“Alice almost went even paler when she saw you, try not to drop dead. It would be a pain in my ass.” Arden's words were dry and monotonous, but they did seem slightly relieved. Or maybe that was Jiahao's imagination. 

Without another word, Arden stood up and left the cellar, returning only a few moments later with Alice. 

“Human- I mean, Jiahao…” Alice started, her tone initially firm, but softening quickly. 

“Why did that happen?” She asked, seeming clueless. Jiahao almost found it cute, Alice was like an inquisitive puppy. 

“I hadn't eaten in a while, so I fainted, I think…” Jiahao had just woken up, she didn't really understand what had happened either. 

“What exactly do humans eat?” Alice seemed to be full of questions. Arden had left the cellar once more, with no intent to return again, not seeming interested in all of Alice's questions. Sure, they could've answered them, but at the same time, they had other things to be doing. 

“I mean, there's lots of stuff, but I guess, the main stuff is meat and vegetables.”

“Now that is odd.” Alice's tone was deadpan.

“What's so odd about it?” Jiahao laughed a little, finding a small bit of amusement in Alice's reactions. 

“Arden eats greens, I drink blood, but you eat meat and greens. That's really odd.” Alice looked up at the ceiling, as though she was pondering this new, shocking discovery. 

“I will have Arden prepare more human food, this matter needs to be looked into further.” 

“Um, Alice, right? Could I ask a few questions of my own?” Jiahao's voice was quiet, she felt as though she was playing with fire by asking, but she had so many things on her mind. 

Alice however just looked at her expectantly, waiting for Jiahao's questions. 

“You've lived in a human town for a while now, how don't you know what humans eat?”

“I never particularly cared to know.” Alice shrugged. 

Jiahao swallowed before asking the real question. “Why did you keep me here?” 

“I find you interesting. You're a weird little human.” Alice chuckled. 

“You walk around with those two things,” Jiahao cut her off. 

“The twins?” 

“If that's what you want to call them, you have the audacity to stand against me. Never running. It's odd, almost stupid. Nonetheless, it's interesting.” Alice was like a child with a new toy, and Jiahao thought that was probably how she viewed her. 

“So, you don't want to suck my blood?” Jiahao raised an eyebrow. 

Alice's face flushed a bright red. “That's an obscene suggestion. Humans really have no dignity.”

Jiahao was confused, anytime anyone spoke of vampires it was always involved blood sucking. 

“But you drink Arden's blood?” She asked, hoping Alice would elaborate on the matter. 

“Yes, I drink it, and Arden is my servant. A creature made for consumption, even still, I have never once sucked their blood. I have more poise than that.” Alice seemed pretty offended by this. 

“I'm just confused.” Jiahao muttered, while holding her head in her hands. 

“There's nothing to be confused about, blood sucking is not an act to be done casually. Some people may treat it like that, but that is wrong. It is an intimate act, absolutely not something to be done casually, that's disgusting.” Alice was very passionate about this, and Jiahao didn't pry any further. 

She nodded, understanding that it was something more personal, and intimate than she initially thought. “I'm sorry for bringing it up, I didn't know it was something intimate.”

Alice shook her head slightly, “It's alright, humans are uneducated and undignified beings, it's not your fault.” 

In a way her words were reassuring, while also being demeaning. Truly a skill only a vampire could master. Before Jiahao could muster a reply Alice began speaking once more. 

“Unless you had ulterior motives.” Alice smirked, clearly teasing. 

Now it was Jiahao's turn to blush, “No, I really didn't know. I swear.” 

“Innocent as ever, I see.” Alice giggled, a stark juxtaposition between her blushing state a few moments prior.

“Please stop teasing me.” Jiahao muttered, for a quick moment the weirdness of this situation crossed her mind. She was trapped in a massive manor, by a vampire, and a weird goat-human thing, and was sitting here worrying about being teased. 

She flopped back in the bed, expecting her stiff mattress from back home, but was met with nothing but an onslaught of soft, cloud-like, pillows. In any other instance this would be welcomed, almost comforting, but right now, the reality of her situation dawned upon her again. 

Alice watched Jiahao with clear intrigue, most people would understand that she was currently distressed, but Alice couldn't understand this. This set of actions, and emotions went completely over her head. Part of the reason she found Jiahao so interesting. 

She knew almost nothing about humans, and the most interesting one, in her opinion, had just walked into her manor, with two little creatures in tow. Alice wasn't a big bad monster devoid of empathy, but of course, this situation definitely wasn't making that clear for Jiahao. 

“What are you doing?” Alice muttered, seeming almost disturbed by Jiahao's demeanor. 

“Wallowing,” Jiahao's response was curt. 

“Oh,” Was the only response that the taller of the two could muster. 

Without anything left to say Alice stood up and went to find Arden. Leaving Jiahao alone to wallow. 

Finding Arden was never a difficult task for Alice, they were only ever in a handful of spots, the sun was rising, so Arden was probably getting ready for bed. 

Alice knocked on their bedroom door, “Arden, I'd like to speak with you.” She didn't wait for a response before walking into the room. 

Arden was seated at their desk, a mess of books covered the whole surface of it. They glared at Alice, but she paid no attention to this gesture. 

“I request that you begin making human meals for both me, and Jiahao.” This request was more like a demand, but Arden just nodded. 

“I'll see what I can do, but we don't have the necessary ingredients for that.” Arden didn't look at Alice as they spoke, instead returning to their mess of books. 

“Well, source them, you've gone into the human town before.” Alice's words seemed sharp, and demanding on the surface, but she didn't exactly know how to ask for things in a polite way. She was spoiled until fairly recently. 

Arden's groaned, they hated the human town, “I went like two years ago.” 

“Really? I thought it was much more recent.” Alice shrugged, waving away this thought, and getting back to the matter at hand. 

“You're aware that I'm not supposed to leave the manor. If I do, father will surely have my head.” Alice sighed as she spoke. 

“His Highness hasn't concerned himself with us since you left, you know this as well as I do.” Arden's response was blunt, and Alice knew that they were right. 

Arden continued, deciding to rub salt in the wound, “He sent you to a manor at the other end of the country, hasn't written to you, or anything.”

“I prefer that. If he did, I'm sure anything he'd have to say would just be unsavoury at best.” Alice scoffed. 

“You're lucky he even sent you to a manor at all instead of just getting rid of you.” Arden's words were as blunt as ever, but Alice knew that everything they said was the truth. 

“You needn't remind me, please, I know. I await the day he sends my brothers to take my head.” She rolled her eyes, but Arden didn't see, still not facing her. 

“He's not stupid enough to try that.” Arden chuckled slightly. 

“He actually likes your brothers, he wouldn't want to dirty their hands with you.” Arden chuckled once more, obviously finding the matter of Alice's hypothetical death to be hilarious. 

“I often wonder why you insist on staying.” Alice's words were quiet, but just as quickly as they left her mouth, she had left Arden's room. 

×Chapter 3 End×