Chapter Text
Kate watched her lady leave the room and close the door quietly. She heard her heels growing fainter and fainter as the woman walked away from the room. This time, however, she did not hear the sound of the key in the lock.
"She didn't close the door," she thought, staring in that direction in confusion. "Did she forget? Or is it a test?”
In that case, what was she supposed to do? Following the vampire’s order was the safest choice. In any case, she didn't have the strength to do otherwise. She was tired, worn out by the events she had witnessed in the main hall, and would never have had the energy for a walk in the castle.
On top of that, Kate also felt disoriented. Lady Dimitrescu had been kind to her, even too kind, and she wasn't sure why the woman had behaved this way towards her. After all, she was just another maid within the walls of Dimitrescu Castle. Yet, in the last few days, Kate felt that she had been treated differently from the others. Not only by Lady Dimitrescu but also by Bela.
The blonde-haired girl had been…kind?
The answer to her doubts was quite simple. She had helped Bela when she was injured, and that was already a valid reason to attract the attention of the Dimitrescu family. Furthermore, a few hours earlier, she had handed over to her lady the culprits of that attack to the other three vampires, denouncing them and allowing Lady Dimitrescu and her daughters to take revenge.
And Kate had stood there watching as her lady played with the hopes of her colleagues, deceiving them with false promises. What had happened next... just the thought of it made her sick. She tightened the blanket placed over her shoulders, trying to chase away that feeling.
Images of the punishment inflicted on the three maids filled her mind, vivid as if it were all happening right in front of her at that exact moment. She could see all that blood, and feel again the pain she was responsible for. She hadn't inflicted the punishment herself but if she hadn't spoken...if she had kept that secret she didn't even know she knew…
Lady Dimitrescu would have found out anyway, except Kate would have died along with her colleagues. And maybe that was what she deserved. Unable to help it, the tears began to flow down her face again as she pulled her knees to her chest, hugging them tightly and hiding her face in them. Her body was shaken by sobs as the guilt took possession of her again, oppressing her chest. She didn’t want to feel this way, she didn’t want to fall prey to terror again.
"Not again," she thought, quickly getting out of bed. She almost lost her balance because of the dizziness that immediately followed, but she leaned on the bedside table and tried to calm her labored breathing. As soon as the room stopped spinning, she began to pace back and forth, torturing her hands to occupy them in some way.
“You have to think about something else,” she ordered herself, remembering Lady Dimitrescu’s advice. If it had worked to distract her from the pain of her wound, it might as well keep the panic away. She sighed loudly, searching her mind for anything positive that could help distract her.
Music. Sun. Chocolate.
Words that were disconnected from each other but were connected to positive thoughts: the first time she had seen the Opera Hall, fascinated by its size and beauty. The pleasant warmth of the sun that had caressed her skin when she had to take care of hanging out the laundry. The times when the cook, Sabrina, had secretly passed her some chocolate when she was in the kitchen to lend a hand. The ghost of a smile caressed her face remembering how the cook had told her to keep the secret.
Following her lady's advice had been the right choice. Those unpleasant sensations, although still present, had faded. She needed other words, other memories.
Snow. She loved snow. Kate remembered the first snow that year. Lara had seemed quite annoyed by it, telling her that their lady's daughters never went out in the cold and became unmanageable. She, on the other hand, had been fascinated by the snowflakes falling from the sky and her eyes lit up the next morning when the entire courtyard was covered in a blanket of white.
Her gaze then fell on the fireplace, staring at the flames burning the wood. She remembered Bela's words, while they were both sitting in front of that same fireplace a few hours before, how the vampire had compared her mother to fire.
“Don’t think about that,” Kate whispered to herself, shaking her head as she felt her face heat up.
She continued to move her gaze around the room, noticing a vase of flowers on the windowsill. She remembered seeing them planted in the greenhouse, along with other flowers that broke up the green of the room with their pink, yellow, and purple petals. The flowers on the windowsill were roses, she had seen others in the greenhouse, where they grew, their petals a beautiful red. Like Lady Dimitrescu's lips. She wondered if the woman was the one who planted and tended them. Probably.
As soon as she thought of her, Kate felt a warmth envelop her again and she placed her hands against her face, sighing loudly. How easily her lady could cause those reactions in her, even when she wasn't there. But why she reacted like that, wasn't clear to her. She shook her head and approached the fireplace, stretching out her hands to warm herself a little more.
Lost in her thoughts, almost entirely occupied by Lady Dimitrescu, the guilt and terror of being overcome by her demons again faded, almost disappearing entirely. But a part of her knew, deep down, that they would never completely abandon her.
***
Kate, however, was not the only one who felt overwhelmed by guilt. As she walked through the corridors of her castle, Lady Dimitrescu herself was torturing herself with the thought of having caused some kind of pain to the maid. Her mind was occupied by Katherine's desperate scream, repeating it over and over, endlessly. She could not forget the plea in her eyes.
What exactly had happened to the girl was still a mystery, but she would have a chance to ask her questions later. And Alcina had a lot of them. She could still feel under her fingers the texture of Katherine’s skin behind her ear. Who knew what lay in the girl’s past, what secrets she kept hidden deep in her mind.
Concentrating on those thoughts, Alcina didn't notice the maid she passed, who was trying to get her attention. Alcina noticed the girl's presence only when she felt her dress being pulled and turned around quickly, glaring at her. The maid, with brown hair tied in a bun and eyes of the same color, immediately withdrew her hand, even taking a couple of steps back for precaution.
“Forgive me, my lady. I did not mean to frighten you”
“Scare me?” Alcina laughed at those words, one hand placed on her chest. “Tatiana, dear, don't be ridiculous” she added trying to compose herself, while the maid gave her a stern look.
“Okay, but there's no need to offend” Tatiana crossed her arms, maintaining eye contact with her lady, who returned the look with a reproachful look.
"Careful with that tongue, dear. I've told you that several times” Lady Dimitrescu spoke calmly but let her disappointment show.
“You're right, my lady” Tatiana raised her hands in surrender, lowering her head to apologize to the woman “But I think I've improved since the first few days, don't you?” Alcina rolled her eyes at the girl's words, trying to suppress a smile, before setting her amber gaze on the maid.
“I grant you that. But don't think that's enough. You must be careful how you address me. I'm still the lady of this castle, don't forget that.”
“I would never do that, my lady” Tatiana bent her torso forward, in a sign of respect towards her lady and then felt a hand placed on her head.
Alcina smiled with satisfaction, appreciating the girl's improvements. Since she had chosen her as her personal maid, Tatiana had worked hard to meet her lady's standards. But there was still something to fix and every now and then the girl fell back into old habits.
Alcina was more than willing to put up with those somewhat abrupt attitudes due to the maid's particular blood, which she had always appreciated every time she drank a little. For that blood she had chosen the girl as her maid and, after the first bites, the girl had relaxed, understanding that the woman did not wish to harm her. After each bite Alcina took care of Tatiana, making sure that she was fine and that she ate enough to recover. Each time her lady cleaned the bite mark, then covered it with a bandage.
Lady Dimitrescu’s hand rested on the bandage now, her fingers moving delicately as she thought back to the day her daughters had brought Tatiana before her. The girl had foolishly tried to rob her, but Alcina had been kind to her once she had tasted her blood, and the girl had been grateful to the woman and happy to return that kindness in any way she asked. Even with blood. Alcina had ignored her daughters’ pleas to leave the girl to them. She wouldn’t waste such delicious blood.
Now, however, she was certain that the taste of Tatiana’s blood would never excite her in the same way again. Not after tasting Katherine’s. She sighed, withdrawing her hand from the maid’s neck and resting it on her hip.
“Why are you here?” she asked after several seconds of silence during which she had kept her golden eyes fixed on the maid, without really looking at her.
“Neither you nor your daughters showed up for dinner and it's been ready for a while. I was just coming to call you.”
“Thank you, dear. Unfortunately, a problem required my attention. It took longer than expected” Alcina said those words thinking about Katherine but pushed that thought out of her mind and returned to focusing on the conversation with Tatiana “Accompany me. I need a drink”
“After you, my lady” Tatiana waved her arm down the hall and bowed, a gesture that brought a smile to Alcina's lips. She began to move slowly, allowing the maid to walk beside her without having to jog to keep up.
“Do you want me to go get your daughters, my lady?”
“They won't be having dinner with me tonight. They're taking care of that problem” She noticed Tatiana's curious expression but ignored it “Have everything kept warm for them”
“As you wish, Lady Dimitrescu”
They walked in silence to the main hall. There, Alcina stopped for a moment. Her gaze fixed on the pool of blood left by the three maids. Two more were bent over the floor, two buckets full of water beside them, and they were busy cleaning up the living room. None of them dared to raise their gaze and meet that of their lady.
They had to imagine where that blood came from but perhaps not exactly from whom. Tatiana also stared at the red stain on the floor, swallowing nervously as a shiver ran down her spine. The reaction did not go unnoticed by Alcina, and when she looked down at her, she saw the girl opening her mouth. The woman grabbed her face, forcing the maid to meet her golden eyes, shaking her head slowly.
“Now's not the time for questions, dear”
“O-of course, my lady," she noticed the tremor in the maid's voice and released her from her grasp, smirking.
“Let’s go”
Alcina continued walking, casting a last glance at the two maids, and Tatiana followed her in silence. They reached the dining room and she took place at the head of the table, as usual. She looked at the empty chairs, normally occupied by her daughters, and sighed, massaging her temples. She couldn't believe what had happened. How those three maids had betrayed her trust in such a way.
With a wave of her hand, Alcina indicated the empty glass and Tatiana quickly filled it with wine. She grabbed the glass, moved it slowly, and then breathed in deeply the sweet scent of the drink and the more metallic scent of blood. Only then did she take a sip.
“Serve dinner now” The maid nodded but stopped when she heard her name being called again “One more thing. A girl is not feeling very well. Have the cook prepare something to help her recover”
“Of course, my lady. What kind of meal?” Alcina raised an eyebrow at that question, bringing the glass to her lips again “What I mean... what does the girl need? I mean... you... er... how can I put it?” Tatiana fell silent when she heard her lady's annoyed sound.
“Don't try too hard, dear. I didn't drink her blood if that's what you were trying to ask.”
“Not that much, at least,” she thought but kept the thought to herself.
“She's just a little shaken by... certain events. A bit traumatized, you could say. You don't need to know all the details” Another wave of the hand, directed towards the door “Now go”
“If you'll excuse me” another bow and Tatiana left the room.
Alcina continued to sip her wine, savoring its flavor in peace. The door to the room was opened by another maid, petite and blond, who approached the table with a tray in her hand. She served the dinner in silence and withdrew without saying anything, only making a small bow. The only maid who had been allowed to speak during meals was Tatiana, the others had to serve silently unless they were asked to speak. But those occasions were rare. Tatiana returned shortly after and immediately refilled her lady's glass, now empty.
“Thank you, dear”
“Duty. I informed the cook. Half an hour and it should be ready”
Alcina simply nodded at those words, continuing to eat and drink in silence. She truly hoped that with that hot meal, and perhaps a few more hours of sleep, Katherine would recover from that unpleasant situation. So her mind returned to being occupied by the girl and the sensations she made her feel.
That sense of regret crept up on her and she found herself wondering why she felt this way about the girl. She wasn't indifferent to what happened to the maids who worked for her but she had never felt this way about humans. Or at least years had passed since the last time it happened.
She felt the need to protect that girl and she had shown it when she had defended her from the accusations of Daniela, the daughter convinced that it was the maid who had put her life and that of her sisters in danger. But Alcina was certain of the opposite. She had felt that same need to protect her when she had seen Katherine shocked by what was happening to the other maids. In that moment, she had wanted to take her away from all that pain, to protect her innocence. Alcina had the impression, however, that the girl had already lost her, only that she had no memory of it.
“My lady?” Alcina shook herself out of her troubles, turning to Tatiana and meeting her worried gaze “Are you alright?”
“Yes, dear” she sighed, taking another sip of wine “I just have a lot to think about, as always”
“Is there anything I can do to help, my lady?” Alcina noticed the maid's hand gesture, as if she had thought of comforting her and then changed her mind.
“You're very sweet but no, you can't do anything” She smiled sweetly at the maid who reciprocated with a more timid smile “Come here” she motioned for her to come closer and Tatiana obeyed immediately.
Alcina placed her cutlery on the plate and then moved her hands to the maid’s neck. Tatiana remained still under her lady’s touch, not flinching as she removed the bandage that covered the mark of the last bite. When was the last time she had allowed herself to drink directly from the maid? If her memory served, it had been the day of Bela’s accident. Lady Dimitrescu looked carefully at the bite mark, the two holes left by her teeth, and gently felt the skin around them.
“Does it hurt?”
“Not anymore, my lady”
“It’s healing well,” she noted after watching the bite for a few more seconds, to make sure there were no signs of infection. Then she covered it back with the bandage.
“I make sure of it”
Tatiana kept her gaze fixed on her lady, proud of the compliment received. That satisfied expression caused Alcina to giggle amusedly and shake her head slowly.
“Very good”
“In a few more days you will be able to quench your thirst again, my lady”
“I’m eagerly awaiting that moment,
Alcina gently grabbed the maid’s chin and smiled as if she were a predator staring down its prey, her voice low. She released the girl from her hand, abandoned that look for a more amused one at the maid’s slightly flushed face, and went back to eating.
A few minutes later, as Tatiana filled her glass for the third time, a series of buzzes filled the room and shortly after a swarm of flies approached the table, then taking the form of Bela.
“Mother” the vampire shifted her gaze to the waitress, smiling at her “Tatiana”
“Miss Bela, good evening” The maid bowed her head in greeting and tried to smile calmly, ignoring her clothes, face and hair covered in blood. She remained as impassive as possible at that spectacle since it was not the first time she had seen one of her lady's daughters in that state.
“Tatiana, be a sweetheart and go check on the dinner. It should be ready by now”
“Right away, my lady”
“Thank you. If so, serve it in my chambers and wait for me there”
“As you wish” Tatiana nodded at that last order, then turned to the other vampire “Miss Bela”
“Goodbye, Tatiana” Alcina and her daughter remained silent until the door of the hall was closed and they were alone.
“Why are you here, my darling?” asked Alcina, observing her daughter's state, how the red of blood stained her dress and her hair “Tell me that the maids are still alive. I gave you very clear orders” Alcina massaged the bridge of her nose, sighing, certain that her daughters had disobeyed her orders.
“They're still alive. Mine just fainted” Bela explained, smiling amusedly “I thought I'd take the opportunity to update you” Alcina returned her daughter's smile, then placed her hand on her head affectionately.
“Very good,” she motioned for her to continue while grabbing her glass and taking another sip of wine.
“With one of them we could make wine, she is the only virgin among the three. The blood of the other two is only good for a hot bath, nothing special”
“I see. Keep them alive, we'll see what to do later”
“Of course, Mother,” the vampire agreed, nodding to emphasize her answer. Alcina noticed how Bela remained where she was, her gaze fixed on her hands, her fingers moving nervously.
“Do you have anything else to tell me?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as her daughter met her gaze.
“I wanted to ask you something” Alcina didn't rush her, noticing how nervous her daughter was. It was rare to see her in that state, Bela always seemed sure of herself and so she remained silent, giving her the time to find the words she was looking for “The girl?” she finally asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
“She's resting” Alcina replied, taken aback by her daughter's interest in the maid “After a hot meal and more rest I'm sure she'll recover completely” She gently grabbed her daughter's face, forcing her to meet her gaze when she saw that she was about to lower it “Why do you ask, Bela?”
“I was just curious”
Alcina raised an eyebrow again, realizing that her daughter was lying to her. With that gesture, she pushed the vampire to tell her the truth. Bela knew how much her mother did not accept any kind of lie.
“I heard her scream, earlier, in the living room. I don't know, she left me a little…” she paused and Alcina remained silent, not forcing her to continue. She saw the confusion on her face as, once again, she searched for the words to express what she was thinking. Again, Alcina gave her the time she needed “I don't know” Bela repeated, dejected. Her mother's hand moved from her chin to her cheek, caressing it softly. Bela closed her eyes, enjoying that maternal affection, holding her mother's hand in hers.
“I understand, honey”
Alcina smiled at her daughter's worried look, trying to make her understand that she too was tormented by the memory of that scream. Then she took a napkin from the table and began to clean the blood from her daughter's face. Not that that piece of cloth could do much, but she enjoyed seeing her reaction.
“Among the three, you are the sweetest, my little girl”
“Mother!” Bela exclaimed, indignant, trying to escape the woman's touch "Stop it” She transformed into a swarm of insects, the only way to escape her mother, and resumed her human form not far from her. Alcina laughed amused at her daughter's gesture, a joy that also infected Bela, even though she tried to hide her smile.
“Go back to your sisters now. Tell them to leave the maids alone. Let's give the girls a chance to rest before continuing with the punishments”
“Cassandra and Daniela won't be happy about it," Bela said, already imagining their reaction “They're having a lot of fun”
“I know you can handle them. All three of you clean up and then come over for dinner. Later you can continue with the torture. Maybe I'll come and keep you company” Bela's face lit up at those words “I want to make sure that the girls’ stay in the dungeons is...how can I say...as long as possible”
“It will be done” Bela's sadistic smile imitated her mother’s.
“Bela?” Alcina called before she could leave and saw her turn towards her “Watch your sisters. I don't want them to go around terrorizing the maids while they are covered in blood from head to toe” She rubbed the bridge of her nose, sighing loudly “I don't want to have to replace more staff”
“Of course, mother. You can count on me”
“I'm sure of it” Bela disappeared from the dining room, in the form of insects, and their buzzing disappeared with her.
Alcina found herself alone again and finished dinner in the peace of that evening.