Chapter Text
One Week Earlier
“ No.”
Mikaela glared at Krul defiantly as she paid no mind to him, and kept her eyes skimming on the documents before her. She was lounging comfortably on her oversized throne in the wide, empty chamber. The walls surrounding them had been designed to have the appearance of tall columns, leading up to the high ceiling above them. Glimmering above them, a ruby chandelier dangled in the air, mingling with the tension and absolute silence.
Krul shifted through more papers, appearing deep in thought as Mika stood directly across from her begrudgingly. She had heard his protest, he was sure of that. His eyes narrowed, “I refuse to be trapped babysitting livestock when there is a war at our doorsteps.”
Krul didn’t bat an eyelash, and continued to read her files. She was fighting the urge to smile, she knew nothing riled Mikaela up more than his thoughts being dismissed. The vampire queen knew him so well, and she relished in the joy of getting under his skin. Besides, in this situation, she knew her words would be useless. Mikaela would never see things her way, so why waste her breath?
Mika sighed heavily, struggling to maintain his composure. He took pride in his ability to be a flexible leader, one that adapted to every situation. But this? This was absurd. Krul wasn’t just asking him to coddle livestock— she was caging him as well. Clipping his wings. With the siege underway, this was Mikaela’s opportunity to truly showcase his strengths and abilities as a leader, to prove all those that doubted him as Krul’s chosen prince that he was worthy.
And she was taking all that away.
“Are you finished?” Krul murmured when she noticed his guard was down, and he was deep in thought.
“No--”
“Perfect!” She carefully reached into the circular opening of her dress, which exposed her bosom, and pulled out a tiny, silver bell. “Now that you’re done, I have something to show you…”
Ting-ting , she shook it and a soft sound emerged from it. In a matter of seconds, her bloodslave appeared at the grande doors—a boy with tousled brown hair and large green eyes. He was dressed in a school uniform style outfit that was all white with gold designs. He had a golden, diamond embezzled collar on his neck.
The boy fell to his knees, his knee-high socks protecting his delicate skin. “My queen,” he said softly, and bowed before her until his lips kissed the icy marble floor.
Krul clapped her hands together and squealed. “Oh, isn’t he a doll, Mika? Isn’t he-- Yoichi, get off the floor, that outfit cost me a fortune.” She beckoned him forward. “Come here, come to mama.”
Yoichi? Ugh, she had even named it, Mika sneered in his head.
The bloodslave stood up and gracefully walked over to his mistress, every step he took looked as if he was dancing across the marble floor . Mika hated to admit it, but the bloodslave was beyond well-trained: he was exquisitely polished. The vampire who had trained him definitely knew how to make even livestock presentable. Mika would bet everything it was Ferid who had trained him, Ferid was always bragging about being the best Bloodslave Master.
The queen beckoned her bloodslave closer, and he crawled onto Krul’s lap, who welcomed him with fondling hands.
“You see how well trained Yochi is, Mika? I just need you to do the same for Yuichiro .”
Mika rolled his eyes, did they all come with names? he wondered bitterly. “I said no . Why don’t you have Ferid train it like he trains all the royal bloodslaves.” He shot a look at the livestock on her lap. “That is his job.”
The moment Mika said Ferid’s name, the bloodslave winced, verifying Mika’s theory of Ferid being his master and trainer.
The pink haired queen smiled widely, “I would, but he was a little too…” Krul pinched the bloodslave on the cheeks. “Rough with Yochi. I just need Yuichiro to be obedient enough so I can take him along for missions, but still be somewhat entertaining. An obedient challenge . Besides, I think it’s time Yochi had a playmate, right darling?”
The bloodslave nodded eagerly without hesitation, “Yes, my Queen.” His voice rang clearly in the hallway. It was hard to tell if he was feigning excitement.
The blond vampire narrowed his eyes, “Why do you need another one? You just got that one—” he jerked his chin to it, “--not too long ago and the palace has dozens of them ready at your disposal. I don’t have time to babysit a slave .”
Mika wasn’t stupid, he knew there was more to this than ‘Ferid being too rough’ of a master. He wasn’t exactly sure what Krul was up to, but he had a feeling it wouldn’t end in his favor.
Krul sighed heavily and shifted her bloodslave around. “ Mika , when I go off on missions, I’d like to know that there’s someone in the palace who can handle matters while I’m gone. Ferid might be good at his job, but I need someone I can trust . There’s a reason I made you a prince.” She gave him a look steady look. “So I need you to start learning the inner workings of the palace, starting with the labor force: the bloodslaves. What better way to learn about them than training my personal slave? If you want to become my successor, I’m going to have to see dedication .”
Mika looked away, feeling conflicted and cornered. Krul could’ve chosen anyone as her successor, but she chose him. After decades of following her around for public appearances and small military goals, Mika was looking forward to being able to join in on a large mission with her and truly prove himself. But train livestock ? Why did that sound more like a punishment than an opportunity?
He gave her a defeated sigh, “Fine, where is it?”
“ He’s in your room fast asleep.” She chastised. “He responds to ‘Yuu’ and is very fragile, so please try not to leave any scars. Other than that, do whatever you please with him.”
Mika frowned in annoyance, “Scars? Maybe you should be more concerned about it remaining alive.”
Krul laughed and pinched her bloodslave to make him start laughing as well. “You and your jokes… Oh, you may need this,” Out of nowhere, she pulled out another golden collar with diamonds. “It’s complete with a tracking device, built in shock device, and my personal favorite: self-destruct.”
Krul smiled. Her bloodslave simply blinked.
“Make sure he wears this at all times, I don’t want people mistaking him for a common bloodslave.” She continued, tossing it lightly to Mika.
Mika caught the collar, which was surprisingly light, and gave it a quick glance. Although it might be a collar, it was one that held dignity. The gold and diamonds told everyone the bloodslave belonged to royalty. But that made no difference to Mika, it was still just livestock.
“Although he is registered as my slave, consider him your slave until the training period is over.” Krul said, a smirk forming upon her lips. “I will expect to see him for weekly inspections and he should be present during feasts and other public appearances. And he will be perfect. Understood?”
The blond vampire shook his head in disbelief. “No, I don’t understand . I have no experience training livestock, let alone a royal bloodslave. Yet, you want me to take over Ferid’s job with this thing… your… your amusement? ”
“You’ve trained soldiers, what’s the difference? Don’t tell me you’re afraid of livestock .” She teased.
Mika wasn’t gullible enough to fall for her games. “I have duties, Krul. Troops to command, recruits to train. I can’t devote time to internal affairs like teaching livestock how to eat properly! And if he isn’t trained to your liking? What then?”
Krul slumped back into her throne and pursed her lips. “Well, I suppose if after I return from the siege he shows no improvement, I’m going to consider him useless and you will be allowed to dispose of him.”
Mika laughed bitterly. “He’ll be disposed of in a month regardless…”
“Excuse me, I’ve had Yoichi for five weeks, thank you very much.” The queen scoffed.
“Impressive,” he said, feigning shock. “A new personal record.”
Even though the queen was enjoying this little banter, she knew it was time to end it and enforce her authority. Mika was the only one who didn’t suck up to her and had always been loyal. She’d chosen him for a reason, and moments like this made her only more confident in her decision in choosing him as her right hand. However, at times Mika could be so stubborn and not realize every task Krul gave him was to better his flaws.
“Go to him before he awakens.” She blew Mika a kiss before turning her attention back to her bloodslave. “Now back to you, my little darling.” She removed his white blazer and pulled down his shirt collar.
The bloodslave grinned at Krul, but Mika noticed the look of submission and defeat in his eyes as Krul brought her fangs to his skin. He gasped out softly before his eyes slowly shut and Mika left the chamber. He had seen enough of this nonsense.
Mika walked down the hall, not even bothering to cast a glance at the bloodslaves who served the palace, and bowed at his presence, only to hurriedly scurry off from his path. Their mere presence irked the vampire, and for that reason, Mika refused to ever take one of them up as his personal bloodslave. Belonging to a vampire was a gift for any bloodslave; you spent your days living in comfort, doing nothing more than being a companion to the vampire. And a personal blood bank.
Mika refused to give livestock such a luxury.
He was now walking down the hallway which led to his wing of the palace. When Krul had first taken him in, she had specifically designed this area for him and hadn’t skimped out on any details. Even the walls were engraved with exquisite designs. Considering everything Krul had done for Mika, taming the bloodslave was the least he could do. But he had no patience to coddle it. Mika was logical and solved everything logically. Affection wouldn’t train a disobedient slave.
If he was going to control something rebellious, he’d have to begin by assessing it. How taxing was this bloodslave going to be? After he knew this, he’d be able to design his course of action.
That was Mika: Efficient and quick.
Mika had entered his private chambers now and walked down the short narrow hallway which brought him to his bedroom. He barely used it now because he was always on the move, so it always felt like he was a stranger in his own room. Ironically, there was a stranger in his room this time and it wasn’t him. He could smell the blood coursing through its veins from even before he entered his room.
Mika eyed the slender form on his bed with pale skin and shaggy black hair. He couldn’t make out the figure’s face, but he could hear the light heart beat from across the room. As the vampire approached, his hearing picked up soft breaths coming from it and he could see the slight rising of its chest.
He was hovering above the body now, watching as the bloodslave’s chest rose slowly from each breath. Although he shouldn’t care, curiosity got the best of him and Mika pushed back the thick black hair which covered its face, and peered down at it.
Is it female? Mika wondered upon seeing the soft features of its face. No, Krul said ‘he’ . But even for a boy, it was far too small and fragile looking. This couldn’t possibly be a threat! Mika had seen bloodslaves who were so untamed, they murdered their masters in the night. This was just a… just a boy ! Weak and pathetic.
“Ridiculous…” Mika muttered, moving away. Although it looked feeble, Mika knew he couldn’t dismiss the bloodslave just based on looks. He’d still have to test it and see how much training it’d need.
His plan was simple: he’d allow the bloodslave to awaken alone and Mika would observe it from afar. He’d do this three times and if it attempted to run all three times, it was obvious it had a rebellious mind and spirit . If it remained in the room, it wouldn’t need to be broken in as badly.
Mika went to his office, an and returned with a vial and a syringe. He gently lay the bloodslave on his lap to not wake it and filled the syringe with the solution from the vial. Grasping the slave’s arm, he injected the contents of the syringe into its veins, watching the feeble bloodslave squirm in his lap in slight pain.
“There,” the blond vampire murmured softly, “In case you do try to escape, you won’t make it very far…”. He stared down at the face a moment longer, before placing the slave’s head back onto his pillow. Mika had touched enough of the bloodslave for a lifetime.
Now it was time to wait and observe. The prince retreated back to his office within the suite and shut the door. He rarely used this room, but it was fully equipped with a security system, so he could easily observe everything that occured in the bed room. Mika hadn’t turned on the system in what seemed like forever, he never truly had a use for it nowadays.
Makes sense an untrustworthy, filthy bloodslave would cause for its use , he thought bitterly, as he switched the cameras on. Three massive monitors lit up and with a few adjustments, displayed the bedroom down the hall in full color and perfect clarity, almost as if he was in the bedroom with the bloodslave. Mika made himself comfortable in his chair, and flipped through files as he awaited any movement from the monitors
Within fifteen minutes, the slave began to rustle about and gasped awake. Mika’s head snapped in attention, and his eyes narrowed as he observed. From his current position, the boy-- the bloodslave -- had his back facing the camera. When he left the bed and approached the vanity, he also approached one of the many cameras in the bedroom, capturing his face completely.
Mika now had a perfect view of the boy as he stared at himself in the mirror. The vampire made a mental note to cut the bloodslave’s hair, because the length made him look like a girl. He was slender… no, thin . Borderline sickly. The bloodslave was average height, but well below average weight. With hair as black as midnight that flopped messily around his face and kissing his shoulders, it contrasted strongly with his pale skin. The paleness of his skin was almost as if the boy hadn’t seen sunlight in months.
“Kill me ,” the boy said, echoing from the speakers within the office. “This can’t be real.”
His voice caused Mika to freeze, a new feeling rising from his chest. Oh , he’s about to see how real this all is … Mika thought to himself, a small smile creeping on his face as the green eyed bloodslave turned away and attempted to make an escape.
It had begun.