Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Shattered Illusions ❯ Luxe ( Chapter 31 )

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Shattered Illusions

By: Melissa Norvell

Chapter 31: Luxe

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Hizaki strolled into a field that was filled with flowers. It was mostly comprised of rolling hills, and there were only two trees present on the entire stretch of land as far as his eyes could see. The winds blew softly, toying with the intricacies on his dress and his tightly curled ringlets of blonde hair. "It's peaceful here, but I have a feeling that Hide didn't just send me here for that reason."

Suddenly, several blurs of black appeared around him as many vampires birthed from the blurs, all kneeling at his feet. The drag queen's features hardened, looking much like a glaring doll. "Keep alive, men. Look around for anything suspicious."

"Sir, there's something strange over there," one of the male vampires pointed into a large patch of bushes. He had sensed movement within them, but it very well could have been anything.

Another vampire wore a look of sheer horror upon walking up to his comrade. He whirled around and gestured for Hizaki to come to him. "You've got to come and look at this, Lord Hizaki!"

"Hm?" The vampire's eyes shifted towards his men as he made his way over to the spot of question. When he finally comes into view of the thing they were making such a commotion about, he found a robotic leg stuck into the ground. Shock crossed his face as he dropped his umbrella and took a step back. After a few moments, the shock faded and morphed into something more sinister. This couldn't have been a happier time. Red lips twisted into a deviant smile. 'So...that was Hide's invention?'

"Princess Hizaki, what should we do?" Another vampire asked, standing behind him to the right.

Hizaki turned and proceeded to give his men orders and pointed to the robotic leg. "Take her back to the base. Don't leave anything here. We don't want anyone to get information on our weapons or Estella Nu." It was best to clean up the evidence. Who knew what Copernicus' motives were, and he wasn't about to risk him getting a hold of Hide's technology in order to find weakness or possibly use it against him. 'Well, that's one annoyance out of the way. Now, it's time to get Prince Yale and the rest of the royal court out of the way.'

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The two vampires lay in a bed comprised of satin sheets, swirling around the two of them like the precious blood that they needed to sustain themselves. Long, slender bodies entwined with flows of red as one lay atop of the other, both with nude and enjoying the company of the other.

Long, golden spirals framed Hizaki's face as he placed a feminine hand on the side of Hide's face. He gazed into that one exposed eye with longing as a pleasant smile crossed his lips.

"I had planned it that way," Hide spoke as hands roamed over his muscled chest.

Hizaki paused in his actions, looking a little shocked that he had planned something like that. "What? You set her up to die like that?"

"I had this plan constructed as soon as I found out that Prince Yale was still alive." It was to be her punishment for not doing the job right the first time. Estella Nu had hid that fact from him, and she was to pay for her disloyalty.

Looking thoughtful for a moment, Hizaki smiled. "We must get rid of the flaws in our system. It makes perfect sense."

"She had obviously been plotting to overthrow me and she was using the prince to do it. Now, we'll have that problem to deal with again," Hide replied as his hands ran over the feminine vampire's chest. Hizaki closed his eyes, savoring the sweet touches as finger tips graced over his nipples, sending tingling sensations through his body. "A knight cannot override their superior. What a foolish woman."

"What are your plans for the next phase?"

Hide's smile widened. "We'll get straight down to business since our dear Copernicus is simply sitting there, playing his defenses. We'll deliver a critical blow to him. He can't just sit back and observe anymore. It's time our opposition realized that assuming prior positions in our kingdom won't make him as powerful as he was. No one can sit on their ass and win."

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The table was adorned with beautiful tea cups, white with pink roses scrawled on them, outlined in metallic gold. They were sat on lace coasters and several small, serving plates that held similar designs to the tea cups. They plates held pieces of cake, crumpets, cookies and a few other orderves that were often served with tea. Copernicus, Tsubomi, Millie and Yale casually engaged in conversation and enjoyed the little tea party that they were having before their conversation turned into more serious subjects.

"She's dead?" Copernicus questioned as he glanced to the two in question.

"Are you sure?" Tsubomi was equally shocked as she sat down her tea cup and leveled them with a stoic expression.

"We saw her. She's dead," Millie confirmed the situation as a brilliant flash entered her mind and burst forth with memories of what happened. Estella's body hung there limply, blood dripping sickly from it. The vision was so vivid that the girl's stomach chruned and she placed a hand on it in hopes to hold her food down.

Tsubomi was concerned about how much this affected the girl. "Are you okay? You look kind of pale?"

Millie smiled and waved in dismissal as a bead of sweat ran down the side of her face. "Fine! Fine! Don't worry about me!"

'She's definitely dead but something worries me,' Yale couldn't shake his feelings about the whole ordeal. He stared down into his tea with a concentrated expression.

"What do you mean?" Copernicus inquired after taking a sip of tea.

Yale glanced back up at the vampire. 'Do you remember when everyone fought against Hizaki?'

"Yes, all of the times." What was he getting at?

'Remember the umbrella that possessed the robotic limbs?'

"Yes."

'He was somehow able to transfer that technology into Estella Nu's body but it was set up in an odd way. It was a series of springs that were attached to the metal pieces that acted in place of her ribcage, or rather it acted as a temporary bone structure for her.' Yale attempted to explain the inner mechanizations of what had happened to the Black Knight. It wasn't a type of technology that he was familiar with, even as a vampire. It was a whole new breed of engineering science. It was something that frightened him. If Hide could create such diabolical machines, then who knew the limits of his scientific mind. What robotics would be waiting just around the corner for them?

"It was a planned execution," Copernicus narrowed his eyes. What else could it be? Hide built a temporary bone structure for the woman in order to be able to control her like a puppet made of flesh. When she was deemed unusable, he just turned her into a war weapon against her will. How sickening.

"What?" Tsubomi was a little lost, but shocked all the same. This kind of technology wasn't even something that she had read about in science fiction. It was far beyond the scope of anything humans could do.

"Whenever Hide wanted to test one of his weapons, he would use it on a criminal and make them an honorary soldier. He would promise them some great power, but it always backfired on them and they died quickly afterward." This was no different than the past incidents. Copernicus caught onto things quite well, and if this was what he was offering to his men now, it could be a hit or miss.

'You helped him conduct those experiments, Copernicus.' That was the true reason he was aware that this technology existed.

"What?" Millie's eyes shot over to the Inheritor.

Tsubomi squinted at him and frowned, "you're a dark man."

Copernicus' muscles tightened and his expression remained austere. His eyes shone cold and his frown was firm. "So I did. They were set to be executed anyway, so why not put them to good use?"

"You made them your lab rats?" Tsubomi was disgusted to know such a thing. Even if they had done wrong and possibly deserved execution, there was no sense in punishing them further than they were.

"They volunteered," before Tsubomi started thinking that he was some kind of monster, there were facts that she needed to be aware of.

"Did they know they would die?" Millie had to know. It was cruel to subject someone to such a thing if they weren't aware of the consequences behind it all.

"They were advised by me personally of the risks," Copernicus wasn't out right cruel. Iron-fisted, yes but cruel, no.

"Are you an executioner?" Tsubomi wondered if his job was something along those lines. At first, she had guessed him to be a knight but his job seemed much darker than that. Perhaps he was on the blacker side of vampuric law.

"Of sorts, I am many things." There he went again, being vague. She was starting to get annoyed with trying to figure it out. Why couldn't he just tell her what his job was already?

"So then, you're also a scientist?"

"In ways, and I also act as intelligence. I was involved in a number of experiments and projects. Hide and I were involved together." Most of the exploits between them were co-op deals, and to be honest they were a brilliant team. Copernicus thought no less of Hide than what he did in the past. Above all things, that man had a real talent when it came to his creations.

Millie cocked her head, trying to get what exactly he was trying to say. "So, your rank is the same as Hide's." That's what she got from everything, anyway.

"I'm far more important than Hide. I oversaw his projects."

"You were involved in a lot of things." It was nearly impossible to guess his job at this rate. Tsubomi just felt like giving up all hope of every truly finding out the vampire's real purpose. She would have to just wait until he felt like revealing it to her.

"I had to be."

"No wonder you were always busy," it made sense to Millie. Copernicus must have had a full schedule at all times. Working for the royal family must have been a full time job.

"We're in a bad situation," the vampire decided to change the subject slightly and pull it away from himself. He had dwelled on this far longer than he intended to. Sitting his elbows on the table, he laid one hand on top of another and sat there in a refined, polite pose.

'Yes, that's why I wanted to bring it to your attention. If we don't act now then they will and who knows what they'll send after us next.' Yale took the hint and decided to revert the topic back to the original one at hand. After all, this was a serious matter, more so than Copernicus' mystery job.

"I have an idea of what they're trying to achieve. I've been paying close attention to their plans and conducting research. I have a few strategies devised if there's a time to attack, then it should be now," Copernicus didn't want to give Hide the option of approaching them with something bigger and worse than Estella's modified body.

'That's late of you; we should have been more on top of things.' They should have acted sooner in Yale's opinion. Why all of a sudden decide they should take immediate action? He honestly didn't get that man in any form or fashion at times.

"I was side tracked." Mostly, it was Tsubomi's fault, and the fact that Coscatta got in his way as well that he had not taken better action before.

'That's not like you,' Yale noted as he sipped gingerly on his tea and casting him a shifty-eyed glance.

"I hope you can forgive me. I've been a little reckless lately," Copernicus was, in all honesty, disappointed in himself for allowing himself to succumb to such wily deeds. It wasn't about Tsubomi, but more about the fact that he nearly let Coscatta kill her due to his lack of responsibility and ability to keep on top of things. For that, he damned himself to this very day. Because of his recklessness, Tsubomi had nearly died.

"How can we do anything? We're just normal people," Millie and Tsubomi were, anyway. The school girl knew that she was nothing like the two vampires. Not even someone as talented as Tsubomi was in their league.

Yale glanced at her. 'You're a sharp shooter, right?'

Millie nodded before she was met with a kind smile.

'You'll do fine.'

"So, what's the plan?" Tsubomi wanted to jump right into the action. It was time that the idle chat ceased and the real brainstorming came into play. Just then, there was a knock at the door. Everyone's sights drifted from the tomboy to the white fixture. Who in the world could that be? They weren't expecting anyone, and everyone who was involved in the current situation was seated at the table.

Navy eyes narrowed. It could be Hide, or a trap. What if he had found her?

"Hm?" Copernicus' voice sounded through her ears as he too, glanced at the door in question.

"I'll get it," Millie called out as she arose from her chair and made her way over to the door. Opening the door, she gave her standard greeting, appearing as cheerful as she possibly could. "Hello! Can I- Wah!"

She met nose-to-nose with a teenage boy who was her height. He had bright red hair, large, round brilliant blue eyes and freckled skin. The boy was tall and skinny. He wore a sleeveless white shirt with blue borders, a red sash, blue, poofy pants and brown boots. Around his neck was dark purple scarf, so long that it dragged the ground. He blinked a little at the schoolgirl, who stumbled back and breathed heavily for a few minutes, as if she'd had a heart attack or something. Millie clutched her chest, trying to calm down the fierce slamming of her heart against her sternum. She didn't expect someone to be that close to her when she opened the door. He scared the hell out of her.

"Is this by any chance the residence of a Mister Copernicus J. Wittenburg?" The red-head asked in a voice that was all too happy and boisterious.

"Um...yes but...who are you?" Millie was very confused and her speech broken due to her current state, and the fact that she was still panting over getting the scare of her life.

The boy shoved a neatly-folded letter in her face. "My name is Teru, and this is for him!"

The girl unsurely took the letter, giving Teru a leery glance. What was up with this kid, anyway? Why did he practically shout everything and put emphasis on strange parts of the sentence no one should be putting it on? "Um...okay..." Millie was thoroughly confused.

"You're welcome!" Teru said and bowed dramatically with one arm extended. "I shall be going now!"

"Sure...goodbye..." Millie replied and slowly shut the door. She was still trying to comprehend what the hell was going on. As the door closed, she caught glimpse of Teru skipping off into the distance. "That was too weird for words."

"Who was it?" Copernicus turned in his chair to see the school girl slumped against the white door, sighing in relief. She was glad that ordeal was over with. The vampire couldn't help but notice the strange look on her face, and watched her as she walked over to him and handed him the letter.

"It was some weird guy with red hair and a really long scarf. His hair was short, and he had a lot of freckles. He was mega weird but really nice and he dressed kind of nice, too," Millie tried to describe that guy in the best words she knew how. She didn't want to unfairly judge him, but he was pretty strange. That wasn't the way that normal, civil people acted around her.

"It was? What was he doing here, I wonder?" Copernicus took the letter and looked thoughtful for a moment.

Yale arched an eyebrow. 'Who?'

"A friend of mine, he's the prince of Bakusha."

Millie's face couldn't have looked any more shocked than it was. "He's a prince? He looked a little unstable for that job." She could hardly believe it. What kind of strange people did the vampires entrust their countries to anyway?

'What did he give you?'

Copernicus took out what looked like an invitation card from the parchment. Holding up to his face, he read the words that were scrawled onto it.

Copernicus J. Wittenburg,

You are hereby invited to accompany the aristocracy of the vampuric and human world alike to attend a private part of Susuga Manor, home of late Earl Prizemarter. It is a lavish affair, so please dress accordingly. We'll look forward to seeing you there. Do invite friends and family, it will be fun for all.

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Millie jumped up and squealed with delight. This was a truly great opportunity! She could hardly believe that she was about to attend a royal event. "Oh my god! We're invited to a party!" The school girl was just bursting with excitement. She couldn't remember the last time that she'd been invited to a dance, much less an event like this. 'I've gone to heaven! If only my friends could see me now, mingling with the rich and royal! This is so exciting! I can hardly contain myself.'

Tsubomi glanced towards the brunette with a questioning look on her face. "So, are you going to go, master?"

"Why not? We were invited. You all can be my guests of honor. Besides, Earl Pizemarter was a close friend of mine," Copernicus looked to Yale. "I'm sure he'd have been delighted to know you were attending as well, Prince Yale."

The school girl's face morphed straight into shock as she drew back. "Wait! He's dead?"

'He died four years ago, but his manor was made into an event hall and memorial at his dying request. He had always loved to attend such events as parties and balls.' Yale thought that it was a great way to memorialize his friend's death. His home would always be a place of happiness, just as he had wanted it to be.

"What do you say?" Copernicus picked at his brain and awaited his answer.

Yale shook his head. 'I should lay low.'

"You'll be protected there," the Inheritor assured.

"It will be fun. Come on, Prince Yale. I bet it's been a while since you've been to a party," Millie knew that she would be heartbroken if he didn't decide to come to the party with her. She was hoping for his company, and she wanted to dance with him out on the ball room floor.

Yale could feel the warmth of another. He glanced to the source of the heat to find the other vampire's large hand covering his own. His eyes trained up, gazing into those of deep blue. Copernicus smiled pleasantly at him in an attempt to put some sort of peace in his soul.

"Don't worry, my Prince. Everything will be alright," the taller man took his hand in both of his. Yale's fingers formed to the grip as he nodded and placed his other hand on top of his as the two gazed into each other's eyes, trying to decipher an unspoken language that only they knew.

"Oh my god! Hot!" Millie slapped her hands to either side of her face and stared at the two with stars in her eyes and blush on her face. She felt foggy as her mind faded into a sugar-coated abyss of fantasy.

"Prince Yale..." Copernicus leaned down and kissed the top of the blonde vampire's hand. A blush was airbrushed across his cheeks as he gazed back, uttering the brunette's name in a rush of emotion. Tipping his head back, he felt kisses trail up his arm, burning hot. They seared through his clothes and burned his skin with ecstasy.

"Your majesty..." Copernicus said between kisses, his voice was sultry and husky. He clearly had the hots for this guy, and he could hardly contain wanting to ravish him on the spot.

Yale uttered the brunette's name again before he pulled him into a passionate lip lock. The smaller framed man wrapped his arms tightly around the taller man's neck.

"Uh...Millie, they're staring at you," Tsubomi's voice, laced with irritation cut through her day dream as the sighed romantically. Her eyes still had that distant glimmer, the sort of stare that told everyone that she wasn't in that world. The look that told them that she was trapped in the confines of her day dreams.

Copernicus and Yale smiled awkwardly as beads of sweat ran down the backs of their heads. Millie then snapped out of it, laughing awkwardly and disjointedly as she put an arm behind her head.

"Anyway, if we're going then shouldn't we wear something fancy? I mean, I seriously don't have anything good enough to go to a party in, especial an earl-" Tsubomi began, but was cut off by her master.

"Leave it to me. I can get you all something in no time flat. The scheduled date is a week from now. It should give my personal tailors time to construct costumes fit for the party. We'll be the best dressed people there." Copernicus flashed a confident smile, his voice filled with promise. "I'll make sure of that."

'Make it four. My knight will be attending with us.' Yale put in his special request as everyone but Copernicus stared at him in question.

"Your knight?" How come Tsubomi had never seen this so-called 'knight'?

'Yes, he was guarding me while I hid out. I dare not hide alone.' It was only fair that his knight come along. Perhaps he could introduce them to each other.

"And, who is your knight?" Copernicus seemed to be unaware that Yale had a knight as well.

'Sir Horatio Pendragon Greenchapel,' the mention of the name made Copernicus' face light up with shock.

"What?"

"Greenchapel? Wait, is he related to you, Prince Yale?" Millie was confused. Even if Horatio was related to Yale, then wouldn't he also be a prince, opposed to just being a knight? Did vampire royalty work different than human royalty? What was the deal here?

'Yes, we are cousins.'

"It shall be done. Meet me back here the day of the party and have your knight show up. It will be good to see him again." It was Copernicus' word that they would attend. It would be nice to see a few select individuals again. This would give him an opportunity to go out among his own kind again, and he could only hope that Hide would not discover that he was there. If that happened, then trouble was bound to rear its ugly head in one form or fashion.

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It was the night of the big party, and everyone was clad in their newly tailored costumes. Tsubomi wore a blue, crushed velvet jacket with golden embroidery along the bottoms and on the inside of the collar. Her ruffled, white shirt flowed from her sleeves and when her hands were down at her sides, they overtook the view of her fingers. Long coat tails adorned the same embroidery and a red sash held up tight, white pants with black boots. She looked like a regular prince of the ball. Copernicus was equally decked out with a white jacket with a black collar. The whole coat was embroidered in gold, with golden trim and buttons. He wore a sash similar to Tsubomi's but black in color with white pants, white gloves and a white undershirt and cravat with a reflective red stone. He wore classic, black dress shoes, shined to perfection. Millie was dressed in a dark blue dress with long trains and silver embroidery that went around the top. Her arms were adorned with long, ball room style white gloves and blue pearls were woven into her maroon hair. On her ears, delicate white, tear-drop earrings and on her feet, blue, sequenced high heels with light blue panty hose going up to her mid-thigh. She had never felt so beautiful in her entire life.

"It's beautiful," she admired her large, diamond and sapphire stutted necklace.

Tsubomi looked down at her fancy costume, a little unsure of what to think. It was so flashy, a lot like the clothes that she stripped in, only there was more to them than that. "I've never worn anything like this before. It doesn't hold a candle to your outfit, though," she looked over to Copernicus and smiled a little. Seeing him like this made her really envision the fact that he was true royalty.

The vampire looked at his lover out of the corner of his eye and smiled. "You look handsome, my little Tsubomi, like true aristocracy."

"I'm nothing like you," he shouldn't even compare the both of them. They were not even in the same class.

"Being well-bred has nothing to do with anything." People could still look attractive without having to be wealthy or powerful. That was a shallow perception of the situation, or perhaps Tsubomi was just being bashful again. She had a habit of doing that, though he had no idea why she would downgrade herself like that. One day, he would make her see that she had something to be proud of.

"Your not going to just sit around and have fun, are you?" Tsubomi knew him better than that. She knew that the vampire must have had ulterior motives for attending. "This is a matter of business for you, isn't it?"

Copernicus furrowed his eyebrows and cast her a guilty smile, "guess you caught me."

"So, what exactly are you up to? What do you have planned?" Whatever it was, she wanted to be a part of it, or at least know what was up so she could have a backup plan in case something went wrong.

"You always think I have something planned." What if he didn't have anything planned? What if he was just there to have some fun after all?

She placed her hands on her hips and leaned in, her lips upturned in a staunch frown. "Do you think I was born yesterday?"

"Can I hope that you were?" The Inheritor smiled.

Tsubomi sighed and smiled a little, putting her hand to her head, "you're horrible."

Behind the two of them, Yale casually stepped out of the room, dressed in his most elaborate clothing. His outfit was similar to Tsubomi's, carrying out their blue and white theme. However, all that could be seen of him as he walked out was a long, white cape fluttering around the corner. Millie caught sight of him and walked after him, stopping him in the hallway as she looked over his outfit.

He wore the same style coat as Tsubomi did, with golden trim, a light blue sash that flowed to his side. He wore white, pristine pants and black, knee-length boots. On his white cape, he had embroidered shoulder plates of clothing with long, flowing tassels on them. Peeking from his chest was a long, white cravat with a blue stone in the middle and long, three-tiered ruffles tumbling from his white cufflinks. Millie couldn't help but smile at him.

"You look so good! Very handsome! Very sexy!" She winked playfully at the prince, causing him to blush so much that his whole face nearly turned red.

'Millie...' Before he could process another thought, the girl grabbed a hold of his arm and smiled warmly.

"Can I be your escort? I mean I know there will be other people who want to talk to you but still..." That started off confident and took a wrong turn right into unsureville. At first she was excited about popping off the question, and then Millie remembered who she was talking to. For god's sake, this guy was a prince! He would have a lot of women (probably those of his own species) want to dance and talk to him. What made her think that she held a snowball's chance in hell?

'I would have no other.' At that moment, his words touched her deeply. Sparkling maroon eyes glanced up at him, shining with the happiness she felt in her soul. The prince sat his gloved hand on the side of her face and uttered her name telepathically, then he leaned in. With the space closing between them, the girl instinctively leaned in with a smile. Their lips met in a warm, wet kiss. Millie sweetly kissed her prince, and for that moment in time she felt as if she were submerged in the pages of a fairytale.

"Well, aren't you two cute?" Tsubomi's voice cut into their kiss, causing the two to pull back and look at the lone tom boy, who stood in the middle of the hall with her arms folded over her chest.

The school girl flushed in embarrassment, holding a gloved hand to her lips. "I couldn't help it. He was smiling and a smile like that could light up the sky."

'I feel happy, for once in my life.' Yale hadn't known happiness since he had come out of captivity under Estella Nu. In that moment, looking into the eyes of that girl, Yale felt as if all of his earthly pains had been lifted from his shoulders. It was as if they were immersed into their own little world where nothing could hurt them and they were not held down by the vices and cruelties of the world.

"So, is your charming knight going to show up?" Tsubomi questioned the mute prince.

'I invited him and I sent him the costume, as Copernicus requested.'

"You certainly take his orders a lot for being a prince," the tom boy had always thought it was strange that Yale acted as if his position was lesser than Copernicus'. Did that mean his position was higher than a prince? Was he an advisor? But, he was in all of those horror projects with Hide? What the hell kind of person was the man she loved? Was he just some jack of all trades? This was honestly confusing.

It was as if the blonde beheld a look of culpability. His eyes were averted and head pointed downward. 'I owe him a lot. He's founded so many projects and made it possible for our land and people to flourish.'

A brown eyebrow was quirked at the mention of those pieces of information. "He really isn't the person I thought he was, is he?" How much was Tsubomi completely unaware of? At this point, she felt as if she didn't know much about Copernicus at all.

'Huh?'

"He's dark, a bit darker than I thought before and you..." Tsubomi trailed off, as if she was in thought. "You use your handicap to your advantage by covering him. Very effective plan. Wonder how far it will get the both of you?" That had to be it. They had an understanding because of their psychic link. Yale would communicate with Copernicus and more than likely knew his secrets. Within the confines of their own mind, they were free to talk about anything they wished right under her nose. Such sly little things they thought they were.

Yale was in shock. For a moment, all he could do was stare at her, dumbfounded at how she figured such a thing out. 'You knew...'

"I know something is going on between you two. You're extremely loyal to each other." If there was anything that she noticed, it was that the two of them held a special bond. It was stated long ago that they were good friends. Why shouldn't it have not been obvious that Copernicus and Yale no doubt shared their own secrets?

'We're extremely close to each other.' It was something Yale couldn't deny, but he never thought that their relationship was that obvious. He couldn't change his plans now, however. At least their thoughts would always be kept in the confines of their minds.

"You're so bold. How far have you gone?" Millie decided to pop the question. They did say that they had a secret relationship. She wanted to get the juicy details.

"Millie!" Tsubomi scolded the girl for her blind assumptions.

"Don't be so modest you two! You're both men, right? Men have needs," the girl took on a more suggestive look as she pointed a finger into the air with a catty smirk on her face. Millie looked like one of those girl who stood on the sidelines and gossiped about other people's business.

"They need you to leave them alone," Tsubomi glared at her prying little friend. Sometimes, her fantasy world took a leap off of the cliff of dreamscapes. She didn't even want to know what kind of things ran through her thoughts on a daily basis. Millie probably thought that they all had sex with each other or something to that effect.

Millie's smile widened as her voice took on a taunting tone. "Jealous? You should join them."

The tom boy arched an eyebrow. "Join them in what? No one's doing anything."

"They might," maroon eyes sparkled as she placed a manicured finger to her lips.

Just then, a loud, raspy knock pierced their senses. Millie turned, picking up some of her dress so that she didn't step on it. The clacking of her heels could be heard as her form got farther away. After taking a few steps, Millie glanced over her shoulder and smiled seductively at the two. "I'll get it while you boy have fun."

Tsubomi and Yale sighed in unison. Honestly, what did she even think they were going to do while she answered the door?

"We've got to stay away from her if she ever decides to get drunk." Just when it couldn't get any more horrifying, Copernicus brought up a whole different scenario. The very mention of that girl being intoxicated was enough to send a wave of shivers down Tsubomi's spine.

'To avoid anything, we should stay away from her each other, I think.' That would help remedy the problems as well. If they didn't have much contact, then Millie wouldn't assume they did so many things.

Running a hand slowly through Tsubomi's long tendril of hair that hung over her ear, he placed his palm flat against the girl's cheek, causing her skin to redden a little. "But I can't stay away from Tsubomi. He's too cute."

"Damn him. He can always make me blush doing that." There was just something about him touching her face. Tsubomi couldn't help but become flustered at that action every time he took it. That vampire really knew how to stir up her emotions.

Millie opened the door and gave her generic greeting, but was stopped mid-way through. "Hello-oh?" She was stunned, so much so that she couldn't really move at all. The man before her was truly captivating.

He was taller than she was by a good two foot. He had shoulder-length, mint green hair and stubble on his chin. Brilliant green eyes that shone like emeralds stared at her. He was cute, but not in the same way that Prince Yale was. This man was rugged and mature, whereas Yale was flawless and feminine. He was of a muscular build and was adorned in his costume. It was a blue, double-breasted coat with white cuff-links and two rows of golden buttons down the front. A red sash was at his waist and he wore the same, white, tight pants that Tsubomi did with knee-length black boots, shined to perfection. Golden tassels sat atop his shoulders and a long, white cape cascaded down his back. At his side, there was a sword encased in a beautiful sheath.

The man bowed politely. "Good evening, madam. Is this Copernicus Julius Wittenburg's residence?" His voice was as rugged as his looks.

"Y-yes...who are you?" The girl could barely keep her composure as the man introduced himself.

"I'm Horatio Pendragon Greenchapel, personal knight to Prince Yale."

...To Be Continued