Juhyun and Krystal watched as the carriage disappeared in the distance. When they both turned away, they found Jessica and Taeyeon already seated comfortably in the couch. The eldest Jung was wearing a white robe which was originally her twin’s own while Jessica was wearing Taeyeon’s long white button up. The two eldest girls lounged about comfortably next to each other on the couch. 

“Unnie…” Juhyun said as she approached the two eldest in the room. Krystal followed her older cousin and sat on the couch opposite her two sisters. 

“So how was your meeting, maknaes? What did the human Queen’s messenger tell you?” Taeyeon asked as she rested her arm over Jessica’s shoulders. 

“It was all right, unnie. The messenger was a bit intimidated though…” Juhyun managed to reply before handing the envelope to the twins. Jessica received the letter from the older maknae and opened it unceremoniously while the other three looked on with anticipation. 

She was about to read the letter aloud for everyone when their two archer cousins arrived in the great hall. Sunny and Tiffany were now clad in their black clothes in full gear ready for the ‘business’ they run on England’s East Side at night. 

“Hello there. How are my cousins doing on this idle day?” Tiffany greeted with an eye smile while Sunny gave them a bubbly ‘Hi’. 

“Oh…We’re fine, Tiff. Where are you both headed to?” Jessica replied as she eyed the bow and quiver of arrows strapped on the girls’ backs. 

“We’re going out hunting…Would you like to come?” Sunny offered as she revealed her eye smile that was on par with Tiffany’s own. 

“Sorry…Jessica and I can’t come…” Taeyeon said as she eyed her twin. “We’re off to have a secret meeting with the Queen…Well, Jessica is meeting Her Highness while I’ll be on guard…Who knows what those humans are up to…I can’t trust them as much as they cannot fully trust us.” 

The two archers turned to the youngest ones expecting an answer from them. The two maknaes just sheepishly smiled at them in return. 

“Unnies…Juhyun-unnie and I have training…So, we politely decline your offer…” Krystal spoke up for herself and for the older maknae. 

Sunny feigned disappointment on the two youngest upon hearing their answers. “Aigoo…You two could at least learn some new things from the real deal, you know…You girls are always cooped up in this mansion…” 

The two maknaes just innocently smiled. Sure they were always inside the house, but they weren’t simply idling about. The two girls were working so hard with their training that they were determined to leave their unnies in awe once they get a chance to show them what they are both capable of doing now. After all, they are both apprentices of the soon-to-be rulers of the vampire kingdom. 

“But we do learn a lot, unnie…We have been learning a lot of things during our trainings. Krystal has to study for her classes too. She has been busy patrolling her school for any suspicious acts done by vampires who seem to be mingling with the humans so well…” Juhyun rebutted. 

Seriously, arguing with Juhyun was meaningless. Everyone had to agree on that since the maknae had proven herself many times. A defeated sigh escaped Sunny’s lips as she acknowledged her failure in getting the two maknaes to go out with them. 

“All right…You do whatever you have to do, maknaes…Your Sunny-unnie and I will go out hunting tonight…” Tiffany declared as she and Sunny prepared to take their leave.

“Wait…” Jessica muttered as she stood up. The two archers turned to their cousin with a puzzled look on their faces. 

“What is it, Sica?” Sunny asked, momentarily startled by her cousin.

“I was wondering…Would you come with us to watch over the meeting?” Jessica asked. 

The two archers beamed at their cousin’s request. They would not want this opportunity to pass since the twins rarely invited them to come with them on certain occasions – unless it was a family gathering. 

“Sure. We’d love to, Jessi.” Tiffany gave her cousin an eye smile. Sunny nodded happily in agreement. 

Taeyeon and Jessica both gave out their twin smiles at their cousin’s reply. 
 

***

Scotland Yard (Nighttime)

Heavy rains poured over the streets as a two-horse drawn black carriage halted to a stop at the huge edifice where London’s best detectives lingered. Inside the carriage, four people sat comfortably, a pair facing another pair. 

“Are you ready?” Taeyeon asked her fiancée who was now clad in a black dress that seductively suggests her true nature of being a vampire royal. In her sister and cousins’ eyes, she was the true embodiment of a vampire princess. Jessica nodded without a word. She was ready to give the mortals a piece of her own brilliance as a member of the proud race of vampires.

Taeyeon found something amiss from her twin’s outfit and realized what it was after hearing the never-ending outpour of rain outside their carriage. She removed her top hat and secured it over her younger twin’s head. “There you go. Now, your outfit is complete.” The eldest Jung said with a grin on her face. 

Jessica and her two cousins just smiled, amused at the eldest girl’s gesture. “Thank you, Taengoo.” The younger Jung said as she placed a kiss on her fiancée’s cheek earning a blush from the older girl. The two archers that sat opposite them just gave out giggles of delight from the lovely moments that they were witnessing. Surely, the two younger girls were feeling fluffy inside.

A middle-aged man approached the carriage with an umbrella at hand to serve the mysterious guest that Her Highness was expecting for the night. Taeyeon and the two archers sensed his approach giving the other Jung a knowing look. With a last kiss on Jessica’s lips, Taeyeon ushered her two cousins outside through the other door where they disappeared into the night leaving Jessica behind to face the man opening the other carriage door for her. 

“Good evening, my lady.” The man said as soon as he opened the door ushering the royal vampire to come with him. Jessica simply nodded at the man in reply, knowing that the servant would be clearly intimidated by her if she would ever speak. 

The man led the young lady towards the door of the edifice all the while keeping her under the shade of the umbrella. The door to the Yard’s halls was opened by an old man who bowed to greet the vampire heiress. Again, the young vampire curtly nodded in return. 
 

***

“You should know that this cage will not keep you safe from me…Right now, I cannot hold the thirst that I am now feeling…Your scents attract me…” the imprisoned vampire taunted those who were in the room. He eyed the woman sitting at the top tier in particular. A sinister smile crept up his lips as he saw the fear that exuded from the Queen’s calm composure. The vampire could feel the fear that the Queen had for him although Her Highness did not openly show it. 

“You are in prison now…You should know your place, vampire…” one of the officials seated on the bleachers spat. 

The deranged immortal sniggered. “Don’t make me laugh! I know my place very well. I am a native to Romania and I despise you mortals. We vampires simply moved to this country because those who rule over us have been compelling us to treat people like you better...but you are just filthy lowlifes living as part of our meals everyday…” 

His rambles were followed by hearty laughs that seemed to instill fear among the people who sat in the room. “Why are you killing the innocent? We have nothing against you…” one of the gentlemen seated with the Queen asked. 

As if it was a stupid question, the vampire gave out a snicker. “You sure are dense people…Your blood keeps us up and going…And we love feeding on young people in particular…” 

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