▪︎ Chapter 140 ▪︎ “But we’re running out of time.”

Lavinia ran through the hotel corridors, following the familiar scent of lilac and rain that lingered wherever Violetta had passed. 

Her footsteps were almost silent against the carpet, though the speed at which she moved sent her golden hair streaming behind her. 

Valerie followed closely, with Gwendolyn, Adelaide, and Rosaline only a few steps farther back.

She found Violetta in a meeting room near the opposite end of the floor.

Lavinia pushed the doors open without knocking.

Several people seated around a long table turned toward her, startled by the sudden interruption. 

There were military uniforms among them, along with a few civilians whose identities Lavinia didn't particularly care to establish.

Her crimson eyes went straight to Violetta.

"I did something I shouldn't have," Lavinia announced. "But we're running out of time."

Violetta frowned.

"Lavinia?"

Valerie came through the doors behind her, looking considerably less hurried.

"What do you mean, running out of time?"

Lavinia opened her mouth.

Then she stopped.

Something moved within the Blood Sea.

It wasn't a physical movement, nor was it something she could properly describe using the senses she'd possessed as a human.

For an instant, countless red glimmers shifted through the Blood Sea, answering an attraction that had nothing to do with distance or geography.

It began with one Princess.

The presence overflowing with excitement and dangerous amusement suddenly reached outward, and the countless glimmers scattered throughout the crimson expanse began moving toward her.

Lavinia didn't know her name yet, but she recognized the unmistakable sensation of the Princess who had been enjoying herself so terribly.

The pull was extraordinary. It wasn't a command, nor did it force any vampire to obey. 

It was simply an invitation backed by the immense weight of a Royal Vampire, a call that every member of their species could feel.

And it was attracting them.

Lavinia closed her eyes.

She could sense vampires responding, their distant presences stirring as the Crimson Princess drew their attention toward herself.

Then something else happened.

The other Princesses reached outward.

One after another, the remaining Singularities exerted their own attraction, until all seven vast presences were calling to the vampires scattered throughout the world.

Lavinia found herself doing the same almost instinctively.

She hadn't spoken a command, and she hadn't attempted to force anyone to obey. 

She simply reached toward the countless glimmers within the Blood Sea, allowing them to feel her presence as clearly as they felt Clementine's.

Seven immense attractions spread through the crimson expanse, each one counterbalancing the others.

The result was strangely beautiful.

Clementine had called first, but the others had answered.

No single Princess could claim the entire species merely by reaching out to them.

Not while the other six remained.

Except there wasn't one center.

There were seven.

And across the world, every vampire in existence felt them.

Seven vast presences, each possessing a weight that ordinary vampires couldn't begin to approach, emerged from the indistinct depths of their shared awareness.

One was calm and serene, carrying a quiet certainty that seemed almost impossible to disturb. 

Another was resolute yet kind, its warmth tempered by an unmistakable willingness to act. 

A third overflowed with excitement, amusement, and something that felt dangerously close to madness, though beneath that apparent chaos lay a peculiar, deliberate clarity.

Another was loving and confident, its affection so abundant that it seemed to reach for everything beautiful within its grasp. 

One felt distant at first, almost unassuming, yet possessed a warmth that became apparent the moment anyone approached. 

Another seemed relaxed and inattentive, but beneath that careless surface rested something immovable.

And the last was Lavinia.

The Golden Princess.

Seven Singularities.

Seven focal points around which the Blood Sea seemed to bend.

For an instant, countless red glimmers shifted toward them, answering an attraction that had nothing to do with distance or geography. 

Every Royal Vampire could feel the others exerting that same pull, and every ordinary vampire became aware of the extraordinary presences calling to them.

Lavinia closed her eyes.

The sensation was overwhelming, but not painful.

She understood what had happened almost immediately.

She had reached out to the vampires scattered throughout the Blood Sea, drawing them toward herself. 

She hadn't spoken a command, and she hadn't attempted to force anyone to obey.

She had simply called.

And the other Princesses had answered with calls of their own.

Seven immense attractions spread through the crimson expanse, each one counterbalancing the others.

The result was strangely beautiful.

No single Princess could claim the entire species merely by existing.

Not while the other six remained.

Lavinia exhaled and opened her eyes.

The meeting room had gone silent.

Violetta was watching her carefully.

"What happened?"

Lavinia rubbed her forehead.

"I'm not entirely sure what happens next."

Valerie crossed her arms.

"That's not particularly reassuring."

"I know."

"Lavinia."

"I know, Valerie."

She looked toward Violetta.

"One of the other Princesses is probably slaughtering people somewhere. I could feel it earlier, and now..." Lavinia hesitated. "Now I think she's started something none of us can easily stop."

One of the officers seated at the table shifted uneasily.

"Other Princesses?"

Violetta raised a hand, silencing him without looking away from Lavinia.

"Continue."

"She called the vampires toward her," Lavinia explained. "All of them, as far as I can tell. Not with words, exactly. She just reached out through the Blood Sea."

"And the others?"

"We did the same thing."

Valerie frowned.

"All six?"

Lavinia nodded.

"At practically the same time. I think they felt what she was doing and decided they weren't going to let one Princess gather everyone."

Valerie stared at her.

"But if only one of them was killing people, why did you have to kill someone too?"

The question settled heavily over the room.

Lavinia lowered her gaze.

She could have offered several explanations. Ethan had been provoking them. He had been encouraging hatred, building an audience by exploiting people's fear, and presenting vampires as monsters no matter what they did.

But none of that changed the fact that she'd killed him.

Nor did it fully explain why.

"I..."

She stopped.

Violetta studied her for a moment.

Then she spoke.

"Because vampires are people."

Valerie turned toward her.

Violetta leaned back slightly in her chair.

"And people choose whom they trust. If one Princess continually appears weak, if she retreats every time she's challenged while the others demonstrate that they can protect their own, what reason would vampires have to follow her?"

Lavinia looked up.

Violetta continued, her voice calm.

"Especially when the species is frightened. When vampires are being hunted, restrained, and treated as resources, they'll gravitate toward whoever seems capable of keeping them safe."

"That doesn't mean killing someone is the answer," Valerie said.

"No," Violetta agreed. "It doesn't."

She looked at Lavinia.

"But I understand why she might have believed she needed to act."

Lavinia ruffled her golden hair.

"The Princess who started all this feels crazy," she muttered. "Really crazy. Like she's completely lost her mind."

Gwendolyn tilted her head.

"Has she?"

"No."

Lavinia answered immediately.

That was the part she found most disturbing.

"At least, I don't think so. There's something deliberate underneath it. She's enjoying herself, but she isn't just lashing out without understanding what she's doing."

She paused.

"If I'm right, she's the Crimson Princess."

Violetta's expression sharpened.

"From the future you saw?"

"Yeah. The one known for wars and slaughter."

Gwendolyn frowned.

"So she pretends to be insane?"

"Something like that."

"Wouldn't someone who pretended to be crazy eventually start acting that way naturally?"

Lavinia gave her a troubled smile.

"Maybe. But that's not really the problem right now."

She turned toward the windows.

"We're out of time."

A sound reached her ears.

Then another.

The rhythmic beating of enormous wings.

Lavinia moved toward the glass.

Outside, shapes were appearing against the night sky.

Vampires.

The first descended from above the neighboring buildings, their wings spreading wide as they slowed. One landed on the roof of an office building across the street, while another settled atop a high-rise farther away. Several more circled over the city before choosing places to land.

Their appearances varied enormously.

Different skin tones, different hair colors, different Gothic dresses and ornaments. Some looked curious, others cautious, and a few seemed almost giddy with excitement.

But their eyes were the same.

Solid crimson.

And all of them were looking toward the hotel.

Lavinia pressed a hand against the window.

"Well," she murmured, "there they are."

Valerie approached beside her.

"That's quite a few."

"Those are just the first."

More silhouettes appeared beyond the buildings.

A handful of vampires gathered on one rooftop, apparently recognizing one another through the Blood Sea. 

Others hovered in the air, looking toward the hotel as though waiting for something.

Lavinia could feel their presences multiplying around her.

Dozens.

And farther away, many more were approaching.

She finally understood something that had troubled her since the visions of the future.

The Royal Elf.

The humans who had killed that figure hadn't necessarily been responding to something the Royal Elf had personally done.

They had been responding to what the Royal Elf represented.

A focal point.

Someone capable of gathering an entire species around them.

A presence that could transform scattered, vulnerable individuals into something organized and extraordinarily difficult to oppose.

And once one Royal began gathering followers, the others could hardly afford to remain passive.

Even if they wanted peace.

Even if they had no desire to rule.

Lavinia looked down at the vampires gathering beneath the night sky.

The Crimson Princess might be terrifyingly unhinged in her behavior, but Lavinia couldn't imagine her willingly sacrificing the vampires who followed her.

That much was instinctive.

Vampires loved their own kind.

Yet there were so few of them compared with humanity.

If the Crimson Princess decided that humans threatened her people, she wouldn't necessarily attempt to negotiate.

She might simply attack.

And with the strength vampires possessed, that could become a catastrophe very quickly.

Lavinia watched another group descend toward a nearby rooftop.

Dozens of crimson eyes turned toward her.

She could feel their curiosity.

Their anticipation.

And beneath both, the unmistakable comfort of having found someone who could gather them together.

The Golden Princess stood at the window, looking out over Oakridge.

Behind her, the meeting room remained silent.

───

Florentine looked at the vampires standing around her, her pale mint-colored hair shifting gently as she tilted her head.

Two of them were attempting to look intimidating.

She found that rather amusing.

Neither was particularly good at it, though she appreciated the effort. 

They stood near the entrance to the castle's main hall, their expressions stern and their shoulders squared, apparently determined to demonstrate that their Princess was someone important.

Florentine smiled faintly.

"You're going to frighten our guests if you keep making those faces."

One immediately relaxed.

The other looked mildly embarrassed.

"We were only trying to make sure nobody caused trouble."

"I know. Thank you."

She lowered her gaze toward the phone in her hand.

The livestream had ended some time ago, but recordings were already circulating. 

Florentine had watched the relevant portion twice, paying particular attention to the golden-haired vampire who had spoken directly into the camera.

The Golden Princess.

Florentine considered her for a moment.

Decisive.

A little hasty, certainly.

But decisive.

The killing itself hadn't been especially impressive. Any vampire could kill a human with very little effort.

What interested Florentine was the decision to do so publicly.

The Golden Princess had understood that she was being watched, and she had acted anyway.

That meant something.

Whether it was wisdom or recklessness remained to be seen.

Florentine turned off the screen.

"Well," she murmured, "at least she isn't indecisive."

One of the vampires nearby glanced toward her.

"Princess?"

Florentine looked up.

"Nothing important."

She rose from her seat and walked toward the tall windows overlooking the castle grounds.

Outside, vampires were gathering beneath the evening sky. Some stood in small groups near the entrance, while others wandered through the courtyard, examining the unfamiliar surroundings with open curiosity.

She had gathered dozens already.

More were coming.

All within a remarkably short period.

Florentine rested a hand against the window frame.

"If I hadn't acted quickly," she remarked, "a mental patient might have taken control of the entire species."

The vampire beside her blinked.

"Princess?"

Florentine smiled.

"I'm exaggerating. Slightly."

The Crimson Princess was a concern.

Not because Florentine believed she lacked intelligence, but precisely because she didn't.

Someone who enjoyed appearing irrational while remaining perfectly capable of understanding the consequences of her actions could be exceedingly troublesome.

Especially when she possessed the same authority as every other Royal Vampire.

Ordinary vampires could resist their Princesses, of course.

The Blood Sea didn't compel obedience.

But why would they want to resist?

For weeks, vampires had lived under the constant possibility of persecution. Some had been forced into hiding. 

Others struggled to feed without attracting unwanted attention. Even those who had found sympathetic humans couldn't always rely on that sympathy lasting.

A Princess offered something different.

Safety.

Companionship.

A place to belong.

And the knowledge that someone immensely powerful considered their lives worth protecting.

Florentine understood the appeal perfectly.

She felt the vampires around her as more than anonymous presences. Their emotions reached her through the Blood Sea, faint but distinct, and their relief at finding others like themselves was impossible to miss.

She was glad they had come.

She also understood that protecting them would require considerably more than kindness.

Florentine turned toward the vampires gathered inside the hall.

"I think I should go meet the Golden Princess."

Several heads lifted.

"Already?" one asked.

"Wouldn't it be better to wait until things settle down?" another suggested.

Florentine considered the question.

"No. I don't think they will."

She walked back toward her seat, setting her phone on the table.

"A human died publicly, at the hands of a Royal Vampire. The human authorities won't simply forget that. And vampires who have been frightened or mistreated will naturally gravitate toward Princesses who appear capable of protecting them."

One of the women frowned.

"Is killing someone really enough to make vampires follow her?"

"Not by itself."

Florentine shook her head.

"Killing a human isn't particularly splendid. It's not difficult for us."

She paused.

"But imagine spending weeks hiding, barely daring to feed because every encounter might become an accusation or an attempt to capture you. Then someone like you appears before the world and makes it perfectly clear that she won't simply endure whatever humans decide to do."

Her expression softened.

"That must feel like finding an oasis in the middle of a desert."

The vampires fell quiet.

Several exchanged glances.

Florentine could feel their agreement even before anyone spoke.

One of the women near the entrance crossed her arms.

"Still, the Unified Sovereignties isn't some insignificant country. The Golden Princess is standing against one of the most powerful human nations in the world."

Florentine raised a finger and wagged it lightly.

"Not quite."

The woman blinked.

"We're facing humanity."

A faint smile appeared on Florentine's lips.

"Whether we want to or not."

She looked around the hall.

"That doesn't mean every human is our enemy. It means the question of whether vampires are permitted to exist independently is no longer something any single city or country can decide for us."

Her smile faded slightly.

"I'd rather negotiate than fight. But negotiation is only useful when the other side accepts that we have something worth negotiating over."

Florentine sighed.

"I really wish I'd had more time to prepare."

She glanced toward the windows again.

There were so many matters to consider. 

Food supplies, shelter, communication between distant groups, the possibility of military intervention, and the simple problem of keeping frightened vampires from responding violently to every perceived threat.

It would have been nice to spend a few weeks arranging everything properly.

Unfortunately, events rarely waited for convenient preparation.

"Well," Florentine murmured, "the humans haven't prepared either."

That was something.

She rose and smoothed the front of her Gothic dress.

"I'm leaving shortly. Four of you may accompany me."

Several vampires immediately straightened.

"The rest will remain here," Florentine continued. "Welcome anyone who arrives. Make sure they have somewhere comfortable to rest, and please don't turn this place into a military camp while I'm gone."

One of the women smiled.

"Of course, Princess."

Florentine returned the smile.

"And don't worry. I'm only going to meet someone who might become a very important friend."

She paused thoughtfully.

"Or a very troublesome acquaintance."

Either possibility would be interesting.

───

Estelle was grinning.

She had been grinning for several minutes, and the vampires gathered around her had long since stopped pretending not to notice.

The ballroom of the large manor was crowded with more than two hundred vampires, their conversations overlapping beneath the high ceiling. 

Some stood beside the tall windows, others occupied the couches arranged around the room, and several had gathered around Estelle herself.

The subject of nearly every conversation was the same.

The Golden haired Princess.

The recording of her killing Ethan had spread rapidly, and the vampires were discussing it with a mixture of surprise, admiration, and concern.

Estelle, however, seemed almost entirely delighted.

"She's so cool," she declared.

A vampire beside her laughed.

"Princess, you've said that already."

"Because she is!"

Estelle folded her arms, her short yellow hair shifting against her cheeks.

"Did you see how she talked to him? She didn't even look scared!"

"She's a Royal Vampire," another woman pointed out.

"So am I!"

"Exactly."

Estelle paused.

Then she grinned again.

"Right!"

One of the vampires leaned forward.

"You'll do things like that too, won't you, Princess?"

Estelle's expression changed.

"Eh?"

"Stand up to humans. Show everyone that vampires can't be pushed around."

"Well, obviously I'll stand up for us."

She hesitated.

"But I don't really want to go around killing people."

Several vampires exchanged glances.

Estelle noticed.

"Hey, don't look at me like that!"

"We weren't—"

"I'm serious!"

She planted her hands on her hips.

"I can fight if I have to. I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. But that doesn't mean I want to start killing humans just because another Princess did."

Her expression softened.

Then she scratched her cheek.

"Anyway, I'll do my best to be a good Princess."

The vampires smiled.

A few laughed affectionately.

Estelle felt warmth spread through her chest.

They were her people.

Her family.

She hadn't known most of them very long, but the connection was unmistakable. Their presence within the Blood Sea felt familiar in a way she couldn't entirely explain.

And somewhere beyond them were six others just like her.

Six Princesses.

Estelle's eyes brightened.

"I've decided!"

The nearest vampires turned toward her.

"My first official order of business is going to be visiting the Golden Princess!"

For a moment, the ballroom was silent.

Then everyone began talking at once.

"Can we come?"

"I want to meet her too!"

"Princess, take me!"

"Do you think the other Princesses will be there?"

Estelle blinked at the sudden enthusiasm.

"Wait, wait!"

The noise only increased.

She clapped her hands.

"Everyone! Listen!"

The ballroom gradually quieted.

Estelle cleared her throat, attempting to look dignified.

"I'm only taking a few people. We can't all go barging into someone else's home, can we?"

A vampire near the front raised her hand.

"How many?"

"Um..."

Estelle considered.

"Five?"

More than a dozen hands immediately rose.

"That's too many!"

Nobody lowered their hands.

Estelle sighed.

"Fine. Maybe a few more."

By the time she finished choosing companions, her supposedly small group had grown to more than ten vampires.

She stared at them.

They stared back.

Then Estelle laughed.

"Oh, whatever! It'll be fine!"

The ballroom erupted into cheerful conversation again.

Estelle looked toward the windows, imagining the Golden haired Princess somewhere far away.

She wondered what the golden haired vampire was like in person.

Whether she'd be friendly.

Whether she'd be intimidating.

Whether she'd treat the other Princesses as equals.

Estelle hoped so.

She already thought of them as something like sisters, even though they had never met.

Older sisters, perhaps.

People she could admire.

People she could compete with.

People she could argue with and still trust to stand beside her when it mattered.

The thought made her smile.

"I've got six others just like me," Estelle murmured.

One of her vampires glanced toward her.

"Princess?"

Estelle straightened proudly.

"I'm not going to disappoint them."

───

Seraphina lifted herself from the vampire beneath her, her long pastel-pink hair spilling over one shoulder as she settled beside the woman on the bed.

She licked her lips thoughtfully.

"Well, that was unexpected."

The vampire beneath her was still breathing heavily, her crimson eyes half-lidded as she looked up at Seraphina.

"What's unexpected?"

Seraphina reached for the phone resting nearby and lowered its volume.

"The pretty golden one."

She tilted the screen so the other vampire could see.

"The Golden haired Princess. I didn't think she'd do something quite so shocking."

The recording had already ended, but the image of the golden haired vampire remained visible on the screen.

Seraphina studied it with obvious appreciation.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?"

The vampire beside her gave a breathless laugh.

"That's what you're thinking about?"

"Among other things."

Seraphina smiled, her voice warm and suggestive without the slightest trace of embarrassment.

"She's made quite an impression. Although I imagine she has a very complicated evening ahead of her."

The woman reached toward her.

"You're not leaving already, are you?"

Seraphina caught her hand gently.

"Unfortunately, I think I should."

"Why?"

"Because something interesting is happening."

She brought the woman's fingers toward her lips, pressing a light kiss against them.

"And when six beautiful Princesses are beginning to move, how could I possibly stay here and miss meeting them?"

The vampire pouted.

"Even for me?"

Seraphina's smile deepened.

She leaned closer, her pink hair brushing the woman's cheek.

"If you ask me like that, you'll make leaving terribly difficult."

"Then don't."

For a moment, Seraphina simply looked at her.

She could read the woman's expression effortlessly, from the slight movement of her lips to the way her fingers tightened around Seraphina's hand. 

There was affection there, certainly, but also a desire to be chosen over everyone else.

Seraphina understood it.

She simply didn't share the belief that affection needed to be exclusive.

"You know," she murmured, "if you wanted all of my attention, you could always try making me forget everyone else."

The woman flushed.

"That's impossible."

Seraphina laughed softly.

"Perhaps. But I'd love to see you try."

She kissed her once more before rising from the bed.

The vampire watched her with a mixture of fondness and frustration.

"You're impossible."

"Am I?"

"Completely."

Seraphina glanced over her shoulder.

Her smile was dazzling.

"Then I suppose it's fortunate you like impossible women."

She turned toward the window, her attention reaching beyond the room and into the immense crimson expanse connecting her to the rest of her species.

Six distant Singularities answered her awareness.

Six other Princesses.

Six extraordinary women.

And one of them had just changed the course of events for every vampire alive.

Seraphina's eyes gleamed with interest.

She could already imagine the conversations.

The introductions.

The reactions.

The delightful challenge of meeting women who possessed the same immense authority she did.

"Oh," she murmured, almost to herself, "this is going to be wonderful."

Behind her, the vampire on the bed sighed.

Seraphina laughed softly.

Then she began preparing to leave.

Florentine,

Estelle,