Seeing Maya's earnest and rather adorable expression, Valred felt that she might have misunderstood something. However, upon second thought, he decided it wasn't a bad thing. He nodded, pinched her cheek once more, and forced a smile. Then, he turned and retreated to his inner chamber, closing the door behind him. He jumped onto his bed, retrieved another of his prized possessions—a razor-sharp adamantine dagger—from beneath his pillow, and played with it for a while before tucking it back under the pillow. He then hugged his copy of The Knight's Codex and drifted off to sleep.
It was early morning. Due to the previous night's banquet, Valred was still sleep-deprived and likely to sleep until noon. As a maid, however, Maya was already awake. She hopped out of bed, quickly dressed, and began tidying the room without bothering to freshen up.
After cleaning the outer chamber, she considered entering Valred's bedroom to tidy up but quickly remembered that the young master was still asleep. She had once tried to sneak in quietly to clean but was caught and harshly scolded by Valred. Since then, she had learned her lesson and avoided doing so again.
With no more cleaning to be done, Maya left the room and descended the stairs. By now, the other servants had begun their daily tasks of cleaning the castle. However, they all ignored Maya, isolating her completely. The reason for this wasn't just about the master's favor or her status—most servants didn't care about such things. What they cared about was their treatment.
Typically, servants working in the castle earned three silver lars a month, enough to support a family of five comfortably. They were also provided with food and lodging, a far better arrangement than in the war-torn Sigmar Empire, where people struggled to save anything. Living in the land of the undead had its advantages. Heavy labor could be done by the undead, so despite the barren land of Sylvania, the standard of living was higher than in the Sigmar Empire.
Maya, however, was different. Her wages aside—since Lady Winsor summoned the servants individually at the end of each month to distribute their pay—no one knew exactly how much she earned. Then there was her living arrangement. As Valred's personal maid, she didn't have to share the cramped basement dormitory with the other servants. Instead, she had her own bed in a room adjacent to Valred's on the second floor of the castle.
As for food, it was even more infuriating. The other servants only had two meals a day, consisting mainly of black bread, with meat reserved for special occasions. Maya, on the other hand, had her own private meals, which were not only nutritious but also smelled delicious.
Moreover, Lady Winsor had hired tutors to teach Maya reading, writing, magic, and combat skills. She even used special medicines to enhance Maya's already impressive natural talents. Such preferential treatment would be unbearable for anyone, and it was no wonder the other servants were jealous.
Some had tried to express their resentment, but while Maya might have been easy to bully, the vampires who stood behind her were not. Several servants who had mistreated Maya had mysteriously disappeared, never to be seen again.
Thus, though they were consumed with envy, the servants learned to ignore Maya, pretending she didn't exist.
Maidens like Maya were common in the castles of vampire nobles. They did little work but enjoyed excellent treatment and spent their days with the young vampire lords. It was no wonder some speculated that these girls were actually being groomed as brides for the vampires.
Of course, while some vampire nobles did develop deep feelings for their maids over time, the primary reason for raising these girls was to satisfy their hunger. It was akin to how a human mother carefully selects milk for her child or how geese for foie gras and ducks for Peking duck are specially raised. Ensuring the maids had ample nutrition, safety, and even teaching them magic was all to make their blood richer, more flavorful, and more magical, helping the young vampires grow strong.
If the maids knew the truth, they might cry. They were given comfortable lodgings, delicious and nutritious food, education in reading, writing, manners, and even magic and weaponry. They were treated with care and affection, all so they could eventually be consumed.
But even if they knew, most would likely not give up. In the land of the vampires, there were few ways for a human to rise in status, and being the food source for a newborn vampire—especially one from a high noble family—was one of the best paths.
These maids were carefully selected, their natural talents far superior to the average person. Through rigorous training and education, most of them could become skilled spellcasters. Over time, they could even become trusted aides to the vampires.
In Sylvania, it was not uncommon for such "food sources" to eventually rise to become spellcasters and serve as lieutenants or assistants to the vampires. After prolonged exposure to dark magic and regular bloodletting, they could hardly be considered human anymore. Instead, they became semi-undead creatures known as banshees.
These banshees formed an important part of Sylvania's military forces, and some powerful and trusted banshees were even granted authority by their masters to help govern the land and enjoy certain privileges.
However, no matter how gloriously it was framed, the ultimate goal of their efforts was to provide better sustenance for their masters.
After eating her specially prepared breakfast in the kitchen, Maya went to her small classroom to wait for her lesson. Her teacher was also a former "food source" who had risen through the ranks to become the head maid of Drachenhof Castle and one of Lady Winsor's senior assistants. Such a position was unimaginable for most humans in Sylvania.
"If you study hard, perhaps one day you too can achieve such status and honor," the teacher said.
Though strict and somewhat cold in her teaching, and not necessarily kind to Maya, she still offered encouragement from the perspective of fulfilling Lady Winsor's tasks. She pushed Maya to study harder, to make her blood richer in magic, and to transform her from an ordinary human into a fragrant semi-undead banshee.
The morning passed slowly in the rhythm of the lesson. It had been six years since Maya entered Drachenhof Castle at the age of four. Like Valred, she had completed her basic education. She could understand the common tongue, basic elvish, and a bit of draconic. She had also learned the principles of manipulating the winds of magic and basic swordsmanship.
Though she still couldn't conjure a fireball or chop wood with a sword, her teacher—a banshee herself—seemed satisfied with her progress. Valred, too, had noticed that Maya's blood was becoming more flavorful, and he found himself drinking more each time.
Thus, Maya endured the strange looks from others, studying hard in hopes of changing her fate. If her story were made into an inspirational film, it might bring tears to the eyes of many naive young girls. If the ending involved her defeating the protagonist's detestable fiancée and overcoming societal barriers to be with him, it could be a box office hit.
But then again, in this world, a girl like Maya was already considered fortunate. The Old World was plagued by constant war, with families torn apart and lives destroyed. Compared to those who suffered far worse fates, being envied by servants, disliked by Lady Isabella, or scolded by Valred was trivial. It was nothing compared to the horrors of being raped, killed, and eaten by starving peasants.