Confessions of a Vampire Queen

Act I (of VI): The Duel

---------------------The Vampire Queen's Throne Room-------------------------

The Vampire Queen's throne room was an eclectic masterpiece—a blend of ballroom, museum, and treasury, each element carefully chosen to showcase her vision of vampire nobility. Before she joined the Sisterhood, her kind were mere savages of the night, lurking in shadows like common beasts, striking terror into helpless prey. Such brutish behavior disgusted her; she saw greater potential in their immortal nature.

The Queen's vision transcended mere revenge against Princess Belle—she sought to elevate her entire species beyond their savage origins. Where others of her kind stole only blood, she pilfered something far more precious: sophistication itself. Through calculated observation and perfect mimicry, she infiltrated the highest circles of society. Each gesture learned, each mannerism adopted, bringing her closer to proving vampires could surpass even the most refined human women. Marriage became her art, and nobility her stage.

Her tenth marriage—a masterpiece of manipulation—finally secured her the Northern prince and with him, the coveted title of Queen. The castle walls became her canvas, adorned with exquisitely painted portraits chronicling her ascension to power. Each image captured her timeless beauty, some showing her in solitary splendor, others depicting her alongside her doomed consorts. Yet tellingly, no husband warranted a portrait of his own—their only legacy being their contributions to her rise before meeting their inevitable ends, usually hastened by their unfortunate insistence on heirs.

In contrast to her actual husbands, Selenia was in love with the idea of matrimony, and beautiful silk dresses, most dearly. Each dress, an artistic manifestation of her beauty captured in time. From her seemingly innocent beginnings, to her more bold and elegant final gowns, each happy memory was displayed alongside the corresponding portrait. Although she adored every design, over time she found their white palettes no longer aligning with her true nature, and resolved to never wear them again.

At the pinnacle of her reign, Selenia turned truth itself into a weapon, deliberately letting whispers of her vampiric nature echo through her halls. She watched her servants' reactions with predatory amusement—those who recoiled in horror suffered convenient accidents, while those whose eyes sparkled with intrigue found themselves swiftly elevated. The clever majority learned to perfect the art of studied indifference, treating her immortality like any other royal eccentricity.

The air hung thick with roses and aged parchment—centuries of history preserved in perpetual twilight. Her ornate throne, a masterpiece of rosewood craftsmanship, commanded attention at the chamber's heart. Though built for two, it now served one, its solitary grandeur surrounded by four towering stone pillars. Each pillar bore witness to the Sisterhood's legacy through intricate murals, but the northern right drew all eyes. There, the longest and most elaborate tapestry belonged to her sister and maker, the Empress—whose own rise to power emerged from Selenia's most cunning manipulation.

With a smile that spoke of shared secrets, she had introduced her maker (and fellow vampire sister) to the Emperor, who burned with desire for a beauty to match his son's intended. The introduction bore lovely fruit—yet when the now Empress claimed her royal title, both sisters recognized that outright killing the Emperor would destabilize their power base, giving their true enemy, the Princess, an unwanted advantage. Instead, the Empress orchestrated her own demise, supposedly falling to a vampire's fangs, and retreated into shadow to continue their work.

The Empress and her remaining sisters claimed the southern castle as their domain, positioning themselves closest to the Vampire Queen's territory. For twenty relentless years, they waged their shadow war against the Princess's growing influence. Yet their supernatural cunning found its match in the Princess's mortal beauty. Princess Belle drew armies of devoted suitors to her cause, each bringing their own legions to her defense. Among these suitors, one proved exceptional in his devotion—offering his very humanity to become her dark champion, transforming himself into the Werewolf Hero.