Chapter 12
The operation, codenamed “Blue Carriage”, was a success.
The next day, after the bell rang, Principal Kasdan walked into the classroom with a sad expression and announced that the beloved and respected Mrs. Dietrich had gone to heaven. We would certainly miss her and remember her kindness. He also said that classes were canceled for today, and a new teacher would arrive tomorrow. He wished everyone a good day and left.
All our classmates ran for the exit, but Hermione and I went to the library, where we overheard a conversation between one of the teachers. That’s how we learned that Mrs. Dietrich hadn’t shown up for school that morning. The teachers grew worried and called her at home, but, naturally, no one answered. Then they called her neighbor, who went to check and found the lifeless body of an old woman in bed. The paramedics who arrived diagnosed cardiac arrest in her sleep; the old woman had been under the care of a cardiologist for some time. There would be no inquest; the funeral was the day after tomorrow. I smiled to myself and clapped my hands; at least the old hag had died normally.
“I feel sorry for her, she wasn’t a good person, but still…” Granger said sadly.
“Do you really feel sorry for that old woman? Remember how many times she made you cry?” I stared at my friend in surprise.
“Not really, but to rejoice at someone’s death… Well, at least she died in her sleep, without suffering…” her friend continued to be sad. She’s kind, sometimes even too kind.
– Yes, she died without suffering. – I confirmed Hermione’s words with a smile. – I wonder who they’ll send tomorrow?
At this point, the discussion of Mrs. Dietrich’s death ended and we began to guess who we would see tomorrow, while discussing the books we had read and other news.
The next morning, the principal, sweating profusely and choking on his own drool, introduced us to the new teacher, Miss “Red Beast” named Anita Nelson. She looked to be about twenty-five, no more, tall and slender, with a beautiful face and curly hair almost down to her ass… ahem, lower back. But the most important thing, what made the principal sweat profusely: this beast had enormous breasts; I simply cannot describe those melons, a size F or C, as anything else! And coupled with her tight white blouse and open neckline, it seemed as if the buttons would give way at any moment and reveal the teacher’s rich “inner world” to the world. I involuntarily looked down. Well, yes, I’m only six, and I really hope that in ten years, firm mounds of a C-size will sprout on these steppes of Kazakhstan. According to my surviving memories, my mother possessed exactly that kind of breasts, the main thing is that I inherited more than just her eyes.
Surprisingly, Ms. Nelson turned out to be an excellent teacher. She was excellent at introducing new material and thoroughly explaining any unclear points, always answering questions, and was kind and very cheerful. Overall, the entire class was absolutely delighted with the new teacher.
***
In the second half of October, I learned something new about myself. Saturday began as usual, and after lunch we headed to the greenhouse to harvest eggplants and bell peppers. The girls and I gathered the vegetables into baskets, and the boys carried them to the basement under the dining room, a cold storage cellar-like space. Then I approached the bed of eggplants and heard a hissing sound under my feet:
– Watch where you’re going, you fucking lanky guy! The two-legged ones have completely lost their minds! I’ll give you a fucking thrashing right now, you won’t be able to carry it away, fucking hell!
I looked down and saw a small black and yellow snake, tiny, about fifteen centimeters, maybe. He realized I was looking at him and continued:
– What the hell are you staring at, you fucking giant! Get the f*ck out of here while you can still walk!
– And I’ll tie you in a knot right now, you overgrown worm! – all sorts of people will insult me here.
– Talking! – this miracle hissed.
– Who? What are you even talking about?
” The talking one is stupid, although all bipeds are fucking stupid. ” The snake hissed somewhat sadly.
” I’m not stupid! ” I was about to kick him, but stopped. “F*ck, I’m talking to a snake and I understand what this creepy crawly thing is saying! Holy shit!” I carefully looked around: all the girls were busy and no one was looking at me. I slowly crouched down next to a bush and put down the vegetable basket; the snake hadn’t taken his eyes off me the whole time. “Okay, let’s continue the dialogue, I wonder what this little snake has to tell me.”
“ Who are you and how did you get here? ” I asked the first thing that came to mind.
” I’m the king of snakes! The future one. ” He added the last sentence very quietly: ” And I snuck in here for the winter. In case you haven’t noticed, it’s fucking cold outside!”
– Have you met many talking people? – I became interested.
” You first, I generally try to stay away from two-legged idiots, ” the snake answered thoughtfully.
” Okay, it was nice chatting, but I have work to do. I won’t touch you, you can spend the winter here as long as you want. ” “That foul-mouthed worm is useless in terms of information, and I’m not interested in how snakes live or what they eat.”
” Speaker, stop! Take me with you! ” the creeping cord wailed.
– And why do I need you? – Really, why do I need this overgrown worm? It’s a common grass snake, it’s not even poisonous.
” What do you mean, why? I’m the most fucking awesome snake! Every female in the area dreams of mating with me! ” He raised his head proudly.
– What use are you to me? I certainly don’t intend to mate with you! – Someone clearly has delusions of grandeur.
– I… I… I will protect you! I can spy, I’m still small and I can get through anywhere! – the little snake chattered. – And you can also work miracles, I feel like I’ll become stronger next to you! I’ll absorb your power and become fucking awesome!
” And where should I keep you? I live in a shelter myself, forgive me, but I’m off to mind my own business, and you go mind your own business. ” “The offer is very tempting. We have several cats at the shelter, and Sally from the older group even has a parrot, but who would allow a six-year-old girl to keep a snake in her room, even a non-venomous one? And where, anyway? We need a terrarium, bedding, lighting, and that little brat needs to be fed!”
– Well, you’re talking! I’ll call you “Mistress”! Don’t leave me! I’m so fucking useful! – the proud “king of snakes” began to whine.
An hour later, I gave in. That bastard had been crawling around after me for an hour, trying to convince me how useful and necessary he was, and how I’d just die in a ditch without him. It turned out that serving a speaker is a true honor for a snake. And besides, winter was coming soon, and it was cold outside, but I was warm, and I simply had to warm up such a wonderful snake king, a future one at that. Anyway, when my head was already hurting from this bullshit, and he wouldn’t shut up, I picked him up and, making eyes like the cat from Shrek, went to my sister Lisa.
They gave me permission! True, on the condition that I’d pay for the snake’s furnishings, and if it escaped and crawled into someone else’s room, they’d immediately take it back to the forest or flush it down the toilet. I nodded along, wondering if I’d have enough money.
It was enough, but barely. A small terrarium, a light bulb, a bag of some dried junk as bedding for the “king snake,” plus a bag of frozen mice and small frogs, cost me twenty-two pounds, and that was all my savings. I had to spend another half hour pleading with the cooks in the kitchen to let me hide the scaly cord food in a corner of the freezer. Luckily, you don’t need to feed the baby snake every day, and the supplies will last for quite a while.
But I didn’t regret a thing. Vasya, as I called him, turned out to be very cool, except he swore like a cobbler with his toe nailed to the sole of his shoe. The boys were indifferent to my pet, only the girls promised that if he ever climbed into anyone’s room, it would be the last mistake of his life. I believed them and promised that Vasya would never leave my room. The snake, by the way, became terrified and never left the room. Hermione was very interested in my pet and even asked me to bring a pet snake to school, but I refused. Enduring his comments for the entire six hours of class was simply more than I could bear.
And so today, Friday, Halloween, after lunch I was sitting in my room, arguing with Vasya as usual. During the night, he again crawled out of his CLOSED terrarium and climbed into my bed—he feels warmer and more comfortable with me, you see! And waking up with something living and cold crawling all over you is very, very unpleasant. For the first time, I even screamed and almost threw him against the wall.
” Don’t turn off the heat at night! I’m cold, and you’re so warm! Mistress, don’t scold me, ” the little snake defended himself.
” It’s warm in the room, and the lamp is bright, I want to sleep at night too! ” I retorted.
” So why the f*ck are you showing off? Take me straight to bed tonight! I’ll quickly warm up next to you, and you won’t have to squeal like a little bitch! ” suggested this overgrown worm.
I was so insolent that I choked on air and started looking for something to hit this impudent fellow with, but then there was a knock on the door.
– It’s open! – I said loudly.
Lady Priscilla entered the room, followed immediately by Lady Integra Hellsing herself—yes, the very one from the portrait in the hall. For a second, I forgot how to breathe, and then, coming to my senses, I jumped out of bed and stood at attention.
“Hello, Riya, may I introduce you to Lady Integra Hellsing?” Lady Sellon waved her hand toward her guest. “We would like to speak with you.”
– Hello. – That’s all I could say.
Lady Hellsing scanned the room, her gaze lingering on Vasya, who was sitting on the pillow. Then, as if using an X-ray, she examined me.
” Well, fuck! Mistress, I’ll cover you! ” Vasya hissed and quickly crawled under the pillow. What a cowardly bastard, leaving me here alone.
“Riya, would you like to have a real family? A home of your own? A mother who would only care for you?” Lady spoke softly, completely throwing me off balance. From what I’d heard from other children, adoptions from our orphanage were extremely rare; the last time that happened was just last year.
“Yes.” I nodded hesitantly, a thought dawning in my head. “No, that’s nonsense! Why would an entire baroness, the head of a military organization, need some orphan girl?”
“Lady Integra wants to adopt you,” the orphanage manager said with a smile. “Do you mind?”
What should I say? You can’t refuse offers like that! If I accept, I’ll get everything I need: a family, protection, an education—it’s a golden ticket to a new life! But how will she react to the fact that I’m a witch? Will she take me back or accept me as I am? Should I just ask her right away? What should I do?
While I was frantically trying to figure out who was to blame and what to do, Integra nodded to Lady Priscilla, who left the room. Lady Hellsing knelt before me, smiled warmly, looked me in the eyes, and asked:
– Do you want to be my daughter? I promise I will take care of you like my own.
– I agree! – Oh, come what may, let’s put our cards on the table. I don’t want to go back to the shelter in a month. Otherwise, they’ll burn me at the stake. – But I have a secret, I can do strange things…
“I know, it’s called magic.” She smirked and added, “You’re a sorceress, there’s nothing wrong with that. I’ll find you a good teacher and together we’ll develop your gift.”
– But how? How do you know? – So she knows? But I only trained alone and in my room. What if she knows about the old woman too?
“I have my own sources. Don’t worry, only I and one other, ahem, person know about this. I’ll introduce you to him at the mansion. He’s scary in appearance, but very kind at heart.” At the end of her speech, Lady Integra chuckled so loudly that the last sentence was hard to believe.
– I… I agree, Lady Hellsing, but I have two conditions! – Let’s go all in.
– Just call me Integra, – she faked a smile. – What are the conditions?
“I’ll continue to go to my school in Crawley and Vasya will come with me!” she said, looking her firmly in the eyes.
“Okay, but who is Vasya?” my future mother asked inquisitively.
” Vasya, get out, we’re moving, ” I hissed into the pillow. The coward poked his head out from under the pillow, saw Integra, and hid back. Lady Hellsing chuckled contentedly and looked at me differently.
“Okay, we’ll set up a terrarium for the pet in your room. As for school, my estate is about an hour’s drive from Crawley, and if you’re willing to get up an hour earlier every morning, that’s fine with me. Just tell me, why this school in particular?”
– My friend is there, and getting up early is not a problem. – We’ll stay until the end.
“It’s really hard to find good friends, and if you’ve grown so attached to her, then I have no objections.” Integra smiled and stood up. Damn, she’s so tall, definitely six feet two inches. “Pack your things and say goodbye to your friends; we’re leaving in about an hour.”
After Integra left my room, I started packing. I didn’t have much, so I finished in about twenty minutes. Vasya flatly refused to go into the terrarium and dove into the sleeve of my sweatshirt, wrapping himself around my wrist. Exactly half an hour later, there was a knock on the door, and an elderly, dark-haired man entered the room. He was dressed in black trousers, a white shirt, and a black vest, the lens of his monocle gleaming in his left eye. He carefully surveyed me and the room, smiled warmly, and began:
“Young lady, allow me to introduce myself – my name is Walter, I am the butler and personal driver of Lady Integra.” He bowed his head: “May I carry your things to the car?”
I nodded silently; there was something strange about him. His movements and gaze spoke of not just a seasoned fighter, but, more likely, a killer. Definitely not a simple butler, but at the very least, a bodyguard as well.
“The car is waiting at the main entrance, young lady.” Walter took my things, nodded respectfully, and left the premises.
I dreaded saying goodbye to the kids most of all. We hadn’t become close friends over the past four months, but I maintained good camaraderie with everyone. As it turned out, my worries were needless: the boys and girls were happy for me, and I felt no hatred or anger from them—only sadness and a smidgen, just a tiny bit of envy. After all, Lady Integra is an idol for almost everyone at the orphanage, they simply worship her. And when I said I’d continue attending our school, they cheered up and demanded a full report on how the Baronesses were currently living. Anyway, we said goodbye cheerfully and warmly; we’d see each other on Monday anyway. And Lady Priscilla and Father Ben told me that the doors of the Church and the orphanage were always open to me, and that I shouldn’t forget to visit them.
Walking out of the shelter, I was stunned. Walter was standing at the entrance, and next to him was a massive, heavily tinted black Rolls-Royce. Seeing me, this special-purpose butler opened the passenger door and respectfully waved me inside. I climbed in, careful not to scratch or stain anything, and the man slammed the thick, clearly armored door shut. Integra was already in the car, and I settled in next to her and began to admire the luxurious interior. There was even a TV and a telephone, and it was 1986!
“Get used to it, you’ll be driving to school in the same one.” Integra smiled at me and turned to the driver. “Let’s go home, Walter, I want to be in time for dinner.”
“As you command, madam,” the butler replied from the driver’s seat. “Young madam, please fasten your seat belt. Your safety is my immediate responsibility.”
As soon as I buckled up, the car pulled away smoothly and drove almost silently toward London, taking me to a new life. I hope I’ll like it there and find out why they chose me.
Accepted,” the soldier nodded and waved the device in front of Walter’s face, nodded again and walked over to our window.
“Good evening, Jeffrey.” The lady nodded to the fighter and turned to me: “Rigel, this is a standard check.”
The soldier waved the “artifact” in front of Integra’s face, walked around the car, and repeated the procedure on me. When that thing passed in front of me, it felt like I was being wiped with a hot, wet towel. They’re probably checking for Polyjuice Potion; I remember Hermione brewing that mess in the bathroom in her second year. And if ordinary schoolchildren can make it, it’s probably common, and this testing wouldn’t hurt. A little girl who’s actually a suicide bomber with a suicide vest walks into the building, and that’s it. I take back what I said, safety first.
As soon as the soldier finished the check, he immediately stood at attention and gave a military salute.
“Welcome back, Lady Integra!” After his words, the iron gates slid aside, and we entered the grounds. Nice. A straight, wide road leads to a tall, three-story building with columns. To the left and right are two more roads that curve around the mansion and go beyond it, where other buildings and structures are visible. The road is surrounded by a lawn with flower beds, and there are even a couple of fountains. Hmm, the bourgeoisie lives beautifully.
Our car stopped in front of a high white stone porch. Walter got out and gallantly opened the door for Lady Integra. After she left the car, a special butler walked around the car and opened my door, and I was forced to leave this cozy spot.
When we entered the mansion, my mouth dropped open in amazement and my head spun around. Luxury reigned supreme; literally everything spoke of status and wealth. An expensive carpet, a chic chandelier, beige wallpaper with monograms, and antique furniture. Everything looked very expensive, but not vulgar, rather organic and tasteful. We climbed a wide staircase of milky-white marble to the second floor.
“Walter will show you to your quarters and bring your things.” The lady glanced at her watch. “See you in half an hour for dinner.”
She walked up the stairs to the third floor, and the butler gestured for me to follow him. After a dozen meters, we stopped in front of a mahogany door with a gilded handle, which the man gallantly opened for me.
This isn’t a room, damn it, it’s a suite in a fancy hotel! Abramovich’s apartment, damn it! My entire two-room apartment from my previous life was half the size of this… room.
“Your quarters, young lady.” He gestured around the mansion. “Before you is your sitting room, the doors on the left lead to the bedroom, bathroom, and dressing room. All three rooms are connected, so you can get from the bedroom to the dressing room, for example, without having to come out here. On the right, you see the door to your study. Due to your age, it’s more suited for play and study, but the years will fly by.” The butler smiled slyly and led me on a brief tour of the premises.
Most of the bedroom was taken up by a three-by-three-meter canopy bed, pardon the pun. A large color TV with a sound system on a stand sat in the center of the living room, with a black leather sofa in front of it. In the study, a wide, ornate desk with a comfortable-looking leather chair stood in front of the window. Along one wall stretched a huge wooden shelving unit filled with a variety of toys, and next to it, a substantial bookcase filled with various books.
All the rooms were decorated in blue and turquoise: turquoise wallpaper with a light blue abstract pattern, and the huge windows were covered with thick blue curtains. Someone had painstakingly prepared for my arrival. I felt both pleased and a little awkward; I wasn’t used to this.
“Is this all for me?” I asked, wandering around the room in a daze.
“Of course! You are the future Lady Hellsing and should not live in a barn.” The butler answered and, looking me over, added: “Please make yourself comfortable and change for dinner.”
– Change? – I looked carefully at my clothes: a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and black sneakers, everything was clean and tidy. – What’s wrong with my clothes?
“My apologies, young lady, you are a future lady and will be dining at the same table as the Baroness, and in the sacred house of Hellsing there are certain rules and traditions that all residents of this house observe without exception. You can choose the right dress in the dressing room.” He nodded towards the door closest to the exit. “I’ll be back in half an hour to escort you to the dining room.”
When the door closed behind him, I began to examine my new possessions more thoughtfully. The TV had a remote control and proudly displayed the Russian inscription “RUBY.” The bookcase was filled with a pile of children’s fairy tales and encyclopedias in the style of “I Explore the World,” and among the toys were numerous construction sets and various educational games. I also noticed a small tea table with two chairs in the living room, but upon closer inspection, I realized it was a chess table, with the pieces cleverly hidden inside. The bathroom was a delight! Large, bright, and the sight of the white marble bathtub, more like a small pool, with a ton of oils and shampoos on the shelf nearby, made my whole body itch. After dinner, I’ll definitely try this miracle. The dressing room turned out to be not a closet, but a small room: along the left wall was a metal rod with a dozen dresses about my size, and on the right were two pull-out closets with casual and sportswear, a separate one with underwear, and a rack with shoes. Also, incidentally, in my size.
I chose a simple black dress with loose sleeves and cute low-heeled leather shoes to match the dress, and quickly changed. The dressing room door had a full-length mirror on the back. I made sure I looked as presentable as possible, nodded to myself, and headed out. The allotted half hour should have passed by now, and sure enough, as soon as I approached the door, there was a polite knock. I silently opened it and met the butler’s gaze, who looked me over carefully, nodded contentedly, and, turning, asked me to follow him.
We descended to the first floor, turned right, and a couple of minutes later found ourselves at a pair of large gilded doors. Lady Integra stood before them, wearing her usual pantsuit, only this time in dark blue. Next to her stood a slender, short girl, somewhat disconcerting. She wore a strange military uniform—standard, it seemed, but it was dark red and short-sleeved, and her skirt would have been more appropriate for a stripper than a soldier: above the knees and oh-so-tight. She completed her outfit with matching stockings and black combat boots. I looked up: the wretched jacket, buttoned up to the top, barely contained a rich inner world, perhaps a size four or five. And all this was crowned by a sweet face with regular features, a neat little nose, a short mop of golden hair, and eyes that involuntarily stopped me in my tracks. Her eyes were red and glowed faintly, like two embers. She held a metal safe under her right armpit as if it were made of foam. Upon seeing me, she smiled happily, revealing a set of sharp, needle-like fangs and stared at me strangely.
– WEEEEEEE!!! – This person squealed and, dropping the safe, rushed towards me, accompanied by the dull sound of the heavy iron box hitting the floor. Before I could blink, I found myself in the arms of this crazy woman. – She is so sweet! So pretty! Mistress, I will be the best nanny! You can rely on me! She will be completely safe!
I was pressed against huge cans and literally cuddled, like a cute puppy or kitten! Then she spun around with me a couple of times, examined me with her arms outstretched, and then hugged me again, purring like a big cat. I managed to look at Walter, who stood there like a rock. Oh, no, his left eye twitched a couple of times. Then I turned my head with difficulty and glanced at Integra, who stood there with her hand to her face, shaking her head. The scene was completed by the safe, its edge stuck in the marble floor.
“Captain Seras! Attention!” Lady Hellsing barked. The madwoman froze in place, looking at me and everyone around her with a knowing look, and with a somewhat guilty smile, she set me down on the floor. Then she stood at attention and placed her right palm to her temple.
“Rigel, meet Victoria Seras, from this day forward she’s responsible for your safety,” my new mother said somewhat tiredly.
“Victoria is a true vampire and possesses colossal firepower. She alone constitutes a separate assault unit of the Order of Protestant Knights,” Walter continued. “And from this day forward, young lady, she is your nanny.”
Holy shit, what the hell kind of world have I ended up in? A deranged vampire with an older sister complex is going to guard me, but what if she wants to eat? It’s like trusting a cat to guard KitKat! Or is she under strict control? What else is going on in this mansion? Compared to this, trolls, basilisks, and other such crap at a school for young wizards seem like the norm.
While I was musing, the lady crouched down in front of the safe and pulled out a stone slab. She then motioned for me to come closer and placed her right palm on the artifact. I followed her example, and as soon as my hand touched the warm stone, something tingled in my palm, and an incredible sense of relief washed over me, as if a heavy beam had been lifted from my shoulders, and a pleasant warmth once again filled my chest.
“Now you can work your magic on the estate grounds.” The lady smiled at me and placed the plate back in the black box. “It’s best not to touch the safe; it’s made of cold iron; powerful mages can experience physical pain upon contact. Victoria, take the control artifact back to the vault. We’ll be waiting for you in the dining room.”
“Yes sir, mistress!” the vampiress barked, instantly appearing at the iron box and, picking it up as if it weighed nothing, running off in an unknown direction. Where the safe had fallen, a deep dent remained in the marble.
As soon as Victoria had fled, the butler opened the doors for us. The dining room turned out to be quite large, seating about thirty, and pleasantly decorated: the walls were covered in expensive wallpaper in a pleasant turquoise color, three enormous glass chandeliers hung from the ceiling providing ample lighting, and huge panoramic windows in the side walls allowed us to admire the surrounding views. The windows on the left overlooked a park with benches and a gazebo, while on the right, they looked out onto an army parade ground and an armored vehicle parking lot. It looked very unusual. In the wall opposite the entrance, there was a huge fireplace, now crackling rhythmically with burning logs, and on the mantelpiece, I noticed numerous photographs and figurines. I’ll definitely examine everything in detail later, oh, this childish curiosity. The long dark wood table was set for just two people: Lady Hellsing at the head, and me to her right. I wondered where Walter and Victoria would eat? Although, with the vampire it’s understandable, but the butler?
I hadn’t even reached my seat when HE appeared from the shadow of the fireplace! Honestly, it’s a good thing I went to the bathroom before dinner, otherwise I would have shit myself right there. This tall man in an old-fashioned black three-piece suit, a red cape, and a red wide-brimmed hat inspired terror and a desire to run as far as I could before his own screams! He exuded power, death, and hunger. Compared to him, the Dark Lord of my memories was like a teenage street thug compared to a seasoned special forces soldier who had been through the crucible of war. The stranger’s eyes behind his orange glasses blazed with hellish fire, and he grinned broadly from ear to ear, revealing a huge maw full of needle-like fangs. I, speechless with horror, took a step back and bumped my back into something.
– KYAAAAA!!! – I screamed and spun 180 degrees in a jump, and he stood in front of me, smiling sweetly. I swallowed involuntarily and was about to faint, when he knelt down in front of me and bowed his head.
“Pleased to meet you, future mistress. Allow me to introduce myself: loyal servant of the Hellsing family, Alucard.” His quiet voice was mesmerizing, bestowing an inexplicable sense of calm and security. Having received new instructions, I looked at this monster again and realized the main thing: I really need to go to the bathroom; this monster is scaring the shit out of me.
Our acquaintance was interrupted by the quick clicking of Integra’s heels as she approached this monster and gave him a juicy slap on the back of the head.
“Don’t scare the child! Idiot!” The lady, clearly furious, added another slap. “Ria, don’t be afraid of that ancient cretin, he won’t lay a finger on you, on the contrary, he will protect you. Meet Alucard, a loyal servant and protector of the Hellsing family, and if he scares you again, he’ll go on a diet of sewer rats. And anyway, he’s off sweets for the next week, I’ll tell Victoria. Do you understand me, idiot?!”
She had already shouted the last phrase, and the “ancient monster” looked guiltily at the floor and snorted resentfully. The butler’s calm voice brought me out of my stupor.
“If you’re done with the introductions, please take your seats at the table so the servants can finally serve dinner.” This “Barrymore”‘s voice is still so imperturbable it’s almost infuriating.
We came to our senses. Integra glared at Alucard like an angry wife at a husband who’d screwed up, and went to her seat. The ancient vampire followed her silently, shuffling, one foot in front of the other, and sat down to her left. I walked over, stiff-legged, and sat down to the right of the angry baroness, opposite the upset monster. I even felt a little sorry for the poor guy, because an adult mind understands what a treat he’d been deprived of for a week. I really hope this was our last introduction for today. Please, that’s enough!
“Aren’t I that late!?” Victoria burst into the dining room, looking cheerful. Upon seeing the angry mistress and the sad old vampire, she looked questioningly at Walter. He glanced at Alucard and shook his head, while the girl nodded understandingly and silently sat down next to me.
Dinner passed in tense silence. Two elderly maids handed us various dishes. I initially panicked at the sight of a pile of different forks and spoons in front of me, but then I forgot about it and simply chose what I thought was the most convenient fork. Look, the vampires were even served a liter-sized crystal decanter of a red, viscous liquid, and I’m sure it wasn’t tomato juice. Alucard sipped aristocratically from a tall goblet, while Victoria poured herself an ordinary faceted glass, downed it in one gulp, poured a second, and savored it silently. Then Vasya started to stir in my sleeve; he’d flatly refused to leave my side since leaving the orphanage, citing his duty to protect his mistress. So I believed that cowardly bastard, yeah. But he climbed onto the table and caused a lot of emotions in at least one of those present.
– What a baby! – the vampiress was touched.
– My baby won’t fit in your mouth! You fucking slut! – Vasya is clearly nervous and scared.
“What did he say?” Victoria asked.
“He’s hungry,” I replied. “Well, I can’t translate from snake language, can I? I’ll be left without a pet. Yes, he’s cowardly, yes, he swears, but he’s one of us! And anyway, we’re responsible for those we’ve tamed.” “Integra, could I get Vasya a quail egg?” “I’m not asking him for a mouse, really.”
Integra waved her hand silently at my request, and a couple of minutes later, a saucer with a speckled egg appeared in front of the snake. Vasya strained and gobbled it down fairly quickly**, after which he immediately hid in my sleeve, leaving me to ponder the new meanings of the expression “stretching a snake onto a cactus.” Thankfully, he didn’t dispose of the egg right there. The rest of the dinner proceeded in complete silence.
“Rigel, please go to your room.” The lady smiled tensely. “I need to talk to someone. Take a bath, I’ll be back in about an hour.”
Like an obedient girl, I silently stood up and left the dining room. I had a feeling someone was about to get a real beating. As soon as the door closed behind me, I heard the muffled growl of the head of the Order of Protestant Knights, but I didn’t eavesdrop and quickly went to my room. The luxurious bathroom beckoned.
I spent about forty minutes in the bathroom until my skin squeaked like the dishes in a detergent commercial. Now I was lying on a huge bed with a copy of “A History of the British Empire for the Little Ones,” dressed in soft terrycloth pajamas. Conveniently, there was a small nightlight above the bed for reading.
There was a polite knock, and Integra entered, wearing a red silk robe instead of her usual pantsuit. She quietly closed the door behind her, walked over to me, and sat carefully on the edge of the bed.
“I’m sorry about Alucard, he can be unbearable sometimes.” She smiled apologetically. “He’s the one who found you and watched you closely for the last couple of months. He really didn’t want to scare you. In fact, this weirdo is a good guy and will protect us to the last. I hope you don’t hold a grudge against him?”
– No. It’s just that it all happened so quickly, and he’s so scary… – I didn’t know what to say, seeing this iron lady so… Homely, it was very strange.
“You know, I’ll never be able to have a child.” She looked at me with a mixture of longing and hope. “I don’t know how to act with children. My father… He spent little time with me and died when I was twelve, and I simply don’t remember my mother—she died in childbirth. Will you help me become a real mother, not just an Integra?”
– I never had a mother… – Scraps of memories don’t count. The lump in my throat prevents me from speaking.
– Will you let me try? Will we study together? I’ll learn to be a mother, and you’ll learn to be a daughter?
I strained with all my might and felt such pain and despair from her that, unable to bear it, I burst into tears, dropped the book, and hugged her. A few seconds later, she returned my embrace and hugged me very tightly. I don’t know how long we sat like that, but at some point, Integra gently pushed me away, laid me down on the bed, and went to the bookcase. There she found the book she needed, carefully picked it up, and sat back down.
“You know, when I was little, my father used to read me this story.” She wiped away a tear with her left hand, smiled warmly at me, and began reading the first fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm collection. Only in her rendition, the story seemed not scary, but instructive. And her voice was soft and kind, instead of the usual commanding and demanding one. I didn’t even notice how I fell asleep.
—-
* Beta remembered the scene from the old film “Dracula: Dead and Loving It” with Leslie Nielsen, when Dracula drove the vampires away from Renfield’s room and the beauties, who had been hovering until then, trudged down the corridor with a very specific gait XD.
