The pop of gunshots could be heard a distance from the palace, but not in a certain hotel suite located on the opposite side of the city. It wasn't the most upscale of accommodations, but it was low-key. It was exactly what was needed for the Philosophers to hide what remained of their royal family in. Evangeline, the daughter of Abhartach, and Sasha Pomeroy, the fiance of Abhartach, were well-hidden in an area that HELLSING would not immediately assume to look. That said, the surrounding rooms had been rented out by their guards, even more guards joined them in their room, and they were forbidden to be near the windows, even with the curtains drawn. Even worse, neither of them knew each other or their protectors especially well, so it was as though they were trapped in a room surrounded by strangers. Even worse was Sasha's predicament.

She sat in the bathroom with the door locked, eyes trained on the plastic stick that rested on the edge of the sink. She was following instructions to a T, but waiting on results was agonising. She wasn't really sure if she wanted the results to be positive, but knew that Abhartach did. Even stranger, she felt herself being concerned with Abhartach's wishes, which she detested him not long prior.

Perhaps it was Stockholm syndrome. Perhaps Abhartach was really that charming. On the few times that he had taken her out out Lexington manor, she did find his company enjoyable. He said all of the right things, made all of the right moves, and treated her like she was special. Sasha had never been special before. In her house, it was always the boys who got to go around, doing things, and were expected to run the family business, but her? There was no space for her. There was no room for her to grow. She knew that everyone around her sort of assumed that she would marry the first random nobody to knock her up, and in part, they were right, only Abhartach wasn't just "nobody." He was going to be a king. Even more than that, he was kind to her. He seemed to listen to her woes and her situation improved. Once she had proved her loyalty, her freedom grew and so did her opinion of Abhartach. He was educated, he was kind, and he was all around pleasant… if one could look past the fact that he enjoys fighting in wars and taking over kingdoms, at least. Sasha could. She had seen worse men at home.

Criminals, chavs, both real and imitation gangsters came through her front door on a regular basis while she was living at home with the Pomeroys. Most of them left her alone. Some of them genuinely scared her. When they weren't doing that, they were touting the money they stole or "earned," and sometimes getting into fights. The higher ranked they were, the less fighting they did themselves. The ones who actually did the fighting, though, did it without any sort of grace.

Abhartach didn't, however. He had a cause that he preached about- that he believed in, and he had the skills and the integrity to back it up. She just knew it. He fought alongside his soldiers, fearlessly entering the fray with reckless abandon until victory was his. He was as close to a real-life knight in shining armour, in her eyes. A lot of his soldiers were. But Abhartach? He was something else. He was dashing, he was daring, he was courteous, and made her feel safe. He made her feel important. She was important. She was going to be the new queen, after all. And Abhartach was all hers- at least, as far as she knew.

She didn't know the details of things and she didn't want to know. This was fine. This was completely fine. Yet why did she feel so nervous about this? She, like the others, was confident that he would win. What she was more nervous about was the prospect of carrying his heir.

When time ran out, she picked up the stick and looked at it. Anxiety pooled in her stomach as she frowned. Carefully, she wrapped it in toilet paper and threw it in the trash before washing her hands and walking back into the living area. She felt a bit guilty, seeing Evangeline, especially since she was none the wiser.

The other girl was sitting on the couch with her legs drawn in close, only to sit up straight with her feet back on the floor in a dignified manner when she saw that she was being watched. Afterwards, she reattached her gaze to the TV in front of her as she scrolled through channels. When Sasha got closer, she saw that they were news channels.

"Anything on?" Sasha questioned.

"No… That's sort of concerning." answered Evangeline with a worried expression. "I've looked through every news channel multiple times, and none of them are talking about the battle."

"Government conspiracy?" suggested the Pomeroy.

"That could be it."

It was quiet between the two of them after that. Despite being around the same age with Evangeline only being a year younger, they had nothing in common. Evangeline was raised as a princess, while Sasha was raised in a den of brutes. One thing they did have in common, though, was a lack of experience in the company of girls in their age group. As much as they wished that they could enjoy the company, neither of them really knew what to do with each other. It probably didn't help that Sasha was going to marry Evangeline's father when this was over. It was awkward. The more they both thought about it, the worse it seemed, yet they both wanted to believe in him. This was normal. This was for the best.

"Soooo..." Sasha awkwardly began. "How long do you think this thing is supposed to last?"

"I don't know. Father never told me anything about the war." Evangeline said as he shook her head. "I think it will probably be over before sunrise."

"Why's that?"

"That's when werewolves change back and when vampires need to be inside."

"Oh… I should've thought of that..." Leaning back on the couch and bringing her legs close, Sasha looked away. She somewhat anxiously played with a lock of hair, smoothing it out until the end was in a somewhat uniform curl. Then, by some almost primal compulsion, she placed it under her nose do that the curve of the curl pointed downwards. When Evangeline cautiously looked over at her again, the Abhartach girl blinked and reached up to touch her own hair.

"Mine is much to short to do that..." she said aloud, making Sasha realise what she was doing.

"U-uh… Well… You could always grow it out."

"I guess I could, but I like it this length. Long hair would be warmer, though."

"Yeah… Early spring is always nasty… and then it gets warmer and suddenly, having a hair-scarf doesn't seem like a really good idea."

"It really doesn't." Evangeline laughed. The Pomeroy had never seen her do that, before. "I don't really think a mustache would help me, either. I worry that I would look like my father!"

"Do you take after your mum- I mean, your mother, instead?" Sasha asked.

"Yes. Phillip and I both do- did." The other shook her head as she corrected herself.

"I wish I did… I'm worried I'll end up bald like my old man. All of us look like him except Jared."

"Your siblings?"

"Yeah… Brothers. I think they ended up in Abhartach's army."

"Hopefully, they're alright..."

"Nah… I don't really care." the Pomeroy stated before raising her brows at the surprise on the other girl's face. "Uh… We didn't really get along… Jared was always a pushover who did whatever Dad and Dennis told him to, Dennis was a violent bastard and a creep, and Reuben idolised Dennis and tried to do everything he did. They weren't great people. One of the things I actually liked about ending up with you guys is being out of that house."

"I see..." Evangeline quietly nodded.

"What about you? Philip was your brother, right? Did you get along with him?"

"I… It's best not to talk about him." she said. "Father would be angry. Philip betrayed us, so it isn't really worth dwelling on."

"Really?" blinked the other. "Well… Was there anyone else you got along with? Any friends?"

"No..." Evangeline's posture stiffened and she closed herself off from her acquaintance. "Only the Whelans, but they ended up the same."

"Oh… Sorry..." bashfully apologised Sasha.

"It's quite alright. It isn't worth dwelling on." the Abhartach girl repeated. "They will all end up the same when this is over. It will be as if they had never existed."

"Oh..." That was hard to answer. Either way of attempting to reassure her could yield catastrophic results. When Sasha tried to search for a hint on the other girl's face, however, she found a slight smile.

"I am glad that they managed to find a little happiness until then, though." Evangeline quietly stated- more to herself than anyone, really. Then, her tone shifted again and she frowned. "The Lexington family was there, too, but I find Stephane to be rather unpleasant."

"Really? Why?"

"He's a snake. He only latched on to father to further his own status. Furthermore, most of the maids who work for him are descendants of his. Can you imagine? He will only let someone who is conceived with noble blood succeed him. While I do believe that breeding is important, it is still cruel to bring someone into this world and then treat them as slaves instead of your kin."

Pausing, Sasha thought about this for a moment. "Would you have kids with a commoner, Evangeline?"

"Of course not, but if I did, then I would love them anyway. It's still my blood, afterall. You shouldn't create life that you don't intend to nurture. It's irresponsible and cruel."

"I see..." The Pomeroy girl looked straight ahead at the TV, closing herself off from the other entirely. She felt a pang of guilt at that, but she wouldn't talk about it with Evangeline. She hardly knew her and it wouldn't have been appropriate. So, they both sat there in silence as the war waged on, but unfortunately, not everyone had the luxury.

The royal family of Abhartach was removed from Lexington estate, as the Philosophers knew that it was being monitored by HELLSING, the rest of those who lived and worked there were left behind. Thus, when the invasion started, they found themselves in hot water when the surveillance group outside decided to become an attack force and the Philosophers' soldiers were all away. They were completely, and utterly, defenseless. Needless to say, Sir Lexington was not at all pleased.

"Damn him!" he shouted, punching the wall as HELLSING soldiers called out to him while brandishing guns.

"Attention occupants: This estate is now under the control of the HELLSING organisation. We know about your involvement in the attack currently underway in London. We also know that you have civilians in the home. Surrender now or be eradicated."

The man with the megaphone outside made a reasonable request. It was a fine one. It let them have the opportunity to get out of this alive rather than wiping them all out. Or perhaps it was simply because HELLSING Headquarters was under attack and had trouble sparing them a helicopter with big guns, however. Either way, the Lexington servants were in luck, save for one small detail: Their leader.

"Damn him!" Stephane roared. "Where the fuck is he?! Didn't he leave anybody?! Where are the guards?! Were are our soldiers?! Even weapons?!"

"Sir, it's just us…" one of the maids said to him. "There's no one else here. We looked."

"Look again! There has to be someone! Anyone!"

"There isn't… It's just us..."

The man ground his teeth together and clenched his fists tighter. "That fucker..." he growled. "That fucking, Irish, piece of shit! Damn him! He… He left us! He fucking left us! Abhartach left us here!"

"What if we called him?"

"Are you fucking stupid?!" Stephane demanded, getting right in the woman's face as he turned around. "He's not going to come! Don't you get it?! Abhartach left us here! After the invasion, he'll own the whole country and have no use for us! He left us here to die! Now do you fucking understand?!"

"What should we do, then?" questioned another maid. "If we don't surrender, those men out there are going to kill us!"

"No one is surrendering to anyone!" Sir Lexington snapped back. "No one! If we surrender, then this house, this legacy- my bloodline will end! They'll take it all!"

"Sir, if you fight back, we will all die." spoke another maid, a succubus by the name of Caroline. She was the head maid, as she was the oldest of Sir Lexington's children and knew the ins and outs of the house like she had been taught to take care of them for her entire life. She was also, however, familiar with Sir Lexington's pride when it came to matters of nobility. "It isn't the wisest decision."

"I'm not going to let them take it from me!" the man shouted at her. "Like hell, I will! They can pry this estate from my cold, dead, hands before I do! You, Caroline, are going to go bring me my hunting equipment. While you're at it, you're going to tell the others to get ready. Tell them to take the swords off the walls and the knives out of the kitchen drawers! Tell them to pick up pots and pans, for all I care! We go down fighting for the estate!"

"Sir, they have machine guns. We will be killed in moments." Caroline replied, but as much as she implored him, he still wouldn't listen.

"Strap pans to yourself to make armour, then! My decision as head of the house is final! I am the lord of this manor, and what I say goes! Now, get a move on!"

"You would let us all be killed for your house?"

"A house? A house?! Don't be stupid. This isn't just a house... It's a legacy! It's worth more than all of you put together! This house has been standing for hundreds of years, kept alive for countless generations of Lexingtons. It's faced countless invaders and all of them have been kept out time and time again. I have to at least try… If I let them take it without a fight, I would dishonour my family name! That is bigger than you. That's bigger than all of you! Now, go!"

Narrowing her eyes, Caroline scowled. Whipping her head around, she turned and left the office, shoving past her fellow servants in the process as she stomped her way into the hallway. She passed even more panicked servants as they cried and tried to comfort one another in their time of betrayal and condemnation. Stephane was perfectly willing to let them all die for his name. His name! But what could she do? She had to obey. There was no one else who could lead them.

Upon reaching the man's quarters, she entered his closet, crouching down to pick up the gun case that was shoved underneath the dresser drawers. Before she could, however, she picked up his shoes in order to move them out of the way and stopped. She had polished these shoes many times before. Countless times. And for what? For a man who was willing to throw her and her sisters away as mere casualties for the sake of his own disgusting pride? Because of what? Some special magic that made him superior? She had his blood. Many of them did. Yet their input mattered not. They were not noble, despite carrying his blood.

They were not whole, though. They were not pure. They were conceived with those who were not of noble blood. They were tainted. Ironically enough, Stephane himself was, too, as evident in the fact that he was an incubus at all. One of his parents had to be an incubus or a succubus in order for that to happen and it was unlikely that the supernatural side of him was in any way noble. Perhaps it was his own insecurities causing this. Regardless of that cause, however, it still meant that they were all going to die.

Caroline felt the leather in her purple hands, noting the care that had been taken to keep them soft to the touch and shiny. Wasted. Looking up, she saw his suits, all carefully washed, ironed, and hung. For what purpose? It was all going to end up being a waste. She might as well have let them stay dirty.

She sighed. What was the point in any of it? As she looked down again to finally do what she had been told, she saw her face reflected in the shoes. Despite being female, she looked remarkably like her father. No, he wasn't her "father." He was a father only in that they shared blood. Nothing more. They shared blood.

They shared blood.

Holding the shoes tighter, a thought popped into her head. It was truly a terrible thought. She felt bad just for thinking it. What if, however, Stephane was to fall in battle? What if he needed someone to succeed him? He insisted that all of his children were raised female so that they would be less likely to be taken seriously as heirs, but what if? What if?

What if?

Caroline set the shoes back down. She didn't get the gun out, though. Not yet. Instead, she stood up and stared longingly at the suits in Sir Lexington's closet. Timidly, she reached out to touch one, carefully feeling the fabric. Swallowing, she built up the courage to raise her other hand from hanging idly at her side and reach behind her to tug at the sting tying her apron behind her back. Once it was undone, she removed the apron and let it fall to the ground at her feet.

Minutes passed. They passed slowly, leaving the entire house in suspense. Then, polished shoes began clicking down the hallway, worn by a man in a nice suit. In his purple hands, he held a rifle and he walked swiftly, with purpose as he headed toward the office. Sir Lexington was pacing back and forth inside.

"Where is she?!" Stephane demanded. "How long does it take to grab a gun?!" Nervously, he shifted the curtains out of the way and glanced out the window. "They're getting ready to break in!"

He looked up when he heard the door open and opened his mouth to say "finally!" but was instead silent. He expected a maid, but saw a man- a man wearing one of his suits- a man holding his hunting rifle. This man was an incubus of the same purple hue as Sir Lexington himself, though with somewhat softer features and more subdued hair.

"What are you-" Sir Lexington began, cutting himself off. "Caroline?!"

"Surrender to HELLSING." the man in front of him ordered, but Stephane only scowled.

"Caroline, give me that gun right now! What the hell do you think you're doing, dressed like that?!" The lord of the manor held out his hand. "Give that too me! We'll talk about this later..."

Instead of giving the weapon to him, the man instead aimed it right at him, causing the other maids in the room to gasp and flee. Some of them still watched, however, albeit from the doorway. "Surrender! Do the honourable thing and take care of your people first! Surrender at once!"

"You miserable… How dare you point that at me?! I order you to put that damn thing down! Right now! You will not tell me what to do in my own home! You will do as I say!"

"I'm not asking you again." Caroline told him.

"Caroline, I order you to give me that gun!" Sir Lexington bellowed, baring his teeth. "Caroline! Caroline, answer me!"

There was a moment of hesitation, but when Stephane began to walk forward, Caroline pulled the trigger, firing a bullet right into Stephane's stomach and shattering the window behind him. Blinking, the lord of the mansion reached up to touch his wound. He took a few steps back, trying to maintain his footing as he coughed, causing blood to dribble from his mouth. Stephane's heels soon touched the wall and he was forced to steady himself by resting his palm on the windowsill, cutting his hand on broken glass.

"You…" He paused to cough. "...bitch..."

Caroline had only loaded one bullet, so he was forced to walk toward the other man. He placed the barrel of the weapon against his father's chest with his hand against the stock. When Stephane grabbed onto the weapon in order to take it away, Caroline pushed, sending both Stephane and the gun falling out the window. Stephane fell backwards, landing a ways off from the HELLSING soldiers below. The oddity of the sight caused them to momentarily cease their efforts to break the door down, as they knew that they should move in as soon as they heard the shot. Instead, they found a body with blood pouring out from a freshly-made headwound. A few of them looked up, trying to see where the man found, only to find Caroline with his own head sticking out of the window.

"Uh… My name is Caroline Lexington!" he called out to the soldiers. "Since my father, Sir Stephane Lexington, has died under… mysterious circumstances… That makes me the new head of the household! We would like to surrender peacefully to HELLSING in exchange for our safety!"


A/N: This is very short and very random, especially after the previous chapter, but I had to tie up these loose ends. I didn't have much time this week to venture into anything else, so I jotted this up real quick. Sorry if it's a letdown!

I'll get back to something more interesting next time! ...Probably. Depends on what else is on my list of things before we get back to work...

As always, your input is always appreciated!

Until the next chapter, my duckies~!