On the third day after returning to the estate, Lonia began her training.
It was a rite of passage to become a proper vampire, and even a princess was no exception.
The Catori family training ground was located on the second basement level of the mansion. The floor was made of impact-absorbing black flagstones, and the walls were embedded with protective runes.
Lonia stood in the center of the training ground, facing a wooden training dummy that was about her height.
The fundamental martial arts of the vampires emphasized explosive power and flash-step footwork. Her instructor was an old Catori retainer, a wizened, skeletal vampire who looked like he could be blown away by a gust of wind at any moment.
“Keep your heels down. Lower your center of gravity.”
Lonia gritted her teeth, her bare feet pressing against the freezing black stone floor as she bent her knees until her thighs ached.
She threw a punch.
Her fist slammed into the wooden post. No splinters flew, but a burning pain flared in her knuckles.
“Your force is dispersed. Again.”
Again.
Again.
Only when her knuckles were raw and bleeding, and the soles of her feet had gone numb from the cold stone, was Lonia finally allowed to stop.
Sitting in a corner of the training ground, she submerged her fingers in a basin of medicinal liquid brought by a maid. A cool sensation, wrapped in a sharp sting, spread from her fingertips up to her wrists.
She closed her eyes.
Her consciousness sank into the deepest recesses of her mind, reaching out to trace that incredibly thin, barely perceptible thread that connected her to the warm silhouette.
『Fina.』
She waited for about ten seconds.
The connection stretched too far between the vampire estate and Abyss City; the signal felt as though it were muffled by thick cotton, blurry and sluggish.
『...I'm here. Did you train today?』
『Yes. My hands hurt so much.』
『...Don't push yourself too hard.』
『I'm not pushing myself. I want to get stronger.』
A brief silence followed. The thread trembled gently in her mind.
『...What book did you read today?』
The conversation naturally shifted.
Rafina began to talk about an old botanical guide she had found in the archives today. She described a type of tree belonging to the elves that would make sounds when touched; different trees produced different pitches, so the entire forest linked together like a giant piano.
Lonia pulled her hands out of the basin, wiped her wet fingers on her knees, and half-closed her slitted red eyes under the phosphorescence, her lips curling slightly without her realizing it.
Every day was like this.
Training by day, chatting by night. Sometimes Rafina would read to her. The voice transmitted through their minds was lighter and softer than a real voice.
Sometimes Lonia would share the events of her day, recounting how the old instructor at the training ground had flicked her three meters away with a single finger, or how she had secretly poured her medicine into a flowerpot when the maid was changing her bandages.
Rafina didn't laugh much. At least, Lonia couldn't hear any laughter—mental communication couldn't convey such subtle details. But she could feel the thread occasionally growing warmer and softer, as if gently plucked by something.
Lonia felt that this was Rafina laughing.
On the seventh day, Eliza's arrangements were finalized.
Invitations stamped with the Catori family crest were sent to the other nine courts. The wording was polite, but the message was direct: the younger sister of the Vampire Court Head wished to socialize with peers of her age from each court. The venue was set in a newly designated area outside Abyss City, and the time was three days later.
It was quite a distance from Gloom Castle. It wasn't hard to see that this was a precautionary measure of some kind.
Once the gathering ended, Lonia would be ushered into the carriage by her maids and returned to the family estate.
Lonia opened the invitation, scanned it, then flipped the gold-embossed card over and placed it face down on the table.
“I don't want to go.”
The maid standing at the door kept her head bowed, pretending she hadn't heard.
Three days later, she was dragged along anyway.
The gathering hall was a large circular room. Its domed ceiling was embedded with glowing ores, simulating an ambiguous light somewhere between dusk and night.
Several low tables were arranged around the hall, laden with pastries and drinks. The carpet was so thick that footsteps made no sound.
When Lonia arrived, there were already people inside.
The first thing she noticed was a voice.
“I said don't put so much sugar! Whose idea was it to make these pastries so sweet? My teeth are going to fall out after one bite!”
With fiery red short hair and matching red eyes, a girl half a head taller than Lonia stood before the dessert table, yelling at a gargoyle servant carrying a tray.
Her left shoulder and chest were covered in dark red crystalline scales. She was a flame demon.
Fema. Daughter of the Flame Demon Court Head.
Lonia stood at the entrance for two seconds before Fema noticed her. The fiery red eyes turned to size her up from head to toe, and then the girl wrinkled her nose.
“Oh. A vampire.”
Her tone was neither friendly nor hostile.
Lonia sized her up in return.
“Oh. A flame demon.”
The two little girls stared at each other across the hall for three seconds.
Something seemed to crackle in the air.
Then the door opened again.
In walked a girl with misty gray hair. She looked a few years older than them, around eleven or twelve, wearing an oversized deep purple silk robe.
A slender pipe dangled from her mouth, unlit, held there purely for amusement. Her violet eyes were half-closed, carrying a languor that did not match her age.
Tia. A nightmare.
She swept her gaze over the two little ones in the hall, her lips curling as her pipe swayed slightly.
“Ah, you're all here. How well-behaved.”
“Who's well-behaved? Can you get rid of that stupid pipe? It's not even lit. Stop trying to act like an adult!”
Fema shouted in annoyance.
“Acting like an adult is fun. Much more fun than throwing a tantrum at pastries.”
“You!”
Lonia leaned against the doorframe, watching the two of them bicker.
Fema's voice grew louder, and the temperature around her rose. The edges of the nearest frosted cookie on the dessert table began to melt slightly.
Tia simply watched her with a smile, pipe still in her mouth, her words precisely stepping on Fema's triggers.
Several others arrived one after another.
Members of the Shadow Demon Court, the Gargoyle Court, and the Succubus Court. Among them, only those from the Succubus Court caught Lonia's attention.
Two girls had come from the Succubus Court, seemingly sisters. The older sister, Ellie, had pink hair and peach-pink eyes. She wasn't much older than Lonia, but her cloying, high-pitched voice gave Lonia goosebumps.
The younger sister, Sera, had long brown hair and was very quiet. She spent the entire time holding her sister's hand without saying a word, occasionally nodding along with her. Her temperament was very similar to Rafina's, yet distinctly different.
Looking at the two of them, Lonia felt a strange sense of irritation.
No one from the Lich Court came. Supposedly, they were “in the middle of an important skeletal restructuring experiment and could not step away.”
No one from the Scavenger Court came, and they hadn't even bothered to provide an excuse.
The prince of the Demon Court was apparently busy studying under the Demon King, so he didn't show up either.
The Wraith Court sent someone who could turn invisible. They did absolutely nothing the entire time, and it was only halfway through the gathering that everyone realized the fellow was even there.
Throughout the afternoon, Lonia sat by the low table without touching a single pastry, watching this crowd from the various courts make a chaotic mess of the reception hall.
Fema and Tia bickered for three rounds. At one point, Fema's crystalline scales flared out of control, spitting a small plume of flame that singed the hem of Tia's robe. Instead of getting angry, Tia laughed even harder, turning Fema's face green with rage.
Ellie tried to strike up a conversation with Lonia, but was glared back into silence.
The gargoyle and shadow demon kept their distance, seemingly whispering secrets to each other.
Lonia left early.
The maids couldn't say much, only silently escorting her to the carriage.
“My Lady, if they find out we went back early, we'll be scolded...”
In the carriage, a young maid spoke in a hushed voice.
“I'll take the blame for you,” Lonia said, eyes closed and voice laced with irritation.
“My Lady, what I meant was... we could stop by Maple Town to play for a bit before going back.”
“...Maple Town?”
“Yes! It's a trade hub established by the Demon King. There are lots of fun things there.”
The maid whispered eagerly.
“I... want to go see it.”
“It's noon right now. The sun is still out.”
“It's fine, My Lady! Look, I brought cloaks to block the sun!”
She excitedly pulled out several black cloaks from out of nowhere.
The other maid next to her was speechless. “You didn't plan this all along, did you?”
Lonia yawned.
“...Fine, let's stop at Maple Town.”
She would just treat it as killing enough time.
After the young maid left, Lonia remained in the carriage, plucking the thread deep in her consciousness.
『Fina.』
『...Mm? Did you go see those people today?』
『Yes. It was so annoying.』
『...What happened?』
『The flame demon girl, Fema, has a terrible temper. She threw a fit over the pastries for ages just because they were too sweet. Who cares if they're sweet or not?』
『...Maybe she doesn't like sweet things.』
『Then don't eat them! And the nightmare girl, Tia, had an unlit pipe in her mouth, trying so hard to act like an adult. She was speaking in this incredibly sarcastic tone, purely to annoy Fema.』
『...It sounds like they get along well.』
『How do they get along? They almost fought! Fema spat fire and burned Tia's clothes!』
『...And then?』
『Then Tia said it looked good that way. Fema got even angrier.』
The thread trembled gently in her consciousness.
Lonia opened her eyes, staring at the dark fabric of the carriage ceiling.
『...And there were two succubus sisters. One spoke with this cloying, sticky voice that gave me goosebumps. Oh, and there was one who could turn invisible. When I realized he was there, he nearly scared me to death.』
『...You actually get scared?』
『Of course I do! Who wouldn't be startled if some invisible thing suddenly spoke right behind them!』
Silence fell for a brief moment.
『...Was there anyone you found tolerable?』
Lonia thought about it.
『...Sera, I suppose. She's a succubus, but very quiet and well-behaved. Like...』
She paused.
『Like you.』
The thread trembled again.
『...Am I?』
『A little, but there are differences.』
『What differences?』
『I feel like she's very cold. You're different. You're so gentle.』
A long silence ensued. The thread vibrated quietly in the depths of her consciousness, transmitting a warmth that words could not translate.
『...Nia.』
『Mm?』
『...Did you practice your punches today?』
『I did. The instructor said my footwork has improved.』
『That's good.』
Another silence stretched between them.
『...Do you have to see them again tomorrow?』
『Sister said we meet once every seven days.』
『...Then tell me about it the next time you return.』
Lonia rolled over in the carriage, burying her face in the cushion.
『Okay.』
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