundabout and obnoxiously servile, though Lilianna knew there wasn’t anything resembling ill will behind it—only terrified stupidity. Unfortunately for her, the boundless patience of the eternal ruler of the vampires was someplace else currently.

 “Cease wasting our time, maidservant,” she snarled.

 “S-Sorry! Um, I was about to dust your study when the pair outside the door snuck up on me, and started asking me where you were and if I’d heard anything about your recent—”

 The moment the doors to her private floor had been opened without proper authority given, she’d known that someone had broken in. Nothing in this overly fawning maid’s explanation was the least bit helpful, but fortunately it didn’t need to be.

 Lilianna had already begun puzzling out what’d happened on her own. The pair of ghouls were armed with anathema that could only have come from someone who knew about the forsaken briarpatch and where it’d been tossed out, which was quite the small list given that she’d covered up the details of what happened.

 Most likely it was the work of the Idra Family; it had their stench all over it, especially given that earlier today the ever-frustrating Desmond Idra had been particularly nosy about what she’d been doing in the wake of the raid on her palace. The fact he attempted to keep her tied down in court when there was a break-in happening was the most shameless excuse for a coincidence there could be.

 And unfortunately, she couldn’t use this against him, as admitting there’d been a second break-in would naturally lead to questions about why and how. Her daughter wasn’t anywhere near ready to fight off those snakes and vultures.

 But this maid was quite the natural at groveling and deference, somehow managing to fit in platitudes praising Lilianna while giving the the least explanatory explanation she’d ever heard. It was a blessed miracle that more people didn’t act like her around the matriarch.

 Lilianna probably would’ve lost her mind a thousand years ago if that were the case. In that sense, her adorable daughter’s little rebellious streak was the most charming breath of fresh air she could ask for.

 Though it would most assuredly make her job easier if everyone did as she demanded.

 “—and then you— or, um… Your Majesty’s daughter… Her Highness…?” The maid raised her head for just a moment, putting a finger to her chin as she puzzled out how to refer to Lycoris, before nodding and bowing once more, “Her Highness came to my rescue, even though I had no need of it! I even asked her to flee, and yet… Her grace and benevolence truly is second only to Your Majesty’s own! But those men—”

 While she had an idea of who was behind this, the fact a pair of ghouls had even managed to make it this far into her private sanctum was cause for alarm. They were no threat themselves—this maid should’ve been more than capable of dispatching them on her own, even—but all signs pointed towards a mole who’d let them in.

 Given how Lycoris reacted, and the fact they’d accosted Athena, it probably wasn’t the maid herself, but…

 If her daughter hadn’t been unresponsive, she would’ve simply asked her and avoided all this mess, as well as possibly gaining some insight into that “Hero’s” movements. Lilianna’s instincts told her the two were connected, though she couldn’t puzzle out how they were on her own.

 “—then I bonked the other one on the back of the head! But the bramble ended up stuck around Her Highness’ hand… Oh! And the one I bonked had an emergency recall disk. I have no idea where they could’ve gotten it from, or how they got the access codes to use it within Your Majesty’s own home! But I swear that if I find the culprit, I shall deliver a most decisive judgment upon them in your name!”

 “That’s unnecessary, Athena.”

 “H-Haahh!!? Y-You… know my name!?” The maid nearly passed out on the spot as the revelation rippled through her.

 Lycoris had remained quiet during the entire recounting of the tale, but Lilianna couldn’t figure out what about the experience had been so traumatizing for her… The fact she still couldn’t get a proper read on her daughter was vexing beyond reason. She seemed to abhor violence and bloodshed, but at the same time delighted in fighting. She was repulsed by pampering, but still clung to her mother’s warmth. And she hated being reminded of her femininity, but adored the clothing Lilianna had given her to wear…

 Perhaps it was a consequence of being raised by humans through her infancy…?

 She tenderly ran her fingers through the girl’s hair, frowning privately to herself as she pulled her mind out of her wanderings.

 “Of course we do. Do you think us senile?”

 “N-N-N-No! Forgive me! Please, take my head if you m—”

 “Athena.”

 “H-Hiieeek!”

 “Continue.”

 “R-Right. I brought her in here to triage her hand, and after dealing with the thorns offered her something to drink, as she seemed quite desperately thirsty—she… um… nearly drank ghoul blood…” Athena’s voice trailed off for a brief moment. “But I couldn’t let her sully her pride like that! So—still thinking Her Highness was Your Majesty—I poured a glass of your favorite nineteen eighty-three Bilet. She downed the whole thing in a single gulp—making it feel like a bit of a waste admittedly—and then began panicking the moment you entered the room! Then, after you quite understandably demanded an explanation, I began to—”

 “Enough.” The Exaltare pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling a migraine begin its assault on her skull. Shaking away the irritation, she softened as she looked at her daughter. “Lycoris, are you able to speak? We’re right here, there is no need to fear anything.”

 Athena looked stupefied, but that was a triviality—her silence would be forever assured after this.

 “B…Blood. I… I… What have I DONE!? Mizar… Mizar… I’m sorry…”

 “Shh-shh dear. You dealt with those nasty ghouls, that’s all. We’ve been over ghouls before, remember? Their lives are worth less than paper. You needn’t be so broken up over such things.”

 “N-No… I… I…”

 “Lycoris.”

 The maid flinched as her tone sharpened ever so slightly, though it wasn’t directed toward her.

 “If you can’t speak clearly, how is mommy supposed to help you?”

 “M-Mommy!?” Athena blurted out, immediately covering her mouth and slapping her own cheek in the next instant.

 But her daughter offered no reaction nor response, instead hiccuping out sobs as she clutched her head.

 She’d never seen Lycoris so distraught before. Normally in the worst case, she’d shout at Lilianna and throw a tantrum… but she’d always explain what was on her mind at least.

 The ruler of the entire world was at a loss. The sum of all vampiric knowledge and wisdom was useless to her. There was nothing in the history of all the past Exaltare that had even the slightest relevance to her. Nothing that she could even personally recall about the poor sobbing child was even remotely helpful.

 “Lycoris…?” she spoke quietly, nervously.

 The irritatingly servile maid had gone completely rigid, face pressed into the carpet and hands covering her ears.

 Her daughter, meanwhile, simply shook her head and croaked out unnecessary sobs, repeating that same name over and over again as she hugged herself and trembled.

 But who is this Mizar…? One of her past companions? The ‘Hero’ who came alongside Lycoris to challenge me, perhaps?

 All three of them remained locked in that awkward limbo for an agonizing eternity. Athena silently trembled, not daring to make a sound. Lycoris writhed in agony, pressing her face into Lilianna’s chest as she cried. And Lilianna scowled, her mood the foulest she could remember in three thousand hundred years.

 But instead of being furious at her elder sister’s betrayal, she was livid at her own powerlessness to do anything for Lycoris.

 After remaining in that stalemate for far too long, Athena finally shattered the silence.

 “Um… Sh-Shall I at least dispose of this—”

 “DON’T TOUCH HIM!”

 As she reached for the bloodied and repugnant bramble, Lycoris snapped back to focus, just to twist around and shout her down.

 The maid, looking at the end of her rope, gave up on trying to comprehend the situation and instead resumed groveling.

 “Y-Yes Your Highness!”

 Lilianna frowned. These must be that ‘Hero’ Mizar’s remains, then. If they were so close, perhaps…

 “Lycoris, if you could calm yourself for but a moment, mommy has an idea,” she said sweetly.

 “Huh…?”

 The girl turned to look up at her, cheeks flushed purple and stained with tears.

 “Maidservant. On the third shelf to the right behind you, there is a small silver box. Within should be a locket. Bring it to us.”

 “Y-Yes’m!”

 She brought over the radiant platinum-blue locket—like rose-gold but sapphire and mythril—and reverently offered it up to the seated mother and daughter pair.

 Snatching it out of her hands, Lilianna popped it open and tore out a photo stored inside. Such bittersweet sentimentalities were less important than her current affairs.

 Her sister would understand, and even if not, what did that matter to the two of them as they were now.

 Feeling a sharp twinge of pain as she touched the detestable bramble, she snapped a small piece off and placed it inside, licking her finger as she sealed the locket up by placing a minor spell upon it.

 Lycoris reached out to stop her, but froze when she saw what her mother was doing.

 “Here, Lycoris. That man was important to you, right? Store your sentimentality for him within this necklace, so that you may recall those feelings when the occasion permits, and bury them when you must comport yourself as a ruler.”

 She placed the locket in her daughter’s quivering hands, the girl quickly hugging it to her chest and shutting her eyes.

 It seemed to have some effect at least, given that Lycoris had gone silent and hiccuped quietly instead of loudly sobbing. She looked so vulnerable and innocent, leaning against her mother.

 Ahh… even when sad, she really is the sweetest poison in the world. But there’s still one loose end.

 Lilianna returned her attention to the maidservant, who froze in place with her hands still pressed to her ears.

 “Nine fetters bind thee — Silence Stillness and Shadows await thee — Interlock | Subsume — Seven sanctions each imposed — Mine authority reigns absolute, Obey me.”

 Finishing the incantation to her spell, Lilianna placed a seal upon the servant’s mind, mouth, and body. With this, she would be unable to speak or convey in any form what happened here. Of course, there were means of circumventing it, but it would stop the blundering maidservant from accidentally revealing something she would dearly regret.

 And if by chance she had betrayed the two of them, and was somehow in contact with a mage who had the power to undo a geas imposed by the Exaltare herself, her soul would devour itself, leaving nothing behind to reveal the truth.

 “Y-Your Majesty!?”

 “Athena. Thou shalt serve as Lycoris’ personal attendant while we are otherwise preoccupied. Thou wilt speak not of the events transpired today, or any of thy duties to our Heir-Significate, save in our presence and with our approval. If thou findest this disagreeable, thou may separate thine head from thy shoulders at thine own leisure.”

 “A-Ahha…Haa…Yes! I understand, O’ Magniferous Exaltare!”

 She bowed deeply, and Lilianna felt a knot of tension untangle in her shoulders.

 This should satisfy almost all of the conditions she’d shackled herself with. It followed Lycoris’ request, it gave her someone to practice being in charge of, and it ensured a loyal pawn of hers remained in play and out of the way.

 All that was left was cleaning up the dregs, and cheering up her poor little flower.

 “Now go. Clean up the hall. We have other matters to tend to.”

 “At once!”

 As the maid scurried away like a frightened rodent, Lilianna pulled out her phone and glanced at it. After sending out several missives to the requisite parties to handle the ones responsible, she turned her attention to her daughter, tightening her embrace.