Episode 7: Children Enveloped in Darkness
In the surroundings covered by an all-encompassing “black” where nothing could be seen, a small hand reached out to Fantine, guiding her away from that terrifying place.
“…C-Cris-chan…?”
Fantine thought it was Christina who had taken her hand, but no one responded to Fantine’s call.
The place Fantine found herself in was a dark forest where not even insects made a sound. Looking around in the darkness, she could see the mansion and rose garden she had been in through the gaps between the trees.
“Why are we here?”
Without a source of fear, Fantine’s unease didn’t last long, and she expressed her dissatisfaction at being left alone in such a half-baked place.
She couldn’t understand why she, still a child, was left in such a dangerous place. While she was genuinely grateful for being rescued, Fantine believed that if someone helped her, they should take responsibility for her protection.
Vampires were scary. Beastly monsters were scary. But the dark forest she was in now was also frightening because it was dark.
She wanted to escape because she didn’t want to be scared. The young lady had said, “[Escape], and if you manage to escape, I will forgive you.” But…
“Why should I be forgiven?”
Fantine couldn’t comprehend what Eurushia had said.
She couldn’t understand what adults were saying.
Born into nobility, Fantine couldn’t grasp what others expected of her.
But for Fantine, that was normal.
For her, everything in the world belonged to her, and concessions were not in her nature.
Fantine, born with blurred boundaries between herself and others, had no attachments because everything was hers. She didn’t mind taking others’ belongings because she didn’t care about what belonged to others.
She didn’t understand how valuable others’ belongings were or how important they were to those individuals. She didn’t hesitate to take the lives of small animals and lacked the understanding of the importance of life.
Everything in the world was a game for Fantine. However, even for Fantine, dying was undesirable.
Dying meant losing what belonged to her. She didn’t want to go hungry, suffer, or feel pain. So, for Fantine, death was the most frightening thing.
Fantine’s life, the most important thing in the world to her, was, in turn, the most precious thing in the world.
Children should naturally be protected, and parents who no longer protect their children are no longer needed.
The ducal family, who once gave me money and toys, is no longer needed because they stopped protecting me.
Twins who taught me how to eat, and Christina who taught me how to earn money, are no longer needed if they won’t protect me.
I was scared when attacked by a vampire. It’s because I realized that the other three, who only value their own lives, don’t have the power to protect me.
But now I’m not afraid. Because I’ve found someone who will protect me next.
“The young lady will protect me.”
That young lady is there. Eurushia, who even laughed in the face of those terrifying monsters.
She is the mistress of Fantine, so it’s only natural that she would protect the most important thing in Fantine’s world—the life of Fantine.
Having reached that conclusion, Fantine didn’t run away from the forest or hide in the dark. Without any questions, she walked toward the mansion where Eurushia should be.
“Heh, heh♪”
Boldly slipping through the open gate and avoiding the dark mass because it seemed scary, Fantine headed toward the mansion. There, she found a wagon with dishes that hadn’t been served yet and began eating them with her hands.
Because of her audacity, she managed to avoid encountering vampires or half-beast creatures.
Thinking about it, it was obvious. Fantine’s life, the most important thing in the world to her, must be treated with care by those vampires.
Being scared was a mistake. Chewing on baked goods, Fantine walked through the courtyard, and she noticed something following her in the darkness.
“What is it?”
Turning around and calling out, she received a dog-like breath in response.
When “it”, something not human, emerged from the darkness, Fantine gasped, her breath catching in her throat, as the chilling “intent to kill” blew over her. She let out a twisted scream of terror.
A black dog emanating cold… a vampire’s familiar, the Death Hound…
“Aaaahh!?”
With a face contorted in fear, Fantine scrambled to flee.
Two… three… Death Hounds appeared one after another from the darkness, and they began to torment their prey, whose movements were slowed by the cold.
“Why!? Why!”
Why were dogs attacking her? Fantine couldn’t comprehend it.
Why didn’t anyone come to help her? Fantine couldn’t understand.
Why was her most precious life about to be taken away? Fantine couldn’t understand.
In the midst of that despair-filled fear, Fantine shouted into the darkness.
“Helppp──!!”
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The scream went unanswered, and muffled cries continued, the sound of tearing echoing into the night.
“I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it, I can’t believe it──”
Ninette crouched behind a wall near the back gate of the house, clattering her teeth and shaking as she held her unsheathed sword at the ready.
gripping her unsheathed sword tightly. She shivered, teeth chattering, muttering curses under her breath.
“I can’t believe it.”
It was supposed to be just a tea party. She was tired but had joined only because they promised to return her sword.
Unbelievable. The existence of such monsters, the fact that monsters had disguised themselves as nobles, being forced to attend such a tea party, the provocation from that monster, the fact that her life was in danger, everything was beyond belief.
“I don’t want this… I don’t want this, I don’t want this, I don’t want this──”
Absolutely not. She didn’t want to die. Ninette wanted to go back and live an “easy” life.
Ninette hated troublesome things.
Her twin brother, Noir, also liked living an easy life. He didn’t mind humbling himself for that, but Ninette even hated that.
She didn’t want to be a meticulous maid.
She didn’t want to engage in sword training as a squire.
She didn’t want to be dragged into her brother’s schemes.
She didn’t want to lower herself to please others.
She didn’t want to work for her meals.
She didn’t want to think about anything to live an easy life.
I don’t want it, I don’t want it, I don’t want it, I don’t want it.
She just wanted to live easily.
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Ninette’s unintrusive personality, living in her brother’s shadow, resulted from discarding emotions as a means to avoid complications. Ninette had a faint desire.
She didn’t crave much. But she didn’t want nothing.
She didn’t want tasteless food; she wanted something delicious.
She didn’t want to sleep in a cold place; she wanted a warm room.
She didn’t want to work hard; she wanted money.
For that, she needed a powerful sword. With a strong sword, she could become formidable without extensive training, and that alone would earn everyone’s recognition. As an adult, she could become the captain of the guard, delegate all enemies threatening the princess to her subordinates, and live an easy life.
In a sense, Ninette was the most “normal” among the four.
She had managed to envision her future.
Serve the princess, delegate all troublesome tasks to maids and servants, entrust all thoughts to her brother, and live an easy life even as an adult.
Something went wrong. Suddenly, she couldn’t use the princess’s name for shopping, and her meals were the same as the servants’. The princess’s easy tasks disappeared, replaced by difficult ones. She ran away from work.
What went wrong?
Why was she on the brink of death in this place?
Whose fault was it?
“It’s the princess’s fault.”
Baited by her sword, brought to this dangerous place, all because of the princess.
She needed to escape.
She wanted to escape quickly.
The princess said the same thing. But Ninette didn’t run.
It wasn’t because she couldn’t leave her brother and comrades. It was because she didn’t know how to escape even from this dangerous situation, having relied on her parents for everything until now, then her brother, the grand duke’s house to survive, abandoning all thoughts for an “easy” life.
“…Hii.”
From the dark forest surrounding the mansion, faint footsteps could be heard.
Ordinarily, they wouldn’t be audible. But hundreds of almost imperceptible sounds gathered from the forest’s atmosphere, forming a subtle ripple that reached Ninette like the swarming of insects.
And then, people emerged from the darkness—people, people, people──all with bared fangs, monsters known as “vampires.” Ninette realized this and momentarily felt distant.
“…………”
Still, she couldn’t faint. Perhaps due to her life devoid of emotional fluctuations, she couldn’t even heighten her emotions to the point of passing out.
A vampire’s rank and strength changed with the years of existence. However, when high-ranking nobles or sorcerers with powerful magic became vampires, although their strength might not change, their “status” did.
This not only affected their strength but also their appearance. Individuals with different statuses served as butlers and maids for Mirene.
And now… wearing commoner’s clothes, unable to conceal the ugliness of a vampire, those who found Ninette hiding, exposing wicked grins, were the four hundred lower-ranked vampires under Count Ovel’s command.
Ninette’s magic sword was a powerful weapon, but she, still a child and having never undergone proper training, couldn’t defeat them.
Her mouth felt dry. She couldn’t even breathe properly.
Ninette understood.
She was going to die. Torn apart by that monster, her flesh ripped, her organs devoured while alive.
” …… I curse you …… I’ll curse you!”
In the end, with tears streaming down her face, She cursed her captured parents, cursed her twin brother, cursed useless companions, and cursed Eurushia, who had dragged her into this world, while pressing the trembling edge of the sword against her own throat.
There was no other way for Ninette to find “peace” anymore.
Count Auber’s mansion had an adjacent grand chapel.
On holidays, devout citizens of the count’s territory would visit, offering prayers to the goddess Costral with their children. It was the holiest place in the estate.
“Sniff, sniff…”
Among them, Christina was sobbing, her tears flowing uncontrollably.
Wrapped in “black,” she had been discarded in a corner of the garden by someone. Despite her confusion, she hastily hid in the shadows of a tree. However, her sudden movement caught the attention of one of the maids, who found her and escorted her to the chapel.
She hadn’t been treated roughly yet. Simply abandoned at the altar of the chapel, surrounded by expressionless maids, she was stared at in silence. The fear she felt just being watched by these maids, with no words spoken, made her feel like her mind was on the verge of breaking.
Christina hadn’t seen these maids in the initial garden. Although not inferior in beauty to Mylene’s handmaidens, they were fifty lower-class vampires chosen solely for their looks, not strength or status, and had been favored by their “master.”
The one who chose them as “masters” was…
Ki…
The chapel’s doors, echoing only the cries of the girl, opened with a faint creak.
“Hmm.”
Flowing night-colored hair. Inhuman beauty that seemed impossible for a human… Lady Camilla entered the chapel with about thirty beastmen, including a werewolf, a tiger woman, a boar man, and a rat man.
Seeing Camilla and the boy cradled in her arms, Christina shed tears of despair.
In those arms was Noir, with vacant eyes.
Noir had probably been captured just like Christina, but judging by the sorry state of his expensive butler’s uniform, provided by the Grand Duke’s house, torn in various places, revealing the countless marks of “fangs” on the boy’s white skin, it was clear how badly he had been treated.
However, Camilla was only accompanied by beastmen. Moreover, the fact that Noir was alive indicated that all the fang marks on his body were the result of Camilla playing with him.
“Hehe…”
As if to show off to the terrified Christina, Camilla licked the blood on Noir’s cheek, gently bit his neck with her fangs, and licked up the spilled fresh blood with her bright red tongue.
With each touch of the fangs and each lick of the tongue, Noir’s vacant eyes regained a hint of vitality. He wore a somewhat lascivious smile, seemingly reveling in this somewhat obscene scene.
“Oh, madam! Please suck his blood! It’s much tastier than mine!”
In response to Noir’s words, who had sold not only his companions but even his dignity as a person, Christina was left speechless, her eyes wide open. Meanwhile, Camilla wore a smile of delight.
“Hoho. Unlike that ungraceful saint, you are truly adorable.”
Feeling Camilla’s interest focused on her, Christina was struck dumb with horror.
Noir found a faint hope within the despair and clung to it.
Noir wanted an easy life. However, that meant becoming “somewhat great.”
Being born as the legitimate son of a noble was troublesome.
Being in a responsible position was troublesome.
Peasants might think that if they became king, they could live freely. However, the higher the position, the more responsibility and pressure increased, and if you failed, you could no longer live an easy life.
Rather than striving to become the most powerful, Noir believed it was easier to have someone of higher status make decisions responsibly, while he, as an intermediary, delegated only the troublesome tasks to his subordinates.
If there were failures, it was the subordinates’ fault. All responsibility rested with the higher-ups.
For Noir, “living comfortably” meant shifting all the burdens onto others and living without a care in the world himself.
If it meant avoiding trouble, he didn’t mind sucking up to anyone. He’d even grovel to beggars if it meant avoiding his own troubles. While the twins had lost their home and become homeless, to Noir, being a lady-in-waiting to Princess Eurushia was the best position.
Orders from Eurushia were usually simple tasks even a child could handle, and even if they failed, Eurushia would just make a troubled face and not scold them. If they had troublesome tasks, they could just assign them to the castle servants.
Noir realized that by invoking Eurushia’s name, they could usually get things done.
To ensure they could be discarded if necessary, they initially bought Ninette’s sword, but it was delivered without issue, and no one blamed them. So, using the princess’s name, they began acquiring the things they wanted one after another.
Even meals were better than the ones from the Baron’s house, and if he ordered the maids, they would change the sheets and clean the room. Being the lady’s attendant was, for Noir, an amazing position.
But that easy life began to crumble after just a few months.
Eurushia stopped calling them.
Their requests were no longer needed.
They couldn’t command under the name of Eurushia.
Places they used to access were now restricted.
Their rooms remained uncleaned.
The quality of meals dropped lower than what they had at the Baron’s house.
They lost all their jobs…
Still, Noir didn’t apologize or try to change the situation himself. Having received the education of a baron’s heir, he understood that if it was discovered he had indulged in whatever he wanted with the ducal family’s money, it would become the most troublesome situation.
Eurushia remained silent. Noir wouldn’t be held accountable if Eurushia didn’t bring it up. Fed up with his complaining sisters who only ever complained about meals and treatment, he embezzled and sold off misappropriated goods.
Money would run out eventually. Before that happened, he needed to find a new host. To ensure his sisters could sell their bodies, he had kept them around.
But before he could do that, he was reprimanded by Eurushia, who summoned him after a long time.
However, Eurushia, who was kind to others, forgave Noir’s flattery, and even took him to a rare tea party.
But… that was his “punishment”.
A horde of monsters as far as the eye could see. Among them, Eurushia, who was the only one calm, used a strange magic, and before he knew it, Noir, who had been abandoned near the gate, was found by one of the monsters and had his blood sucked.
He would die if left like this. In that fear, Noir found a scapegoat.
“S-Sorry, milady! Please let me join you! If you do, I’ll drink the blood of that woman who deceives with the name of a saint… Gyaahhh!?”
As Noir began to utter those words, Camilla bared her fangs and, instead of sucking his blood, slowly crushed his shoulder bones.
“I-I don’t like foolish children.”
To Noir, who couldn’t even scream due to the intense pain and fear, Camilla smiled gently with a beast-like expression.
Beside her…
“It’s her fault…”
As Christina murmured softly, Camilla turned her gaze leisurely towards her.
“It’s her fault that things turned out like this! Despite being just a mistress’s child, it’s all his fault that Aureline and Aureline were pushed away so far!”
The late Countess Albertine of Coelle was a close friend of Christina’s mother, and her mother admired Albertine, raising Christina, her beautiful daughter, as a tribute to Aureline and the others.
Even though Aureline and the others didn’t hear any good rumors, they were tolerant of those who adored them. Christina, who had been touched by their beauty and noble dignity at a young age, idolized them like her mother did and looked forward to the day she could serve them.
But… on that day, Christina lost everything.
Following Albertine and being involved in the demon summoning incident, both of Christina’s parents were confirmed dead with Albertine, and the Viscount Cerda family was also dissolved and Christina was protected as an orphan.
The children protected in that incident were not only the abducted children. Included among the children who were taken in were the children of the criminals who were arrested in the incident, such as the four servant candidates including Christina.
Grand Duke Verzenia protected these children and looked for places of employment for those who wished, but those who were willing to take in the children of criminals didn’t come forward readily, and they spent their days in frustration at the church orphanage.
However, there was hope for Christina.
Although the Coel Duke’s house was dissolved only in name, Ataline and Aureline were still in the mansion of the former Duke’s family in the royal capital, and Christina should have served them as a maid apprentice at the age of five… or so it should have been.
Due to the problems caused just before that, they were forced into indefinite exile to the neighboring Sigress Kingdom. The opportunity for Christina to serve them was lost.
However, the Grand Duke Fort, who took the matter seriously, adopted the four children who had no adopters till the end and made Christina an apprentice servant for the First Princess, Eurushia, who was close in age.
Princess Eurushia-von Verzenia.
All the blessings, glory, and love that Ataline and Aureline were supposed to receive, everything was taken away by the daughter of a concubine, who sat there, taking the place of the legitimate daughters.
Christina didn’t hate her from the beginning.
But seeing Eurushia, who was unconditionally loved by her father and mother and adored as a saint throughout the country, made Christina lose all hope for warmth, love from parents, and the opportunity to serve her beloved mistress. Only hatred for Eurushia remained.
So, she subtly taught the foolish twins how to embezzle, informed Fantine, who had a unique sensitivity, about Eurushia’s precious belongings, and wanted to inflict even a little pain.
Now, with the emotions swirling within Christina, and facing death, pure hatred flared up.
“I’ll… I’ll kill her… Eurushia…”
Seeing Christina confessing tearfully in fear and losing her composure, Camilla, who threw Noir aside as if overwhelmed, ran to her and gently embraced Christina.
“Ah… she finally looks delicious…”
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