"No, not in that sense," Myma shook her head. "While noble ladies my age might already be engaged, my parents never imposed such constraints on me..."
The other creature stared at her intently, lost in thought.
"I used to be a citizen of the Borden Empire," Myma found herself inexplicably sharing her story. "When I was studying at the academy in the city, a minor noble once claimed to like me. But the day before, I happened to overhear him betting with someone about whether he could get me to meet him in the garden the next afternoon—the wager was ten silver coins. Honestly, I was tempted to agree, on the condition that he shared a few coins with me. But that night, I told my mother about it, and she was furious. She immediately gave me a gold coin, took me to my favorite jewelry shop, and told me never to do such things again... So when he came to me the next day, I refused him."
Myma wasn't sure if the other understood. Thinking back on it now, she found it somewhat amusing, but recalling her mother's anger also made her a little sad.
The little demon fell silent.
After a while, his eyes gleamed, and his tail flicked again. "You could 'like' me."
Myma looked at him in surprise.
"Are you—" The girl seemed about to say something but ultimately sighed. "Never mind. You don't even know what you're saying."
"I do," the little demon said eagerly. "If you 'like' me, you'll fulfill my wishes and cook for me!"
Myma stared at him, torn between exasperation and exhaustion. "...You used a conditional clause. Maybe I should reward you with a pie."
Before he could respond, she continued, "Don't you want to go home? I mean, are you just wandering around like this? Won't your mother worry about you?"
"Mother hates me," the little demon rolled his eyes, making his disdain abundantly clear. "And I hate her too. But I can't beat her yet."
He snorted coldly, clearly displeased, and turned away in silence.
"Alright," Myma sighed softly, gazing at the bright moonlight in the sky. "I'll never see my mother again. Even my father died of a broken heart after she passed."
The young girl stared blankly at the night sky, her frost-blue eyes filled with confusion, a faint mist gathering in them.
Her sorrow slowly spilled out, and the little demon clearly sensed it too. After staring at her for a moment, he muttered, "Then... then I'll share my mother with you. Though she's terrible-tempered, and she might just kill you."
Myma couldn't help but laugh. "Mothers can't be shared like that—unless you—well, thank you for the thought. But I only miss my own parents. I just think you should cherish what you have now, even if there are conflicts."
"Is that so?" The little demon didn't seem convinced. His expression turned irritable again. "She hates everyone."
"Then at least her hatred isn't directed solely at you. Maybe she just has a bad temper, or something is always troubling her," Myma didn't know how to comfort him, especially since she had always had a close and loving relationship with her own parents. "Maybe she's not good at expressing it, but she still loves you."
The little demon sat on the chimney, looking down at her.
"She only ever tells me to—" He struggled to find the words. "Kill one idiot or a whole group of them."
"Oh, that's—" Myma didn't know how to respond. "You mean magical beasts? Don't you all hunt alone?"
"Magical beasts?" He scoffed. "Magical beasts aren't worth my time."
"That can't be right. All the races on the continent hunt magical beasts," Myma said, puzzled. "As far as I know, countless people die every year in Dawn hunting them. Even demons face great danger when fighting high-tier beasts. From a culinary perspective, many magical beasts taste better than livestock, but they're so expensive that ordinary people can't afford them. Even nobles only serve dishes with magical beast meat at banquets—"
The little demon gave her a sidelong glance, as if he couldn't be bothered to mock her further. Then, suddenly, he seized on a key point. "Magical beast meat?"
"If you know the proper preparation methods, some magical beast meat is far more delicious than ordinary animals. But—"
The little demon tilted his head, clearly uninterested in her lengthy explanation. "Got it."
Before Myma could react, he vanished from the tavern roof, his figure darting across the town's buildings before disappearing under the moonlight.
Now alone again, Myma sat idly on the rooftop, finishing the last piece of her pie before drowsiness overtook her.
The summer in Eloven wasn't overly hot. A cool evening breeze swept through the town, carrying a refreshing chill. The sky was sparsely clouded, and the bright moonlight bathed the land in silver.
The young girl propped her head on one hand, nodding off. She had no idea how much time had passed before the couple, who had been entwined in the flowerbed, finally parted.
Kevin whispered something, and Sophia, blushing, glanced over with an apologetic look before hurrying to call her.
Roused from her doze, Myma rubbed her eyes and yawned as she climbed down the ladder. "Good evening. It seems you two... had a pleasant night."
Sophia looked sheepish. "I'm sorry, Myma. I promised to dance with you, but... I just accepted Kevin's proposal. I need to go home now."
Wait.
Didn't you two just meet not long ago?!
Myma wasn't entirely familiar with the customs of humans in Dusk Continent—apparently, traditions varied by region—but she knew the proposal process was usually elaborate, and acceptance was only the first step. "I'll come with you. I want to sleep."
Sophia and Kevin embraced in farewell, with the latter promising not to dance with anyone else that night before returning to Crescent Keep to announce their engagement to his entire clan.
The two girls left the town of Eloven, walking along the quiet country road. A gentle night breeze rustled through the flowers dotting the hills, their whispers soft in the dark.
The sky was scattered with sparse stars, and the clear moonlight cast a silvery glow over the fields.
"Kevin just asked me about the proposal customs here—but traditionally, he's supposed to figure them out himself, or it wouldn't seem sincere," Sophia chattered on. "Of course, he didn't know that rule. But my parents will definitely agree. My aunt married a harpy. The only downside is that their home is in a tree, but my aunt spent years learning a floating spell—a wind-based magic, she called it. I don't really understand, but at least that problem was solved."
"That's nice. At least she met someone willing to teach her magic," Myma mused. "Do vampires have similar customs or requirements?"
"They do, but only after I become one of them," Sophia said, troubled. "I have to hunt several types of magical beasts for their blood—by my own hand. Creator above, it's awful. Last year, just two first-tier beasts in the garden nearly drove me mad."
The people of Dusk were known for their toughness. Even ten-year-olds dared to raise swords to chase beastlings out of chicken coops or vegetable patches. They didn't even need formal sword training—growing up fighting magical beasts was enough to familiarize them with weapons.
But Myma was thinking of something else. "Do you have to become like him?"
"Yes. Otherwise, I'd only have a few decades with him," Sophia bit her lip. She didn't seem the least bit concerned about becoming a vampire—only the hunting part troubled her. "He says it's fine if I can't do it, but I know he'd still be disappointed. And I don't want him to be mocked."
"...Is it dangerous? The transformation?"
"Usually not. He says it'll be done under the clan's protection, so no one can ambush us." Sophia sighed. "He's more worried about the ring. He can't commission my father to make the engagement ring for me. I think I might teach him—I've been sketching my dream wedding ring since I was six."
"Sophia," Myma hesitated, "are you really okay with this? You've only just met—I mean, I'm not pretending to be some expert. The Creator knows I can't even explain what 'like' means. But shouldn't you at least date first? Get to know each other?"
"Oh," Sophia looked touched. Blessings were easy to give, but she knew Myma genuinely cared. "You're right. My parents would probably say the same. But... let me tell you something."
The blushing girl leaned in, whispering into Myma's ear, "Kevin saw me at the festival when I was fourteen. He's come every year since. He said it took all his courage just to approach us today—and he was grateful you were there."
Myma: "...Huh?"
Sophia couldn't help giggling, her eyes brimming with sweetness. Under the cold moonlight, the lovestruck girl's expression softened further. "He didn't know how to talk to me or what to say. But with you there, it was different—a little lady from Dawn. Anyone could approach out of curiosity."
So that's how it was!
Seeing the joy on Sophia's face, Myma decided the rest didn't matter. They truly loved each other—that was enough. The young girl smiled, happy for her friend.
"Well, at least he's better-looking than all the unmarried boys here. And Crescent Keep isn't too far."
"Exactly! He says I can visit home often. Even at the slowest pace, it's just a few hours' trip," Sophia nodded eagerly. "I even asked him to introduce you to an unmarried vampire. He said there are plenty who—"
"Oh, thank you," Myma cut in swiftly. "I'm not considering that for now—and by 'now,' I mean the next few years."
They reached the village, where pristine white stone houses stood quietly in the night. Only the occasional chirp of insects broke the silence. Yawning, Sophia bid her goodnight.
Too tired to organize the storeroom, Myma collapsed onto her bed and fell asleep instantly.
At dawn, Myma was roused by unusual noises. Blinking groggily, she looked out the window to see the first light of daybreak spilling over the tranquil garden.
The next moment, the front door burst open. Footsteps. Something being dragged across the carpet.
Creator, spare me.
Myma groaned inwardly, overwhelmed by hunger and regret—wait.
The little demon bounded over, golden eyes gleaming in the dim morning light, dragging the carcass of a pitiful, dead antelope.
Myma tensed, scanning the carpet for bloodstains before relaxing. "...Where did you get that?"
"Red Mountains," he answered, grabbing her arm. "Cook."
Myma tried to resist, but his grip was like iron, effortlessly yanking her out of bed.
The girl sighed heavily, straightening her crumpled collar—she hadn't even changed last night. "...No one cooks at this hour."
The little demon looked up at her. Standing on the ground, Myma was just a tad taller. "People are already outside."
"...That's them. They're checking if you stole any apples from the trees. Besides, it's the festival—wait."
Myma turned.
The dead antelope's horns were long and sharp, adorned with faint, lightning-like blue patterns that occasionally flickered with light.
Crouching, Myma reached out to touch the hard, bony tips—and a jolt of numbness shot through her fingers!