The Vampire's Mail-Order Bride

Heartkeeping – A union that enables a demon or part demon to share the soul of his or her heartkeeper, thus preventing him or her from being completely chained to the demands of Hell. There may be more than one fated heartkeeper for a demon, but it is also possible for a demon to forcibly create such unions. Little is known about heartkeeping as most of the information is guarded zealously in Sulphur, one of the ducal territories making up Chalys and inhabited mainly by land-dwelling demons.

La Scala Legaturia – A century-old and widely respected training school for pets in the mainland but which had since closed. Its former students include Zari Baltimore and Rhapsody Norwood.

Lunare – The territory inhabited by shapeshipters of all types. It is under the nominal rule of the demon Duke of Lunare, whose son is one of the Galeré.

Pet – Human girls who willingly enter a contract of service and forge a bond with vampire Masters. A pet’s main responsibility is to feed her Master when necessary and obey his commands. Legacy pets are those whose families have been in service to vampire Masters for generations. First Mades are human girls from families whose previous generations do not have any other pets.

Sangre – The territory inhabited by vampires and is under the nominal rule of the Duke of Sangre, whose son is one of the Galeré.

Sulphur – The territory inhabited primarily by demons and with direct access to Hell. It is under the absolute rule of the Duke of Sulphur, whose heartkeeper was the angel Magdalene and whose son is the current Duke of Brimstone.

The Progressive Academy of Chalys – A school for pets recently established in Asphodel and where Lady Rhapsody has been enrolled for the past eighteen months.

Trois Belle Lames – The Three Lovely Blades, a code name for a trio of skilled human fighters tasked to defend Asphodel from otherworlder threats. This group consists of the three Orpheline sisters, Soleil, Aurora, and Fleur.

Woods of the Wraiths – The first line of defense of Chalys against humans, the Woods of the Wraiths is unchartered territory, inhabited by vengeful spirits living in the husks of its trees, ghosts of nymphs that had been massacred during one of the kingdom’s bloodiest wars.

Zari Baltimore – A former human captive of trolls, she has since become the pet and heartkeeper of Lord Alexandru Gheorgiu, a member of the noble House of Sangre. She is also believed to be the last living soul seer and currently studies in ANEX.

Welcome to the

Kingdom of Chalys!

LADY RHAPSODY NORWOOD

Booth’s Island,

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Citizen # SA-RN-8095

Territory: Sangre

Class: Gentry

Disclosure: All data available to registered subjects

Our warmest felicitations for the approval of your citizenship application to the Kingdom of Chalys!

Your new life as a full-fledged Chalysian comes with both privileges and responsibilities that are far beyond what are normally associated with any nationality of the human race. You are kindly encouraged to read the modules enclosed with this letter to properly accustom yourself to the ways and laws of our land.

The Territorities

The kingdom consists of six ducal territories inhabited by otherworlders and one territory, Asphodel, that is mainly inhabited by humans.

Only Asphodel is open to non-citizens.

No individual, human or otherworlder, is permitted entry to any of the other territories without a written invitation from its respective ducal leader/s.

Accounts

Please visit the Bank of Chalys at your soonest convenience to open your account. The kingdom utilizes a centralized payment system for all transactions between local clients and merchants. Bank books need only be presented to complete purchases, and citizens are given a period of sixty (60) days to settle their accounts through the bank.

Chalysian Living

Asphodel consistently ranks as the world’s top tourist destination by seamlessly merging the old-fashioned charms of Regency life with carefully selected modern-day inventions, including but not limited to modern plumbing and ventilation as well as the provision of laundromats and ATM machines.

Unless officially authorized or provisioned by the kingdom, use of modern devices of any kind is strictly prohibited and punishable by law.

All citizens of the kingdom are expected to be a role model to our recreational visitors. Proper attire and decorum must be observed at all times. For more information about this, please refer to the enclosed modules.

The well-being of its citizens is of the utmost importance to the kingdom, and it is our dearest hope that you view this new chapter of your life with much joy and hope for the future.

Sincerely,

The Office of Citizen Affairs

Chapter One

Sunlight persisted in the last hours of daytime, its rosy rays bleeding into heather-colored skies. Underneath its faded light, a flock of coots floated leisurely on smooth waters, its surface offering a near flawless reflection of the row of narrow neck-gabled houses that ran parallel to the canal.

It was an unusually quiet afternoon, with not even a single hushed murmur to drown out the crackle of dried, rust-colored leaves over cobblestone streets. And so amidst the silence, fleeting sounds reigned, and this included the footsteps of a figure striding swiftly down from an old, pillared bridge that arced majestically over the river.