Youth

#62 - A Challenge

    This time, [Y/n] had managed to wake in the morning, not in the evening.  Olli had joined her briefly to extract her blood, before directing her to a room where her breakfast would be served.  Did every meal have to be so fancy?  She'd feasted upon a banquet for her alone this morning and had no idea how she'd manage another meal today.

    Now, sitting in one of the grand house's many libraries, simply staring around in awe, the girl was enabled to sit and think.  Though it'd be hard to say what she was actually thinking about; her mind was wandering with no particular direction, flitting from one subject to the next like a wagtail from branch to branch.  She only came back to reality when a few knocks sounded on the library door.  [Y/n] stood up, walking over to it, dipping her head respectfully to a girl dressed in maid's attire on the other side.  She blinked up at [Y/n] in shock.

    "Oh," she said quickly, smoothing down her dress, "you didn't need to open the door for me.  You could've just called for me to enter," she explained quickly.  [Y/n] tilted her head.  But that seemed rude.  [Y/n] gave her a slightly nervous smile.

    "Ah, sorry," she said, dipping her head, "I'll... do that next time," she said, though she knew she definitely wouldn't.  The girl now looked even more panicked, however.

    "Milady, please don't apologise, any fault here is mine," she quickly excused.  [Y/n] raised a brow.  The girl suddenly covered her mouth, her eyes wide.  Slowly lifting her hand from her mouth, she downturned her gaze.  "My deepest apologies, milady.  I spoke out of turn."  [Y/n] instinctively shook her head.

"No, please don't worry," she said calmly, her nurturing self unable to keep herself from taking the maid's hands in her own and holding them as a form of reassurance.  The maid seemed shocked, but didn't move herself.  "Your species is far superior to mine, anyway," [Y/n] smiled, tilting her head.  "Might I ask for your name?" she continued.  The girl dropped her head.

"Milady, we do not have names.  I am not a vampire, either," she said gently, staring at the floor.  "I'm a mere faerie," she said, smiling back up at her.  She had an angelic smile — if she'd thought vampires were blessed with inhuman beauty, this faerie outclassed them by a country mile. 

"What's a faerie doing in a kingdom of vampires?" [Y/n] asked, her head tilting to the side.  The maid let go of [Y/n]'s hands and rubbed the back of her neck.

"Most of the maids and butlers here are faeries.  The servant jobs are reserved for us, as well as the weakest vampires."  Damn, segregation didn't seem to end with humans.  Vampires enslaving faeries?  She wasn't surprised, in all honesty.  "Oh... um, Milady—"

"Please just call me [Y/n]," [Y/n] interjected.  The faerie flushed a little at her mistake but dipped her head, staring down at the ground embarrassedly.

"The king sent for you... he wishes to see you as soon as possible," she finally explained after an eternity of dancing around the point of why she was there.  [Y/n] blinked in surprise.  Shit — would he be angry that she'd stalled for too long?

"Ah, crap," [Y/n] blurted out, staring at the door.  "Sorry Miss Faerie!  I'd love to talk to you again soon!" [Y/n] said hurriedly, rushing out of the door to her room.  She went down one corridor before pausing.  'Where the hell is Olli and how on Earth am I supposed to—'

"[Y/n]," the man in question's voice sounded from behind her, "you were taking some time so I came to find you," he hummed, before stepping in front of her and continuing down the corridor, beckoning for her to follow.  [Y/n] did so, tentatively at first, though more confidently as they continued along the grand hallway.  Eventually they wound up in an office-like room.  Olli sat down at a large leather chair, and [Y/n] at a sofa on the left wall.