Chapter 5: I Told You Not to Wander at Night

Stepping out of her room, Chloe eyed the corridor warily.

The sun was high, equivalent to midnight for nocturnal vampires. Heavy curtains blocked every window to keep out the light.

Chloe’s resolve wavered.

But then she thought, ‘I need to get familiar with this palace sooner or later.’

‘Figuring out the layout now will make things easier later.’

“214… 214, 214…”

Chloe glanced at her room’s doorplate, repeating the number to memorize it, then turned right and started walking.

Along the way, she noticed small wooden nameplates on the walls beside other doors, likely indicating the occupants. Her own door had none.

‘Probably because I’m new, and they haven’t made one yet.’

Then a familiar name caught her eye.

“Sheffield…”

‘That’s who Larvia told me to find.’

‘Must not be an ordinary maid. Better make a good impression.’

Chloe continued down the corridor and found a staircase flanked by two guards.

Like vampire women, male vampires were slimmer and paler than humans, lacking imposing presence. But despite appearances, as a superior race, their combat strength was far from weak.

Seeing Chloe approach, the guard on the left looked surprised but let her pass without interference.

Once she was out of sight, he nudged the guard on the right.

“Hey, did you see that? Why’s the princess wearing a maid outfit in the middle of the night?”

“No idea. But she seemed… different somehow.”

“Different?”

“Yeah, her vibe felt off. Probably my imagination.” The right guard chuckled. “If the princess had a sister, she’d probably look like that.”

The left guard’s expression turned serious.

“…Wait, you felt it too?”

“Felt what?”

“That she didn’t seem like the princess.”

“Yeah, so?”

The right guard looked confused.

“Answer me this.” The left guard’s breathing quickened. “Have you ever seen a maid who looks like that?”

“Of course not. Someone who looks that much like the princess? We’d have noticed.”

“…”

“…”

Silence fell, and the left guard’s face grew grim.

“Why’d you stop talking?”

The left guard kicked his partner’s rear.

“F*ck, what’re you standing there for? Go after her! The queen and princess live upstairs. You trying to lose your head?”

Still confused, the right guard saw his partner’s urgency and followed.

They raced to the third floor, spotting Chloe lingering by a large door.

“Stop!”

The guard drew his sword, pointing it at Chloe. To avoid waking Larvia and because the suspect didn’t seem threatening, he kept his voice low, ensuring no one else noticed.

Chloe froze, turning to face them.

“Do you know where you are?!”

“I-I’m a new maid! Isn’t this Larvia’s room?” Chloe pointed at the nameplate.

“We’ve never seen you. Who are you, sneaking into the palace?!”

“You wouldn’t have seen me! I just got here!”

“New arrivals are reported to us. We’ve never heard of you. Show us your identification.”

“I… I came here suddenly! What am I supposed to do? I don’t have any proof!”

Chloe was on the verge of tears.

Larvia clearly hadn’t brought her in through normal channels, so the guards weren’t informed.

“Just get Larvia out here!”

Chloe reached to knock on the door.

“Stop! The queen is resting!”

The guard halted her.

The two exchanged a glance. One spoke:

“Come with us. We’ll report this to the queen tomorrow. Also, addressing Her Majesty by name is a crime in itself. That alone’s enough to detain you.”

Chloe couldn’t argue, her shoulders slumping.

“I-I didn’t mean to be here this late…”

“Save it for Her Majesty tomorrow. For now, come with us.”

Head hanging, Chloe was escorted out of the palace by the guards.

The next day, 7 a.m.

The sun set, the moon rose, and Larvia woke in her large bed.

Rubbing her eyes, she felt her eight-hour sleep hadn’t been restful. She was still groggy.

She couldn’t shake the feeling she’d heard something last night.

Knock, knock, knock.

Soft raps at the door.

“Come in.”

The bedroom door opened, and a vampire girl in a maid outfit entered.

“Good morning, Your Majesty.” The maid curtsied. “Shall I help you change?”

Larvia nodded.

With the maid’s help, she shed her nightwear, slipping into her black gothic dress and thigh-high stockings.

At the vanity, the maid picked up a comb, untangling Larvia’s bed-messed hair.

“By the way, Sheffield, did anything happen last night?”

Larvia recalled the faint noises from the night before.

“Yes, Your Majesty, there was something.”

“Really?”

Larvia was surprised.

She’d thought it was her imagination, just asking casually, but something had actually happened.

“This morning, when I came to your room, a guard was stationed outside. He said a suspicious woman in a maid outfit was wandering here last night. They took her to the reflection room.”

Larvia pursed her lips.

She had a pretty good idea who it was.