It was all over the news.

"CROWN PRINCE JIN WEDDING CEREMONY MOST EXPENSIVE IN HISTORY"

"CROWN PRINCE JIN AND WIFE CROWN PRINCESS JISOO TO BE CORONATED"

"QUEEN TO ABDICATE IN TWO DAYS TIME"

The political right had their say.

"HOW TO SOLVE A PROBLEM LIKE KIM JISOO - DEMON QUEEN FOR THE VAMPIRE PEOPLE"

"DEMON IMMIGRATION BOOM"

"ASSIMILATION BEFORE RESIGNATION - A CALL TO TURN THE DEMON QUEEN!"

"ROYAL BLOODLINES SHOULD STAY PURE - CONVERT THE QUEEN AND SPARE THE HEIRS!"

And the left, too.

"HOW FAR WE'VE COME - NEW QUEEN FROM DEMON NATION"

"A CELEBRATION FOR MULTICULTURALISM"

"THREE CHEERS FOR DIVERSITY - ROYAL HEIRS TO BE MIXED!"

Jisoo glared down at the headlines spread before her on the table.

"Are you okay?" Rose asked, noting the grave expression on her majesty's face.

"We will start soon." Jisoo replied. "I can't be converted right away."

"Why not?"

"There's something we have to do first."

"We?"

The Crown Princess turned to her Demon friend and placed her hands on her shoulders before leaning in close to whisper in her ear, lest any Vampires nearby overhear.

"You're going to help me... you're going to help me get revenge on the place that cast us out and painted us traitors."

"Your highness!" Rose half-yelled, backing away from her.

"Are you sure you want to go against me now?" Jisoo asked, her tone and expression dark. "Remember what I can do. I can make my thoughts yours. I can trap you inside a never-ending mirror maze until you die from madness. I can raise the dead from the ground to hunt you down if I don't want to do it myself."

Rose's face turned pale, her hand clutching the side of the wooden vanity, nails scraping into the paint as she backed away from the Crown Princess. Closing her eyes tight, Rose tried to gather her thoughts. Side with the Crown Princess or be punished. Be involved in ruining her home nation or be punished. She did not hate her country. She hated how they treated her Princess, but she did not want harm to come to her family or to the nation that raised her. She had so much respect for the Crown Princess before. Sure, she had converted herself to being a Vampire to get away from the growing sentiment but still... it was her homeland. It was one thing to voluntarily leave, to run away from her family, but another to be involved in destroying the entire country.

She didn't hate her home country, she just wished things were better there.

Her Highness was the one who was mad at Revenet, why should she have to get involved?

"I thought I could trust you." Jisoo said, giving Rose the once over. "It's a shame. Revenets are all the same. You me so easily just like our people did to me back home!"

"That's not true - I'm not like them!" Rose defended.

"Then whose side are you on? Mine or theirs?"

"Your Highness!"

"What? You think you'll be welcomed back with open arms if you ever return? Be serious, Rose. Do not romanticise Revenet in your head. You went one step further than me - you're not even a Demon any more - you've betrayed them totally!"

"Stop it! That's enough!" Rose yelled.

"You'll be safe with me, though." Jisoo continued, approaching her maid who was still backing away. She outstretched her arm. "Take my side and I'll take care of you. I promise. But turn your back on me like everyone else did and I won't treat you any differently from them."

"I won't tell anyone, Crown Princess, please just let me go! I don't want to be involved in this!"

"It's too late. You already know."

"You didn't give me a choice!"

Jisoo stopped moving and folded her arms.

"Fine. Do whatever you want then."

Rose gulped as she looked at the Princess' expression. That was not a free pass she was just given. It was the Crown Princess' own way of threatening her. How could she suddenly be so cold towards her? Was she a psychopath-

"Psychopath?" Jisoo said. "You'll find that out yourself if you're not careful."

Rose was frozen to the spot, too scared to even think. So she could read minds? Was that how manipulation worked? She could get into your head and twist your own thoughts into