Volume 2, Chapter 13 – Potential Collapse

It must be said that from the quality of the tea and refreshments, the conditions in the refugee camp were quite poor. The “tea” was just plain boiled water, and the refreshments were just some clean fruits; there was no sign of anything like pastries.

And even with just these, the attending maids would occasionally glance at the fruit platter, their eyes showing a hint of longing. Given that their clothes weren’t very clean either, Fia had a premonition that if Estelle didn’t do something, the order in the camp would soon collapse due to a lack of supplies.

With nothing else to do in the tent, Fia started a desultory conversation with a maid. She picked up a fruit that looked like a large green date and waved it in front of a maid with a few freckles on her face.

“Do you really want to eat this?”

“Eh?” Noticing that the guest had seen her peeking at the fruit, the maid tensed up all over and made an impolite sound. She shook her head repeatedly, “N-no. I’ve already had dinner.”

“What did you eat?”

“Bea… beans. Wild vegetable and bean stew.”

“Oh..”

Sure enough, they’re already lacking food and clothing.

Although the maid hadn’t described it in detail, Fia could completely imagine her dinner. In a watery soup with not a single drop of oil, a large pot of mushy, dark green wild vegetables with a few floating beans—each person could only get a small bowl, with only a handful of beans. That kind of thing couldn’t possibly satisfy one’s hunger.

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It was even worse than the paste the refugees ate last night.

Fia couldn’t help but sigh.

“Haa, hold out your hand.”

“Yes…”

Not knowing what to do, the maid cautiously held out her hand to Fia.

Fia then placed the fruit in her own hand onto the maid’s hand and pushed her hand back, making her grip it tightly.

“Don’t mind me. I won’t tell Estelle or Norton about this. Eat it with ease.”

“R-really?”

Although the motion of tightly clutching the fruit had already betrayed the maid’s inner thoughts, she still asked for confirmation. The hope and excitement in her eyes made it difficult to say no to her.

“Really. If it’s not enough, you can take the rest too.”

“Th-thank you! Thank you!”

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With confirmation, the maid took a big bite of the fruit in her hand, and at the same time, didn’t forget to put the remaining fruit from the platter into her clothes through the neckline. Before long, the maid’s chest was bulging. Despite the wide opening in her chest due to her actions, the maid didn’t care at all. She just savored the rare delicacy. By the end, she had even scraped off the last bit of flesh stuck to the pit, nearly eating the pit as well.

It was worth mentioning that the other three maids, upon seeing how this maid was treated, also began to swallow audibly, their faces full of envy.

This was not a pleasant scene to watch. Fia also didn’t want to be stared at by the maids with such longing expressions. After a quiet sigh, Fia used [Food Creation] to create a small amount of cured salted fish and some hard, inedible black bread, so that the other maids could also have food. Of course, she also gave some to the first maid.

For a time, the tent was filled with the maids’ continuous thanks and the sounds of them eating. Despite it being just salted fish, they ate it with such relish that Fia couldn’t help but tear off a piece herself, wanting to taste if the food she made had become more palatable than it was in the afternoon.

As a conclusion, the taste of the food had not changed. It was simply that the maids hadn’t eaten meat for a long time, which was why it tasted so delicious to them.

The whirlwind of eating soon ended. When a sound came from outside the tent, all the maids, just like the first one, had a bulge in their chests. Normally, this would have been hard to hold back a laugh, but neither Fia nor Liti could smile right now. The way the maids had been choked by the food they had devoured and had to be given water to recover left a deep impression on Fia.

Maybe I can do something to change this situation.

Just like in the past in the Human Alliance—huh?

A thought that suddenly flashed through her mind startled Fia. But at that moment, the tent flap was lifted from the outside, and Fia had no chance to think about why she had that thought.

Entering were Estelle and a few officials dressed as nobles. Norton was not among them.

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Unlike her disheveled appearance from before, the current Estelle was the same as the Estelle Fia had seen on the stage, the one Norton had impersonated. She was rational, with a dignified expression.

Although her features had a trace of immaturity, the elegance she exuded in every movement perfectly concealed her lack of age. Especially her blood-red, vampire-specific eyes, which made her fair face look both enchanting and dangerous, reminiscent of a poisonous flower that, if one got too close, would draw them in deeply, from which they could not escape.

As if the two had never fought, Estelle put on a smile befitting a noble. She held the sides of her dark red dress and, surrounded by her guards, slowly and gracefully came before Fia.

Bending her knees slightly, Estelle performed a noble’s bow to Fia with grace and confidence.

“It has been a while since we last spoke, Dofilia—I presume I may still call you that? I apologize for mistaking you for an enemy just now.” Estelle raised her crimson eyes. A trace of blush appeared on her enchanting face in the firelight. She then turned to Liti and Anastasia on either side of Fia. “And to Princess Liti and Captain Anastasia as well, I apologize for my previous rude behavior. Fortunately, it didn’t cause any trouble for anyone, or I would have been too ashamed to face my father.”

Although Fia didn’t know what had happened in the past half-hour, it seemed Estelle had completely recovered—worthy of being a true vampire noble. Her etiquette was flawless. If she were to appear at a ball, she would surely be the star of the show.

As she observed Estelle, Fia sighed inwardly. Even though she didn’t know much about noble etiquette, her basic aesthetic sense made her feel that every one of Estelle’s movements was meticulously designed. Vampires had the ability to control the flow of their bodily fluids to a certain extent; perhaps even the blush on her face was a deliberate effect created by Estelle.

A man would surely be captivated by this fairy-like vampire princess. No, this overwhelming allure must be irresistible even to women.

Unfortunately, compared to the more mature Claire, Estelle still falls a little short. I am completely immune.

If Estelle’s charm was a meticulously designed, soul-snatching existence, then Claire’s was a natural, innate charm that, just by looking at her, seemed to draw people in, making them unable to resist getting closer.

My Claire is still stronger.

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With this thought, a sense of pride rose in Fia’s heart. She curved her lips and responded with an equally polite, faint smile.

“I only hope that Estelle won’t hold a grudge against me for this. Also, rather than ‘Dofilia,’ I would prefer it if Estelle called me ‘Fia.’ I like this name better.”

To Fia’s surprise, Estelle did not answer immediately. Instead, she covered her mouth with one hand, her eyes wide with a look of disbelief.

“That Dofilia… actually smiled…”

“Is there a problem with that?”

“Of course not. I’ve just never seen Your Highness Fia smile before, so I was a little shocked… Your smile is too beautiful.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Fia accepted it without reserve—this was also part of a princess’s training.

Translator Note

:3