Chapter 2

The world has always seemed completely irrational to me. Roughly fifteen years ago, I was born to a renowned aristocratic family of the Mulnite Empire. The Gandesblood family. First thing that probably jumped out at you is that our name has the word “blood” in it. A little on the nose for vampires, don’t you think? With a name like that, our family has to suck. Well, they do literally suck, so I guess the name’s pretty consistent. The Gandesblood family has served as commanders in the Imperial Army for a thousand years. If you dig up our family tree a little, you’ll find that all kinds of famous Gandesbloods have been written about in the history books. In fact, my own mother served as a Crimson Lord and commander of her own unit until five years ago. Anyway, all the irrationality begins from there. I feel like I shouldn’t even have to explain this, but I’m actually a peace-loving, justice-seeking sort of vampire. I couldn’t possibly be more different from those warmongers in my ancestral lineage. But my family members keep piling pressure on me. “Komari’s going to be a great commander one day,” they all say, “And she’s going to slaughter those foreign fools in a massacre like you’ve never seen! She’ll pen her name in the vampiric!” I mean, give me a break. At first, I really did try my best to live up to everyone’s expectations of me, but I quickly had to give up. I just don’t have what it takes, you know? First of all, I can’t use magic. Second, I’m a completely uncoordinated clumsy klutz. Third, I’m super short. And it’s pretty obvious how I developed those handicaps. I can’t stomach drinking blood, you see. The Gandesblood dining table has always been plentifully supplied with decanters of blood (origins unknown), but I could never understand the mentality of people who drink the stuff. My problem with it is basically the smell, and the way it looks, and just…ugh, everything about it. Why do I have to force myself to drink such a foul liquid? Why am I expected to pretend to actually enjoy it? And how can the others glug it down without gagging? My darling younger sister, Lolocco, is fond of saying: “Those who can’t stomach blood are missing out on one of the finest things in life, hee-hee-hee.” Just…shut up. Get off my back. I’m fine with tomato juice. In society’s eyes, though, I know it looks like I’m the heretic. And this nonconformity of mine has bent my future path out of alignment. No blood for a vampire means no growth, either. Blood contains essential nutrients for vampires, so missing out on them leads to stunted growth and arrested development. My lack of any kind of magical ability, my clumsiness, and the fact that even my little sister towers over me in height…it’s all because of malnutrition stemming from a lack of blood in my diet. My life has been nothing but a series of bitter experiences. At school I was picked on day in and day out, and sometimes I even got beaten up without provocation. So yeah, my classmates bullied me pretty badly. But I had to just endure it by myself somehow, since my dumbass relatives were all expecting such great things of me. I wasn’t strong enough to hold up in that kind of environment, though. So I decided to become a shut-in. Major introvert. That was about three years ago. In vampire society, power is everything. But I couldn’t drink blood, couldn’t use magic, I was clumsy and a shut-in. I just didn’t belong. I was much more suited to entombing myself in my safe, comforting room and writing novels. Yes, that would have been better for everyone… It was morning. I awoke with my biological clock. But I couldn’t get up. Just couldn’t do it. Wrapped snug in my blanket, I closed my eyes tight, squeezed the dolphin-shaped body pillow Daddy had bought me, and decided to settle in for a relaxing morning spent lolling about in bed. I was way too comfy to move. I was a member of the idle rich, after all; someone totally disconnected from the harsh realities of the world. Just as I was starting to drift back to sleep, I noticed something strange. My belly itched. I scratched and scratched, but still the sensation persisted. I was so itchy, I woke right up. A bug had probably bitten me while I was sleeping, or something. Peeling back my pajamas, I peered down at myself reflexively through half-closed eyes. “…Huh?” Then I froze. A strange pattern had bloomed on my skin just above my belly button. The mark was very odd. It resembled the wings of a bat, dripping with blood. I had the feeling I’d seen it somewhere before, and the realization hit me a moment later. It was the national emblem of the Mulnite Empire. The one that emblazoned the banners at the Imperial Palace. I rubbed at it, but it wouldn’t come off. Maybe I was dreaming. “Good morning, Lady Terakomari.” My heart almost leaped out of my chest as a voice rang out. I turned to see an unfamiliar girl standing in the corner of the room. Dressed in a maid’s uniform, she had a cool gaze and a frosty aura about her. But wait, did we have a maid like her working for us? I glared at the girl, on high alert. “Wh-who the heck are you? And what are you doing in my room?” The maid arched an eyebrow. “I apologize for not introducing myself sooner. My name is Villhaze. I’m with the Mulnite Imperial Army, and my rank is junior lieutenant, Third Division. I have been sent here to serve as your maid from today onward, Lady Terakomari.” What she was saying made no sense to me. Villhaze looked around my room with curiosity. “Forgive me for my remark, but this room is quite a mess, is it not?” Wow, how rude. “What are you after? Is it money?” “Please don’t be startled. I’m here to help you, Lady Terakomari.” There was no way I could trust her. She could have been a burglar, or some kind of sadist sent to kidnap me. I needed to contact Daddy, ASAP. Plus, I needed to pee. But there was no way I could take a leak and leave this girl unattended in my room. Great, now what? Wet my pants? “…Listen, Villhaze or whatever your name is. Wait here a sec, okay?” “We don’t have time to delay. You’re to come with me to the Imperial Palace at once.” The Imperial Palace. Nothing about that sounded good. Blessed with a nose for danger from birth, I attempted to slink away quietly like a cat. But just then, the maid got her arm around my neck and forced me into a headlock.