Two days had passed, and every morning Josephine refused to go to school. Instead, she locked herself inside her room, shutting out the world.
"Jojo, come out, please," Callum pleaded softly through the wooden door.
Moments later, a folded piece of paper slid out from beneath the crack. On it, written in Josephine's small handwriting, were the words:
"No! I am not going anywhere again."
Callum sighed heavily. Behind him, Piere leaned on the wall with his arms crossed.
"Let her calm down. She'll come out to eat, hm?" Piere said gently.
Callum nodded, defeated, and they both walked away.
But inside her room, Josephine was far from sad. She was sitting on the floor, surrounded by her Guardians. A tiny tea set was spread between them.
"Why, thank you, Queen Jojo," Aradia said, pretending to sip from her cup.
Josephine shook her head firmly and raised her small hands. "No, no, no! Not Queen Jojo. Only Jojo."
The Guardians chuckled softly, but they understood her wish.
"She treats us with kindness," Eryndor whispered to Seliora. "Unlike the other rulers we've served."
"I agree," Seliora said warmly.
Josephine hugged each of them, her little heart overjoyed, and they played until she fell asleep in their arms.
Later, Hendrick carefully opened her door. He found her lying peacefully on the bed with her Guardians, her soft breathing filling the room. Quietly, he covered her with a blanket, tucking her in with fatherly care. As he stepped out, he glanced at the sky, silently keeping track of the approaching white moon—and the dreaded deep blue moon that would follow.
Meanwhile, Sophina was busy preparing Noah for the grand upcoming event. She straightened his robes, ensuring every detail of his outfit was perfect. Noah's gaze, however, was distracted. He kept stealing glances at Tess, who stood in the garden picking flowers for Josephine.
Because Tess was a vampire, she carried a large umbrella to shield her pale skin from the sun. Her deep red hair shimmered in the light, and her curvy figure made her stand out.
"Noah!" Sophina snapped.
"Yes, Mother," he answered quickly, tearing his eyes away from Tess.
"Do you like it?" she asked with a grin, adjusting the final pieces of his outfit.
"Yeah, I do. Thank you, Mom," Noah said, but as soon as she looked away, his eyes found Tess again. His heart raced.
Gosh, I want her so badly in my arms. She looks so cute… so pretty. He bit his lip, suppressing the urge to groan aloud.
"Ooohh!" Oliver teased, laughing loudly.
"Shut up!" Noah hissed.
"Aww, do you like her?" Oliver pressed.
"Yeah, I do," Noah admitted under his breath.
"Then tell her. If you don't, Mom will keep arranging alliances with women and brats you don't care for. Make Tess yours before it's too late," Oliver whispered.
"I will," Noah muttered with determination.
Just then, Tess approached Josephine's door. "Jojo, open up. I got your flowers."
The door creaked open, and Josephine peeked out, yawning before hugging Tess tightly. Tess's eyes softened—she loved Jojo deeply, like the little sister she had never had. Josephine had given her a family, a place to belong.
"Come on, let's bathe you now," Tess said with a smile. She carefully bathed Josephine, then carried her outside for a small picnic. They sat beneath Tess's umbrella, sharing food and laughter while Tess sketched Josephine's portrait.
But their peace was shattered.
Sophina suddenly appeared with guards. With a cruel smirk, she pushed Tess's umbrella aside.
"AHHHH!!" Tess screamed in agony as the sun burned her skin. She collapsed, clutching her body as blisters spread across her arms and neck.
"I don't want you near my son, you filthy hoe! Understood?" Sophina spat.
At her command, the guards seized Josephine and whipped her mercilessly—eighty lashes across her fragile body. Josephine and Tess both collapsed unconscious on the ground.
"Let's go," Sophina said coldly, leaving them there.
From his study, Hendrick had seen everything. He jumped out the window and sprinted toward them.
"Jojo!! Tess!!" he cried. He scooped Josephine into his arms while shielding Tess with her umbrella. "She's burning—help!"
"Noah!" Hendrick roared.
Noah and Oliver rushed out. Noah lifted Tess carefully into his arms, while Hendrick carried Josephine inside.
Moments later, Sophina strolled in casually.
"SOPHINAAAAA!" Hendrick's voice shook the palace walls.
She smirked. "What?"
Rage consumed him. His body shifted, transforming into his mighty wolf-beast form. Towering above her, he wrapped his massive claws around her neck.
"I will kill you now!" he growled, tightening his grip.
"Dad!" Oliver shouted, rushing forward.
At that moment, Josephine stirred awake. Her weak eyes fell on her father's monstrous form. Slowly, she lifted her trembling hand and snapped her fingers.
Instantly, Hendrick's beast form melted away. His chest ached as he saw her reaching for him. He dropped Sophina, who gasped for air, and hurried to Josephine's side instead.
Josephine turned to Tess, unconscious and scarred. With desperate little hands, she tapped Tess's face, but Tess didn't respond.
Her anger burst forth. Her eyes glowed red as her powers awakened. Floating above the ground, her aura surged like a storm. She cried, pointing at Tess. Instantly, Tess's body began glowing, her burned skin mending as if rewinding time. Gasping, Tess opened her eyes, breathing heavily.
Still, Josephine's fury deepened. Her eyes shifted to a glowing deep blue. Winds howled in the chamber, rattling everything.
"Jojo!" Tess called, standing shakily. "Hey, hey, look at me."
But Josephine remained suspended in the air, her power spiraling out of control.
Tess thought fast. "Remember when Piere was ten and Nana put a diaper on him after he wet the bed?"
"What?! Why bring that up?!" Piere shouted in embarrassment.
"And remember when Callum tried a spell and fireworks shot out of his ass, blasting him into the sky?" Tess teased.
Josephine blinked, then pointed at Callum with a little poop sign.
"Hahaha, very funny," Callum groaned. "I didn't know it was the fire pit!"
Josephine giggled silently, her powers calming. She floated down and hugged Tess tightly.
"Come, let me bathe you, hm?" Tess said gently.
"What happened to both of you?" Hendrick asked, furious but calm.
Josephine limped toward him, then pointed at Sophina's portrait and signed: She hit me. She pushed Tess's umbrella away, letting the sun burn her. Because of Noah.
Piere translated aloud.
"Me?" Noah said in shock.
Josephine nodded. Tess added bitterly, "She told me to stay away from you. And I will." Tears filled her eyes as she carried Josephine away on her back.
"T…" Noah stammered, but before he could continue, his rage exploded. He stormed into his chambers, smashing everything in sight.
"FUCK!" he shouted, collapsing to his knees. "I love you, Tess. I really do… I love you so much."
Meanwhile, Tess bathed Josephine carefully. But when Jojo tapped her shoulder with curious eyes, Tess froze.
"Do you love him?" Josephine signed.
"I… I do," Tess whispered, her cheeks red. "But you saw what your mama did. We can't be together. He's royalty, and I'm just a village vampire girl. Let's never talk about this again, okay? Now let's get you dressed."
She changed Josephine into fresh clothes, and they curled up together, falling asleep in each other's arms.
Far away, the Masked King was observing everything. His attention was always on Josephine—that was why he believed his decisions were right. He had a new dress prepared for Adris, his son, and even cut both their hair for the event.
Holding Adris high, he asked, "Do you like Josephine, hm?"
The boy clapped his tiny hands at the sound of her name.
"Yeah, you do," the Masked King whispered, removing his mask and smiling at him.
"Dada!!" Adris cried joyfully.
By dawn, at 6:00 a.m., Hendrick and the children were already preparing. Josephine yawned, walking in to wave at them.
"I don't want her at tonight's event," Sophina snapped.
"It's not your event. It's not your business. She will be there," Hendrick growled.
Josephine watched silently as two women entered the room—Queen Rune, Hendrick's mother, and Queen Talia, Sophina's mother.
"My son," Rune said.
"I heard the ordinary child is back. Is that true?" Rune asked with disdain.
"My child's name is Josephine. And yes, she is back," Hendrick answered firmly.
"Why bring her back? I thought you killed her, Sophina," Rune sneered.
"Rune!" Talia scolded.
"She's a disgrace," Rune muttered.
"No, she's not!" Oliver shouted, holding a basket of roses.
"Hi, Grandmas!" the children said sweetly.
"Hi, babies!" the women replied warmly.
Josephine limped into the room, catching Anesthesia's eye. He hurried to her side.
"Jojo?" he whispered softly.
"Anything yet?" Rune asked coldly.
"Nothing," Sophina lied.
"Get out," Rune barked.
Theron stepped forward, gently pulling Josephine into his arms. Meanwhile, Therodora guided her to the dining table.
As she ate with her hands—never a spoon—Hetragon's voice whispered in her mind:
"Don't worry, Josephine. Tonight, nobody will disrespect you again."
Her body marks glowed faintly as ancient chants filled her head. Her eyes flickered red, then returned to normal. She smirked faintly and continued eating.
By 5:00 p.m., guests began arriving for the night's grand event. Tess had just finished dressing Josephine for the occasion…