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I

CHAPTER 1

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Voultr(Head maid)- The main female head who looks after the household chores in the Lapine Palace.

Voultre(Butler)- The main male head of the chores in the Lapine Palace.

Voult- The employees or subordinates of the voultr and voultre. They listen to the orders given to them and carry them out.

Voultrs- The headquarters for the head voultr and voultre and their subordinates, voult.

**Voultrsss- The resting chamber for the voultr and voultre also for the voult. **

The voultr and voultre hold a high position in the palace.

**

CHAPTER I

The Amber Dawn sky shone vibrantly. It was a sight to behold as the humongous trees swayed along the direction of the breeze carrying out the message all over the forest. Spreading it out for all to hear. Whispers and squeaks could be heard throughout the forest, everyone speaking about the message, the cold wind carried. The arrival of none other than the heavenly Emperor.

It was terribly busy at the palace, a different hundred pairs of legs walked through the main hall. People up high on the ladders fixing, adjusting, and putting up lights and decorations. There was not even a single pair of hands that stood still. All you could hear was the voice of busy hands, moving legs, and the sound of things been move to put to its place.

At the same time inside the palace kitchen, it was in havoc At the same time it was havoc inside the palace kitchen, dirty rags and glass plates were all over the place. The yelling and shouting were so loud that it pierces through the golden halls of the palace. The pots on the stove were boiling and the frying pans sizzling. At one corner of the kitchen, you could see loads and loads of meat cut up to such perfection that you could feel the elegance wafting in the air, lined up to be cooked to absolute delicacies, bowls with a variety of vegetables decorated beautifully waiting to be placed on the table. But this was just one side of the havoc in the kitchen, which is the food for the werewolves.

On the other side, you could see human heads? and raw meat waiting to be marinated in fresh blood. The fresh blood was just been squeezed out of humans and animals all alike in the rearing area, where you could hear the screams and crying of the cattle. Vampires were peculiar creatures, they enjoyed different types of blood, and they liked their meat way too much fresh.

Usually, all the kitchen workers were probably mated or yet to be mated. Impures were not allowed to do this work or any other work in the palace. It would leave the kitchen in ruins, they weren't allowed to touch anything, their touch was filthy, it would make everything dirty. Nobody wanted stinking dark negative energy in the palace or anywhere. The Impures probably did the least liked works. Like cleaning up the blood and organs of the reared creatures, cleaning the filth of the carriage garuns, and the main job being a play toy in the hands of the nobles.

And do remember they weren’t ever allowed step into the kitchen of the palace.

"You there! What are you staring at, girl?! Get to work quickly!" The head of the kitchen yelled at the small petite girl.

She was very tiny, just barely reaching 160 cm, quite very short for a female vampire. Underneath her eyes dark black circles lay, probably because of lack of sleep and tiredness, her hands were worn out from doing God knows what, and her black hair which was lacking a shine it should have had was tied in a bun. Though her hair was tied it was matted and baby hairs stuck up.

"I said get to work!" The head maid screeched grabbing her by her arm and leading her to the plate section.

The little girl's heart felt like it would jump out of her chest any moment now. She was scared, no terrified. She wasn't even supposed to be here. She should have been punished for entering the kitchen without permission instead the woman yelled at her for staying idle.

The woman pushed her towards the plate section. Her eyes like a hawk's following the girl's every single little moment.

She could feel the hard glare at her as she looked down at the plates fiddling around with her fingers. She wondered what she had to do with them. She wasn't given any orders. And she did not want to anger the head anymore because of her uselessness. She was afraid of getting punished, she did not wish to get beaten again or get thrown with the hounds. She hated it. She hated how the nobles would have pleasure seeing her suffer and cry for help, but she couldn't do anything against them. They were inhumane, not that they were human but that they did not feel anything, not even a speck of emotion, they were as cold as ice.

The maid clicked her tongue in annoyance, her eyebrow raised at the petite girl as she fiddled around doing nothing. Things were already very busy that this girl was just making it hard for her to do her work.

She grabbed the girl's face with a harsh pull and stared long and deep into her honey golden eyes and pressed her lips in a tight line.

'She's not bad' The head thought to herself as she stared at the girl's pale dirty face covered with dust.

"This won't do" the woman muttered letting go of her face.

Her sharp eyes snapped to the girl's figure and waving her hand in the air, she spoke "Do one thing girl, go to the voultrs and tell them that I sent you"

The girl's eyes rose from looking down and fell on the women for quite a few seconds, just to process the task the head had given her.

Did she realize what she was asking for her to do? She was impure, she couldn't go to the voultrs, she was not even supposed to enter the palace. She should have had her head slashed and her body should’ve been laying lifelessly on the ground and this woman was just asking her to do the impossible. She did not belong here.

"I..I.....can...'t.." the girl stumbled upon her words, her nerves getting the better of her.

"No excuses, go now girl" the women ordered, her eyes glaring at the petite girl daring her to go against her order.

A slow silent tension fell over them and then the lips of the women tugged up into a smile, satisfied that she had not said anything in reply and taking her submission and silence as a 'yes', she scurried off to the other side of the kitchen barking orders with each step she took.

The girl gulped fear and nerves traveling through every part of her body. What was she supposed to do now? After all, she was impure, and impures were forbidden to enter the palace and secondly, she couldn't possibly disobey an order. Disobeying both meant punishment. And she didn't even know where the voultrs was to reach there.

Her thin legs walked her down the halls of the palace kitchen, her head hanging down and her hands never idle as they fiddled her skirt. She couldn't keep count of the numbers of halls she had walked past and down.

"Hurry along! Now! Fast!" A woman screamed orders. Her hand moving along the direction she told them to move along. There was a line of maids with plates, napkins, wine glasses, and whatnot. All in a perfect line, not even one a little fast or slow, moving into a large open hallway to a large door.

As the woman gave out orders, she noticed the girl wearing a faded blue dress which was brown and black with dirt, standing near a pillar from the corner of her eye.

She coughed out to bring out the attention of the aimless girl to her. Her head snapped to the direction in which she heard the cough, her eyes finding the owner of the sound.

Realizing that she had been staring at her for way too long, she hung her head low. Embarrassed as she was caught staring. After all, how could she not stare, the woman was very beautiful. She had her brown hair tied up into a bun, a few loose strands splayed on her face, her lips were coated a light red, barely noticeable but it made her look sophisticatedly gorgeous. She wore a black long cotton gown, above which a white long apron was worn. The apron was tied to the back of her waist, showing off her tiny waist.

"What are you doing in the palace?"

The beautiful woman's cold voice reached her ears as fear collided with her. Did she realize that she was impure? Was she going to get punished right now?

"Why are you here with that-" the woman face twisted in distaste as she continued, " horrible attire?" She questioned, emphasizing particularly on the word 'horrible'.

"I-I ha-d been t-old t-o go to the vo-ultrs.." The words stumbled out of her little mouth as a tiny whisper.

"To the voultrs?" Rasped out the woman. Surprise filled her eyes as she thought who would ever command this girl up to her.

"Yes" replied back the girl as she started picking on her nails out of nervousness.

"Did the kitchen head sent you? I remember I asked her for a helper, but to think that she would send you" the woman commented, mocking the girl.

Her cheeks burned red in embarrassment. To be insulted by a beautiful woman, she was surely ugly, she thought.

"Well then follow me" the woman turned on her heels taking elegant yet fast steps towards the opposite direction she had sent those maids.

They stopped before an olden brown door. A nameplate was on it, written in bold and italics, reading 'Voultrsss'.

The woman opened the door and the girl's brown eyes took in the scene before her. The floor was carpeted in maroon. There were beds and beds, along each bed there was a small table, probably for keeping the necessities and clothes of each voult.

"Now get dressed" The woman turned to her, her voice harsh and cold as it commanded her.

She shook, her hands clamped. Slowly and silently she opened her mouth,

"I- ....um..... can't......n..o.... shou....ldn't-"

"Are you defying my order, little girl? You aren't, are you?" The voice cut sharp over the girl's frantic squabbling.

A heavy silence fell as she glanced at the voultr's eyes. There was this evil glint shining in her eyes that had her squirming.

"N..o" The girl spoke, her words stumbling. She wouldn't dare disobey an order. She did not wish to be punished and she knew that the whip hurt a lot more than one could imagine.

"Good, because that's what I wanted to hear" a pleased satisfactory smile pulled upon the voultr's lips, and as soon as it appeared, it disappeared to cold hard tight lips.

"Now listen carefully" she continued, "I want you to bathe yourself and get dressed in these" the voultr's hands pulled open a random drawer as she spoke and pulled out a dress and kept it neatly on the bed, it was already folded and ironed.

"Yes" the response was immediate.

"Good, then I'll leave you to that" she flashed a quick smile, showing off her pearly fangs for a short moment.

The girl bowed her head, her messy hair falling forward. She twisted on her heels, scurrying to open the door. Her hands trembled slightly as she held the handle.

"Ack-" an alarmed gasp left her mouth, her eyes flashing with fright.

"You-" began the voultr, her hands gripping the girl's bony arm with such strength that it could be broken like a twig, " Are you blatantly showing your disrespect to me..?"

Her long yet sharp nails dug into her pale skin drawing blood. Her eyes displayed the disbelief that failed to appear on her face.

"I clearly told you to take a bath, didn't I?" her hands flew to the girl's face, her fingers grabbed her face tightly, her nails piercing her skin. The voultr's eyes blazed, annoyance embedded in her eyes.

"I-I ha-ave to-o fe-etch the water-r for t-he bath" The girl's face showed how petrified she was at the sudden intimidation, her doe eyes represented a hurt dearly.

"Water? You were going to fetch the water? Why would you need to fetch it when the tub is right here?" A brief look of confusion flashed on the voult's face.

A chuckle left her mouth followed by a short string of laughter, "You" she let a smile tug up her lips, this time it was different it wasn't a professional smile, it was a sincere one, "I like your naiveness, it's very unusual to see such a personality in this palace."

A breath of relief the little girl released, she was scared, she wondered if she had insulted the head woman and if she would be punished for it.

" The bath is over there-" she pointed her hand over to a door, " A tub of water should already be there, you can find sayr there too, rub yourself clean and come out fast, understood?" The previous kind look vanished from her face, but her tone wasn't that harsh anymore, it was rather warm.

"Ye-es, Voultr" the girl dipped her head low and slowly met the eyes of the voultr.

"Call me madam rose, that's more comfortable" she grinned at her, " Well off you go, on your way"

The voultr turned, her dress swaying with the momentum, she pulled open the door easily and left.

The girl remained still, staring as the door shut close. The moment the click sound resonated inside the resting chambers, a million thoughts flooded her head. Why did she smile? Is she actually nice? She won't punish me? Why did she give me nice clothes? Is it okay if I wash myself with water? Can I use sayr?

Anyhow she knew these acts of kindness and smiles would only be shown to her until the head discovers her identity, her curse as an impure.

She shook her head, trying to get rid of all the negatives that went past through her head. She would get a bigger punishment if she didn't listen.

She entered the bath place the head had signaled her. Upon entering, from her view she could see a wooden tub, nearly overflowing with fresh, warm water. And near it a little bowl was the sayr. Sayr, it's a scrub that only high-class people would use. Its too costly for commoners to afford and forbidden for her, a mere impure.

She had never actually seen sayr or a wooden tub filled with water, why? She lived far away from the palace, near the forest of the Unknown, nobody really ventured there, it was a deserted place, animals couldn't be spotted and the dark never went from there.

A little cottage, that was her home. The roof was in such bad quality that on days it showered, droplets would come rushing down. Those days were the hardest, in a very small room with just her wooden plank bed and 1 pair of clothes which would get drenched due to leakage.

She stripped clear, not throwing off the clothes, she only had 1 dress after all. She dipped her fingers into the warm water, and automatically a quiet little giggle left her, as soon as she realized that fact her hands flew to her mouth, eyes wide, and looked both sides as if to see if anyone saw her enjoying. She wasn't supposed to have a good time.

When she confirmed that nobody in fact was here other than her, she let a small smile grace her face. She got in tub and rubbed herself with the sayr, she couldn't help but smile more largely.

'At least I had a good time before my punishment.'

**

"You know who's coming right? Can you believe it? I simply can't, to think and his majesty himself would come here!" Bright blue eyes full of glee grinned at her.

Anna she said she was, she had come to pick her up and my wasn't she chatter box.

"N-o who is-s comin-ng, if I mi-ight ask-k?" A stuttering mess she was. Her nerves had peeked up at Anna's free and friendly nature.

"The Northern Emperor, you silly!" Anna beamed.

" I s-see" replied the girl, her hands fiddling at the white rim of the cloth she wore. She was scratching her wrists so bad that it bleed, an action she always did to sooth her nerves.

Anna who didn't even realise continued her rambling on, "They say he's very handsome, eyes shining emerald, a jawline that could cut a paper, every thing looks so good when he wears it. Ha... he's a man I can only dream to be my side" Anna sighed, her hands on both side of her face.

"Anna! And the newcomer! Hurry up!" A voice yelled out to them, the expiration in the voice could be felt.

The girl lifted her head up at the call, Madam Rose was standing there with an impatient look on her face.

Anna ran towards her immediately sensing that something went wrong.

The girl watched them talk in hushed whispers. By the moods on their faces, it was not good news.

"We have the newcomer" Anna spoke, her voice suggestive.

"Shh this no simple matter Anna, this is very important" Madam Rose was clearly tensed, her eyes wandered to the little girl a few times as if considering if she would be good for the job.

"We have no one else, Madam! The order has to be perfect, no?" Anna mini yelled.

"We'll have to go with her then" Madam Rose finished the discussion.

And immediately both of their eyes fell on the girl.

Believe me it did not feel nice.

**

Cazr hissed, his eyes raking the figure of the trembling girl in front of him. His heart pulsed, eyes if they could have blazed more red.

'Mate.'

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