A New Start

Chapter 4 : A Visitor

Emma watched curiously as the days and weeks passed. Lots of doctors kept checking on her and even the other Moms and Sisters seemed to watch Emma more than the other babies. Maybe cause she was so strong? Or so much more developed than them?

She couldn't tell how long it's been since she's been here in the nursery with the other babies. It was hard when her tiny body needed so much more sleep than she was used too.

"Did you hear? That girl who broke the record became Mom of Plantation 3." One Sister, one that Emma often saw in the nursery, was telling another as they cleaned and changed the babies.

"The youngest Mom and the one who had the experimental child?" The second Sister, one that Emma hadn't seen before, asked in a hushed voice.

"Yes. The one that they aren't going to try and get more children out of. After all they had gotten hasty when they had made her carry a second child so soon after having her first. Especially considering how young she is." The first Sister, Emma thought her name was Mary or something like that, said but Emma was distracted by the footsteps getting close to them.

Entering the room, Emma's eyes immediately went to the newcomer and she was shocked to see him here. Why? Why was here? He liked the thrill of the hunt right? So why was here where no one could be hunted…

"Is that her?" Grand Duke Lewis asked staring at Emma who stared back up at him. Now that she thought about it…right before they left hadn't Sunj-ou and Musica said that Grand Duke Lewis was the one to stop their execution and abolish the farms? Maybe they had left an impression on him then when she and the others had almost killed him.

"Sir?!" Both of the sisters were shocked and a bit scared of the Grand Duke while Emma stared curiously up at him.

"Black tips to your but it's hardly going to be visible when it grows out…and heterochromia isn't unheard of as well…quite the unique child you are." The Grand Duke said and he reached one long finger down to Emma who stared curiously at it. Did he want a handshake?

Emma reached out her tiny hand and grabbed his finger as if to shake his hand, it wasn't like her small hand would actually be able to hold his bigger one after all.

"Not scared of me in the least are you? Even with the other children crying around you…you aren't crying nor scared." Lewis said and Emma blinked slightly. Crying? Now that she was paying attention to the others again she could hear them crying. She wondered why they were all crying….okay scratch that there was a very strong and old demon in front of them. Of course the babies would be scared and crying.

"Let me hold her while you tend to the others." Lewis ordered and Emma felt how the arms holding her tightened almost protectively but then loosened as the Sister handed her to the demon and moved to the baby in the next crib, trying to get it to stop crying.

"Hello there little one…number 61349…I'll remember your number then." Lewis said and Emma was a bit surprised. Lewis was holding her gently but his arm was strong and seemed to cradle her just like the Sisters did when trying to calm her the few times she couldn't stop herself from crying.

"You will be a most interesting child I am sure. I wonder…when raised as cattle…will you be nothing more than cattle yourself or will you become beyond that?" Lewis was talking to her almost as if expecting her to answer him and she could only blink up at him. He did know that babies couldn't talk right?

"They tell me you are far more developed than normal children of this age…your muscles are small but dense…your body tiny but sturdy. With just the slightest bit of training you'll grow far beyond what other cattle are capable of. Perhaps even stronger than some wild demons." Lewis said and he wiggled his finger a bit, drawing Emma's attention to it and her hand that was still wrapped around it tightened reflexively.

"Yes you have the instincts of a predator already developing. Good. I look forward to hearing how you will grow and what sort of fascinating girl you become." Lewis said smiling, and it wasn't the wide grin of the chase and fight that she had last seen on his face…but it was a soft smile. A soft rather expectant one.

So he was expecting a lot out of her right? Well she'd just have to surpass even his expectations then.

"Sir I need to feed her." The usual Sister said and by now all of the babies were no longer crying, apparently they had been prevented from seeing Lewis again to keep them from starting back up.

Lewis looked at the bottle in the sisters hand filled with red liquid, and clicked his tongue a bit in annoyance. Emma felt his arms tighten around her slightly but ultimately he did give her back to the sister who immediately began to feed Emma the 'milk'. Emma loved feeding time. She was hungry for a while now so she knew it had been close by…she always felt at last half full and sleepy after feeding. It didn't fill her up as much as it used too though, she always felt hungry even after feeding.

Ah well the more she got used to eating less now the better for when they escaped and had to hunt.

"Her fangs are already growing in. Soon she will require more than just that bottle. She'll need some small bits of meat or else her development will stall and stay that way." Lewis said as he left the room to go and talk to the Ratari boy as well as the scientists and doctors. It seemed that they were making a special exception for Emma already, feeding her human blood.

He could understand however considering her eye and fangs…she probably did need it to develop like most demons did.

Unfortunately it seemed like they were stalling her development by not giving her the proper amount. Even if she was a babe there was no way that the small bottle would fill her belly. And liquid was always much less appetizing than the meat.

Once she got to the farms she'd have to be fed the same as the other children however…he felt sorry for his child.

His poor daughter was going to be starving for at least eleven years.

Perhaps he should have some high quality meat reserved for her in the event that she became more than cattle and he would meet her.

On second thought forget mere 'high' quality. He'll have some prime quality meat set aside for her and maybe even a good bit of the brain as well for if she came to him.

She was of royal blood and the royals ate nothing less than the best after all.