After few more hours of traveling they arrived at a small town. Initially Julia thought that they have finally reached their destination but it turned out that Loriam merely decided to stop for a lunch in a local restaurant.

“Sorry for the waiting. Enjoy your meal.”

“Thank you.”

Once they were inside of the restaurant and seated at the table. Julia ordered something called lienssa on Loriam’s recommendation. The food that the waitress placed in front of Julia seemed to be some kind of cabbage rolls covered in a red sauce.

“What are you waiting for? Eat up.”

Loriam gave piece of bread to Julia as she urged her to eat. Julia took the bread from Loriam and hesitantly cut a piece of one of the rolls. Julia closed her eyes as she put unfamiliar dish in to her mouth. And was pleasantly surprised.

“It’s good.”

Julia gave her impression of the food as she happily continued eating, all the while Loriam kept looking at her with a smile. Julia was enjoying her meal too much to even notice Loriam looking at her. Just what is this? It looks like its filled with meat but than what are these grains? And the sauce…it’s a tomato sauce with a blood?

After couple of minutes Julia finished eating uncharacteristically quickly to Loriam’s surprise. But Julia seemed to have enjoyed her lunch so Loriam could only smile, this was one of the many mundane things she dreamed of for the last 25 years. A peaceful lunch with her beloved daughter.

“Come we have to go.”

Unfortunately, they weren’t on a family trip to the country side but on their way to a stupid noble gathering. So, she had to urge Julia to go even though she would much rather enjoy some more time with her. Julia got up and with an escort from Mirei left the restaurant while Loriam paid for their food before following after them.

Once they got back in the carriage, Liora left the reins in Mirei’s hands and joined Loriam and Julia inside of the carriage. Julia wondered why was Liora there now, but before she could ask Liora beat her to it.

“Your highness, there is something I feel I should explain…if it’s alright with you.”

“Is there something like that?”

Julia looked at Liora and Loriam in turn wondering what was she talking about. As far as she knows there wasn’t anything.

“Yes, there is…remember when you got angry and mentioned Itten? It’s about that.”

Loriam joined the conversation nervously, while looking at Julia’s face. Julia was taken aback by what Loriam said, she didn’t expect that Loriam would be trying to explain herself. How can she even try to justify genocide?

“Her majesty didn’t issue any order like that…in fact she was unaware that it even happened until your highness mentioned it.”

Didn’t know about it? Julia was dumbfounded how could a queen not know about it? Julia looked at Loria suspiciously but she looked pale…paler than normally, Loriam only nodded her head to confirm what Liora said. She also attempted to say something but seemed to change her mind and let Liora talk.

“So, she didn’t order it then?”

“Exactly your highness. You see back than…maybe it would be better if I tell you everything that I remember. If your highness doesn’t mind.”

Julia thought for a bit and then nodded. They did have more than enough time so she let Liora tell what she remembered. After receiving approval from Julia Liora took deep breath and began to recall what happened almost exactly 25 years ago.

…

In the halls of the royal palace of the blood clan a maid named Liora del Hirensa walked with a baby in her arms all the while humming a soft tune. Her eyes were fixed on the baby wrapped in a blanket made of the highest quality silk available.

“Good morning, lady Liora. Ah, your royal highness did you have a nice nap?”

The baby let out a happy squeak accompanied with a smile as an answer to the young maid who was just in the middle of cleaning. Liora smiled at the baby in her arms and letting it grab on to her finger before facing the other maid.

“Good morning to you as well Lipa, her highness was enjoing little bit of fresh air just now. But sorry, I would love to have a chat with you but her highness is requiring her nap.”

“Her highness is or her majesty?”

Lipa gave them a knowing smile before excusing herself and continuing in her job, well not without attempting to receive a kiss from the baby. Liora sighed once she manages to push her bothersome subordinate out of the way.

“You popular as always, your highness.”

This was essentially every day occurrence within the royal palace for the last week after this child was born. The baby in Liora’s arms was no other than daughter of the Loriam Kaane Leranpe the 23^rd Queen of the blood clan, she was the crown princess Julia Beleng Leranpe. Despite being born merely a week ago she already had most of the people in the palace wrapped around her little finger. There was no one who would resist little princess’s cuteness but most noticeable example of that would be…

“Liora! You said that you wanted to have few days off, so why are you still here hogging my daughter?”

“Good morning, your majesty.”

Once little Julia heard fuming voice of a young girl, she started to extend her little arm to her. The owner of the voice was of course her mother Queen Loriam Kaane Leranpe. And just as always, she seemed dissatisfied with something. But regardless she smiled as she forcible took her daughter from Liora’s arms. The mother-daughter duo cuddled together as if they were separated for centuries

Liora could only stand there and watch, when her majesty got like this it was pointless trying to talk with her. At these moments only princess Julia existed in her world. Not that anyone within the palace wouldn’t feel the same, after all she was just that adorable.

“So why are you still here? Did your brother’s birthday get cancelled?”

The queen started to pay attention to Liora again after few minutes, looks like little bit of cuddling with her daughter was enough to solve whatever was bothering her. The princess likewise seemed to enjoy her mother’s embrace the most.

“No, your majesty, I just felt that taking the princess for a quick walk before leaving would be better than just leaving her for a day.”

Liora bowed slightly as she explained her reasoning to the queen. The queen looked at Liora suspiciously while the princess was too busy playing with her mother’s hair.

“Liora, you do realize you are just her maid, right?”

“Yes, your majesty I am aware.”

Queen asked Liora suspiciously taking Liora aback a little. Of course, she was aware, what kind of question even was that? Liora didn’t understand what was her queen getting at by her question, luckily the queen continued.

“Then why are you behaving like her mother? That is my job.”

The queen said sulkily, Liora knew that her queen wished to be good mother despite being busy with her royal duties she still found time to attend to her daughter. That however often came at price of her straight up ignoring her royal duty in favor of her maternal one. That is why Liora wished to assist with raising of the little princess, besides there was no chance of the princess thinking that Liora is her mother.

“I am not your majesty, and her highness is aware of that as well. that is why she is so happy to be with you. I am merely keeping her company so she wouldn’t be lonely.”

Liora shared her honest motivation with the queen, but she didn’t appear to be pleased. She opened her mouth to speak bud her daughters dissatisfied yawn interrupted her.

 “Why am I even arguing here with you instead of putting her in bed? Sorry sweety mommy got caried away, let’s get you fed and then you can sleep, okay?”

The queen returned her full attention back to her sleepy daughter and went with her to her room. Liora followed behind even though no one asked her to, she just wanted to see the queen taking care of the princess. Queen didn’t seem bothered by Liora following her to her daughter’s room.

“Okay sweetie, here is mommy’s blood drink up.”

Once they arrived to the room that served as her highness’s bedroom the queen sat down on sofa and bite in to her wrist with her fangs and held her bleeding wrist in front of princess’s little face. Before long the princess clumsily wrapped her chubby arms around her mother’s hand while pressing her mouth on to queen’s wrist greedily swallowing mouthfuls of blood. In the meantime, Liora went to the window and shut the curtains, blocking almost all sunlight from entering the room.

Once little princess had her fill of her mother’s blood, the queen wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and tuckled her in to her crib. The princess however seemed to have no intention of sleeping despite her constant yawing. The queen smiled at her and pulled out a cat plushy out of the nearby toy box. Liora looked at her queen mewing and lightly tapping the princess on her belly before making the plushie kiss the princess, to which she giggled happily and wrapped her arms around the plushie. The queen started to sing a lullaby to the princess

Liora never thought that she would ever see a queen of all the blood clan behaving like this. her image of a royal parenting from the previous queen was that it was cold devoid of affection of any kind. But right now, there was a queen smiling and giving every free second of her time to her daughter.

“Sweet dreams Julia… I wonder am I good mother to you?”

When the princess fell asleep, the queen talked to her or maybe to herself? Liora didn’t know but it seemed that the queen was deeply worried about it.

“Your majesty…you are definitely good parent. Unlike certain gentleman who is leaving today without saying goodbye to his own daughter.”

Even though Liora didn’t know which of the human emissaries is her highness’s father she still attempted to provide an opportunity for him to say goodbye to his own child but none of the emissaries interacted with the princess more than basic politeness.

“He has his own circumstances you know? He can’t be with her publicly, but he does care about her he even picked her name. And look at this pendant he gave me, isn’t it cute?”

The queen showed a hearth shaped pendant containing an pictures of the princess to Liora, she found the pictures really cute but she was sure that this still didn’t made this man an good father, but she decided to remain silent on that matter. Instead, she decided to address her queen’s worry.

“That man aside, I truly believe that your majesty is doing great.”

“You think? I barely spent time with her, actually only time I am with her is when I am feeding her …I am just like my mother aren’t I.”

The queen said quietly with a sad expression on her face as she looked at her daughters sleeping face.

“Your majesty, did you forget that I was by your side since we were 8 years old? I am fully aware what kind of person your mother was.”

They essentially have been friends for the last 200 years so she know more about the queen than anybody else. That is why Liora didn’t like that the queen compared herself with her mother. Like her? Loriam was nothing like her mother.

“You trying to spend as much time as possible with your child. While with your mother it was you trying to spend time with her. And I can’t imagine your mother making a plushy by hand for you through the night.”

“You right, I am better than she was and I will prove it.”

Liora only mentioned some differences between queen and her mother, but it was enough to lift her spirit. The princess was clearly loving her mother and she clearly had no intention to neglect her so there was no reason for concern anyway.

“That’s the spirit, I am sure her highness will have nice childhood your majesty.”

The two talked for a little bit longer before queen left to take care of important paperwork that piled up and Liora went to meet up with her younger brother in the city.

…

“Wow Kaenem is really big.”

“Of course, it is, its royal capital after all.”

Liora talked to the young black-haired boy with slightly annoyed voice, she just couldn’t understand her brother’s excitement over the capital. It wasn’t like their home town was small after all.

“To think that father would send you all the way here alone. Seriously what was he thinking.”

“He said that if I want to spend my birthday with you then I should go to the capital.”

The young boy said causing Liora to furrow her brows. She did like her brother but she doubted that their parents would allow him such trip just for this.

“…he also said that I am old enough so I should find wife in capital.”

“Thought so.”

Her brother was 9 today so it was expected that their parents would want him to find some well-connected girl from good family and capital was best place for it.

“Did you find any yet?”

“No… and I don’t want to.”

Of course, he doesn’t want to. Liora expected that her brother wasn’t happy about it he was just too young for that. This gave Liora an idea.

“You know, since you here we can ask her majesty if she would consider you as her highness’s husband.”

“…I said I don’t want to.”

“It would be only on paper, so don’t worry.”

Liora talked about topic of princess’s marriage with the queen just few days erlier. She wished for her daughter to marry out of love and not for politics but all of those proposals that were to come would be annoying. And right now, Liora could solve her brother’s problem as well as the queen’s.

Once she explained him everything, he agreed to her plan and they decided to go to ask the queen for her opinion.  But before they reached the palace a group of women from the royal guard was running down the street towards the city gate in hurry another group behind them was searching every building on the street.

“Sister what are they doing?”

“I don’t know, let’s find out.”

Liora approached one of the women that were searching the buildings, she seemed to be stressed by something. What ever it was it had to be important.

“Excuse me but what is going on?”

“Something that has nothing to do with you. Now nicely walk away before I arrest you for obscuring an investigation under personal order of her majesty.”

The woman threatened Liora who wore her regular clothes causing her to be mistaken for nosy civilian. If the royal guards are out in the city behaving like this under royal order it has to be something serious.

“I am close friend of her majesty as well as the personal maid of the princess, I believe I have the right to know.”

Liora showed a golden ornament with royal crest to the woman in front of her. She looked at it carefully before saluting her.

“My apologies lady Liora I didn’t recognized you.”

“Its fine more importantly what happened.”

As Liora urged the woman to speak, she was grateful for the status she had within the palace that allowed her access to any information she wished. The woman gulped nervously before she finally spoke.

“Yes, you see… her highness was kidnapped.”