[h3]Giselle de Farry[/h3][i]Undead Princess, de Farry[/i]

[hr]

“A pleasure to see you too,” Giselle dryly greeted her back. She frowned at both Julene’s answer and at Akyasha’s sudden antics. The white-haired vampire audibly groaned at the cleric’s sudden hard sell. “Really? Now, Akyasha? Is that tantamount to emotional blackmail?” Running her hand through her white hair, the princess stared at her incredulously, as if she herself wasn’t just as easily willing to stoop that low at times if she needed it. Nonetheless, the red-haired vampire had let the cat out of the bag. This was either going to end badly, or Julene was becoming a thrall or vampire herself today—and Giselle rathered the fanatic not get another follower. Time to put her skills as a diplomat to use and make another speech.

“I would consider her offer very carefully, Julene. Yes, some of what she speaks is true—we are vampires. Not the type you might have come to know from bad fairytales, but real, noble ones from an era long past whence vampires and humans could peacefully live in coexistence if you lived in the right place.”

“We are powerful, and if we did not chance upon your village when we did, it’s likely it wouldn’t exist at all right now,” she admitted frankly, “but even we couldn’t defend the entirety of it with our numbers. Not like we used to, at least.” 

“Akyasha’s offer is not a light one. If you accept, you will gain power—perhaps enough to peacefully rule a nation for over a millennia, as I once did—and you will become immortal. But as she said, you will have to serve her, and our goddess, Ichor. And you already know she is a fanatic.”

“I’m not going to lie and say that I don’t want you to accept any sort of offer, Julene. Even hers is better than none. You’re smart, capable, and have a strong will to survive and protect even as you are now, and that is the sort of person I respect, and somebody that deserves a reward better than your current lot in life. Her offer is not a bad one. There are just better ways to be rewarded with such power than through her.”

“Julene, I had said that I wanted to rebuild this broken world, and I still intend to do so. The loss of your fellow villagers pains me just as it does you, and makes it all the harder. It will not be easy, and I still need allies to my cause. I can give you an alternative, without the poisoned chalice that some others may offer you—if you want agency, your free will, then it’s a luxury you’re unlikely to receive from her or others. I was always known as the most secular and ‘human’ among the vampire lords; if you help me rebuild, I can give you the same gift, without permanently binding your heart to one of us. We can rebuild the village, the nation, a civilization once more, and protect them all through strength in numbers, but it will require your utmost dedication and loyalty over years of service.” 

Giselle left out the fact that she would have to wear a maid uniform in exchange for her leniencies.