Royal Castle, Nightingale.
Keith, Fanny, Sylvia, and Fei sat in a courtyard on the castle's terrace within the inner ring. They could see the sprawling gardens of the outer ring, the Dark Rose Forest, the mist-covered Bewitching Lake, and the inner ring's central courtyard.
Keith was dressed in a custom maid attire. It was different from the usual Victorian maid outfit as it was customized to fit her fiery personality.
The robes had red and black gothic undertones to them. It was a proper fit for her upper body with her deep cleavage getting revealed while her shoulders and collarbone were covered. At the bottom, at the wavy long skirt, there was an opening that sometimes showed her skin above her knees, teasing the onlookers.
Keith's red hair, coupled with her red and black maid dress, made her look like a proper Devil. She had no complaints for the dress as it truly strikes who she was. Plus, it felt much better than wearing that maid outfit.
Fanny, Keith's daughter, seated right beside her, wore a black dress with similar gothic undertones. She was mostly covered, but a slight bit of cleavage along with her shoulders, collarbones, and arms were exposed.
If her mother looked like a Devil, then she looked like a proper Devil's Advocate.
Beside them, Sylvia's healthy pale complexion complimented her platinum gray hair and eyes. She wore silver purple robes along with a wide brimmed pointy hat. She looked like a proper witch, but with added elegance and sexiness.
Fei on the other hand looked the most feminine and cute among the four. Her small bearings, complimented by her serious demeanor and a white blouse along with black trousers made her appear refined and sophisticated.
Anyone who came across Fei would feel like wanting to protect her and hug her tight. She seemed the perfect person for cuddles and snuggles, and lately, like the rest of the ladies, her charms were getting even better.
The four ladies were gathered here for no particular reason. They were free from their work and decided to have a get-together over tea.
"…I think the war was a necessary evil." Fanny put out her views while eating some cake.
Keith remained silent while Sylvia gave a curt nod. Fei tapped on the table and thought out loud, "It could've been done in a much better fashion. Master rushed things quite a lot."
Keith remained silent again. She only spoke if it was absolutely necessary.
Sylvia didn't stay silent this time. She took a sip of her charred black coffee, flushing her palate with an extreme bitter taste, and said in a soft tone, "His Highness had his circumstances. Whatever he did, he did it properly as per the given situations."
Fanny raised an eyebrow in surprise and thought, 'Look at you, young lady. How much you've changed over the years….'
Fanny's stare did not go unnoticed by Sylvia, and she turned to look at her. "Is something the matter?"
"Yeah. Look at you…"
Fanny was about to repeat what she was thinking, but paused as she felt a spatial fluctuation around her. The other three ladies felt the same and stared at the place of fluctuation.
Space twisted and out appeared a young vampire girl with dirty blonde hair. Her expression was haggard as if she was made to work twenty-five hours a day.
Holding her back collar was a slender hand. The young girl was being presented to the four ladies like a food delivery parcel.
"Get her to talk." A gentle voice said.
All four ladies got alerted when they heard that and stood up in unison. They bowed slightly and stated that it would be done.
Jacqueline was gently dropped on the table by the slender hand. It then went back to the space it came from and the twisted areas had gone back to normal.
The four ladies were amused by the situation. This was the Queen, their master's mother. This was the first time they got any order from her, and up until now, they had been doing whatever they wanted to do in the castle.
This came off as a surprise to them, and what amused them further was the fact that they had to do such a menial job for her. Making someone talk? It was nothing.
The ladies sat back down on the chair and made room for
Jacqueline. She was gently shifted from the table to the chair by Fei, and was then being stared at by everyone present.
Jacqueline's tired red eyes looked at the four ladies around the table. Clarity returned to them as she noticed how beautiful these people were and their prowess.
"Have some tea." Fanny passed Jacqueline a cup, breaking her out of her zoned out state.
Jacqueline blinked in astonishment and looked at Fanny. "Tea?"
Fanny poured herself a cup and took a sip of it in front of her. This was to show that there was nothing wrong with the tea.
"Yes. Is it not to your liking?"
"Coffee?" Sylvia asked and passed Jacqueline a cup.
Jacqueline was truly taken aback and asked, "What is this? Are you not going to torture me to make me speak?"
Fei passed her a small plate containing four types of cupcakes and said, "No. Why would we do that?"
"Huh?" Jacqueline's brain couldn't process what she had just heard.
Looking at her in disbelief, it was Keith who leaned forwards and said in a calm tone, "Have some tea and cake, child. No need to get so worked up."
"…"
"…"
"…"
"…"
All four ladies were speechless due to their respective reasons.
Fanny, Fei, and Sylvia were speechless because of how unnatural it felt to hear such words and tone from Keith while Jacqueline had never been treated in such a coy and child-like manner before. She was truly befuddled.
Keith felt it was natural for her to say this since she was older than everyone's combined age here.
Jacqueline was not ready for this type of conversation. If it was torture, at least she would've struggled and fought back. But here… how was she supposed to react and resist this situation?
Jacqueline obediently took the cup of clear blue tea and had a sip. A sweet and refreshing feeling poured into her throat, then stomach, and traveled to every single pore of her body.
She felt lighter, as if she was weightless, and a content moan escaped her mouth unknowingly. It was soft and low, but the other ladies noticed it.
They took a sip of their respective beverages as well and waited for Jacqueline to come down to earth.
Once the tea's effect was gone… Jacqueline realized the thing she had done. She kept a poker facade on her face, but the tip of her pointy vampire ears were red and betrayed her.