Chương 7: Chapter Six: Good News Spreads Near and Gossip Travels Fast

Let's start with my father. How can I pass up an opportunity to shit-talk him? Heartless asshole who dunked me. Even if it's only in my head I need to vent my frustration. (Somewhere in the house, a certain vegan with fangs sneezed. After a moment a sly smirk built up. I think Nia misses me. Yuck.) Miseria's destination today is the kitchen. The staff there have some of the loosest lips I've ever encountered. Sometimes, when they spot me hiding, they feed me in exchange for keeping my mouth shut.

Not a lot due to strict control over ingredients, but enough to satisfy. Especially, Ichor sauce pancakes. Buttery heaven. I'm getting hungry just thinking of it. Unsteadily, I shuffle on all fours and cross over to the forked entryway. Anyway, the newest gossip right now mostly pertains to me. Unless I missed something yesterday, the rumor mill cycles at light speed. I'll skip the boring bits and go straight to the very beginning of the mess that is this household.

That shameless Duke ushered in a new generation of vampires to this world decades ago. Vegetarian vampires, who rely on blood substitutes to survive instead of human blood. A vegan who embarked on a vegan journey. I rolled my eyes, how original. His nutrient solution is not only cheaper than the labor-intensive process of natural sources, varied in flavor, easily accessible, but they were also a humanitarian alternative to blood camps. You heard me. Ew. Blood camps.

Actual camps filled with people who regularly provided blood for vampires via bloodletting were the norm before his venture. My appetite vanishes at just the thought of it. Due to how obtainable and cruelty-free the substitute was, most vampires decided to partake in it. After a couple of years, most vampires completely abandoned the blood camps and switched to blood substitutes.

This led to an open protest against the increasingly obsolete blood camps and blood banks, which were now losing customers left and right. Eventually, most of the blood camps had to be shut down, and now a good majority of the vampire world drinks the miracle blood substitute. Ichor. The savage past of his ancestors was finally left behind under his rule, and he made bank on it. He is now one of the wealthiest people in this realm.

Even the Kelpies and the Adonai bought Ichor in bulk once they realized how nutritious and tasty it was. Whatever couldn't be sold in gold is traded through other means. Such a hot ticket naturally meant plenty of suitors arrived at his doorstep by the time he was one hundred and twenty years old. Ancient and you would never be able to tell. Isn't that horrifying? Your grandfather can look the same age as you. Forever. Ahem, gossip, at the time, he only had eyes for my stepmother Dorothea.

A human scullery maid who rejected his advances and refused to become his concubine. Standard Cinderella stuff ensued. Yada yada. He rebelled against his parents' wishes and married her as his first wife. The official mistress of the household. The aristocratic faction was furious with him, but the temples and the people's representatives were overjoyed. More commoners in positions of power could only raise their faction's standing and tip the balance in their favor.

The wall slipped out of my sweaty fingers, and I wiped them on my clothes a little as I stared into the distance. Two guards stood silently in the crevices of the halls and eyed me curiously but made no move to help me.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't mind me." I waved them away. Where was I? The fantasy marriage of the century. The noble houses demanded the annulment of the marriage, and the other two parties admonished the aristocracy for not playing fair. Boo freaking hoo. Honestly, if they had kept their mouth shut i probably wouldn't be here. Nevertheless, the Fae Queen, in her generosity, offered a compromise that would appease all parties if they were willing to make certain concessions. This was her offer.

And in a world where monogamy was as rare as southern pearls, it made sense to those in charge. He was given express orders to marry at least two wives of noble birth who would be equal in status to his first wife. Only then would any children with Dorothea, her rise in noble status, his title, and his marriage to her be deemed legitimate. Otherwise, his title would be confiscated, and he'd become a commoner. Poor and happy? Or rich and miserable?

Just because you marry them doesn't mean you have to do the deed with them. It's just a lease contract and two new tenants—gorgeous, wealthy tenants. The former Heir Apparent turned Duke sat on the offer for a long time. His parents were infuriated, to say the least, and left the estate in shame regardless of his decision to live on a private island. What's shameful about having an island? I swear, rich people's problems. They're all just bored. They still haven't come back, by the way.

They only visit on special occasions, which doesn't look good, no matter how you look at it. How are you going to kick your parents out of their HOUSE for someone you just met, whom you don't love that much, considering I know how this story ends. After much deliberation and the birth of Erichean, the Duke agreed to the Queen's conditions. Within a few months, she arranged the marriages of two third-born daughters of noble birth. Druvis Whidbey, the elven-borne daughter of Baron Whidbey.

The damsel in distress of the household. Then Meng Jialin, the only daughter of the illustrious Count Meng, a bonafide military veteran was married to the Duke. On the same day!

"Phew!" Cue the drama! It was nonstop. It literally took a fist-fight between all parties to stop the chaos. Actually, that may have been an exaggeration on Lily's part, but anyway, you get the point. After some time had passed, he gradually accepted them (poor baby) and had half a dozen children together with them and others. What happened to all that true love you were spouting? Even the Queen herself didn't marry for love. Either time. Our name became the topic of the decade. People couldn't get enough.

Dozens of staff members were fired in droves due to the constant leaks. Didn't seem to fix the problem. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. So, of course, through some miracle. This douche actually caught the eye of most of the kingdom. Especially two of the most eligible bachelorettes in the kingdom. My mother and Hadrian. Ugh! I mean, I get it. But I don't get it. He's somewhat objectively attractive, but what is up with these women? Why does it have to be this guy?

Is he drugging them or something? You can't find anyone else. You're all rich! Just find someone who happens to like money and spend it on love. Don't pick the one you have to share like a communal shower. I hope they all shower... Ew! Disgusting, they had multiple fights over who's going to be the fourth wheel in his many relationships. I find that hard to believe. Before, both of them went tattling to my grandmother. They begged her for a marriage to him and refused to consider anyone else.

The Duke himself refused to be married again and pleaded with the Queen not to grant their requests. Begged on his knees. Cried publicly. Again, maybe some exaggerations by the rumor mill are in play. At that time, he had already had three wives and five children! Most of them were newborns! At a certain point, enough is enough, and he had already reached that point long ago. The Queen got angry at the way they were treating each other and herself. She is a Queen after all, not a matchmaker.

The bullshit had to stop. She proposed a compromise. The Duke would be the deciding factor in all of his future marriages from now on. If they wished to marry him, they would have to gain his approval within a year. If the princess and the heir to the duchess could not achieve this within the allotted time. Their marriages would henceforth be decided by Her Majesty. End of discussion. Don't bother me anymore. They solemnly agreed. Within that year, the two of them pulled out all the stops and wooed the Duke.

He approved. Cough. Pushover. Both of them got married to him on separate dates. Thank heavens. That's so awkward. Hadrian first and Niathe last. After that, they all lived very happily. They still fought petty fights here and there, but they didn't have any major conflicts. Until my mother gave birth for the first time. This is where it gets kind of dark. Where am I? Lifting my head to check my surroundings, I counted the flowerpots I could see. Three. Only a couple doors away then.

The strength of rumors have me reason to persevere even though my legs were shaking. Her son was healthy at birth and beloved by all. He was even bestowed all of his names on the very day. Everything was spring and roses. Until he sadly passed away in his sleep five years ago, before his three-month anniversary. The real cause of death was never officially revealed, but everyone assumed it had to be one of the other wives. It's one thing to squabble now and then over your stupid husband.

This was an entirely different beast. My mother, in her grief, left the estate to search for the perpetrator and never found them. She begrudgingly returned two years ago to the mansion after being summoned back by the Queen and became different. Who wouldn't? All of her previous lively personality froze in time and shattered into a million pieces, forming the woman you see today. Niathe the Bitter. No matter what terrible acts or bad deeds she committed after she came back.

The Duke pardoned all of them and even bestowed a private garden on her as a gift. Yeah. A garden. Like fucking flowers are going to help her recover from the loss of her child. Asshole! I can sense a deeper story there, but the kitchen maids either completely bought the next part of this love story, or even they didn't have the guts to whisper a word of what's really going on here. After much push and pull, they fell in love again, and had me.

The speculated reason as to why she refused to see me until I was three months old was that she was afraid of becoming attached once more.

"..." A brief flicker of guilt flashes across my eyes just thinking about her. At least that part makes sense. hell, everything makes sense. Her detached gaze, the way she freaked out about the incident, and sulky expression when she sees him and me. An echo of what she lost and the reason for her loss. I do feel pretty bad about some things I've said to her in the past, but I didn't know! After learning about the incident, I decided to be a bit nicer to her. A little less talking back won't hurt me.

Who knows if those rumors are baseless? After all, the way I crossed over wasn't exactly normal. My entire existence is abnormal. What if her real daughter had actually died, and I took her place. An empty vessel being sustained by a tetherless soul. Binding together to become me. An abomination, by my understanding. Let's not go down that dead end. A bunch of people can hate me all they want but if I start too it'll be too late.

The point is, Derrick, who unintentionally dropped a brick on his own foot nine months ago in a temper tantrum, would finally be released on my birthday. Tomorrow night. He apparently has been repenting sincerely in his room ever since the incident. Hah! Probably plotting his revenge. All of his meals are being served to his room for the time being, and the only time he is allowed to leave said quarters is when he attends supervised lessons. People actually draws in order to not visit his quarters.

Seems he's not the most beloved member of the family. At least we all get the same special treatment. Druvis has been collecting my mother's demands as fast as possible and is due to present them on my birthday. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. It seems like kind of a drastic punishment over an altercation between kids. It hasn't been easy on her. Druvis, I mean. Some of the things my mother asked for are treasures of her household.

That harp, for instance, is an enchanted weapon or tool in the hands of those who wield it. The servants are waiting with bated breath to see it person. The Unknown Egg is sort of a mystery, but it's been around since the first Elven Civil War. It's thousands of years old, and the only one of its kind. No one has been able to hatch it, and it's now considered a treasure of the elven race. A useless treasure, albeit. If it were me, I would make an omelette to see if I get superpowers. I've only told one person this.

Eric punished me to empathy lessons. Basically holding a toy and trying to extract emotions from that. We both gave up the same day. There's even a small legend about the power-up egg. Oh, and the ten thousand gold? I had asked Hadrian a few times about the value of money. After being pestered a few times, she finally relented and taught me the basics of how money is valued. It's astronomical! There are three types of currency in circulation between all kingdoms under the Peace Act.

Bronze coins, silver coins, and gold coins. One hundred bronze coins equal a silver coin, and a hundred silver coins equal one gold coin. Easy enough. Ten bronze coins can buy you a meal at a commoner's food stall. Ten silver coins are the average annual expenditure of a large family. This includes rent, food, daily necessities, medical needs, etc. Fifty silver is the average commoner's yearly salary. Five gold coins can buy a house, and twenty to fifty gold coins can even buy a building. In summary…

she's rich, and one day I'll be even richer. Ten thousand gold can buy a small unaligned country or island! Everyone is praying for the celebration to go smoothly—the maids, staff, masters, and their children. Including me. A second-generation useless sack of generational wealth. Pay the money and make like bandits. Like hell it's going to go that smoothly, but one can dream. My mother is a scary woman when she's upset, and the monarchy's dignity must be protected.

Embarrassing her at her only child's full moon celebration, in front of all of high society, considering all her history and the rumors around the incident? Recipe for disaster. The temples, the royals, and her own faction could have drowned Druvis in a bucket right there and then to avenge the public disgrace. Which wasn't that big of a deal until the rumor mill started working at it. A mostly benign mistake got exaggerated out of proportion, and apparently, I burned with a fever for a week after the incident.

Children really are a parent's debt. A ten-thousand-gold debt. But then again, when something 'terrible' happened to me. All she asked for were things of cultural value and money. So in some ways, parents accrue debt too. Someone had made a malicious comment regarding her deceased child and her ability to protect me shortly after she returned to the limelight. Niathe watched, listened, and waited in silence from another table. Then she got up and ordered a special tea to be prepared.

She, along with several of her guards, poured boiling tea down several of the partygoers' orifices. It didn't matter if you were just a bystander or an instigator. Everyone was served some tea. My biological mother is a fucking gangster. But we've had no visitors since the display of violence. Finally! Heaving a giant sigh of relief, I toddled in. Short and unstable, but just enough energy to land on a big sack of flour.

"Hah." A poof of white exited a hole in the bag, and Matiue looked down to see me resting beneath his stool.

"Hey, squirt."

"Hi." A calloused hand covered in scars and healed over burns swung a piece of jerky in front of my face. No prompt needed. I stretched my neck out and chomped down on the end. Mumbling a thank you between bites. He snuck a quick squeeze of my cheek and returned to the conversation at hand. I tuned in, too. Percy was at it again. A butler from the main house who pretended to be a glasses-wearing, calm, and collected professional outside these doors. Secretly, he ran the biggest tall-tale industry in the house.

He didn't take money for his gift for the gab. He just cashed in favors now and then. Leaning against the wall, he continued ranting, smacking his chapped lips when he breathed through his mouth, "I heard the Duke gambled six hundred gold on the eighth miss, picking his gift for the upcoming ball." The kitchen maids giggled and gossiped over their master's foolish behavior.

"A drop in the bucket, I suppose. Still, if it were me..." Bruce chastised them through clenched teeth from the stove.

"Hush now. You never know who's listening." They settled down and did some actual work. Which means they'll be back at in fifteen minutes. I can get air in the meantime. I snorted and crawled away from the kitchen towards the door to the outside. Most of the tea is old anyway. Nothing I haven't heard before, except that tidbit. I got up slowly, used a forgotten stick, and pushed the door open the rest of the way before walking out. The sun cast a golden glow on my surroundings and warmed my skin. Much better. Heh.

Eight hundred gold? He'd better win. I've asked about my allowance before. Which pays for me, my food, my attendants, and other necessities. It all totals up to about one hundred gold a month. For now, the Duke fronts the cost, but once I grow older, I'll take over the dowry bestowed upon me. I wonder how rich he is? I know it's a lot, but I'd love to see some exact numbers. Or maybe a treasury. Just imagine it. A room filled with gold! Whatever. I should enjoy the sun while it's here. It's going to set soon.

Day and night cycles are peculiar in comparison to Earth. I've gotten used to it over time, but memories of my past life often raise a sense of discomfort. Daylight is limited to seven hours during the summer and three hours during the winter. It's currently summer, so I can enjoy the sun for a few more hours. Matt scratched the top of my head a little, "Away again?" I didn't even know he was following but it's sweet that he cares.

"Mn." I hummed and shook my head a little. He snapped a piece of jerky and threw it down the hatch.

"Call if you need help."

"Okay." Just a few more steps. Flour and dust surrounded tiny footprints I'd left on the floor. Once I got over the final threshold, I crawled into the grass towards the outside world. It's really just an alcove with a vegetable garden, but it's the closest to outside that I've gotten. Green and purple grass gathered in my hands. It's really nice out here today. I sighed and felt the breeze on my skin. Curling my fingers in a standard meditation circle and breathing the fresh air. Posture straight. positive energy.

Release. Let it all flow. Peace. Tranquility. Cal-"You little rat!" Gone