Blood Clan Council.
They usually discussed upcoming plans.
Like the Blood Clan’s next offensive direction, strategies for attacking which nation, and so on.
This was the highest council—
Only sixteen top-ranking Princes were invited.
Hestia, dressed in a gothic Lolita gown, sat on the throne.
She held the rabbit plushie tightly in her arms.
Honestly, she didn’t look like a ruler above the Princes at all.
Yet every Prince here had witnessed Hestia’s power firsthand.
So none dared to speak.
Beside Hestia stood the council minister, the planner of the vampires’ past and future.
After she took her seat, she gave him a look.
He knew she wanted it brief and clear.
He swallowed nervously.
Then began explaining the vampires’ next move.
“Our invasion: we seized the Elves’ lands first for endless blood stockpiles and to harvest Elven ore stored there. Most ore is already in our hands. So fearing humans? No—we should push into their territories…”
“Human territories?”
After the minister finished the battle plan,
dead silence fell.
Each Prince stared up at the queen with shocked eyes.
Fear kept them quiet.
No one dared oppose her.
But one man raised his hand—Albert.
The minister glanced nervously at Hestia. She nodded silently.
“What is it, Albert? Doubts about the plan? Or a better idea?”
“No objections. But why rush to attack human cities, Your Majesty?”
Albert’s tone and attire were oddly flamboyant.
Yet he’d struck a nerve.
This was what the other Princes wondered too.
—Why was the queen so eager?—
They’d only mined Elven ore for a decade.
In war, that ore was pure combat power.
Only Elven ore powered massive weapons.
Victory required it.
—Elven ore fueled the entire nation.
Its magical energy was unimaginable.
The world’s richest magical ore.
Besides, blood supplies were still ample.
Many vampire armies were content with this.
Waiting until blood ran low before attacking would boost morale, right?
Elven blood was the finest.
Their current tactic: semi-forced breeding.
Most Elves had mates assigned at birth.
Only a few were sold directly to nobles from breeding farms.
“Why? Must I have a reason to conquer the world?”
Hestia stood slowly, glaring down with icy slit pupils.
She was the supreme queen.
The Blood Clan owed everything to her.
Born from the Blood Pool—she was the vampire king of kings.
No one here disobeyed her.
Albert began clapping.
“Truly regal. A queen worthy of our service.”
Hestia watched him warily.
One word flashed in her mind.
—A wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Danger hid behind that smile.
She’d stay cautious.
“But Your Majesty, attacking now might stir unrest. The city’s stable. Neighboring humans trade with us, unaware. Striking the largest nation would sever trade routes…”
“Stable? You see only the surface. Humans know we rule this Elven city. They trade out of fear. And crucially—the Belle Theocracy knows we exist. They’re gathering forces to attack us.”
“Y-You what!?”
The Belle Theocracy hunted vampires. All sixteen Princes had faced their might.
The nation that nearly wiped them out in the Blood Pool.
That’s why they’d targeted the Elves.
While they pondered, Hestia walked to the map.
Her slender finger stabbed a small country.
“Attacking here is enough. A tiny nation—but a vital trade hub…”
She pointed to the independent kingdom between two empires.
Her ambition was vast.
Seizing it would dominate trade.
Isolating the empires, they’d be helpless.
Like an RPG’s neutral zone.
But capturing it unseen? Nearly impossible.
“Your Majesty, how can we take it?”
“Simple. Offer Elven ore as pretext. Send me—and several Princes—into the capital. Attack directly using Enthrallment. Then puppet rulers will silently absorb the region.”
“But if exposed, the consequences…”
Minister Griffith Brian feared her authority.
Yet for the vampires’ future, he spoke.
“If it fails, I’ll handle it—”
Those three words proved her overwhelming power.
Still, Prince Albert Alibert hesitated.
“Something else?” Hestia asked the frowning Prince.
“Will it succeed? What’s the success rate?”
“Ah, probability. With me involved, could it fail?”
“I don’t doubt Your Majesty. I worry the other Princes might slow you down…”
“No issue. Enthrallment will control them. Temporary loyal slaves. Then we seize the capital…”
Hestia explained quietly.
She returned slowly to her throne.
Hugged the rabbit plushie again—oddly mismatched with her aura.
Her sharp fangs bit its long ear.
Everyone noticed.
—A world-conquering queen, yet still a little girl.
Minister Griffith defended her.
“Let’s proceed as Her Majesty commands. I’ll finalize details. Acceptable, Your Majesty?”
“Fine…”
Hestia replied softly. She’d said her piece.
Fail this simple task? They didn’t deserve to be Princes.
“Understood, Your Majesty—”
Chief of Staff Griffith bowed deeply, then issued orders.
Planning took months.
They’d prepare under the Crimson Empire’s banner.
Ready to follow Queen Hestia and claim the world.
Hestia bit the rabbit’s ear, gazing at the map.
She remembered Mirena’s long Elven ears.
—So cute.
She longed to bite those soft, warm ears again.
Imagining their feel against her fangs.
In her room, Mirena sneezed.
She’d been in bed, drifting to sleep.
Someone must be gossiping about her.
Her superhuman hearing caught noisy chatter downstairs.
“So loud—”
Vampires were night owls.
But Mirena wasn’t.
Held by Hestia, she ignored the noise.
Alone, she felt uneasy.
Especially in this dark, vast room.
Still, Mirena forced herself to sleep.
