Chapter 7: Da~te, Da~te, It’s time for a Da~te! (The Vampire and Mana’s Date Part 1)

Hello, everyone! It's Vampire Princess Lily, here to share my latest adventure. After finishing up my cuddle time with Yami, I'm getting ready for my date with Mana. Mana is an amazing and brilliant girl who graduated from the academy early and is now the headmaster. She always appears bubbly and happy on the outside, but I know there's more to her than meets the eye. She carries a lot of pain and sorrow in her heart, and I'm the only one she's shown that side of herself to. Since becoming wives six months ago, she's been improving and smiling more often around Lucy and Yami. However, when we first met, she would only genuinely smile when we were alone. This time, I want to take charge of our date and make sure she enjoys herself. I'll explain more about my plan later. But first, it's time for our date!

"Mana! Good afternoon! Are you ready for our date?" I run up to her and give her a big hug as soon as I see her.

"Good afternoon, Lily. You're always so sweet. I know you love music, so I was thinking we could go to a Lorelei concert. What do you think?" Mana suggests.

I can tell Mana is trying to push herself, but I want her to enjoy our date. "I appreciate you remembering how much I love music, and that does sound fun. However, I'm feeling a little tired from walking around all day. Maybe we could go somewhere less crowded near the concert, like a place to eat, and chat while listening to the music from afar?" I offer.

I see a slight sigh of relief and a small smile on Mana's face before she responds. "If you're okay with that, then that's fine with me. I know just the place to go eat. I used to go there all the time when I was in the academy," Mana says.

I'm excited to learn more about Mana's academy days, but I'm starting to feel fatigued. I don't want to ask, but I know Mana has above-average physical strength since she's a demi-human. "Yatta! I'm so excited to hear more about your academy days. But...umh..." I hesitate.

"What's wrong, Lily? Ah, I forgot you've been walking around all day today at school and on your dates. I'll carry you to dinner so you can rest and mofu-mofu my ears until we get there," Mana offers.

I didn't even need to ask; Mana knows me very well, just like I know her. "Ehehehe, thank you, Mana. I love you," I say.

"You're welcome, Lily. I love you too," Mana responds.

As we exchange declarations of love, I start mofu-mofuing Mana's neko ears. "Aaahh...mofu-mofu is the best...so warm and soft...yaaawn..." I start to doze off in Mana's arms.

"Go ahead and rest for now, Lily. I'll wake you up when we get there," Mana says.

"Zzz..." I fall asleep.

"Hahaha...I know you suggested we go somewhere less crowded for me, Lily. Thank you for thinking of me. I love you, my princess," Mana says with a smile.

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P.O.V. Change: Mana

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Hi, everyone. It's Mana. I'm walking to the diner with Lily still sleeping in my arms. It's amazing how much my life has changed in a year. A year ago, I never would have believed that I would be one of the Princess's wives and blood servants, and that this adorable Princess would be my reason for living. Let's take a trip down memory lane to where it all began...

A year ago, I was 17 and had recently graduated from Vamper Academy at the top of my class in literary and magical arts. Many called me a genius due to graduating early, but others ridiculed me because I was a cat demi-human with unique high magical capabilities and intelligence. Other members of my race were often described as muscle brains, caring only for physical strength, which I lacked. I didn't care what anyone said about me; I worked hard to get where I am today for one purpose only: to make enough money to pay for my beloved mother's medicine and support her.

One day, I was on my way to the adventure's guild to find my next job when two young girls who seemed to be around my age approached me. The first girl was an elf with unique long white hair and beautiful green eyes that shined like emeralds. The second girl was a short and petite vampire with fantastic jet-black hair and pretty, deep gray eyes that shone like silver.

"Excuse me, Miss Mana. Could it be that you're Mana, the Neko Witch, who recently graduated from Vamper Academy?" said the second girl.

I put on my usual bubbly and happy personality when interacting with others, so I replied, "Yes, that's me! Though I didn't know I had such a title, hahaha! That's funny. So, how may I help you?"

"See, I told you it was her, Yami," said the first girl.

So the second girl's name was Yami, huh? I think I heard her name about a year and a half ago when the Queen made some sort of announcement about the Princess. I wonder who the other girl could be.

"I know, Lucy, but it's best to make sure first. We don't want to put you-know-who at risk by making a mistake, right?" said Yami.

Wait, she just called the first girl Lucy... and they mentioned someone without saying their name... it can't be them... can it?

"Maui... you're as overprotective as always, but I know you're right. Sorry, Yami," said Lucy.

"Aaahhh! Are you two the first and second wives of the First Princess of Vamper Kingdom? Princess Lily!? What could you possibly need from someone like me?" I exclaimed.

"My, my, quiet down a little, please, fufu," said Lucy.

"So...sorry," I said.

"It's okay, and I'm sorry as well. We haven't officially introduced ourselves. I am the second wife and personal bodyguard of Princess Lily, and my name is Yami," said Yami.

"Nice to meet you," I said.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well, Miss Mana. I am the first wife and personal attendant of Princess Lily, and my name is Lucy," said Lucy.

Yami seemed quite mature for her age, but I couldn't get a read on Lucy's personality at all. Let's see if we can get to the point as to why they approached me.

"My, my, I'm sure you're ready for us to get to the point as to why we called out to you, right?" said Lucy.

Wait, can this girl possibly read my thoughts? I need to be careful around her...

"Fufufu." Lucy laughed.

She's scary...

Yami interrupted, "Now, quit teasing the poor girl. You're even giving me the creeps, Lucy. Sorry about that, Miss Mana. To get to the point, we would like to hire you, or more specifically, the Queens, Queen Charlotte and Queen Daisy, would like to hire you as an academic and magical theory tutor for the Princess. They don't want her learning how to use magic just yet, even though she is compatible with it because her body is quite frail, so please keep that in mind."

I was ecstatic; this would be a great job. But before I could accept, I needed to know the details. "How long will I be hired for, and what will my pay be?" I thought to myself.

"Fufufu, you're wondering how long the job will be and how much you'll get paid, correct?" Lucy said.

I stammered, "Ho... how?"

"No need to worry about that; the Queens have authorized us to determine your pay. So with that said, I believe 10 gold a month for 6 months, which will be the length of your starting contract. If you do a good job and the Princess likes you, you will be given a bonus of 40 gold at the end of the contract, making a total of 100 gold. If you do a great job, we can discuss a second contract at a higher pay rate after the first one ends. Is that okay with you, Yami?" Lucy said.

Ten gold a month for 6 months, with a bonus of 40 gold at the end. I will be able to buy my mother's medicine without struggling each month, and I can save the excess to buy a better place for us to live. Thank you, Goddess. I will do my best to ensure that the Princess likes me. I accepted the offer with enthusiasm, "Yes, of course, I will happily take the job! When should I start?" I asked.

"Great! Please report to the castle at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning; you will receive your first payment then," Yami said.

"I will be there; thank you so much"! I replied.

"Fufufu, no problem, Miss Mana. Yami, we better hurry and leave; otherwise, the Princess will panic if she wakes up without us there. Bye-bye, Miss Mana, see you tomorrow," Lucy said.

"Oh shoot, you're right, we need to hurry. Thank you for your time and for accepting the job; see you tomorrow, Miss Mana," Yami said.

"Bye-bye! See you tomorrow"! I replied.

Wait, did I just say bye-bye? And what is this feeling inside my heart... It doesn't matter now; I must hurry home and tell my beloved mother what happened.

I rushed home as quickly and quietly as possible, afraid that my mother might be resting. You see, I am a quarter-cat demi-human and three-fourths human, and my other parent was a human male, which is quite rare in a world where females are dominant. When I was a young child of around 3-4 years old, my mother would protect me from my abusive father. She would take the beatings and never blamed me or looked at me with resentment. Instead, she showered me with love.

One day, when I was about 5-6 years old, I went out to play with some of the other children. When I returned home, I found my beloved mother lying on the floor, convulsing. My father was also experiencing the same. He had a vial of poison in his hands, and I immediately knew what had happened. I ran to my mother and cried out to the Goddess to give me the power to save her.

"Momma... mommy... Goddess, please give me the power to save my mother!"

Suddenly, I felt a strange warmth fill my body, and the knowledge of how to use healing magic appeared in my mind. I immediately started healing my mother.

"Please work... please work..." I whispered.

Finally, my mother stopped convulsing, and her breathing became steady.

"Thank the Goddess. She's stable now. I will find a doctor to determine what to do next and if she needs medicine. As for that piece of garbage, my father, I'm not wasting my magic on him. He is better off dead than alive. I will start looking for a doctor for my mother," I thought to myself.

After finding a doctor and disposing of my father, I learned that my mother was seriously ill from the poison, and it would require expensive medicine to keep her alive until a cure could be found. The doctor recommended me to several people to do odd jobs and earn money for medicine. She also advised me to study hard and practice my magic, as I could earn even more money if I graduated from Vamper Academy. When the time comes, she will recommend me for a scholarship to the academy.

After I arrived home, I reported my new job to my beloved mother and told her that I would start early the next day. I then left the room so she could rest.

"I need to go to bed early so I can be on time tomorrow. I can't wait; I will do my best. Just you wait, Princess!" I exclaimed.

The night passed, and I found myself standing at the castle gates, waiting to be shown where the Princess was.

"Good morning, Mana. Please follow me to the Princess's chambers," Yami said.

"Please feel free to call me Mana, and good morning to you as well, Yami," I replied.

"Very well, Mana. But if that is the case, please call me Yami as well. The same goes for Lucy and especially Lily. She was really excited to meet you after we told her last night. She said she can't wait to be your student and friend. So please, when you meet her, call her by her name. The smile you will receive will make your day great," Yami said.

I was curious about what Yami meant.

"Very well, I will do as you say, Yami. May I ask who the Princess is? What is Lily like, and why are we meeting in her bed chambers?" I asked.

"Hahaha, good questions. To understand Lily, let me begin by telling you that she is incredibly pure and innocent. She is the kind of girl who brings out your protective instincts and can be compared to a pure Goddess whose followers choose to protect her at all costs. However, in times of emergency, another side of Lily emerges. It's difficult to explain, but think of it as a Goddess who rules overall. We are meeting in Lily's bed chambers because she will be studying there. Her body is weak and frail, and she had a rough night last night. Lucy is currently trying to wake her up. Lily needs special care, and her bed chambers provide the comfort and support she requires. It's better to show you where she studies rather than explain it in words." Yami explained.