Wolf of the Blood Moon - Book 3 - Chapter 78 - Left in the Foxes' Den (Patreon)

                                                     Scarlet

Gramps smiles at me before walking over to the balcony and opening the curtain, revealing ash-covered mountains outside of whatever large castle we’re inside. A castle that from where I’m standing as I walk over to the balcony myself, looks to be of an Eastern style. Or at least, Eastern in Earth standards.

“Your fae told me which clan you decided to head to for access to a better hunting grounds, so I just brought you there,” Gramps says, making me feel a tiny amount of fear. Especially when I see some kitsune walking around the castle, either ignoring or straight up playing tricks on the Noble servants wandering about. Some of them are even stealing from them, not that the Nobles seem to notice.

The only reason I notice is thanks to my hearing.

Well, at least I won’t have to deal with that Raiden woman. Gramps’ head maid for his castle is just straight up terrifying.

I didn’t have to deal with her for very long whatsoever, but I swear if she got a chance she would’ve tried stuffing me into a dress and making me a dress-up doll or something.

“The other kitsune probably aren’t as bad,” Tar comments, seemingly trying to comfort me.

And it works.

Until I hear a familiar voice appearing right behind me as it says, “I am here as requested, Your Majesty.”

I spin around perhaps a little too quickly to find the very kitsune I was thinking about standing behind me in a maid uniform with a polite smile on her face and that same terrifying look in her eyes.

“I will be busy handling the war, since the whole ‘no killing civilians’ rule has made the war a lot more difficult and needs more supervision,” Gramps says while placing his hand on my shoulder, bringing my gaze back to his face to find him smiling. “So I decided to ask Duchess Raiden Akuma to stay here with you and keep the other kitsune out of trouble while you’re here.”

“No, I’m sure I’ll be fine without-” I start, only for the head maid Duchess – who I am really wondering why the hell is a head maid in the first place when she is likely stronger than the Knights of Humanity – smiles slightly wider as she interrupts me, “Apologies, Your Highness, but the kitsune often lose themselves to their Greed. I’m afraid that at least one of them will attempt to steal from you while you are staying here, unable to hold themselves back even with the fear of their impending deaths hanging over their heads.” She bows slightly before straightening back up again. “It is an unfortunate shortcoming of our Demonic Curse, but one we must live with.”

My eyes widen in more than a little fear, and Gramps just pats my shoulder once more, leans in, and whispers, “Don’t worry. She may have some… odd fixations… but she’s a good person. And she’s one of the strongest kitsune.” Then he pats my shoulder again and vanishes in a swirl of blood, not letting me get a word in as I gape at where he was just standing.

I slowly turn to look at the head maid again to find her still smiling that very large, very polite, and very terrifying smile as she says, “Now, Your Highness, there are a few things your father and grandfather wish of you to do while you’re here. Duties that are your by birthright of being the Princess. But after that, I will take you to the Ashen Mountains. My family’s hunting grounds.”

A shiver runs down my spine at the mention of ‘duties that are mine by birthright,’ but the mention of the Ashen Mountains piques my interest a bit.

“You mentioned that it’s your family’s hunting grounds?” I ask, genuinely curious as I momentarily forget – mostly – her terrifying gaze.

She nods while holding her hands neatly on the front of her skirt, standing perfectly straight with the clearly trained posture of a maid, “Yes. The Raiden family is the leading family of the Kitsune Clan, standing near the top of the world in strength. And my mother is the leader of the clan.”

Raiden… family? Wait, do they have the same naming sense as what the Eastern continent on Earth used to have? Where the family name came before the given name?

That’s kind of interesting.

Wait, so Akuma is her given name then?

I stare at her for a few seconds, trying very hard to ignore the look she’s still giving me before I turn around to walk to the edge of the balcony and look out over the city.

“You mentioned some ‘duties’ that I have to perform?” I ask, sounding more than a little trepidatious.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness,” the maid says behind me. “You won’t have to do much. Just simple things such as getting your portraits done for the Royal Hall for tradition’s sake, getting regular magical imprints done of you, introducing yourself to the head of the Kitsune Clan, my mother, and that is all you will need to do for now”

I let out a sigh at that.

Right. Okay.

Wait a second, I turn around as I ask, “What’s a magical imprint?”

The woman doesn’t even blink as she continues smiling politely at me and answers, “I believe they are Tartarus’s equivalent of what the humans call ‘electronic pictures’ but through the use of magic to take and store the image instead of technology, Your Highness.”

Oh. So I’ll be getting a painting done, followed by getting my picture taken.

“You said the portrait was for tradition’s sake?” I ask her for clarification.

“Correct, Your Highness,” she says, making me feel slightly irritated by the drastic number of times she’s calling me that. “The Royal Family has a tradition of having the portraits taken of each member of the family and hung up in the Royal Grand Hall in His Majesty’s palace.”

Okay. I can deal with that.

Wait.

My eyes narrow slightly.

She said portraits.

“Why do you need more than one portrait?” I ask, growing slightly nervous.

Her grin grows wider, but she just bows slightly and motions towards the door as she says, “Right this way, Your Highness. We can get the portraits out of the way first.”

Why do I have a bad feeling about this?

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