Volume 1, Chapter 15 – Interlude

In the end, Camilla took over the task of dressing her. After Yisi mentioned she didn’t mind being touched by humans, Camilla informed her that she had studied the art of wearing formal attire.

Now, clad in a black gown with long gloves and asymmetrical thigh-high stockings, Yisi walked down the mansion’s corridor. The outfit originally included a hat, but Yisi found it too cumbersome and discarded it.

The silence of their journey felt somewhat stifling, so Yisi attempted to strike up a conversation.

“Before Father adopted you, were you already living among the vampires?”

“I don’t know… All I remember is that my birth parents were humans, and they spoke the language of the human kingdoms.”

“So you were in a human nation?”

“No… I never left the room, so I don’t know what the outside looked like.”

“Never left the room? Were you seriously ill as a child?”

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“My parents never allowed me to leave the room.”

“Never allowed…?”

“I only ever acted on my parents’ commands.”

“…”

For a moment, Yisi was at a loss for words. Though Camilla’s tone was flat, as if she saw nothing unusual about it, Yisi couldn’t help but feel sympathy. She began to understand why Camilla had behaved the way she did yesterday. Having never been treated as a “person” since childhood, it was only natural she would act like a doll, moving solely at the behest of orders.

The reason Count Pescia rarely allowed Camilla to appear in public—or even meet with the Count’s eldest daughter—was likely to reinforce this doll-like impression in Camilla’s mind, ensuring she would forever live with the awareness of being nothing more than a puppet. Of course, this was merely Yisi’s speculation. She couldn’t be certain it was the truth. After a brief silence, she changed the subject.

“Father mentioned that when he found you, you’d been abandoned in the snow, barely alive. Before that… had you never considered living as a free person?”

Yisi felt Camilla’s footsteps falter for an instant. At first, she thought she had struck a chord, but when she turned back, she saw only fear in Camilla’s eyes.

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“…Living freely? What do you mean? That’s a strange thing to say… How could anyone live without orders?”

Though phrased as a question, Yisi sensed panic in Camilla’s voice.

Was Camilla the type who couldn’t survive without orders? Yisi had once read about such people in anecdotes, always assuming they were fictional. She never imagined they could exist in reality.

With a silent sigh, Yisi replied expressionlessly,

“Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“Yes.”

The response carried only relief, but Yisi couldn’t help but feel pity and sympathy. She awkwardly steered the conversation elsewhere.

“This morning, you mentioned that the Holy Knight Commander of the Niru Diocese has arrived. Who is that? Or rather, what rank does the Holy Knight Commander of Niru hold?”

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“The Niru Diocese is located in the eastern region of the Kingdom of Hels, one of the three major nations of the Human Alliance. Though under the jurisdiction of the Ymir Theocracy, it is separated from it by the Kingdom of Hels.”

So, an enclave? Yisi couldn’t help but think of Alaska’s geographical relationship with a certain star-spangled nation. Consulting the memories of the Count’s eldest daughter, she realized the Niru Diocese wasn’t particularly large—only about half the size of Honshu. It was bordered by the Kingdom of Hels on three sides, with the remaining eastern edge adjoining vampire territory.

“Though the Niru Diocese isn’t vast, its governance isn’t simple. The diocese is managed collectively by the Bishop, the Holy Knight Commander, the High Priest, and the Tribunal. Among them, the Bishop holds veto power over the decisions of the other three. The Holy Knight Commander is the leader of the Holy Knight Order.”

“So they’re effectively the second most powerful figure in the Niru Diocese?”

“Though not entirely accurate, that’s essentially correct.”

No way…

From the time Camilla had notified her until now, nearly an hour had passed. To make the second-most influential figure in the diocese wait an hour upon her arrival in this world—it was unthinkable. Worse still, Yisi recalled that the very person who had strongly opposed providing the Count’s daughter with luxurious accommodations was none other than this Holy Knight Commander of the Holy Knight Order.

Such a disastrous start made her scalp tingle.

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But she couldn’t simply avoid meeting the Holy Knight Commander. After standing frozen in thought for a long moment, Yisi took a deep breath.

“Take me to him.”

As for making him wait so long, she’d just attribute it to the Count’s daughter’s notoriously foul temperament. The real challenge now was embodying the overwhelming presence the eldest daughter was known for.

Camilla had noticed her odd behavior because she had served the Count’s daughter intimately. No one else had been that close to her. So long as Yisi could mimic her demeanor—even if imperfectly, even if her mannerisms didn’t quite match—the Church would never see through it. They might even assume this was simply how the Count’s daughter always behaved.

Well then, to silence the hardliners, secure her current privileges, and keep the Church wary of her, she’d use the Holy Knight Commander as her stepping stone.

Yisi steeled herself with resolve.

Translator Note

Honshu, an Island in Japan