I stood at the edge of the balcony with a cup of wine. I raised it to the moons and exclaimed, "Are you still up there, waiting for me? Surely not; they took you from me, like everything else. Why did you leave? Why did you want to make peace with them? I will never understand your love for those vile creatures. You looked at them like forgotten children who had forgotten their cause and even pitied them. 

"I still can remember the last words you spoke to me: 'Don't hate them. Trust me, everything will go well on this mission. As the ambassador, I will ensure that we will finally be recognized and can live in peace with everyone else. So, don't worry about me, like you always do. See you in a couple of days!'.

"But you never came back to me; you left me all alone in that world. I really tried, you know? But I just couldn't. I couldn't forgive them for killing you, so I loathed them even more. Who wouldn't?"

I gulped the content of my cup down in one go. The hot liquid burned in my throat. No wonder—it was specially created for me, so it would have the same effect as any other wine. I could already feel it. My tails began to whip wildly back and forth, and my horns felt hot. I refilled my empty cup. 

"Tell me, Eve, are my ways wrong? Am I truly the evil one here because I seek justice for their wicked deeds? I'm lonely. So, so lonely without you. I tried to quell these feelings, tried to find a new purpose for myself. But everything is just colorless without you."

Crimson tears began to flow down my face, but before they hit the ground, they just evaporated. I gulped another cup and refilled it again. 

"After I came to this world, with this...body, it even got worse. Everything was ever dying around me, and I couldn't even stop it. I can't imagine how sad you would have been seeing me like this. Destroying everything you stood for. But after some time, I loved it! Loved how it let me forget about you, even if it was just for a second. But, as a result, I was torn between my love for you and my loneliness. So, I did even worse things. Things you could never imagine...to every living creature and lastly to myself. 

"Tell me, Eve, are my ways wrong?"

I deeply sighed and stared at the beautiful moons. "Even you have a partner in this world, huh?"

Then, I slipped the old intertwined wooden ring, with the shimmering blue diamond embedded in it, back onto my index finger. It nearly completely resembled our marriage ring back on earth. As soon as it touched my finger, all the sadness and its entailing thoughts vanished, like they were never there. Yes, this ring was a seal and the only one that I always carried with me. 

"Feelings are a weakness," I said, with a silent voice that only my shadow will ever hear. 

Dizzy and slightly drunk, I went back into my bedchamber. A few seconds later, Ava knocked on the door. 

"Miss Asche, the carriage the archduchess send is waiting for you outside." 

"I-I will be ready in a...moment." 

"Do you need any help?" my head maid asked, concerned. 

"No, no...I'm...alreigt," I answered slurred.

"Ok, Mistress. I'll tell the coachman that you will be ready soon."

As I heard her footsteps moving away, I stored the bottle of wine back into my storage, grabbed the necklace lying on my nightstand, and placed it around my neck. Instantly, I became a totally ordinary human-looking girl once again.

-------

When I finally found my way into the entrance hall, Ava inspected my appearance. I think she was somewhat worried that I could offend the archduchess—how cute.

"Mistress, I don't know how I should tell you this, but your face is kinda...dirty?"

Oh! I totally forgot to swipe away those bloody tears. The dried remains on my face turned into dust with a snap of my fingers before simply vanishing into thin air, leaving a perfect-looking face.

"Is it ok now?" I asked, whereupon she simply nodded in astonishment. 

Satisfied, I walked out of the door, followed by two newly hired knights, who had worked as High Guards shortly before they were dismissed because of their 'wrong' views on races.

-------

The carriage, which was waiting outside of my estate, was as pompous as the first carriage I'd ridden to come here. But this one had a coat of arms that resembled the seal on the letter and asserted my affiliation with the archduchess. The appointed coachman opened the door for me. He also held out his hand to assist me in entering the carriage, but I waved him off. As I stepped inside, he closed the door. Usually, a knight or guard would also follow me to ensure my safety, but I quickly dismissed their idea. Either way, at most, I would have taken one of the girls with me, but they were out of town and completing some quests. 

The interior was equipped with fluffy purple seat cushions, while the carriage itself also seemed to have a suspension that made the ride reasonably pleasant and comfortable. 

Because the mansion was in the near vicinity of the academy, the ride took only around twenty minutes. I didn't bother to look out the window in the meantime. If you had lived as long as I did, those luxury buildings were nothing special anymore. Yet, I was a little bit excited to see the academy. Just a little bit. 

Also, I wondered if I should have made a more detailed plan for my incoming heist than 'walking into the front door and let's see what happens'. I mean, there might be security methods developed by the new sorcery and materials, which one cannot easily get through or even completely prevent one from doing so...but in a pinch, I just steal the whole library. Wouldn't be the first time, after all.

After some time, the carriage stopped, and I heard the coachman talking to some people—probably guards. 

"What business do you have at this hour?" guard number one asked.

"As you can see from the crest this carriage holds, I am under orders from the Drach family. The archduchess herself appointed me to bring this important guest to her. Acting against me is like acting against herself!"

"You mean that weird guy that got cursed is now a weak little girl?" dumbass guard number two sneered.

"How dare you! The archduchess is royalty. Insulting her is the same as badmouthing the emperor," screamed the coachman at the guards. 

"Yeah, yeah, who cares? This is the royal academy. Not even the royal family can do whatever they want here. We were not informed about your arrival, and anyway, at the moment, demons are running wild in King's Garden, so we can't let anyone, without an application, enter the academy. Do. You. Understand?"

I could clearly hear how my coachman gritted his teeth in anger. While they were busy arguing about this bullshit, I'd already taken the wine bottle back out of my storage and drank directly from it. Yet, their yelling and screaming at each other just didn't stop, and even the probably best wine in the world couldn't prevent me from slowly growing impatient. 

"LIKE. I. SAID. I do not care who is sitting in this carriage. I will not give you permission to—" guard number started his sentence but stopped. 

"Is this...falling snow?" number two asked, unsure.

"N-no, it's...ash?! What the hell! What's happening? Why...am...I...?" his voice stopped, and only a second later, you could hear how both guards hit the floor with a really satisfying loud thud. 

I opened the little sliding window—you could only do this from the inside—that separated the interior with the perch. "They are only sleeping, like everyone else near us. So please, could you go on?"

"Y-Yes, Lady Asche!" he answered, terrified. 

I closed the windows and slumped back down into the cushions. I need more wine.

-------

As the rhythmic sound of the wheels stopped once again, we actually arrived at our destination this time. 

When I stepped out of the carriage, I was totally disappointed. "That's it? Is this really the so-called grand-grand-big royal academy?"

Irritated, the coachman answered, "Yes, Lady Asche."

"Huh," I replied, whereupon he looked at me weirdly.

This academy was simply an old, strangely arranged castle with towers that felt way too tall. This was the epitome of what a place, where the most talented people and yada yada yada gathered, would look like in the most stereotypical fantasy novel. C'mon, at least try to build something extraordinary. Like, you know, some flying towers, one could only enter per a magical teleportation circle in one of the many underground cellars, or something like that. THIS would have been interesting. What? You say that I'd forgotten about the fact that you can't teleport around here? I. DON'T. FUCKING. CARE. Should I just destroy this place and rebuild it on my own? Yeah...I think I might actually be a little bit drunk right now.  

Aaanywaay, back to the topic. "This place sucks. It's ugly, and I don't like it. So I will head back now."

"Um...Lady Asche? You still have the appointment with the archduchess."

I strongly slapped myself in the face. Ok, this was incredibly stupid and really hurt. Ouch.

"Lady?!" the coachman yelped.

"I'm fine. Everything's A-OK. No problemo...hmmm, what was it again I wanted to say? Ah, yes! You were right, pal. The now girly girl is waiting for me. But where?" 

The man looked at me like something was wrong but still answered my totally normal articulated question.

"I have a signal crystal with me. Let me just pour some mana into it, and the highness will know that we arrived and send someone to fetch you."

I mustered him. Why the fuck didn't he do that at the gate. Oh, Mother of Void, give me your patience and—Nah, never mind. I opened my little place where all of my fun was stored and took another of you-know-what.   

Should we...try it?

Another seal? Another seal?

Better...not.

...

Yeah. 

Not on an 'Eve'-day.

Poor thing.

Wow, wow, wow, what the hell is wrong with you guys? I don't need your pity. Pity yourself, assholes! 

But the voices kept their silence. Gee, alright then, have it your way.

What a shitty day. Even with the ring back on my finger, everything was dull and meaningless. This never happened before, so it must really be related to the System that my seals somehow were less effective in the outside world. 

The call of my fake name brought me back into reality, "Lady Asche, my pleasure to meet you! I'm Sir Jolford" 

The knight stopped before me, formed a fist with his right hand, which he then placed over his heart, and bowed slightly. It was a fancy way to pay your respects to someone.

I only nodded in response—a lowly being like him could already be happy that I acknowledged his existence.

"Go on, show the way. I don't have all night," I responded coldly. 

Even if he didn't show it on his face, I could see what he really thought right now in his soul. He wasn't pleased with my disrespectful behavior. For a second, I thought about killing him but dismissed the idea immediately...who would show me the way to the archduchess otherwise?

-------

On the way to the meeting room, the knight tried to make some small talk. He told me about the achievements, discoveries, and more supposedly glorious stuff in which the academy was involved. Most of the corridors were completely empty. I saw a few students here and there, but none of them gave us a glimpse. Every few meters hung a crystal torch attached to the walls by metal structures. I knew this kind of crystal. If I remember correctly, they called it Zyklus. Depending on the position of the moons and the sun, they shone brighter or dimmer. People, who could afford them, used those to measure time. They were also often used in mines and dungeons so that one did not lose the sense of time. Having so many of them only proved how wealthy the academy was. 

Also, the knight explained that this place was only so empty due to the semester break. Normally, these corridors would be bustling with eager students of any kind. 

After some time and many, many stairs later leading into one of the special meeting rooms for guests of honor, we finally reached our destination. As I said before, BAD DESIGN. Standing before the door were two knights clad in heavy armor, similar to the knights in the auctions hall. Both greeted Sir Jolford and make room for us.

He knocked three times against the door. A feminine voice sounded, "Please enter."

The knight opened the door for me, and I stepped inside. As soon as I was inside, he closed it behind me. Usually, the standard gesture would have been for him to enter with me and announce my presence, but apparently, I seemed to have pissed him off with my behavior. Too bad. I suppose I would still have to kill him later—secretly, of course. 

The room itself was quite nicely furnished. In the center was a large oblong teak table, with many nice-looking chairs placed around it. Above it was a similar crystal chandelier as in my mansion. Some oil paintings were hanging here and there, and in the back corner, a cabinet with glasses and wines could be seen. Moreover, it also had an area with armchairs and a couch. Last but not least was a shelf standing against the wall, full of antique books. Then, I heard a soft throat-clear and looked at the noise's source. 

Sitting on the other side of the table was a petite girl with long silver hair and blood-red pupils. She wore a lovely scarlet cocktail dress and a golden tiara on her head. Around her neck hung an emerald necklace, its chain shimmering black. I stared at her, and she stared back. Suddenly, she began to blush.

"Please stop looking at me like this; my wife dressed me up, ok? I-I wouldn't have chosen this style...probably," she said timidly. 

"Hmmm, is that so, yes?" I teased. Gosh, I really was drunk...

"Yes, since my little 'transformation', she tends to use me as her dress-up doll. Yeah, it could be worse, and she kinda does a great job, and—no, wait, that's not the point. Tell me, what the hell happens to me?! I have the weird urge for bloody steaks; my smell and vision are enhanced and don't get me started on my speed and strength. Goddess, even my eyes turned red. What did you??"

"Oh, that? You're a Pureblood, of course. These changes had to come sooner or later."

"Huuuuh?! What do you mean by 'Pureblood'? That shouldn't be possible! Only the Demon Queen—the Vampire Matriarch—can turn someone into a Pureblood. And I've already seen her once, and you absolutely don't look alike!" she explained.

"Vampire Matriarch? Oh, those little shits. That's what they did. They freaking replaced me with someone else. Wait a moment...do you know the name of this wannabe Matriarch?"

"Um, sure. Let me think for a moment. As far as I remember, her name was Iduna."

I rubbed my temples. "They did it; they really did it. My own sister sold me out and totally worked together with those gods. I can't even sigh deeply enough at this to express my disappointment. Why wasn't this the first thing I thought about when I noticed that everybody somehow forgot about me? Still, this doesn't explain everything. But at least I got a starting point. What a headache."

I slowly walked to the cabinet and removed two of the glasses. I placed both next to the new petite vampire and poured my wine into them. In the meantime, the archduchess just stared at me with an agape mouth and wide eyes. I might have shocked her a teeny tiny bit. 

"C'mon, have a drink. It will probably be the best you'll ever drink. The vintage, by the way, is...uhh hundreds of thousands of years before the era of the gods. Or was it older? Well, never mind, in any case, it's good and helps you to...forget unpleasant things. So, cheers!"

Without waiting for a response, I took the glass and drank. I knew that it would be better to sober up because I still had to do a heist afterward, but right now...I only wanted to enjoy this very moment. 

Hesitantly, the new vampire took the glass and sipped briefly. Suddenly, the look on her face changed, and she began to greedily devour the contents. After the glass was empty, she looked at me pleadingly whilst a little of the liquid flowed down the corner of her mouth. I filled her glass again and did the same with mine. 

This time, she tried to enjoy it and kept sipping only a small amount—how humble. 

"W-why does it taste so gooood? I've never tasted anything so amazing!" she stated.

"Obviously. Moreover, an ingredient is the blood of an extinct animal. Conclusion—as a vampire who never tasted blood before, this might be somewhat similar to the most potent drug ever." 

She sipped again. Yeah, she totally didn't listen to me just now. Then, she tugged at the hem of my dress. She had already emptied it again. 

"Moooorreeee!" she demanded. 

"Yeah, yeah," I said. 

Suddenly, my gears began to turn. Did I just make a 'young' girl drunk? Um, well, oops, my bad. Either way, I could just cast magic later to sober her up. And possibly on me, too. But for now, I wanted to drink a little more and just relax. After that, there would always be time to talk. AND THEN, I would check out what the library had to offer.