Chapter 142-More harm than good

Chapter 142: 142-More harm than good

At dusk, Maisa woke up and prepared herself to embrace another night. Lately, she had noticed something changing within her.

Problems that once would have overwhelmed her no longer seemed quite as frightening. Every challenge forced her to adapt, every mistake taught her a lesson, and every day she felt herself growing a little stronger.

Tonight would be no different. She dressed in a blue sunset-colored knee-length dress and paired it with matching knee-high boots. After picking up her training manual, she left the guest wing with renewed determination.

Her plan was simple. Have breakfast, find a quiet corner somewhere in the village, and spend the rest of the night training.

"Tonight is going to be a good night."

She smiled to herself as she walked down the corridor. When she reached the staircase, she deliberately slowed her steps and straightened her back.

Grace, that was something she had been practicing lately. She tried to imitate the elegant way Princess Varitreya carried herself whenever she walked through the academy. The princess never rushed. Every movement seemed effortless, controlled, and confident.

Maisa wanted that kind of confidence. With enough practice, perhaps she could eventually move like she belonged among the vampires instead of constantly feeling like an outsider.

"With a little more practice, I’ll carve out a place for myself in this nation," she whispered encouragingly. Her fingers tightened around the training manual. "When I become strong, no one will call me an outcast anymore."

That was her goal. She wanted to erase the brand of unwanted outcast that had followed her for so long and reinvent herself completely.

Like a phoenix rising from its own ashes, she would burn away the person everyone had looked down upon and emerge as someone impossible to ignore.

Unfortunately, her hopeful mood lasted only until she reached the bottom of the stairs.

Her eyes landed on two familiar figures that made her smile disappeared. Her entire mood collapsed. Maisa hurried down the remaining steps.

Taratoya stood near the entrance, giving Katrina a seemingly endless list of instructions while Katrina held an open picnic bag.

"Don’t forget the soft shawl," Taratoya reminded her. "And the blood berries. A picnic isn’t complete without blood berries."

"Anything else, Teetee?"

Katrina’s voice carried a hint of irritation. She looked as though she had already regretted agreeing to accompany Taratoya.

She was about to receive another list of instructions when she sensed Maisa approaching.

Katrina stopped. She glanced over her shoulder and saw Maisa was coming straight toward them. She immediately understood what was about to happen.

With a quiet sigh, she closed the picnic bag. She had no desire to argue with Maisa first thing at dusk. That particular battle could belong to Taratoya, as the wicked vampire was the one who enjoyed bickers and fights.

"Fine. I’ll go pack everything."

She turned and walked away, leaving the two vampires behind.

Maisa watched her disappear around the corner. "Guilty people always run when they’re confronted with their crimes."

She deliberately raised her voice so that Taratoya heard every word. Yet Taratoya didn’t so much as blink at the provocation.

Instead, she leaned casually against the staircase railing and smiled. "Whatever do you mean, Mai Mai?"

Maisa’s head snapped toward her. Her eyes immediately filled with anger and resentment. "Don’t call me that."

Taratoya’s smile widened. "Do you have something to say? I’m actually on my way out."

Maisa descended the final step and stopped in front of her. "Why did you pretend to be a damsel in distress and make me save you from Katrina?" She went straight for the accusation. "I know everything now. Katrina would never hurt you. So that night, when you screamed for help and made me come running, you were pretending."

Her eyes narrowed. "Why?"

For a moment, Taratoya said nothing and then she sighed. "I could give you an answer," she pushed herself away from the railing. "But it wouldn’t do you any good."

Maisa frowned. She found it annoying how Taratoya was dodging instead of being straight with her. "Then why not tell me?"

"Because knowing the reason won’t change what happened and my wicked soul refuses to let me waste energy on things that aren’t profitable," she argued.

Taratoya adjusted the sleeve of her dress. "However, I can give you some advice. And perhaps a warning that will actually help you in the long run."

"Why should I trust you?"

"That’s precisely the point, Mai Mai," Taratoya’s expression became strangely calm. "You shouldn’t," she stood upright. "You should only trust yourself, Mai Mai."

"Don’t call me that," Maisa’s irritation returned immediately. She hated that nickname especially when it came from Taratoya.

The vampire merely smiled. "From where I stand, you have two choices."

She began speaking with deliberate slowness, the kind that naturally forced people to pay attention. Taratoya knew exactly how to control a conversation, and she knew that slowing down at the right moments made every word feel more important.

"First, you can get used to the nickname because I’m not going to stop calling you Mai Mai," he raised one finger. "Or..." She raised a second. "You can complain every single time I call you that."

She paused. "But that sounds exhausting." Taratoya stepped closer until they were standing face-to-face. "So, personally, I recommend the first option."

Maisa gritted her teeth. She hated vampires like Taratoya. They were vampires who were too good with words, who could twist every conversation until somehow they were the ones standing in control.

Taratoya had played her for a fool and Maisa still didn’t understand why. What made it worse was that Taratoya didn’t even seem remotely guilty. She looked completely unbothered.

"Now, about that advice..." Taratoya stepped closer. ℴ

Maisa instinctively moved up one stair, creating some distance between them. "You don’t have to come so close."

Taratoya noticed her move and heard her. She smiled faintly before continuing. "I suggest you stop trusting people so easily."

She walked around Maisa slowly. "You live in a vampire world now, not the human world."

Maisa turned to keep her in sight. She kept up with Taratoya’s movements by rotating and ensured she didn’t break eye contact.

"And even among humans, blind trust comes at a steep price," Taratoya went on.

"It’s vampires like you who make trusting people so difficult."

Taratoya chuckled softly. "Vampires like me?" She continued circling her. "Like your mates..." She paused deliberately. "...and..."

Maisa’s eyes followed her.

"Your benefactor!"

The word struck Maisa like lightning. She froze up and the color drained from her face. Her benefactor? That was a secret she guarded more carefully than anything else.

No one knew about it because she hadn’t let it slip. She hadn’t even confided in her mates that there was a mysterious figure hiding in the shadows, someone who had been helping her from afar, providing her with everything she needed before she even realized she needed it.

Training resources, information, supplies and opportunities. Everything always seemed to appear at exactly the right moment.

Maisa had never told another soul so how did Taratoya know about it. She felt like Taratoya would be harder to deal with than all the enemies she’d made so far.

"How do you know about that?" The panic in her voice betrayed her.

Taratoya stopped circling. A slow smile spread across her face. "I know a great many things, Mai Mai."

Maisa’s stomach tightened. She hated how that sounded, it made Taratoya sound like she could see straight into her soul and get the secrets inside her.

Taratoya stepped toward her. "And I’ll tell you something else," her voice dropped. "That vampire isn’t helping you."

She held Maisa’s frightened gaze. "He’s doing you far more harm than good."