‘Sorry, but I can’t disclose that information.’

  “Even though it’s a direct request from Her Highness?”

  Seraphine tapped her foot against the ground impatiently. It was still difficult to wrap her head around the idea that she was friends with the Exaltare’s daughter—like, on a first name, casual basis.

  Worse still, she couldn’t decide where she was supposed to stand. Lycoris had told her to act like a friend to both her and an Ochros, but she’d also make completely outrageous requests as though they were nothing; when she put Seraphine on speaker in the same room as Her Majesty, the woman thought her heart was about to stop. The girl lacked self-awareness to a dangerous degree…

  ‘Her Highness was not the one who contacted me and asked for troop deployment status, Miss Ethlow. Please remember that you are no longer a part of the military.’

  “No longer calling me ‘Major Ethlow’ now that it’d be inconvenient to keep the habit, hm?”

  ‘I’m the one filling those shoes now… Ma’am.’

  “Congratulations on the promotion, Major. Anyway, I’m sure neither of us want to have to contact Her Majesty Exaltare Lilianna to get this information while she has so much else on her plate already.”

  ‘Th… That’s true, however if it truly is a request from Her Highness, surely she could have asked directly.’

  “That’s… well…”

  Seraphine glanced over toward where Lycoris and Athena were currently sitting, the poor vampire child slumped over with her hand pressed to her forehead while the maid soothingly rubbed her back.

  It was a nasty case of teleportation sickness, which was understandable given it was most likely her first time traveling through a teleport. The experience was probably extra unpleasant for someone of her power, considering the bracelet’s effect.

  Seraphine could sympathize, given she felt the exact same way when Her Majesty had personally contacted her out of the blue to “hire” her as a private contractor for Lycoris’ security detail. It was completely outside of her usual scope, but who was she to tell the Exaltare that?

  Even while she tended to Her Highness' wellness, Seraphine could tell Athena was on high alert, her eyes scanning the empty waiting area before fixating on the pair of hired security, the attendant, the teleportation array calculator, and finally on her in turn.

  There was no need to be so guarded, everyone present was personally approved by Her Majesty after Seraphine verified their backgrounds. But, she could at least admire the dedication the maid showed to Her Highness.

  Setting all that aside, she couldn’t very well share the details with Captain—Major Kaldepo. Anything that might tarnish Princess Lycoris’ image was obviously out of the question. She didn’t need the maid’s ominous glare focused on her to know that much.

  She stuck her tongue out at the maid briefly before turning away from the pair.

  “She is presently indisposed. There was a slight mishap with the teleportation. She requested I ask you while tending to arrangements for our next jump.”

  ‘I see… Rules are rules, however. Perhaps we can send someone ahead to meet with Her Highness to discuss how to proceed once she arrives at her destination?’

  “Hah! As if I’m allowed to disclose that. I’d argue that’s an even more important matter of national security.”

  ‘Not like I can’t guess, though…’ the voice from the other end mumbled quietly.

  Sera shook her head. “It’ll be your funeral if Princess Lycoris decides to involve her mother in this.”

  ‘Gh… F-Fine, but it’ll be on both of our heads if word gets out about this.’

  “Quit being so dramatic, Thoma. I am actually doing this for Her Highness’ sake.”

  She sighed and sat down, whipping out a small notepad to jot deployment notes as he rattled off the current status of each platoon and estimated arrival time in the villages and towns around Kranes. It was almost nostalgic, in a way.

  Once he finished, she thanked him and quickly hung up without any particular fanfare.

  When she walked back over, Lycoris lifted her head, her expression rather distraught still. She’d been okay after the first jump, but the second and third in such quick succession had taken their toll.

  Seraphine took a knee before her, lowering her head as she reported.

  “It will be another twenty four hours before the first responders arrive, and three days after for the full army to assemble. All things considered, that is a remarkably swift rollout, given the inter-city infrastructure isn’t equipped to serve military-grade vehicles. Treads tear up roads like nothing else, and maintaining roads outside the cover of clouds is a nightmare.”

  “Three… days, you say…” Lycoris rasped.

  “I know what you’re thinking, but it’ll be alright. I promise, Princess. Emma’s been through worse before. I’m certain she’ll be okay.”

  “I… find that somewhat hard to believe.”

  Her Highness clearly knew little of matters of war. Compared to a real battlefield, a simple incursion from a disorganized swarm of Whispers was hardly anything to write home about. It wasn’t exactly unprecedented for a town to have to fend them off, though all their security measures failing at once threw quite a complicated wrench into things.

  Emma had a good head on her shoulders, she knew how to go to ground, and even though she had an altruistic bent, she wouldn’t throw her own life away just to save someone in the short term. At least, that’s what Seraphine kept telling herself every time she caught her thoughts wandering.

  “You should focus on your own present wellbeing, Your Highness. P-Perhaps we can find lodgings here in Wyvles for the night and travel the rest of the way tomorrow,” Athena suggested.

  “It’s really hitting you hard, huh…”

  Seraphine frowned, standing back up and fishing around in her coat pockets for a packet of coffee-flavored gum. Withdrawing it from her pocket and removing a piece in one swift motion, she held her palm out to Lycoris.

  “I usually find chewing on something helps when I’m feeling sick. Inner-ear stuff. And, don’t worry,” she shot a look at Athena, “it’s both sugar and caffeine-free.”

  “Her Highness has… a very strict diet!”

  “Don’t tell me you put blood in the chewing tobacco too…”

  The former military officer quirked her eyebrow up, idly wondering what the problem with that would be. The Princess had a lot of… eccentricities. It was part of what made her appear so dangerously approachable, admittedly.

  Oftentimes Seraphine would catch herself thinking about Lycoris like she were any other ordinary little girl. While that was more or less the reason she and her partner had ended up in this situation to begin with, she was grateful that Her Highness was so kind-hearted and willing to aid Emma.

  Blood, hmm…? Come to think of it, she passed out after having that parfait too… But that should have been pure Human blood, rather than the cheap stuff. That was the cafe’s entire selling point after all. Well, either way…

  “No need to worry, Your Highn—Lyco,” Seraphine softened her tone as she knelt back down, placing the square of gum into the Princess’ little palm. “There’s no blood at all in gum. It’s meant to be chewed on and then spat back out, just to savor the flavor.”

  “Is… that so?”

  The girl regarded the square of gum curiously, as though she had never seen such a thing before.

  In all likelihood, she probably hadn’t.

  After regarding it for a long moment, she popped it into her mouth, much to the dismay of the maid.

  “Oh! Thish ish nothing like tobacco at all!”

  Athena bitterly smiled. “Nicotine has been banned for several millenia, Your Highness.”

  “…Nicowhat?”

  Seraphine decided not to ask the unspoken question on her mind. Her instinct told her nothing good could come from asking why the forty-six year old sheltered princess knew about tobacco but not chewing gum.

  Plus, Lycoris seemed to relax a little as she focused on the piece of gum. No reason to complicate matters further when they were already behind schedule.

  After several more minutes of their break, one of the attendants paced over and nervously asked when they were planning to proceed.

  Admittedly Lycoris’ respite was costing the teleport a not-insignificant amount of revenue. Her Highness seemed like the sort who wouldn’t be too happy to hear that, so Seraphine kept the particulars to herself as the group assuaged the concerns of the staff.

  The Princess gave Athena and Seraphine a nod, and after depositing her chewed up gum in a wastebin near the teleportation control unit’s terminal, the three of them resumed traveling.

  ＊　＊　＊

  While not as massively tall as the spires in Ljosdeyja, the multi-story structures rising up overhead toward the silver-lined nighttime clouds hanging high in the sky above were still breathtaking to the inexperienced Lycoris.

  The reflective glass and metal of the buildings gave them all a sleek, futuristic appearance, and if she stared hard enough she realized she could see people still at work inside some of them.

  “I wonder if it’s just because I’m an Aphtangloa, or if it’s because people aren’t that big on privacy in Tenebreimen…”

  “What was that, Your Highness?”

  “A-Ah, nothing.”

  Lycoris quickly cleared her throat, turning away from the far-off buildings and focusing instead on the grandiose open-air foyer filled with transplanted greenery looming before her.

  The three of them had already gone through all their teleporting and—after another brief break for Lycoris to collect herself—taken another “car” to the hotel they would be staying at.

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  The place was swarming with guards in either sharp drably-colored suits or full sets of armor, rushing about to maintain security. Occasionally, one would approach and briefly speak with Seraphine before rushing off.

  It all felt like overkill, but if it meant Lycoris could stay here and do something about Emma’s predicament, she’d get over causing a little disruption to the city’s usual proceedings. At the same time though, she felt like it was a waste when all that manpower could have instead been directed toward the relief efforts of Kranes.

  “Why are there so many guards here when unholy beasts are rampaging through a town less than eighty kilometers away?”

  “It would be reckless for them to simply charge in half-prepared, Your Highness. Especially if they ended up stranded in Kranes themselves. Not to mention, they’ve been dealing with the fallout in Condore as well. Word is they only just finished securing the tunnels.”

  “Tunnels… the sewers beneath the towns?”

  Lycoris was all too familiar with those, having snuck through them herself when their little party of “heroes” had originally infiltrated the Empire. Far different in design from the sewers in Human society, these ones had tamed snake-like Whispers dashing through them, which Tatyana had ensured they never crossed the patrolling path of.

  She hadn’t thought of it at the time, but in retrospect it was strange that the Witch had chosen to keep them safe all the way until the capital. Those tunnels could have been the perfect way to dispose of them…

  For that matter, why did she even guide us all the way there in the first place, if we were such a problem to her masters? Nothing about her makes any sense…

  “No no, subway tunnels. There isn’t much tactical advantage in cleaning out the sewers, the entrances to those are sealed off and typically kept under watch regardless.”

  “I’m afraid I’m somewhat ignorant of the difference.”

  “Ahaheh… I suppose they might as well be the same to Your Highness, but generally the subways are kept safe and clean. Would be hard to send trains through them otherwise!”

  “You’ll have to tell me more about these trains once we’ve rented out a room.” Lycoris nodded toward Seraphine before approaching the reception desk, “Good evening, sir. How much is… a room for… three…?”

  Her voice trailed off as the man abruptly started trembling. The moment she made eye contact with him, the man scrambled to find a way to prostrate himself while still standing behind the counter. He settled for simply bowing at a direct ninety degree angle, his arms firmly locked against his sides.

  “T-The entire top floor has already been reserved for Her Highness Princess Lycoris. Place your h-hand here to key the locks to your s-signature.”

  “Um…” Lycoris glanced up at Athena, pursing her lips together.

  “It is quite safe, Your Highness. Unless you would prefer that I handle the doors for you? However I wouldn’t advise that, such a decision might compromise your personal safecurity!”

  “N-No, not that. I mean… I can’t… see over the counter…”

  The reception counter was just as tall as Lycoris, she could barely see the man’s head over it as he bowed, much less what he was gesturing toward.

  The thought of Athena having to pick her up was mortifying enough that she considered taking her up on the offer and allowing her to be in charge of room access. But she also raised a good point. Athena had already been kidnapped once before, and they were dealing with someone who was willing to make personal offenses against Lycoris.

  “Oh! M-My apologies, Your Highness. Perhaps I could pick—”

  “NO! Anything but that…”

  “…”

  The room fell silent, as neither the receptionist, the maid, the security advisor, nor any of the guards on the premises dared even exhale in the deathly silent room.

  Not that Lycoris couldn’t tell what every single one of them was thinking regardless. No doubt it was all feelings of merciless pity and second-hand embarrassment.

  After collecting herself, Lycoris cleared her throat, “I… suppose there is no other way, however. My apologies for the outburst. You may… lift me, Athena.”

  “H…Huh?”

  “I said it’s fine! I will even spare you chastisement for the suggestion, as an extra courtesy.”

  “I, er… Your Highness, I um… I was… No, nevermind. It is not this maid’s position to question her mistress’s commands.”

  She knelt down to pick Lycoris up under the arms. The girl’s face burned with embarrassment, but she powered through and set her hand upon the rectangular black panel.

  The receptionist kept his gaze averted until the machine made a little ping, at which point he focused his whole attention on the monitor behind the counter. After a few seconds of furious typing, he nodded his head, ever so briefly glancing towards Lycoris.

  “Everything is all set, Your Highness.”

  “Thank you, sir. Athena?”

  “Your Highness?”

  “How long do you intend to hold me for?”

  “M-My apologies!”

  Lycoris let out a weary sigh, the all-too-brief yet frustratingly long journey and late night hours causing her mood to plummet faster than she was set back on the smooth reflective lobby’s tiles.

  How dearly she wished to curl up under the silken sheets of her own bed right now…

  ＊　＊　＊

  Within a musty cellar, where the stench of mildew mingled with the sweet aroma of fermented blood, Emma slowly opened her eyes.

  She immediately realized her hands and feet were bound together when she tried stretching out. Her body was sore and stiff, she had clearly been stuck in this position for a while. The back of her head ached, and she had the hazy memory of banging it against something as a chloroform cloth covered her mouth.

  No matter how she assessed the situation, one thing was plainly obvious.

  She had been abducted.

  But why? She didn’t recall making any… enemies.

  No sooner did she wonder that than she realized the obvious. This had something to do with Lycoris.

  Her next question was who. It couldn’t have been Her Majesty Lilianna, considering they had been permitted to attend the banquet in the first place. And neither she nor Sera spent much time chatting with the rich and fancy nobles; they spent most of their time at the party being a novelty.

  Perhaps it didn’t matter who she was or who she had spoken to, which was nobody that she could remember. Her connection to Lycoris was probably all that mattered. That was the much more likely reason, as sad a truth as it was. Lycoris was a good kid, not the sort that should’ve been burdened with a world of politics and intrigue… But then, that was the life she had been born into, and none of them could do much other than steer their own ships down the currents that carried them.

  Why am I waxing philosophic right now!? There’s more important things for me to be worried about right now, Emma self-derisively thought.

  It was easier to worry over others than herself, though. Especially when there wasn’t anything she could reasonably do for them either.

  Her attention was drawn away from her thoughts when she heard the sound of heavy, awkward footsteps clonking on wooden floor panelling near her. She closed her eyes before the door opened and did her best to play possum.

  From the sounds of things, there was only a single person who entered, but they were talking to someone else—maybe on their phone—and their voice sounded vaguely familiar, but Emma couldn’t place from where. Judging by the slight slurring of their words, they likely had pronounced jowls and were at least marginally overweight.

  “I can’t believe the state of this place! You’re sure the cellar was secure?”

  “Affirmative.”

  “Hmph… and what of the target, the… woman.”

  “Apprehended with minor injury. She is bound and unconscious below.”

  “Good good. What of the Count?”

  “He has ordered the pair under his authority to assess the state of civilians around the city. He has wisely chosen to keep them concealed.”

  “Hmph, the man is as unimaginative as he is unambitious. Pour me a drink, would you?”

  “Understood.”

  The other person accompanying him had a flat monotone voice, and left no sound of footsteps nor even any vibrations on the ground as they walked alongside him. It almost felt as though they were floating, until Emma felt their boot brush right against her foot, causing her to twitch ever so slightly.

  “…”

  She didn’t open her eyes, but it sounded as though the figure pulled something off of a shelf and slicing through a glass bottle. After pouring it into a goblet, there was the sound of someone messily gulping down the glass, and then a relieved sigh.

  “Ah, much better. What of the other two?”

  “One of them has returned from the neighboring city. There was a new development to report.”

  “Hmph, why can’t they simply contact me on the phone? You lot do know how to use phones, yes?”

  “Shortwave communications are jammed by Whispers and even our link is presently tenuous. I can attempt to contact them using the repeater the pair loaned to the Count established on the roof, but your safety is not guaranteed in that event.”

  “No, I’ll wait till they return. No sense putting myself in harm’s way for no reason. Tch, just what’s so good about this worthless commoner?”

  Emma felt the cup he’d been holding strike her against her back. She hadn’t expected it, but managed to resist yelping in pain even as she felt her body throb and skin bruise.

  She didn’t recognize his voice, but he was clearly some arrogant, pompous noble.

  “Uncertain. If the Heir-Significate has assigned an unobserved quality to subject, only the Heir-Significate can properly answer Master’s query.”

  “Pah! What a load of rubbish. Clearly Her Majesty has left a critical gap in her child’s education if she is so willing to disrespect me, a blood relative of the Alobadene Vanas!”

  “…The Count is requesting your presence. Additionally, there is the matter the other operative needs to report.”

  “Yes yes, I know already. There had better be some good news… I’m already sick of being stuck indoors. You know, if someone tells you that you can’t do something, doesn’t it just make you want to do it even more?”

  “Negative. I cannot disobey orders.”

  “That’s not— argh! Nevermind. Let’s go.”

  “Understood.”

  The sound of footsteps grew distant as they once more ascended the creaking wooden cellar steps. Neither of them seemed to notice that Emma had been awake, or at least didn’t seem to care if she was.

  Testing the restraints binding her hands and feet together, she didn’t sense any way that she could wriggle herself free. It was dark in the cellar, but she didn’t see any obvious sharp edges she could sidle over to either.

  I’m inside the Count’s manor though, from the sound of things. I guess that means I’m not going to be in any immediate danger. Did I do something to offend the Count? No, that man was a Vanas. Why would someone so important be all the way out here, though?

  “Hahh… I really don’t want to die here… Wherever you are, I hope you’re doing okay, Sera…”

  She spoke to the darkness, resting her head against a discarded linen sack.