Chapter 19

"—Oh, a last note before you leave, Miss DeRosa," the manager said, his pepper-coloured hair neatly combed back. "Please raise awareness prior to your actions. Keep in mind that there are mortal colleagues among this workplace."

"Dutifully understood," replied a cheery Guinevere.

The manager smiled. "It's been a pleasure, so far, having you onboard. I expect the same throughout your service here."

"Of course," Guinevere said, returning a graceful smile of her own.

She turned, and just when she touched the door knob, the manager halted her in her tracks.

"One more thing, miss DeRosa," he said, his tone as soft and sincere as ever. "Please attempt to enjoy yourself. It'll make things far easier for the both of us."

Facing him, she flashed a smile once more. She then politely bowed, excusing herself before stepping out of the room.

After a bit of wandering and asking people, Guinevere was finally greeted by a stormy grey door with a golden sign that was labelled, 'Studio: 2'. As she gripped the round golden door know, muffled voices drifted into her ears from behind the closed door.

She pushed it open. Acting oblivious to the ceasing of chatters, she began walking towards one of the assistant directors (and cinematographer) she was appointed to.

The assistant, being one of the few who didn't spare her a second glance, appeared to be working dominantly behind the screens, switching back and forth between the big screen shown through the camera lenses and her laptop. She then paused, pushed up her thick-framed glasses, and scribbled something onto her notebook before returning her gaze back towards the screen.

Guinevere lightly cleared her throat. "Are you miss Nakano Linda?"

The young woman shifted her rich brown eyes towards her. Light freckles were splattered across her little button nose, as her innocent face held boredom.

"Yep," she said, turning towards Guinevere. The studio lights reflected off her glasses. "You are?"

"DeRosa Guinevere," she introduced.

Linda nodded. "You must be new, because I pretty much know everyone here. And judging that you're in this building, you must be one of the more experienced workers in the filming industry. Nice to meet you."

Guinevere smiled. "Likewise."

Linda tilted her head. "That reminds me, Boss did mention that there will a new director. Is it you?"

"Yes."

"Good." Linda began fiddling with her pen between her fingers. "Our old director was a total ass."

Guinevere's brow shot upwards in surprise. "Really?"

"Yep. A huge, disgusting fuc—"

Someone yelled from the other side of the room.

"Vulgarity don't matter jack-shit when it comes to him! And as if you're on task, mister Wong!" Linda hollered back. She then turned back to Guinevere, who looked highly amused.

"Welcome to studio 2." She sent her a silver of a grin. "Anyways, what I was saying is that, our old director was, you know, one of those despicable filthy perverts."

"Ahh."

"Yeah, no one likes him," Linda said. Her eyes suddenly widened, and her lips puckered. Ruffling through her lion-maned, coppery hair, she said, "Damn, I got so off task."

Someone laughed, the same voice taunting her from across the room once again.

Linda's brow twitched, before the turned her chair roughly to the direction of the mockery. "Wong Lucas! Shut your trap!"

Lucas poked a tongue at her. Guinevere laughed lightly.

"It appears that I'll be fitting here quite finely," she mused.

Linda looked at her for a moment. "Good, cuz finally, someone who'll not be irritating."

"Well," Guinevere merrily answered, "I hope I won't be."

"Trust me, theirs—" Linda gestured to the people surrounding her. She then pointed at Lucas. "—and his levels of annoyingness are off-the-scale."

Lucas threw a pen at her. It didn't even reach halfway across the room. At his failure, Linda gave him a mocking smirk.

She then patted Guinevere's arm. "The downside is also that you'll have to deal with people like Lucas."

"I shall manage. My household, too, has individuals with somewhat similar off-the-scales…annoyingness that you mentioned," said Guinevere.

"Speaking from experience, huh?" Linda then turned back to the screens, beckoning Guinevere closer and gesturing to the empty seat beside her.

Since Guinevere caught on quickly, they both breezed through tasks twice as efficiently within the next minutes.

"The lighting is too dark in this scene," Guinevere was saying as she looked at the screen. "It doesn't bring out the background, which is already dull enough, and it certainly will not bring out the idol."

"Thought so too." Bringing her hand out of her messy curls, Linda began adjusting more buttons and leavers, changing the effects on the big screen.

Guinevere tapped the desk lightly, pleased. "That looks much better," she stated.

Linda nodded. She leaned back on her seat. "Say, you've got quite the good eyes and head for these types of things. You must've been working in this industry for quite a while."

"Why thank you," Guinevere replied. "I could certainly say the same for you."

Linda blinked. "Huh. Well, fifteen years isn't that long."

"I'd say it is."

"That's probably because I've got a head start in high school. I remembered that I was one of the few who liked cinematography."

Guinevere waved a hand. "Numbers matters little in this case. You've proved that by getting this far, have you not?"

A light pink hue dusted on Linda's soft-caramel cheeks. "…Thanks."

"I am merely stating out the truth."

"Wh-What? Your smile is awfully wide, you know that? Don't tell me you're, you know, those sadists who enjoys flustering people."

"Who, me?"

Linda deadpanned at her feigned naivety. The door suddenly opened, and a new presence stepped in. The chattering lowered, a few individuals startled, even.

The handsome blond male seemed to have captured most of the room's attention as he entered, whether they be extremely busy or simply slacking off.

"Sorry I was late," he said, scratching the back of his head. "I just couldn't ignore my fans~"

Linda sighed. "You're late again."

The man pouted. "Eh~? What's with that tone? You know Nakano-chan, you could…"

He trailed off his eyes landed on Guinevere. Peering under his light-coloured lashes, his light blue eye clashed with her silver ones. Guinevere caught a glimpse of blueness from his right eye, hidden behind messy blond locks.

She smiled. "Hello there."

The handsome male cocked his head, narrowing his eyes that twinkled with curiosity.

"Oh? Who might this enchanting rose be?" he asked after an amused sound escaped his perfect lips. His tone mirrored his bright, scrutinizing gaze.

Linda rolled her eyes. "There he goes with his weird names. She has a name, you know?"

"Oh? Is this the idol that you mentioned?" said Guinevere.

"Unfortunately."

The idol perked up. "So I've been on your mind just now? I'm touched~"

"I'll make you headless in your music video if you don't be quiet," Linda snapped, facing towards the screens and returning to the task at hand.

The idol raised his hands up in defense, though his smirk only widened. His attention then drew back to Guinevere.

"You're not gonna allow Nakano-chan to do that, are you?" He was slightly pouting.

"It depends on the circumstances."

"Such as…?"

"Whether or not you'll make our jobs easier."

The idol let out a pretty laugh. "Your straightforwardness is quite something~! Ne, what's your name?"

"DeRosa Guinevere," the dark-haired woman introduced, standing up while extending her slender hand. "Based on what Nakano-san—"

Linda grunted from where she stood, her eyes remaining glued to the camera.

"Call me Linda," she mumbled after swiftly adjusting a few buttons attached to the filming device.

Guinevere blinked. She then hummed, and briefly glanced at the coppery-haired assistant with a smile adorning her face. She then refocused her attention to the idol before re-extended her hand.

"Based on Linda-san," she said. "You must be the well-known idol, Mukami Kou. Pleasure to be your acquaintance."

A smirk stretched on Kou's face, erasing his astonished expression. He took her hand, planting a light, lingering kiss atop her knuckles. Looking up, he met her beautifully surprised gaze.

"I'm sure it will be," he responded. His eye flashed.

Ayato and Laito were bickering as usual, walking towards the mansion. The other brothers had disappeared to resume their daily routines, whether it be sleeping, neglecting homework, or burying themselves in books, labs, and chemicals.

The soothing, orangey-pink dawn lit sky was slowly being covered by thunderclouds as they slowly, gloomily began rolling pass.

That, however, failed to stop the bickering.

"—You've got to be smoother with your words," Laito was saying.

"Hah? Why the hell should I?" said Ayato. "That's too much effort, and it's not my fault they can't handle the truth."

Laito chuckled. "So, you think that pointing out a girl's breast size would make your relationship with them closer?"

Ayato grunted. "Breasts aren't everything."

"Yet, you seem to act the opposite~"

Ayato clicked his tongue. "They're even worse than chichi-nashi. Breasts and sensitivity-wise."

"Well, a lot of men do prefer what you call melons," Laito said. "That's why some girls tend to be insecure about those parts, because that might be an appealing trait of theirs. Hence why all the surgeries."

"That's stupid."

"I agree, though up to some extent. People like us wouldn't mind melons, but I don't think going up to that extent just to impress someone is worth it. But what I'm trying to say is that if you want to get yourself a girlfriend, or women to favour you more, you should be more aware of their insecurities, so you can woo them over, you know~?"

"…Too much thinking and effort."

"Ufufu, that sounds like you—hmm?" Laito halted when a familiarly delicious smell waffled through his nose.

Ayato appeared to have smelt it as well, for he was also silent. They then exchanged glance before teleporting towards the source of smell.

When they reached the kitchen, they were quite astounded to see a woman bent over the stove. The smell of baked good hit them, even stronger and mouth-watering than before.

Kanato was happily sitting on the kitchen counter, not too far from the stove and the crouching woman, who stood up with silver eyes that twinkled in satisfaction. She then turned towards the two redheads.

"I thought you two would get here sooner or later," Guinevere said. "How was school?"

"Boring," Ayato immediately answered.

Replacing his genuinely surprised expression, Laito smirked. "It was alright. Thanks for asking~"

Guinevere pushed his over-cheeriness to the side for now, as she was getting small plates out from the cupboard.

Ayato, however, was already distracted by the food.

"Can Ore-sama have some Takoyaki?" he eagerly asked, almost bouncing in his seat.

Guinevere smiled at his childishness. "Yes."

Laito sat calmly beside his redheaded brother, eyes on her like a silent hawk. Guinevere knew he won't be as easily wavered, nor easily distracted as the other two.

'Of course he wouldn't let go of what happened yesterday, she thought as she took out the freshly baked Takoyaki, the sound of Ayato's cheering reaching her ears. 'He's always been the toughest to forgive out of the triplets, the toughest to genuinely please…And his jealousy is nothing near small…'

Kanato stopped his humming, interrupting her thoughts by saying, "I smell raspberry pudding on one of the other stoves."

Guinevere nodded, petting his head as she passed. "Yes, and that patch is almost done as well."

Kanato gave her an adorable smile, and she had to resist pinching his puffy, soft cheeks. Guinevere then served the Takoyaki onto a plate and placed it in front of the slightly drooling Ayato, along with the utensils.

Ayato immediately dug in. He then complimented how skilfully baked the Takoyaki was, stating that it was soft while deliciously chewy on the inside.

"You can have some too, Laito, there are plenty of them," Guinevere offered.

Laito rested his head on his palm. "Mm, maybe a few, but I'll mostly be waiting for macaroons."

"Yeah, don't eat all of them, cuz they'll be more for me."

"Ayato, do not speak with your mouth full, please," Guinevere lightly chastised before heading to one of the finished stoves.

She took out the raspberry pudding, placed it on the kitchen counter beside the merry Kanato, and went to the fridge. She took out cold, double cream, and swiftly grabbed a spoon from the drawer as she passed. Scooping the cream from its container, she poured some onto a small, red cup. Kanato had already gotten his slice of pudding on a plate by then, and had already begun devouring almost a third of it. He happily accepted the double cream, using his spoon to scoop it onto the warm, golden surface of the perfectly baked pudding. He then held out his hand, and once Guinevere handed him the spoon full of cream, he closed his mouth over it, allowing his tongue to be satisfied as it licked the cream.

Guinevere merely smiled. She then walked up to Laito, whose face betrayed nothing but a smirking mask as he fiddled with the Takoyaki on his plate. He raised his gaze to meet hers.

"Yours will be done soon, Laito," she said. "Would you like anything to drink in the meantime?"

Laito tilted his head at her, his eyes narrowing in sudden amusement.

"Maybe later." His voice revealed little from his usual, honeyed tone. "Thanks for your consideration~"

"You're welcome." Hearing the oven's sharp-pitched but soft 'ding', Guinevere broke eye contact to retrieve the macaroons.

Like the other two patches, she served some on the plate while it's still hot. She then handed it to him, before warning the safety of his tongue against the scorching surface of the macaroons. Guinevere also warned him, like the other two, not to touch the baking tray. She smiled when she saw his eyes soften after a bite.

Laito hummed in delight, slowly chewing it to allow the flavour to linger on his tongue. He placed his free hand on his cheek and closed his eyes.

Guinevere softly stroked his hair, followed by lightly petting Ayato's chipmunk cheek, before beginning to clean the kitchen. Once she got the counters spotless and everything in its rightful, immaculately organised place, she stepped back to observe the kitchen's state.

Laito suddenly called out to her.

She spun around. "Yes, Laito?"

Laito gestured to the macaroons. "Feed me."

Immediately, Ayato stopped chewing. Kanato froze, his legs no longer swinging back and forth. They both stared at him.

Guinevere cocked her head, appearing in thought. After a moment, she said, "Sure," and began advancing to where he sat.

Kanato narrowed his eyes, sucking the last pudding from the spoon in his mouth. It suddenly became bitter and unpleasant in every way instead of its usual warm sweetness that seeped into his tongue. Ayato slowly resumed his chewing, his enthusiasm lowered as he barely tasted anything. His eyes held intensity as he trained them on Guinevere, who was bringing the macaroon to Laito's mouth.

Laito took his time when he bit on the macaroon. Guinevere could feel the softness of his upper lip on the tips of her fingers before he opened his mouth wider. She raised a brow, as she now felt his sharp, cold fangs as he nibbled her fingers. The pain then intensified when he bit harder on one of her fingers. Guinevere refused to flinch, the feeling of blood running down her finger sucked by his mouth.

The macaroon unhurriedly slid into his mouth before he pulled back. With eyes flashing in satisfaction, Laito chewed while watching—to his delight—a flicker of annoyance morphing into her features. It quickly disappeared.

"Ufu, that was very appetizing~" he said once he finished. "Thank you."

Guinevere sighed. She wanted to assume that he was solely referring to the macaroons, but that tends to not be the case. Knowing that the other two had already caught the scent, she wasn't hesitant to examine her finger as a new round of fresh blood started spilling from the grazed wound.

"I expected this…" she said.

"You did offer me a drink a while ago…" Laito left his chair, beginning to walk towards her. "…so I took it."

Guinevere refrained from rolling her eyes. "You and your antics."

"Now that you mention it," Kanato said from behind her. "Something was missing in my pudding."

Guinevere faced him and pouted. "It wasn't good enough?"

Kanato shook his head, a smile adorning his features. The sincerity then vanished, and was replaced by an edged, slightly menacing smile.

"No," he said. Guinevere noticed that his stuffed toy was left on the counter. "Your baking was fine. Teddy even likes it. It's just that my tooth is feeling extra sweet today, and my incredibly peckish stomach didn't help either."

He was now beside her, his body turned and full attention facing towards her. Laito was now on front of her, a hand on his hip. Ayato stood not-too-far behind him, scowling.

"And here I thought I could enjoy my Takoyaki," he said. He then smirked, crossing his arms. "Heh. Looks like you ruined that by giving us something better, Guinevere."

Ayato was suddenly in front of her. He grabbed her chin, eyes scanning over her unblinking, steady composure. Laito was running a hand down the smooth surface of her translucent, dark-coloured stockings. His lips were slightly pursed in disapproval.

He looked up at her, and she could guess what he going to say next.

"Aw, I don't wanna puncture these. They won't taste nice."

She had hit the nail on the head.

"I would have to take it off, correct?" she asked.

Laito cocked a brow. "You will?"

"No."

Laito giggled and stoop up. "Thought so~"

Kanato was caressing Guinevere's hand, taking a moment to enjoy its softness. He then turned it around, and with his doe-like, violet eyes locked with hers, he bit onto her wrist.

Guinevere's eyes became hooded. 'Though I can't say I take pleasure in this, refraining these jealous, possessive three would be highly difficult, if not futile. Gosh, how I spoil them so—'

The cold hand on her chin moved up to grip her cheeks, angling her face so she was forced to meet lime green eyes.

"Focus on Ore-sama," Ayato said, his voice dangerously low.

'Definitely possessive,' Guinevere mused.

An arm encircled her waist, before she immediately felt pain from her left shoulder. Soft hair tickled the nape of her neck, brushing her left cheek. Auburn hair was seen from the corner of her eye.

Ayato grunted in irritation. He swiftly, slightly aggressively unbuttoned the front collar of her white shirt, before burying his fangs below her collarbones. His hand clutching the fabric where he left off, he reached his other hand and tugged Laito's hair.

Laito's irritated groan was muffled and he bit harder. Despite his twig of fury, he smirked underneath her skin when he felt Guinevere's form stiffen.

"Don't be rough now," she said, grabbing hold of Ayato's hand, satisfied when it relaxed.

Laito then lifted his head, detaching his fangs from her shoulder. He glared at Ayato before licking the blood, preventing it from further dying her white dress crimson. He then shifted to her neck. Upon realising this, Guinevere heaved a sigh. She took off his fedora, placing it on her head.

"Hmm, I prefer your legs," said Laito, "But this'll do~"

With those words, he sank his fangs on the nape of her neck, this time slightly gentler than before. Guinevere exhaled as she felt Kanato's warm, damp tongue healing her wound. He advanced upwards, diving his fangs onto her arm for the third time. He inched closer to her, and the liquid that disturbingly dripped down her arm, shoulder and chest, along with the quiet slurping, dragged her away from the numbing, cold pain.

"Okay, that's enough," she said firmly, after allowing them to savour a few more moments. "Any longer, and I will not be able to walk tomorrow."

Kanato wiped the last drops of blood with the flick of his tongue, leaving no marks as he healed them. He then attached himself to her arm, leaning towards her for a cuddle.

Laito followed suit, planting a lingering, tender kiss to her healed flesh before pulling away. He let down her hair and began running his fingers through it to smoothen the knots. He then sighed, narrowing his eyes at Ayato.

"Ayato~" His voice was singsong, though his expression proved otherwise. He was about to knock his younger brother to his senses when Ayato lifted his head.

"I got it," Ayato mumbled, licking the blood from his lips.

Guinevere released her hand on his wrist, using it to pat his head as he cleaned the mess on her skin. Laito merely watched, leaning his head towards her so her head touched.

Ayato, clearly displeased, pulled away. His sour expression didn't last when Guinevere pointed to the tray of Takoyaki behind him, and he almost flew towards it. She then went and carried Kanato's plate, tray of raspberry pudding—and Teddy, of course—to the table, beside Laito's macaroons, and gestured the both of them to sit.

They complied, and to their surprise and extreme delight, she began feeding all of them one by one. In return, they also attempted to feed her, and the atmosphere around them turned into a playful one.