Fangless: The Alpha's Vampire Mate
Chapter 56: The Never-Ending Chore List

Chapter 56: The Never-Ending Chore List

Finally, the day of the Blood Moon Masquerade arrived.

The royal palace had been buzzing with activity ever since the sun was still high. The servants hurried through the corridor to get their jobs done. There was no time for a chit-chat, not even for a second.

The royal family prepared diligently for the evening’s party. Lady Maris and Lisbeth soaked themselves in milk and honey baths to rejuvenate their skin.

At the same time, King Valentin was attending to urgent matters demanding his attention.

In preparation for the grand event, the Elders Assembly had taken residence in the palace for several days, overseeing the arrangements. Coven Leaders had been arriving since days prior and continued to do so.

While nobles and young vampires would enjoy the party, the elders had a more serious duty to fulfill that night.

They would allocate members of their group to seclude themselves in the chapel. The chosen members were usually picked based on age.

The Blood Moon was a rare and sacred event for vampires because they believed that on this night, the veil between the living and ancestral spirits was at its thinnest.

It became the perfect time to communicate with and seek guidance from these spirits, which was precisely what the elders intended to do in their isolated space.

Meanwhile, Riona, still serving out her punishment as a servant, joined others in preparing for the party. Despite the nonstop tasks and no time to rest even for a second, she remained content.

"What’s with you? Why are you smirking like that?" a fellow servant remarked.

"Wipe that off your face, will you? Your expression is enough to blind us all! Ugh, I want to throw up," another chimed in.

"Let her be! She spent her entire wage on new clothes for the mute," a servant nudged her colleague, carrying a basket of dirty laundry.

"Pfft!" They chuckled and turned away. "Good grief! What’s the point? Did she really think he’d be allowed into the main hall at all?" Their mocking voices faded as they moved on, but Riona caught every word.

Fortunately, Riona was in too good of a mood to be bothered by those brainless lowly vampires. They couldn’t touch her, not now.

Thorin had promised to bring Florian with him to the party, and Riona would soon prepare herself and join the group. Their plan would fail if she didn’t appear.

She had hoped the tasks assigned to her would involve fire, explosions, or something requiring speed and immense strength. That way, she could finish her duties in a flash.

But no, instead of tasks where she could use her powers, she was told to scrub various surfaces, prepare food—without tasting any of it, which was the worst—clean the utensils and vegetables, and change the curtains.

"Be quick! You volunteered to do a two-person job, so do it! I won’t tolerate any slacking off just because today is a big day," Juan the Cook clapped his meaty hands near Riona’s ears.

Riona wanted to give her brother the time of his life because this would be his first Blood Moon Masquerade. She took on Florian’s duties for the day so he could prepare himself well for the party.

The problem was that Juan the Cook and Miss Olive didn’t always see fang-to-fang.

How was Riona supposed to scrub the silverware and change the curtains in the main hall at the same time? No kidding.

Having two bosses really complicated Riona’s work. On normal days, she would alternate between serving in the kitchen and other public areas of the palace.

However, since today was a big day, every servant worked in all areas of the palace regardless of their usual duties.

It was particularly hectic for Riona, who didn’t have a fixed station to begin with since, technically, she wasn’t even a servant.

"Why are you still here, fangless? Did you change the fourth curtain on the north side of the hall?" Miss Olive barged into the kitchen and let out a frustrated sigh when she saw Riona crouching down, taking out more silverware from the bottom storage.

"Um, no, not yet. I haven’t left the kitchen since you were here. There were just too many things to do here," Riona said.

Miss Olive glared at the fat cook and snapped through gritted teeth, "Juan, didn’t I tell you that the grand hall is much more important than this filthy kitchen?"

She groaned, massaging her temple as if that answer caused her actual, physical pain. She tapped her feet on the stone floor, showing her visible displeasure at Juan the Cook’s deliberate ignorance of her previous demands.

"No one will come here. Nobody cares about the state of this place. But the grand hall is different. It’s the focal point of the palace tonight. How well the grand hall is decorated will reflect His Majesty’s reputation," she fumed.

Juan the Cook scoffed. He wanted to appear powerful by crossing his arms, but his stomach bulged too much for him to touch his elbows. It took Riona all of her energy to stifle her laughter.

"Listen, just because you’re older doesn’t mean you know better than I do. You may have lived for more than a hundred years, but you don’t understand how important a meal is to someone," he argued.

Riona couldn’t help but agree with his words. Truly, there was nothing more important than food. If she could have good food for the rest of her long vampire life, she would not need anything else.

Feeling like he had won the battle, Juan the Cook continued with swelling arrogance. "We must meticulously prepare the meals to be served to our esteemed guests. Once good food fills their stomachs, their impression of the palace will automatically be positive."

Riona nodded in silence, supporting his claim without saying a word.

"Fangless will do what I told her to do. You shall find someone else to hang that curtain in the grand hall. And if it’s that important, why don’t you hang it yourself?"

Riona couldn’t hold back anymore. She blurted out a short but loud chuckle. Miss Olive clenched her fists in fury and left the kitchen, feeling humiliated.

That laughter seemed to be the cherry on top of the shame cake Juan the Cook served to Miss Olive. Pleased with Riona’s impromptu help, he decided, "You may go and prepare yourself for the party after you’re done with the utensils. Place them tidily on the table, alright?"

"Yes, sir!" Riona jumped up, placing her stiff palm on her eyebrow as if she were already part of the Nightwarden.

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