The shadow girl tilted her head slightly, opening her mouth to say something, but suddenly she froze.

  Her eyes widened and her fingers twitched at her sides.

  “Someone’s coming…” she murmured through clenched teeth, so low it was almost inaudible.

  She snapped her head to one side, frowning as she swallowed hard.

  ‘The mana’s strong… could it be the mage?’ she thought, her hand trembling for a second before she steadied it.

  The girl turned to Aria with a jerk, bowing her head in a clumsy, rushed gesture.

  “Se?orita, I’m sorry!” she blurted, her voice soft but urgent as she clasped her hands in front of her chest. “There’s no time to answer that now. We have to go!”

  Aria didn’t blink. Her eyes tracked the girl with that icy calm, and as the shadow girl took a step back, Aria raised a hand in a precise motion.

  “Stop,” she ordered, her cold voice slicing through the air like a knife.

  She paused, letting the silence hang heavy, before adding in the same monotone:

  “I won’t tolerate you leaving without answering my question. Much less without taking me back home.”

  The vampire spun toward her so fast her dark hair whipped through the air.

  “What nonsense are you spouting?!” she shrieked, her childish voice rising into a yell that echoed through the forest.

  She stomped toward Aria, raising a trembling fist as her face twisted into a furious grimace, fangs glinting.

  “If you keep talking like that, I’ll forget the damn consequences and punch that smug face of yours!”

  The shadow girl whirled to her instantly, gray eyes wide with panic.

  “Ama, please!” she whispered urgently, reaching a hand toward the vampire without touching her. Her lips pressed tight, her gaze turning into a silent, desperate plea.

  The vampire ground her teeth with a shrill scrape, like she was chewing her own anger.

  “Tch!”

  She jerked her head to the side, looking away as her fists kept shaking.

  “What a pain!” she growled, kicking the ground hard and sending up a puff of dirt.

  The shadow girl took a deep breath, clasping her hands in front of her as if trying to steady herself.

  She looked at Aria, her voice firmer now, though still quivering slightly.

  “About your question… La Se?ora Esmeria is higher in rank than me, that’s—”

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  “You didn’t answer my question,” Aria cut in. Her eyes bored into the girl like they could pierce through, and she took a step forward—barely noticeable, but enough to make the girl flinch back.

  The shadow girl swallowed, her hands twitching harder, fingers tangling together.

  “I…” she faltered, flicking a quick glance at the vampire before returning to Aria. “If I tell you the truth, se?orita… you won’t rat us out?” Her voice was a nervous whisper, and she dipped her head slightly, as if dreading the reply.

  Aria tilted her head just a fraction, her face unreadable as she studied her.

  “If you keep wasting my time,” she said with that glacial calm that never rose or fell, “then no.”

  The vampire spun back to her, scarlet eyes blazing with fury.

  “Hey, you…!” she started to yell, raising a shaky finger, but the shadow girl shot up a hand fast, cutting her off with a frantic gesture.

  “Ama, please…” Her voice came out in a low shout, almost a plea.

  She turned to Aria, taking a deep breath like she was gathering courage, and spoke quickly in a whisper.

  “Yes… La Se?ora Esmeria used to be the night wraith who served the queen… until recently.”

  The silence that fell was thick.

  The vampire went rigid, her fists clenched as her breathing quickened.

  ‘Damn human brat!’ she thought, her mind boiling with rage as she gritted her teeth so hard they creaked. ‘How dare she treat us like this? She’s not even the princess yet!’

  Aria gave a slight nod, like she’d just confirmed something obvious. Her eyes flicked between the shadow girl and the vampire before she spoke calmly.

  “Good. Now take me home.”

  The vampire opened her mouth to yell, but before she could get a word out, the shadow girl snapped her head to the side, her eyes widening.

  ‘Please, se?orita… just hold on a little longer…’ the shadow girl thought, because…

  This was all their fault.

  All because she’d let her ama talk her into straying from their original mission, after they’d accidentally spotted Esmeria and Elizabeth heading back together toward the queen’s palace.

  And, by following the trail Esmeria had left behind, they’d stumbled onto that mansion she seemed to have used as a hideout.

  While poking around the place, dodging the annoying gadgets inside, they’d run into a peculiar girl.

  It was there—before she could warn her ama to be cautious of this girl after sensing traces of Esmeria’s power in her—that her ama had kidnapped this human, spurred by recent rumors floating around the castle.

  Rumors tied to how the queen’s mood had brightened considerably in recent years, ever since some vampires claimed her wraith was no longer by her side.

  Some said it was because, per tradition, her wraith was raising the next heiress far from the palace, while others figured it was because she was about to declare war on the humans to expand her territory.

  Usually, when human girls are chosen to join the royal ranks, they’re not told this until the day they stop being human, but…

  Because of them, Aria knew now!

  “Damn it, I completely forgot about them…!” the shadow girl exclaimed in an urgent whisper, her hands shaking as she glanced at the vampire.

  “Ama!” she cried, lunging toward her with a swift move. She wrapped her arms around her, and before they hit the ground, both melted into black shadows, sinking into the earth like they were dissolving.

  Aria blinked once, her face still as she stared at the empty space ahead.

  “Hm,” she murmured, her tone dry like nothing had happened.

  She turned her head slightly, glancing at the tree shadows, but before she could say more, a deep shout split the air.

  “Aria!”

  Hugo’s voice boomed from above, paired with the snap of branches.

  Aria looked up just as the mage dropped down, landing with a solid thud on the ground.

  Over his shoulder, he carried María like a sack, her arms dangling limply.

  Hugo frowned and, with a rough motion, dumped María to the side.

  “Ow!” she yelped as she hit the ground, throwing her hands out just in time to avoid face-planting.

  María half-stood, rubbing her elbows with a grimace.

  “Hey, old man! Why’d you drop me like that?!” she shouted, her voice an indignant squeak as she shot him a glare.

  Hugo ignored her completely. He turned to Aria, his face serious and arms crossed.

  “Aria, what happened?” he asked in a stern tone, looking her up and down.

  Aria met his gaze with that unshakable calm, her hands still at her sides.

  Before answering, her eyes flicked for a second to the tree shadows, now swaying normally with the breeze.

  “Nothing important,” she said, her voice cold and flat, like she’d just described something dull.