{Narrator's POV}

In one of the palace's many auditoriums, maids and butlers remained seated as they awaited further instructions. Some butlers crossed their arms as their imaginations wandered as to why they were called for an announcement.

The Werewolves kept their ears perched upward, intently listening for any voices that could offer explanations. The Cyclops minded their business and kept staring down at their watches, wondering when they could return to their previous duties.

As for the maids, most of the chatter resonated from them. The female fairies fluttered their wings as wide grins were plastered on their doll-like faces, gossiping about their suspicions. The brownies surrounded the winged maids, attentively listening to their nonsense chatter.

Suddenly, a man walked onto the stage with his hands clasped behind his back. His blonde hair was slicked back with some rebellious strands sticking outward. Grey eyes scanned the inhabitants and the tight-lipped man glared at them.

As if noticing the tension in the room, all eyes followed the man in center front and gave him their full attention.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am aware many of you continue to mourn the death of our late King, Stephon. I, too, wish the war had taken a different course of action, but...", scanning his eyes over the crowd, Aleister continued, "Now is the time to rejoice for Valhalla has chosen his next heir!"

Gasps escaped the crowd and the room went stiff. The Werewolves were the first to stand up and howl contently, almost as if they weren't surprised by the news.

Once everyone began clapping and whistling for the sudden turn of events for Cadyri, Aleister raised his hand to silence the crowd.

"I know all of you have been coping differently, but I have seen the strength inside of all of you. Now, you mustn't just show this persistence to Cadyri, but to our new Queen as well. She will need your support just as all of our previous Kings have."

Raising an eyebrow, Aleister scrutinized the crowd as their jaws dropped at the mention of a female ruler. The maids were the ones with their hands to their mouths as everyone gawked at Aleister as if he had grown two heads.

The Guards broke the silence first as they pumped their fists into the air rhythmically as they chanted, "Hail the Queen, Hail Cadyri, Hail the Queen, Hail Cadyri!!"

As if awakened from a trance, the rest of the room joined in the cheer. A smirk played at Aleister's lips as he watched the audience explode with joy, at least after recovering from the shock.

"Where is she from?!"

"Is she gorgeous??"

"What's her family name? Is she a noble or a peasant?!"

"What race of monster is she?!"

"Is she more powerful than Misceri?!"

Questions erupted from the crowd, many shouting over others as they tried to have their inquiries answered. As his smile disappeared, the blonde butler raised his hand once again.

"We will not have the Queen bombarded by such irrelevant questions!! She is recovering from her battle with the Nomads."

As if on cue, the crowd again bit their tongues. All eyes widened by Aleister's words.

"Fear not, she SLAUGHTERED most of them before they fled with their tails in between their legs."

Howls of laughter exploded in the audience at the blonde man's remark. Many continued clapping as others chanted for their Kingdom's bright future.

Relieved to have dodged the servant's pesky questions, Aleister sighed as he waved and dismissed them to return to their duties.

"That is all. Remember to cater to the Queen's every desire, Servants!"

Watching most of the occupants of the room leave with wide grins on their faces, Aleister nodded contently.

"I don't get appreciated as much as I should, hmph...", with a smirk, the butler wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead.

~*~

{Elizabeth's POV}

I awoke in an unfamiliar room.

My heart still raced frantically in my chest as I gripped the bed sheets under me. I hadn't changed from my clothes and shoes.

Gazing at myself in the body mirror that stood opposite from the bed, I frowned at my reflection.

Although I had noticed the flames that engulfed the town had burned the ends of my hair, it wasn't until now that I could clearly see how bad the damage was.

My body was still covered in dirt and ash from the battle. The shoes on my feet were worn from my excessive "jumping" and my clothes resembled rags more than the outfit I had put together before all this mayhem had begun.

"Yeesh... I look like hag..." I got off the bed and stared around the room. As beautiful and lavish as it was, it didn't feel like home...

A pang struck my heart as I walked toward the balcony that was adjacent from the bed. I tried swallowing the lump that formed in my throat, but the tears that threatened to pour down my cheeks thought otherwise.

"Oh mom...! I don't think I can keep fighting... At least not without you here...!" Choking up, I gripped the railing and squeezed my eyes shut.

My heart stopped when I felt the railing swing from under me. As I looked down, I saw my hands glowing purple. The railing that I had clutched was deformed by my grip.

I braced myself as the balcony fell apart and I slipped forward. With my eyes shut, I clenched my jaw as I await the impact of the ground below me.

However, as the hit never came, my eyes sprouted open to find myself staring back into grey ones.

"Good morning, Your Highness. I believe you slept well?" I traced a voice as sweet as honey to a blonde stranger.

I gasped as I noticed one of his arms held my body close to his and his other arm clutched the floor of my room. In no time, he effortlessly hauled me upward.

"Who..Who are you? Uh...more like, what are you..?" I gawked at the man from the bedroom as he later pulled himself up onto the marble floor.

I gazed at his slit pupils that analyzed me quizzically, his unnaturally pointy ears and the fangs that glistened in the light.

"I am a Vampire, Your Highness, and the Steward Butler of the Marshood Citadel... Meaning I am your personal servant as well."

Although he spoke in a refined tone and, with his respectful bow, impeccable manners, his eyes told a different story. They were cold and distant, almost lifeless.

"Excuse my boldness, Your Highness, but I'd advise you to refrain from asking any more monsters 'what they are'. We would not want them to become suspicious of your race, now would we, Your Highness?"

A chill slithered down my spine as the butler brushed past me ever so slightly. His dark aura was frightening, to say the least.

"I see Siva doesn't want anyone to know of my origin? Who else is excluded from this?"

Pulling out a chair for me, the butler beckoned me to sit down in front of the bedroom's dresser. I obeyed his every command as he gently ran his gloved fingers through my hair.

"You have a busy schedule today, Your Highness. We may discuss this later once you have eaten breakfast."

Clenching my jaw, I said, "I want answers, now! If you really are my butler, the least you can do is ease my anxiety!"

Sighing, the blonde man seemed to relinquish his sternness, seeing as how my stubbornness wasn't budging.

"Alright, but only if you allow me to do something about your hair."

Nodding my head, I gave him the green light.

"Jinx Misceri will teach you how to use magic, Siva will train you in various combat methods, and I, Aleister Crane, will educate you in Cadyri's history and culture. The others—that you mustn't worry yourself with—include the members of The Fundati Assembly and the District Leaders."

My eyebrows shot up, "Fundati what? Districts? I thought this was a Kingdom, not the setting of 'The Hunger Games'!"

Furrowing his eyebrows, Aleister stared down at me. I swallowed my words and chuckled nervously.

"Never mind... Just them, huh?"

The blonde butler nodded his head as his hand reached out to an apron, which he swung in front of me. I frowned as he also reached for a pair of hair clips and scissors.

"What are..?"

"You may not have been officially crowned Queen just yet, but it would bring shame to my reputation if you so much as presented yourself in these awful rags and burnt hair."

Snorting, I said, "I think me being a human, to begin with, should raise the stakes already, don't you think?"

"That—" Aleister's hands swiftly began to snip away the damaged parts of my hair as he continued, "—won't be an inconvenience at all. So the long as you keep your mouth shut."

Watching in the mirror as the cut hair fell at my side, I raised an eyebrow, "What happened to 'Your Highness'?"

Chuckling, Aleister's eyes narrowed at me, "As our late King came to realize that I am not your typical butler, you shall too, Your Highness." I pouted as he said the last part mockingly.

"With you just being a vampire gave that way, Aleister..." I said softly, looking down at my hands which were covered in burns and cuts, as was the rest of my body.

"I don't see why my race has anything to do with efficiency. However, if you were comparing me to your weak kind, then yes, I suppose it does matter."

"So I see a little someone already has a bias toward my race as well, huh? We're not much different you and me."

I felt his hands froze. Looking up into the mirror, I noticed his shocked expression. I smiled to myself as he coughed quickly.

"Setting that aside... You must prepare for breakfast. Remember this well, however, I will not bathe you, clothe you, or coddle you as a mother would. Is that clear?"

As a memory of my mother's smiling face flashed in my head, I bit down on my lip. The tears threatened my pride once again.

"Painstakingly clear."

With a smirk, Aleister threw the apron off me and set the scissors aside. He brought the hand-held mirror to the back of my head and presented the finishing results.

My eyes went wide as I noticed the haircut. Just like him, the style was short and precise. My raven hair that once reached the small of my back, now barely touched my shoulders. At least he hadn't given me bangs—a small detail that he might've seen irrelevant as well.

"I like it. Although I would have preferred you would've given me layers."

"How does your kind say it? Beggars can't be choosers?"

"More like the customer's always right."

"You're not paying me."

"No, but I can fire who is, can't I?"

With a sigh, Aleister put the mirror aside and turned the chair so I could get up. As I noticed a vein throbbing in his forehead, I figured he was probably thinking of something in the lines of, 'ungrateful brat.'

I stifled a laugh and proceeded to change into the clothes that had already been laid on my bed.

"I will stand outside your door, waiting to escort you to the breakfast hall."

"Woah, you got a hall for lunch and dinner too?"

With a forced smile, Aleister replied, "A change of scenery is popular amongst nobles, Your Highness."

Nodding my head, I began to undress, cueing to Aleister he could leave, which he did.

Feeling an unfamiliar emptiness in the back of my neck, I smiled as I tried to accustom myself to the bob.

As the clothes were similar to the fashion back home, I was able to dress quickly. Before opening the door to Aleister, I took a once-over at myself in the body mirror.

The champagne dress shirt I wore plunged into a deep V and revealed the lacy bralette that I wore underneath. Complementing the shirt, I wore high-waisted black jeans that were folded at the ankle in order to reveal black pumps.

"That vampire sure knows how to dress a woman..." Feeling satisfied with the choice of clothing, I walked to the door and opened it to find Aleister holding a heart-shaped jewelry box in his hand.

"Pardon me, but I had to fetch some of the crown jewels for you, Your Highness."

My eyes went wide as they gazed at the sparkling jewelry that seemed to blind me.

"I—I'm not even Queen, yet... Is that alright?"

As Aleister nodded his head, he decided to pick out a set of matching opal jewels for me to wear.

"You will receive much criticism if you don't. Many will begin to wonder if you were a peasant before Valhalla chose you."

The blonde butler said matter-a-factly as he clipped the necklace behind my neck.

I frowned, "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Coincidentally, Valhalla has only chosen nobles. I'm sure it wasn't because of their financial advantages, but it has become a custom among the citizens of Cadyri, unfortunately."

Nodding my head, I thanked Aleister as he closed the jewelry box. He held the box under his armpit as he escorted me to the breakfast hall.

"I thought you weren't going to coddle me?"

"I'm an excellent cook, it would be a shame if you couldn't taste my food at least once. Besides, I am the only servant who is familiar with human cooking in the Citadel."

"Hmph. I'll be the judge of that."