Chapter Text
Prologue: The Girl at The Ball
Everything glittered. Chandeliers, sparkling fountains, jewelry and crystal all winked and danced in the light of the room beyond. Lorelei took a steadying breath, assaulted by all the light, motion, noise and smells. Almost every noble family was here tonight. This was one of the major balls of the year, and a lot of things tended to happen behind the scenes. Deals were made, marriages brokered, debts incurred…murders plotted.
Rumor had it the princes would be attending, brought from the human world by a summons from their father. The ladies -those of an age to be bride candidates, that is- were desperately hoping for a chance to marry a son of Karlheinz. A sea of roses in the colors favored by the princes ebbed and flowed in her view. Yellow, blue, red, green, purple and of course, the white roses, adorned the hair, the gowns, and the wrists of many young ladies hoping to be chosen. Lorelei was certain she would not be chosen, ever. Not only did she not have a rose, her family wasn’t one of the powerful ones. She was not, she felt, particularly beautiful. She also had a singular disadvantage in that her mother hadn’t been a member of the aristocracy.
No, definitely not.
Lorelei was, technically, illegitimate, though the social stigma of such things mattered less among the aristocrats, so long as one’s parentage was good. Hadn’t the king himself married Cordelia, who was the daughter of the Vibora king and his mistress?
It was the lineage that was important, not whether one’s parents were married. Her lineage, now, that was the true problem. Lorelei was the grandchild of a former king and his mistress, which would be impressive, but for her human mother. That could hardly be considered an asset. Lorelei’s lineage was questionable, no doubt about that.
It was a fact which Lorelei concealed as much as she could. She could pass for a pureblooded vampire so long as she muddied her unusual scent with perfume. Hardly anyone looked at her anyway, and so long as no one looked too closely, her human characteristics went unnoticed. However, a vampire was a vampire, according to the king, regardless of their origins, be that as a pureblood, a former human…or other. All vampires were welcome among the Bat Clan, at least officially.
Unofficially, pureblood aristocrats were above everyone else and they made certain everyone below them knew it.
Lorelei was a vampire under vampire law, and an impoverished aristocrat by birth. Therefore, no matter what anyone else said about her lineage, she belonged here, with her father and brother.
Neither of whom she had seen for over two hours.
It was just as well; she was avoiding her father. It was her primary occupation while he was in residence. It might be described as self-defense.
While in close quarters with him, Lorelei began to contemplate killing her father in a variety of ways. She tried to live with him peacefully, but the man was constitutionally incapable of treating his daughter with respect. It never went beyond plotting his murder, however, as it would not be the smart move. A family name, even one as degraded as hers, offered a lady some protection from the more predatory type of men. Her father was largely useless to her, but the one thing he was good for was keeping unwanted suitors at bay. Unfortunately, he also kept wanted suitors at bay. Not that there were men lining up to court her; the one or two that had tried were summarily dismissed, to Lorelei’s mortification. There were nights when she considered that helping her father into his grave might be better for her, in the long run.
She kept a vial of silver dust in her jewelry box, just for that day when it became too unbearable.
Lorelei had been raised to believe murder was wrong. She believed killing was wrong; it was only that killing her father seemed more justifiable with each passing year since her mother’s death. She was, after all, only partially human. There were always exceptions, even within human morals, about killing. Killing was wrong in general, but it was acceptable, perhaps, in self-defense. Even a human would acknowledge that.
It gave Lorelei some comfort to know that she could spike her father’s food and drink with the deadly, fine dark powder should he push her too far one night. He would never know what hit him as the silver ate away his insides. The thought made her smile darkly.
One of the few advantages of being a lady was the way everyone underestimated her. That, combined with her intelligence and patience, made her dangerous. The best power, Lorelei felt, was power concealed.
Alone, Lorelei watched the dancers from the long gallery that overlooked the ballroom. She wondered, not for the first time, why she was even attending this ball. She glanced down at her crushed velvet dress. The cut was in the style popular a few years ago. It wasn’t even luxurious silk velvet, just some kind of awful plastic synthetic from the human world. She couldn’t afford a new gown anymore.
Her gaze fell on two very silly girls laughing uproariously at something some handsome young man had said. It was obvious, even from up in the gallery, that their laughter was forced. He was expensively dressed, more so than they were. That was the way it was. The higher status always won.
Sycophants. Where is your dignity? She thought in disgust.
Being here only reminded her that this wasn’t really her world anymore, if it ever was.
This was a bad idea…I want to go home. This ball is a joke. Why did I even want to come tonight? I’m not going to dance, because no one will ask. I’m wearing an out of date gown and nobody has even noticed me enough to comment on that fact. I’ve already paid the social niceties to Daddy’s associates; I’ve run out of people to talk to. I don’t belong here.
I’d rather be home reading a book.
She gripped the railing, her already pale freckled knuckles turning dead white underneath the netting of her gloves.
Inhale.
Exhale.
You are in control.
If I don’t at least make the effort, it’ll be for nothing, Lorelei thought, trying to rally herself. It’s only one night, I can smile and pretend I’m enjoying it and then Daddy and Sebastian will leave on their next assignment from Karlheinz and I can be alone again with my paintings and books.
Maybe I should go to see the royal art collection. At least then, my night won’t be entirely wasted.
I’m not like those silly girls down there, dreaming of marrying a prince. I know better.
She made her way along the railing, studiously ignoring the colorful gowns and sparkling jewels below, down there in the glittering throng of money and power. The paintings were this way, if I remember correctly…Lorelei pulled open a door, and climbed the marble staircase, to the portrait gallery.
Several dozen portraits occupied this room. Side by side, royals, aristocrats, famous writers, distinguished soldiers and a few others graced these walls. Some of her own ancestors hung here, among the great. They were painted before her family’s ruin, naturally. Even her grandmother, the mistress of the previous king, had a portrait here somewhere. She might find it again if she looked.
She walked slowly, admiring brushwork here, a bit of clever symbolism there, and felt calmer. Nobody here had any expectations of her. Nobody here would care about a human mother or empty coffers. Everyone here was already dead.
Well, nearly everyone.
She paused at the portrait of a boy, golden haired and serious looking, uncomfortable in his finery. Very young Shu looked out on the viewer from his painting, a hand resting tentatively on an antique globe, behind him a partial view of the throne. Karlheinz’s heir, frozen in childhood, and much as she remembered him: unhappy. Confined to a role he didn’t want, wishing he could touch the world instead of living in a golden cage, with the heavy future responsibility of the throne lurking in the background…the artist had done a wonderful job capturing him.
A memory came, unbidden, as they sometimes did. Triggered perhaps by something ephemeral in that painting she was staring at. The past was lurking with its ghosts, waiting in the wings to live once more in her mind.
Lorelei remembered another ball, long ago:
She was given a beautiful ice blue satin dress with cap sleeves and matching long gloves to wear. As a special treat, her mother dabbed perfume behind her ears and on her wrists. It was the first time she had ever worn perfume. Her hair had been curled and adorned with a solitary white flower. She wore a delicate cameo on a ribbon, borrowed from her mother’s jewelry. Her mother had put just a little rouge on her lips, and Lorelei was amazed. She had never thought herself to be pretty. But maybe tonight was magical, because when she looked in the mirror, she saw a glimpse of herself as someone who might be pretty at last.
That first ball had been very memorable. She had met several children of powerful families, although she hadn’t liked them very much. Before turning her loose for a time, her mother had admonished her to make friends. She hadn’t, of course. Lorelei had always preferred her own company with few exceptions. After devouring some raspberry sorbet, Lorelei had been tapping her fan absently against her thigh, watching the dancers, wishing to be grown up. She was so absorbed in the whirling motion of waltzing couples that she hadn’t noticed when she’d been approached.
“Um…Hi!”
Startled, she’d jumped. Embarrassed, she unfurled her fan and fluttered it in front of her face to cover her reaction.
“Hello,” she’d said, from behind the fan, cheeks burning. “Terribly close in here, isn’t it? Such a warm night.” She realized she was probably fanning herself too much, and stopped, closing the fan and feeling silly. To think a boy had snuck up on her…how embarrassing…
He had been such a strange boy. He looked a few years older than she was, and was well dressed, but his scent told her there was no way he was an aristocrat. He was a human, like her mother. He tugged at his clothes like they were uncomfortable. Not someone from her class…she thought he must be someone’s servant. Perhaps he was a personal servant of one of the other children? Someone’s pet human?
“Do you-um, want to dance?” He asked her.
Lorelei blinked in surprise. A boy asked me to dance. She’d thought he was delivering a message to her or offering refreshments, but instead, he wanted to dance with her. It hadn’t occurred to her anyone would actually want to dance with her.
Oh, but he’s human…will I get in trouble if I dance with him? She glanced around, but her parents were nowhere in sight. She was on her own, which meant her father couldn’t disapprove of what he couldn’t see…
“Yes, thank you,” she said quickly, before he changed his mind.
Once on the dance floor, she quickly discovered that he had no idea what to do. He was truly awful at it, once eliciting a cry of pain when inadvertently crushing her toes. His shoes were heavy and meant for working, not the polished leather of formal dress. Her light dancing slippers offered no protection from them whatsoever.
He was kind of sweet, though, in his earnestness and clumsiness. She’d danced with what grace she could invoke and carefully coached him. After he’d managed to lead them into a near collision with another couple, she took over from there, so he wouldn’t embarrass both of them further. She whispered the count to him, and he’d tried, but he was always fumbling and out of step.
Noting movement over his shoulder, Lorelei’s gaze settled on two boys she recognized: the older princes. Shu was there, looking stricken, staring at them. Reiji was there, too, looking incredibly amused.
It was the kind of amusement Lorelei was all too familiar with.
She flushed, realizing that somehow, this, her first dance with a boy, was meant as a joke. Her hands balled into fists and tears formed in her eyes. She was terribly hurt. She was used to bullies, but this…it was unbearable. Seeing her misery, the boy she’d danced with had backed off immediately, assuming wrongly that he was the cause.
Mercifully, he hadn’t asked for another dance, and instead apologized about five times before running off. Lorelei had watched him go, vanishing into the crowd. As he had run away, she had experienced a kind of relief when the princes had both watched the human boy go, and neither had looked at her.
They hadn’t been making fun of her after all. It was the human that was target. They hadn’t even noticed her.
The loneliness settled down onto her, and her child’s shoulders slumped. Lorelei, dejected, found a place to sit alone and think. Why doesn’t anyone like me? I’m not a bad girl. I don’t want to be bullied. I can’t help being different-
Like that human. Oh…He probably feels bad. I should do something to help. That’s what Maman would say. But...how would I do that?
By the time she had screwed up her courage to try and find him, the strange boy had vanished. That had been the first time she’d met Edgar. She hadn’t even known his name then; she’d been too busy trying to keep him from causing a disaster to remember her nicer manners and introduce herself. But that was a long time ago now. Edgar was certainly long dead. Humans didn’t live that long.
Memory is a funny thing, she meditated, it creeps up on you and whispers in your ear when you least expect it to.
“My lady,” a voice interrupted her reverie. “Your father requests your presence.”
Lorelei peered curiously at the familiar.
Odd. Why does he want to see me? She wondered with concern. Most of the time, her father didn’t want to see her, period. Had something happened? Were they leaving early?
“Very well. Take me to him,” she told the familiar, and followed.
A feeling of wary foreboding pressed down on her. Her father never spoke to her unless he was angry, or he needed something. The trouble was, she didn’t think she’d done anything worth punishing her over, which meant there was probably something he wanted her for. It was never good when he wanted her for something.
The familiar led her to a room, not far from the dancing. The door was closed, for privacy, presumably. He opened the door and gestured for her to enter.
Inhale.
Exhale.
You are in control.
Don’t let him control you.
Her father watched her as she entered, his face smug. Lorelei kept her own expression calmly neutral. She always wore the mask of calm around her father. She had learned young that it didn’t pay to reveal her emotions around him.
“Hello Daddy,” she said, her voice low and calm, covering the anxiety simmering underneath. “Was there something you needed?”
“Ah, there you are,” her father said, putting down an official-looking document. Lorelei entered the room, surprised to see her father alone. There was hardly a time when he was not surrounded by others. He was always trying to make alliances and gain favor with the other noble houses. He never learns his lesson. You would think after the way Karlheinz had destroyed our family and turned Daddy into his dog, he’d give the game up, she thought cynically. But no, not him. Until the bitter end, he’s going to try and outmaneuver a god…
“I have good news,” Her father said, “Our fortunes are about to improve.”
“Oh? That is good news,” Lorelei said, cautiously. Maybe you’ve gotten Grandmama’s jewels back after you sold them off without telling me? No, that’s probably too much to hope for.
“I’ve had an offer,” He father said, smugly pleased.
“An offer. What kind of offer…?” She was wary. She wasn’t sure what kind of offer he was referring to, but there was a hint of dread in her chest. It could not possibly be anything good, this offer, because it might be the reason why she had been summoned.
Lorelei had learned young that she could not rely on her father.
“An offer of marriage for you,” her father clarified, smug smile fading at his daughter’s blank expression. “You should be honored.”
“Oh. How…unexpected.” She said, not pleased. “You’ve set up the prospective bride’s visitation period to the family home, then? When can I formally meet the sons of the family?” Lorelei probed.
“There is no bridal visitation.” Her father said. “It’s not needed.”
“What? But there has to be a courtship period. What if I don’t bond with any of the sons? I can’t marry a total stranger- or someone unsuitable-!” She protested.
“The bridal contract has already been drawn and signed. I demanded a hefty bride price for you, don’t worry. This man has wealth! He’s got to be as rich as any of the minor royals. As rich as we were, once upon a time,” Her father downed his glass, and Lorelei noted he was more than halfway through the bottle. Her gaze shifted and landed on another bottle and empty glass on a nearby table. She had just missed whoever her potential groom was.
They’d been toasting her future destruction together.
How charming, she thought, things got so out of hand during this negotiation that we were signing contracts without my consent. You’d think I was a human, the way he just decides my fate without so much as a word to me. I could just... kill him.
No, I should always try to reason with Daddy first, she thought. That would be better. I can’t actually kill him.
That would be inappropriate behavior, killing my father at a royal ball. People would be scandalized.
“It’s not the way things are done,” she began. “It’s not the ninth century anymore! There is no such thing as bride prices- it’s an archaic practice, Daddy. You can’t be serious…?”
“It’s the way things were done when I was young,” her father grumbled. “You’re lucky to get an offer at all! With your mixed blood, this is the best you can expect. I want to see some gratitude.”
“People arrange a courtship period for the bride at the family home for a reason! That way, they get to know each other and if it doesn’t work out, they can start over with a new bride, and everyone’s honor is intact,” she went on, trying to convince her father that he’d made a mistake. She should have known better. That had never worked before.
Bertrand moved fast, his hand striking his daughter hard enough to knock her down. Lorelei had always been a docile girl, obedient, but the past year of living alone had made her more independent. Suddenly I’m someone he doesn’t recognize, and he doesn’t like it at all, she thought. Guess you should have loved me when I was small, and you might have an easier time controlling me now. Thank goodness you didn’t, or I’d be going into this nightmare with a smile on my face, you arrogant, conniving bastard.
“Karlheinz put ideas in your head about being special. You’ve become conceited.” He snapped. “But he isn’t your father. You’ll do as I say.”
“No. I won’t. I did not agree to this. It’s my life you’re playing with.” She said, her voice a low growl, at odds with the velvet ballgown she wore. Her fists clenched, hard. Lorelei wanted nothing more than to hit her father, but he was much stronger than she was. She could never hope to win. Even her own pyrokinesis probably couldn’t kill a vampire seventeen centuries old with royal blood in his veins.
Patience, she warned herself. Nothing is to be gained by retaliation at the moment.
Her father smiled, mockingly. “It’s too late. I’ve already made arrangements with your fiancé. The contract has been signed.” He lifted his refilled glass and drank deeply in a mock toast. “You’re going through with this marriage. You owe me that.”
“No, I’m not interested.” She said coldly. “I want a proper courtship, and if I don’t like him, I can refuse.”
“You are such a stupid child,” Her father snarled, fangs showing. “He’s rich. You would have a fine house, servants, and a wealthy husband. He’s willing to overlook your mixed blood. Not many would have you. You aren’t beautiful enough to overcome that, not like my cousin. Her beauty compensates for all her flaws. Such a shame you don’t look more like her. I could have married you to the king himself, or one of his sons, if you looked more like the White Rose. You’re nothing but a burden to me as you are. If you walk away from this, you are no longer my daughter.” Her father threatened, seeking to control her by removing her security.
Lorelei’s cheeks burned in a mix of mortification and fury. It was true, she was not a great beauty like the queen. She had other qualities that were valuable, but as ever, her father only ever saw her flaws. Even now, when she was woman, he only saw a flawed, disposable commodity, not a daughter. The truth had always hurt.
Angered by his casual dismissal of her, she decided to strike back. “Bastard.” Lorelei said, with deadly accuracy.
That one word she uttered had defined her father’s life. Unwanted, illegitimate, excluded…the fuel for the fire of hatred that burned within for his legitimate half-brothers. Even now, more than a century after his revenge, that word was her father’s trigger. He went to hit her again, to shut her mouth, but she moved fast. She was expecting it this time. He was even angrier now that he’d been outmaneuvered by his daughter. The vampire juice he’d been drinking was slowing him down. Lorelei had the advantage. For once.
Bertrand grated out, “You little bitch. I am your father! You will not disobey me.”
“I don’t feel obligated to do any such thing. I will not marry a stranger who is so desperate that he needs to purchase a wife.” Lorelei said drily. “I don’t plan on honoring this contract. It’s your mess. You’re going to have to tell him.”
“You are my child,” he said, “and I know what’s best for you.” Her father slammed his fist on the table, like a child having a tantrum. He could sense he was losing control of the situation, even if his stubborn streak wouldn’t give up. Lorelei just stood her ground, coldly aloof, not reacting. She had learned young that not reacting to her father’s tantrums was the best protection.
“I am not your child. I’ve never been your child. I’m the girl who is useful to you, nothing more. What do you know about what’s best for me? Your plan to gain the king’s favor by serving up all your own kin for execution gained you nothing but the chance to become a glorified servant. You sacrificed all your allies and your family to your delusion that Karlheinz would reward you, but you missed the fact that a traitor can’t ever be trusted, especially one that wants to get close to the throne. You never could see the big picture, Daddy. Our time is over, and in no small part because you failed to see the consequences of your actions. Much like right now.”
“You know nothing!” His voice rising, his face turning crimson. “Sneering at me, after all I have done for you…belittling my efforts…you only need to fulfill your duty to bed him and give him an heir! Think of the power we could have!”
“We? What do you mean, we? You’re benefitting from this marriage, not me. I want love, but you never could understand that. Maman loved me, and Sebastian, and she even loved you, though you didn’t deserve it.” She stated, coldly.
“Yeah? You think love will make everything better? Are you even a vampire? How could I have raised such a stupid girl?” Bertrand mocked his daughter.
“I think it was Maman who raised me, and you weren’t interested. Frankly, I wish you were dead instead of her.”
“You might wish it, but you’ll never be able to kill me. You’re too weak. Sebastian will succeed. My son will kill me.” He said, loudly and angrily.
She regarded him coldly. “No, he won’t.”
He smiled, bitterly. “You think you can kill me first? You’re a pathetic mongrel, and you always will be. I knew as soon as you were born that I needed to have a son to carry on where you would fail.” Bertrand shook his head in disappointment.
“No, Daddy. You don’t understand.” She said, her smile creeping in, cold. “I won’t give you the release of death, because ultimately, that’s what you want. Even Sebastian, your beloved son, won’t bother with killing someone like you. That would require love. Believe me when I say that no one loves you.” she said. “Maybe you should build a guillotine. Then you can have the release of death. You certainly aren’t getting it from either of us.”
She watched in a sick kind of satisfaction as her father’s face purpled in fury. She’d never made him this angry before, and she could finally see him as he was: an impotent man, ruined, old and desperate to regain his former status.
“You will agree to this marriage, or I will turn you out of my house at sunrise. You can go to Pandemonium, if you aren’t going to be more useful to me than this.” Bertrand informed his daughter. “I’m finished with you!” He snarled, slapping his palm on the table.
“I guess I’ll be leaving at sunrise, then,” Lorelei said, calling his bluff. She turned on her heel, and exited the room, terrified. To subject herself to marriage to a stranger, maybe even be raped by him-! Lorelei shuddered. She’d end up just like Christa, who hadn’t even married a stranger, and had gone willingly to the ceremony.
This is a nightmare, she thought. She had believed that her mixed blood would ensure nobody would marry her and she’d be safe to pursue her interests indefinitely. Lonely, but free. She should have known her father would wreck everything the way he always did. Her only chance now was to run away.
Even the humans in the century her mother had been born into didn’t force their daughters into marriage. They might marry for wealth and status, but they didn’t outright sell their daughters. That was one thing the humans had actually managed to get right.
A sorry state of affairs when even some human societies are more advanced than vampire society.
As Lorelei left her father, he mumbled to himself, “Let her make her own way for a good while and she’ll come crawling back, begging to marry whomever I choose,” He shook his head to clear it, the drink making him unsteady. “Ha. The girl is weak. Too human. Like her mother,” he muttered to himself angrily. “Weak.”
Lorelei made her way through the crowded ballroom, intent on leaving. She didn’t want to stay and force a smile to her lips when all she really wanted to do was be alone again and sob. But that was a luxury she didn’t have time for. She had a decision to make before the sun rose.
I need to pack and take what little money I have and go- Where? Where can I go?
I could spend the day in the woods, in one of the abandoned houses at the edge of the Vibora border territory…it’ll be dirty, but safe enough, probably. Better than forced into marriage. Or, maybe I can escape to the human world before the sun sets. If I go somewhere unfamiliar, he might not be able to find me. I could lose myself in a foreign land. Japan, maybe.
Or I could take the vial of silver dust and sprinkle it in his mouth while he sleeps and watch him die. That would solve my problems…no, too risky.
Oh, God, if you really answer prayers, hear mine: please kill my father because I can’t. Maman would be horrified if she knew that’s what I pray for, but You know she was only a human.
She would never understand.
A few hours later, her brother Sebastian told her that their father, drunk, had stormed out of the ball, in a temper, and gone to the tunnels near the castle to visit his true thirst on some hapless humans and not returned. Sebastian, a dutiful son, sent familiars to find him, but there was only a pile of his clothes to be found, heavily crusted with dried blood.
Her father had come across vampire hunters, most likely had been shot in the heart, and then his body disintegrated at death due to his age.
Something inside Lorelei snapped. Free. I’m free...! Wait, no. Not yet. There is one more detail. I have to find the marriage contract. Where is it? I have to destroy that first.
She had torn the house apart, over the next two hours, but never found the marriage contract her father had spoken of. There must be proof it even happened to be binding...could the prospective groom have it now? If he does...then he’ll come for me. That was a disturbing thought. She didn’t even know the name of the man who’d…bought her. He’d paid quite a lot of money, this groom. It didn’t make sense for him not to claim her, even if her father was now dead. He’d win twice over, keeping his money and gaining a bride, while she’d lose everything.
No, that was unthinkable. She was not some kind of livestock, to be sold and used. She refused to accept this fate. She yanked a suitcase from beneath her bed and began flinging clothes into it.
Her brother had already left that very night, after the news of their father's demise. Neither sibling mourned. Enigmatically declaring he was not going to return for a few months because he had some new job, he bid his sister goodbye and took the carriage. Lorelei hadn’t told him about the marriage contract. She didn’t want to involve him at all. It could be dangerous for him if he decided to defend her honor. She paused in her packing, staring into space a moment while her mind whirred away, turning over her options.
There was another way available: hide in plain sight. That might work. Yes.
The anonymity of being a castle maid would camouflage her body and her status, while the heavily fortified castle itself would be her refuge, and the servants’ quarters could become her secret hiding place. Who paid attention to a maid, anyway? If some irate noble charged in and started claiming the new maid was an aristocratic lady and his betrothed, he’d be laughed at and shown the door.
It was a nearly perfect plan. Her pride would take a large hit, but her family’s enemies would unwittingly protect her by becoming her shield. It was about time they did something for her, instead of the other way around. She’d offered herself up to Karlheinz and his sons throughout her childhood and gained nothing but pain. They forgot about her when she was no longer useful to them.
She would be their servant, but they would ultimately serve her ends.