The Troublesome Mistress and the Imperial Decree

“Claire.”

This was Seraphina’s first time setting foot in Claire’s bedroom.

“Claire?”

Perhaps due to cultural similarities, the room’s decor was remarkably similar to the bedrooms at Scarlett Manor.

Standing by Claire’s bedside, Seraphina extended a finger, waving it playfully before Claire’s eyes.

“Claire, look, how many fingers am I holding up?”

“Miss Seraphina,” Claire mumbled, clutching the duvet to her chest, her head bowed.

She timidly looked up at Seraphina, her voice barely a whisper. “If I’ve done something wrong, please, just punish me directly, alright?”

“What is the meaning of this?”

“I haven’t lost my memory, Miss Seraphina. There’s no need to treat me this way.”

Claire’s voice was so faint, so utterly meek, that she bore no resemblance whatsoever to the mistress of a grand manor.

‘Oh, hell.’

Rising, Seraphina turned to Gus, whose expression was grim. “It seems Miss Claire is quite unwell.”

“Indeed, quite unwell.”

Gus retorted, each word drawn out with extreme force and ferocity, his tone venomous.

“But Miss Seraphina, isn’t this all your doing?”

Suddenly, a surge of furious killing intent erupted from Gus, startling Seraphina so much that she almost activated her Spinosaurus form.

Black flames swirled around him as he glared sideways at Seraphina:

“I know you and Miss Claire are close… but I apologize, I, Gus, am loyal to Miss Claire, and even more so to the entire Krieg family.”

“Today is your fourth day at the manor… I’m giving you three days. Restore Miss Claire to her former self before you leave.”

“Otherwise…” Gus merely clenched his fists, and a clap of thunder instantly roared forth. “You can forget about ever leaving this mansion!”

With that, Gus turned on his heel and strode out of the bedroom.

****

“Claire.”

Seraphina struggled to compose herself, her breathing uneven.

“Wh-what’s wrong?”

Fear also filled Claire’s eyes.

“Does your butler… by any chance, wield a greatsword and used to be part of a mercenary group…?”

“I wouldn’t know. All I know is that he’s the butler.”

‘Sigh, I had intended to lighten the mood, but it seems I’ve only made it worse…’

‘Cardo! Where are you? Come save me!’

She called out for Cardo, but for some reason, the mischievous blonde vampire was nowhere to be found.

Seraphina sighed deeply, pressing a hand to her forehead. She then picked up a small desk calendar from the nightstand, detailing Claire’s schedule for the upcoming days.

‘Hmm… Is this what a day in the life of a human noble is like? It looks much more organized than Iqiyah’s.’

‘Wait, what is this!?’

Her gaze shifted to the very bottom of the schedule, where a large section on the seventh evening was conspicuously blacked out.

The original entry was crossed out,

Beneath it, a dense line of tiny script was visible.

‘A social ball!?’

‘Social Ball / 7 PM / Outskirts of Emes Town – Krieg Manor – Claire Krieg Castle.’

…

Seraphina recalled the chaotic Blood Feast.

‘Still… compared to those debauched vampire gatherings, human balls must surely be more formal, right?’

‘And if it’s a proper noble social event…’

Meanwhile, Claire, having noticed Seraphina’s gaze, immediately furrowed her brows and meekly met Seraphina’s eyes.

“Please, may I ask, have I offended you in some way?”

“….No.”

In her current frightened state, it was clear Claire couldn’t possibly attend a social ball.

‘It seems… whether it’s to ensure a smooth departure to rescue Iqiyah in the future, or to avoid causing trouble for the Krieg family, I absolutely must clean up this mess…’

“Huuuugh…”

Lost in thought, Seraphina tilted her head back, utterly resigned, and slowly slid down the wall to the floor.

‘Where should I even begin…?’

Shyness, social anxiety… the essence of these traits was nothing more than a resistance to the unknown outside world, a lack of confidence in one’s own abilities, and an intense fear of setbacks.

‘So… if I could find a way to help Claire build her confidence, would it be possible to restore her to her original state?’

But looking at this poor, timid creature, hugging her hands close… she seemed even more like a child than a young Iqiyah.

And not just any child, but… a troublesome teenager.

“Waaah…” Seraphina felt like weeping, but no tears came.

‘Not long ago, I was a mother; now I have to be a father… If this continues, my role might just transform from familiar and maid to a motherly girlfriend.’

Just as Seraphina was dramatically lamenting her fate—

“M-Miss Seraphina…”

Claire, who moments ago had been too socially anxious to even risk offending her own maid, now tugged at the ruffle on Seraphina’s maid uniform shoulder, speaking to her directly.

“What is it?”

“I know I’ve caused you a lot of trouble…”

‘Uh, actually, I’m the one who caused it all.’

‘That’s not important, what’s important is… even if you truly find Claire annoying…’

Like a small puppy being led to market for sale, desperately pleading with its owner, Claire looked at Seraphina with tear-filled eyes.

“Please, don’t abandon Claire, okay…?”

“???”

“No, Claire, get this straight: you are the mistress of this manor, alright?”

‘While I do indeed have the right to control the manor through you… your current behavior is completely backwards, it makes me feel so unnatural, hey!’

“You silly child.”

Reaching out, Seraphina stroked Claire’s golden hair. “You are the mistress of this manor, the most important person here. I wouldn’t want Claire to abandon me, much less would I ever abandon you!”

‘Mhm…’

‘Sigh… compared to Iqiyah’s blatant tantrums, this one’s subtlety is clearly much more troublesome.’

‘However, if I’m going to restore her mistress-like demeanor, I might as well start here.’

“Claire?”

“What is it…?”

“Promise me, from now on, you won’t speak like you’re begging.”

Standing up, Seraphina placed both hands on Claire’s shoulders, gazing into her eyes with the earnestness of an old father.

“As the mistress of this manor, you are its authority. You shouldn’t humbly beg others; instead, you should issue commands with the air of someone who believes ‘the world is vast, but I am the greatest’… Understood?”

“I, I…”

For some reason, faced with Seraphina’s “imperial decree” of advice, Claire simply grabbed a pillow from beside her and hid her chin behind it.

“I can’t…”

‘What the…?’

She raised her hand, about to rest it on her arm,

but then turned her head, realizing—

‘Am I scaring her by holding her shoulders like this?’

She quickly withdrew her hands, straightening up and putting some distance between herself and Claire.

‘It’s certainly right to cultivate Claire’s character… but I also need to respect her current personality and adapt accordingly.’

“Then… Claire, you tell me.”

“Mhm…”

“Miss Seraphina, I command you…”

“Won’t such a forceful tone really make others dislike me…?”

“No, sis, I’ve noticed you’re not so socially anxious when you’re complaining.”

“That’s where you’re mistaken,” Seraphina declared, a spark igniting in her eyes as she regrouped after hearing Claire’s words. “As the manor’s mistress, only with sufficient authority will others truly like you~”

“Sufficient authority, you say…?”

“So… come on, say it with me—Miss Seraphina, I command you to do twenty squats right here, right now!”

“Ah, alright, Miss Seraphina! I command you! Do twenty squats right here!”

“Alrighty then! Oh, no…” Realizing her mistake in wording, Seraphina quickly corrected herself. “I mean, yes, Miss.”

Seraphina clasped her hands behind her head and began doing squats on the spot.

“One… two…” she panted, performing the exercise while observing Claire’s expression. “See? As the mistress of this manor, everyone will obey your commands as long as you give them!”

“So… command boldly! Seven, eight…”

“Mhm…”

A trace of relief appeared on Claire’s face.

‘Good, this one is finally getting somewhere.’

Seeing Claire finally take her first step, Seraphina suddenly felt invigorated, and her squats became even more energetic.

“Eleven, twelve…”

However, just as Seraphina was deep in her squats, head bowed and full of vigor,

…

“Heh.”

A mischievous smile, however, suddenly flickered across Claire’s face.