Chapter title: peace is the greatest good.

I was quite tired when I edited this. All mistakes are mine, no beta since we die like men, so please don't hesitate with pointing out any errors should you find any.


A few days were allowed to pass while at the castle and progress had certainly been made, Menat felt. Vega was present more often and he seemed to have a pacifistic but passive-aggressive coexistence with Maggio. Therefore, Menat had to be present and mediate, just to make sure the threshold to ripping each other's throats out wasn't crossed.

Of course, Vega never quite apologized for anything that happened during their failed date and Maggio was frustrated over that but there was no outright open hostility anymore. Just uneasy balance and snide comments aided by routine and familiarity even as Menat felt homesick.

As for Vega, a clear image was beginning to form of the Spaniard; the endless array of beautiful women, his focus on beauty. It had all been to soothe his loneliness. Menat began to understand why she had been asked that strange question in the greenhouse. It just so happened that his idea of someone had to reach his insanely high beauty standards.

Twisted as it was tragic.

It was the little things, he'd do that made her come to that conclusion; the look in his eyes whenever she and Maggio talked about life back at the Palace of Mysteries or the relationships with various people. Or when Maggio would say something inappropriate and end up bickering with Menat. Vega would stare at them, curious, fascinated.

All a means to observe.

As the time here stretched halfway to fourteen days, there was a knock on Menat's door, and she looked up from her crystal ball, about to say something when there came a second knock and the door clicked open. To say that she was surprised and happy was to be an understatement.

Instead of the head maid (whose name was Belinda) or Maggio, she lay eyes on Charlie, his expression softening when he spotted her. He seemed just as shocked as she was and looked as if he wished to say something but Menat didn't let him, jumping off the bed and launching herself into his arms, causing him to drop his bag. They swung around for a bit before Charlie regained his footing.

"You're here!" she exclaimed, her cheeks almost hurting from the wide grin on her face. She placed a lingering kiss on his cheek before it struck her that for some reason Charlie had arrived.

"Wait, why are you here?"

"I was asked to come here…for reasons," he shrugged, suggesting he himself didn't know.

Menat observed him intently, noting that he was in a good mood. He picked his bag from the floor and put it on the bed, his eyes lingering on the fireplace for a moment. He looked around, taking in every detail that surrounded him. Then he looked at her, to assess her current state. His shoulders slumped in relief upon determining she was okay.

He had come here for reasons.

Reasons. No doubt Vega was involved. Menat sat back on the bed and thought of the conversation with Vega in the greenhouse. They had been on many walks since then and never brought up the topic again. She began to wonder how those walks would play out now since Charlie was here. He probably wasn't too keen on letting Menat walk out on her own with Vega and she didn't blame him.

But so far, those walks had been something close to pleasant. Besides, since Vega was gone during the day, Menat could rest her mind a bit as time seemed to come to a crawl out here. Yes, she still missed home but Charlie eased her longing.

"Oh, there's a place, I should show you! I bet you're gonna love it!" she jumped from the bed and wrapped her arm around his to drag him out of the bed chamber to the ground floor and the library, which had been hidden behind an old wooden door.

Occasionally they passed by a few of the maids, who'd stare long after Charlie, and a possessive flame caused Menat to tug his arm closer to her body. She had to let go so she could push the wide door open, greeted by the distinct smell of new, unopened books.

"Behold! Fiction!" she exclaimed once she managed close the door.

The library was quite cozy, complete with a fireplace, comfortable lounge chairs, and a fur carpet in the middle of the floor. One of these days, Menat would have to ask Charlie if he'd ever read for her. But first, she needed to cross "cuddling in front of the fire" with him off her bucket list at some point. For now, Menat observed how Charlie's eyes widen a bit as he scanned each bookshelf, his gaze resting on one title which he picked up.

The cover had a dark castle wrapped in black with a title that read; "Hobbledehoy Of The Night."

"Huh, and here I thought, he wasn't the type the read," Charlie mused, skimming through the first chapter of the book.

After a few seconds, it was nestled under his arm as he went to look at more novels.

Meanwhile, Menat trotted towards the fur carpet, feeling its wavy surface under her socks. "He's not. He just likes to have the books. Says it makes him look sophisticated."

There was a short pause from Charlie when he heard that and he looked at her with a raised brow, wholly unimpressed.

He pulled a second novel and stashed it without looking through it. "…What's the point of that if he's not gonna read them? He might as well keep coffee table books then."

"Charlie, don't be like that. Sure, he never read any of them but you sure will when you're here. You nerd," she grinned, her heart melting at the soft chuckle that came from him.

"Did Maggio infect your vocabulary?"

"If I began speaking like Maggio, you'd be wise to call an exorcist. Have you heard what he said about the maids at first?" Menat began gesturing with her arms as she came closer to him, standing inches away from her breasts resting against his chest. That sudden thought caused her to blush a notch.

"…Like how they were all sex bots in some dipshit Spaniard's harem?" he smirked at her, and she noted the dark gleam in his eye.

"Oh heavens, don't repeat it!" she chided with a genuine smile, striking him playfully against his chest.

During her time here, she came to realize that the maid staff, all fifty-four of them (not counting the head maid), had very distinct personalities and mannerisms. And names as well but she found the process of listing them all to be a herculean task.

As it turned out, none of them had actually slept with Vega but they were intimately familiar with his sex life due to cleaning up sheets and serving breakfast to countless random women in his bed. It had been a hot topic of gossip amongst them all. Then Maggio and Menat, who initially thought of filling Charlie in on the sexual escapades of Vega.

But in the end, she decided not to, not when she had her theory of what drove Vega to such acts. On the other hand, she'd gladly discuss this with Charlie in hopes of mending their brittle relationship. Not make them outright friends; Menat had a feeling that would never happen.

Speaking of the devil, the door to the library went open, courtesy of Belinda the head maid. She gestured to the room and Vega entered. His ears and cheeks were red, a sign that he had been outside for a while. Menat figured that he had put his wealth into good use, making business and investing, hence why he was so busy all the time.

"The cadaver has arrived," he said with a smug smile and Charlie bristled.

"You better watch your fucking mouth."

"Is that a challenge?"

"N-no," Menat interjected and her body began to tremble. "No, it is not."

"Well, in any case, I hope I get to observe the both of you – how you find beauty in such ugly vessels. Perhaps then I'll reconsider my sponsorship," Vega said after a long, uncomfortable pause and it was both good news yet something that moderately disturbed Menat.

She looked at Charlie, then at Vega, and nodded with an uneasy smile. "R-right."

Did he plan to just watch them interact as well? It was moments like these that made Menat feel less like a person and more like a science project. He left without another word, which was a good thing as Charlie looked like he was considering the ways of strangling Vega with his hair.

Moments later, a mop of red hair ran into the library and Maggio's eyes grew wide upon seeing the people present. Like a honing missile, he aimed directly for Charlie, raising his hand like he was about to ask for a high five but then shoved it back in his pocket.

"Hey! Nice to see you, man! Wanna do a snowball match? I managed to get the entire maid staff in on it!" He gestured to a new maid (Lily) who stood by the door, having replaced Belinda.

She was younger than the rest of her coworkers and seemed to get along with Maggio swimmingly, always up for a snowball fight even if she was anxious over what Vega would say about it. But to think that Maggio managed to get all the maids in it was quite an amazing feat, considering how rigid some of them turned out to be.

And Menat needed to break their draw anyway.


Soon they were outside in one of the fields close to the castle. An arena had been made with walls and several barricades, all formed out of snow. With fifty-six players, it had taken a helping hand from all the maids to create the battlefield. But somehow they managed and the match was set to start.

The audience turned out to be a bewildered Vega and an equally confused Charlie. They stood two arms' length apart from each other, which was probably for the best. Besides, as the match began, they wouldn't have time to fight each other.

Each player had four hit points as three was deemed too easy and five was too brutal. Menat employed her agility as well as she could, knowing that Maggio had an aggressive strategy, guns blazing with no tactics whatsoever. Sometimes it had been effective, other times it had been used against him successfully.

The maids however had no strategy aside from taking as many opponents down as possible, throwing all caution to the wind. Their inexperience must have been amusing to watch as each of them fell, one by one. Soon, it was only Menat and Maggio left alive as the snowball match neared its finale as they both only had one hit point left.

From each of their ends on the arena, they stood, panting and exhausted but with a fierce flame burning in their hearts. For the sake of personal pride and honor, they were both determined to win no matter the costs. The question now was who was to make the first move.

That person would be Menat, who had taken a different approach to the match this time, stacking snowballs. With a swift move, she flung her arm and hurled her weapon of choice at Maggio and he ducked, only to jump to his feet and return in kind. Quickly, Menat ran to her shelter, avoiding the gunfire. Her stash was behind another barricade, so she hastily formed two snowballs.

From his end of the field however, Maggio came dashing towards her like a madman, blindsiding her when he crashed into her barricade and landed right on top of her. They wrestled on the ground with Maggio dunking snow on her head and under her jacket.

"Hah! Beat yah, didn't I? Suck on that, why don't you!" he exclaimed.

Before Menat could even think to move out of the way, she felt the chill penetrate her brain and Maggio the little brat had the gall to dunk more snow on her, trying to get it under her clothes as much as possible while they flailed and tumbled in on the snow. Finally, Maggio had enough and withdrew with a sinister cackle like he was some cheesy villain.

"Ugh, I hope you slip and fall on your butt!" Menat pouted, her entire body shivering as she worked to get the snow out of her clothes, feeling it melt and soak absolutely everything. "You're the absolute worst winner in existence!"

She stood up to watch him do an obnoxious victory lap and bask in the applause from the audience, only to slip and fall straight on his rear end. Menat may have lost the war, but she'd gladly take that bit of schadenfreude. She formed one final snowball before making her way over to where Maggio had limped to the maids who had gathered around Vega, busy with highlining them all.

It was petty and childish but she wanted to have at least a little bit of revenge. With Maggio distracted, Menat hurled the snowball at him, only for him to duck and hit Vega directly in the face.

Her gut sank to her feet and then further down to the pits of the planet's center as she realized the consequences of her actions.

Almost slipping and tripping over her feet or dunes of snow, she came running to his side, her cheeks burning with shame. "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I was trying to hit the brat!"

"Can't say I didn't enjoy that," Charlie snarked at the man like he had been possessed by Maggio and got a furious glare in return. Vega. He closed the distance between them, his eyes burning with pure hatred.

"You foul creature. Ruining it for your dears?"

A tense pause filled the air and Menat felt like drowning as Charlie's hands clenched into fists. For a moment, the world stood still, frozen like the wintery wilderness around them.

Then, thankfully, Charlie stepped back with a hard swallow. "No. But I'm not playing around, and I won't hesitate to kick your ass if you hurt them. Sponsorship be damned."

Vega's eyes widened a bit at the warning until he smiled. It didn't reach his eyes; it never did. But he heeded the caution and gathered his hands behind his back. The snow on his face didn't quite ease the darkness in his eyes.

With a smug huff, he walked past Charlie and cast a glance at Menat. "I'll keep your…valiance in mind."

The maids scurried after him, all fifty-four of them, leaving the trio on uncertain but ostensibly positive ground.


Now safely in her bedroom, Menat shuddered under the blanket and stared at the flames that danced in the fireplace. It would take some time to get warm so she best spend her afternoon huddled in the warmth. The door to the room opened and someone ended up sitting next to her. A lemon cookie floated into her vision as if goading her into eating it.

"Sorry. I just can't help myself with Vega," Charlie sighed. Menat didn't blame him.

"Well, I forgive you," she curled under the blanket, eventually snatching the cookie and chowing on it. "Now I just need some hot chocolate…"

"You want me to get you some?" he asked. When she turned around to look at him, she noted a brief spark in his eyes. Or maybe it was the fire reflected in his glasses. Having eaten half her cookie, Menat offered him the other half and smiled when he took it.

She closed her eyes then; "Will you lay with me instead?"

There was a pause before the blankets moved and Charlie's body lay pressed against hers. In comfortable silence, they remained there, listening to the fire, hearing the other breathe. Slowly, Menat turned around to face him, seeing that his glasses lay on the floor nearby. He stared back at her, brushing some hair away from her face. It amused her that he had gotten that habit, considering he had a long piece of hair in front of his own face at all times. It suited him, however.

"Did you know my parents died? And little me ran away until Master found me. Having a family – again, is so nice." Menat said apropos of nothing, averting her gaze a bit to adjust to the open wound of talking about her past.

Charlie fell quiet for a moment while he mused, "Family, huh?"

"Mm-hm. Maggio can be a real twat but he's like a brother to me. And Master is like my mom. It feels really nice, even more so now that you're with us – me," she smiled, feeling the wounds close themselves just a bit.

"Is this the time of secrets?"

"Yes, if you want to," she invited him in, feeling like they had come to the point where they could share some enigmas.

Well, being an orphan wasn't a secret in itself, but it wasn't something, Menat enjoyed telling everyone she met. The people she loved and cared about knew and it was all that mattered. As for Charlie's reaction, he was receptive, tugging her close to assure her that he wasn't about to leave.

"In that case…I was gunned down and fell to the depths of a waterfall. Can't remember if the bullets or the rocks killed me. The time after being revived and until I somehow ended up in that cave feels like a blur with snippets here and there. I don't like to think about my death. The nightmares do it for me," he said after a while, his gaze never breaking away from hers when she looked at him again.

There was a brief flinch in his eye that revealed how he felt about everything, but it was gone before Menat could identify it. It must have been quite a surreal experience to talk about the way he died and how the memories affected him. It explained his dreams as well.

"Oh," she uttered and closed her eyes again when she felt his hands slide to her hip, resting there.

It was warm to the touch, and she found herself wishing he'd touch her more so they could both melt their woes in each other. There was a flicker of something in his gaze when she opened his eyes and looked at him, silently asking him – she hoped. She had to haul a breath when his hand slid to her waist, then her back, pulling her close.

Something akin to guilt made Menat hesitate, feebly pressing her hands against his chest. She had a strong feeling that if she told Charlie the truth, he'd jump right to his feet and claw Vega's eyes out. But she wasn't one for secrets. It just felt wrong.

Tentatively, she spoke, struggling to meet his gaze. "…Vega gave me a rose on the first evening. And then uh, kissed me. I guess he just really wanted to see how far he could push things. I hope your warning worked."

"It better," Charlie drawled after a long pause. She could feel his entire body shake with subtle fury and she knew he'd surely burn the entire castle down if they weren't dependent on some Spaniard's money.

Thankfully, he remained where he was but something darker came about in his eyes. It bleed into his touches as he turned Menat onto her back and pinned her body under his.

He moved further down, taking the edge of the blanket with him. Menat had to weakly whimper as the warmth faded away a bit. "C-Charlie…"

"It's not your fault. I know," he said and pulled the blanket over himself. "Pardon me for going getting a little possessive."

Jealousy, it was. Under normal circumstances, things wouldn't come to this. But she understood his discomfort and she let him have his moment of envy. Hopefully, when all of this was over, they could lay it behind them.

For now, however, Menat simply lay on her back with no idea of what Charlie was trying to do until his hands caressed her thighs and her body immediately responded, opening itself up to him with how her legs parted just a bit. She hummed against the fingers traveling up her thigh, slowly peeling off every layer of clothes that covered her lower body.

In the orange glow of the flames, Menat watched as each piece of clothing ended up on the floor around them. Anticipation began to flood her as she lay there, wishing she had the fortitude to lock the door to the bathroom. Such worries and considerations were smashed like glass when her lingerie ended up on the floor and her legs were spread apart even further.

There was a second's contemplation before she jittered at Charlie kissing and licking her most sensitive part since the effect was instantaneous. Menat had to clasp a hand over her mouth, muffling her cry of pleasure as warmth spread over her body. He had a firm clasp around her thighs, working her mercilessly, just about to drive her over the edge and then stop, only to tease her again. All the meanwhile, she lay there, her face burning from the heat, sweat gathering on her forehead.

When she mewled some breathless amalgamation of his name and a plea for him to not play with her like that, he stopped, shifting under the blanket until his face emerged from the dim depths. Momentarily, Menat managed to work up the energy to glare at him for being so merciless and leaving her on the precipice of fulfillment, only to leave her hanging. Her silent demands seemed to have reached Charlie as he loomed over her again, brushing some of the hairs away from her face.

Every fiber of her body began to ache with want and she stared him right into the eyes, reassured by the stare she received back. She wanted to smile but couldn't – cupping his face to pull him into a kiss, a feeling she had been sorely missing.

Laying on the floor in a guest room of a castle owned by Vega of all people made Menat think of the times when he kissed her.

The first time had been brief and sudden, tasting of gross red wine. The second (and hopefully last) was just as abrupt. Stupid Vega had blindsided her twice now and she only really processed it after the fact. She would never give Vega the satisfaction of crossing her boundaries ever again.

Charlie tasted mostly of lemon cookies on the other hand. She liked how he made her feel, how the heat and hearty emotions spread through her body like wildfire.

Menat welcomed all of him, wrapping her arms around his neck to hold him close, to pull their lips together. It felt like it lasted for far too little, even as they had to withdraw from each other to breathe. In hindsight, the reservations from their first time together seemed almost comical in contrast considering Charlie didn't think twice about indulging in her now. He also wasn't fueled by jealousy then.

But always, always so gentle.

Menat was very pleased with this. She turned around until she lay on top and straddled him, taking joy in the surprised look on his face underneath the intense blush that quickly vanished when she leaned down to kiss him, savoring the softness of his lips.

There was a different but faint taste underneath the lemon cookies and Menat had a slight suspicion as to what that was in light of what he had done to her moments earlier. The thought alone sent heat to pool in her stomach. It didn't stop her from kissing him, however; she had one and a half weeks she needed to make up for. The feeling was mutual with the way he reacted.

From how she sat, nestled over his crotch, she could feel the length of him resting against her inner thigh, partly erect, making her ache for the feeling of it sliding inside of her. Lucky for both of them, that remained intact. No stitches or green patches of skin.

Eventually, it was non-verbally decided that a bed was infinitely better than a fur carpet on the floor and they stood up, making their way to the mattress. Menat was astute enough to lock the door to the bathroom before she descended upon the covers. She tried to straddle Charlie again, but he took over, looming over her while he worked to remove the rest of her clothes. And his own. He leaned back to let every article of clothing fall to the floor while she got a good look at him.

As Menat had observed many times before, his body was riddled with scars. Long and crude stitches sprawled all over his body, connecting two different colors of flesh. She had seen and felt some of them before but seeing them all at once over his bare body felt like a whole new discovery. Shame was layered in his eyes as he looked down a bit. Shame of what he was, such feelings just couldn't leave him. Shame over the fact that Menat couldn't help but fall in love with him of all people.

A dead man walking like Charlie Nash.

"Come! I'm getting cold," she waved him over, smiling at the warmth returning in his eyes.

She kissed him, indifferent as ever to the stitches or miscolored skin, just happy to feel his strong body nestled between her thighs. It was part of him, and she'd never think any less of him because of his past. Closing her eyes, she hummed with satisfaction when he kissed her neck, her collarbone, and chest. Concupiscent and growing slightly impatient, she ran her hands through his hair, getting a hold of his forelock. It didn't take long after that before she felt him slide into her and she responded by wrapping her legs around his hips.

This time, there was no hesitation or concern, only passionate desperation born from almost two weeks of longing and the looming ghost of Vega's transgressions. Mindful of the fact Maggio could be just behind the bathroom door, Menat clasped a hand over her mouth, writhing and arching her back beneath him. The feel was just as consuming as it was the first time, but it somehow felt even better now when their bodies moved against one another in perfect harmony.

Menat felt him brush against her lips and she pulled him close, demanding his attention as she traced her hands over the stitches on his back until she couldn't stand it anymore, coming with a muffled yelp and with him resting his head in the crook between her neck and shoulder. She heard him grunt, feeling shudder, then growing limp, resting on top of her.

While the afterglow was allowed to reign, they lay intertwined. Only when their breathing returned to normal, did Charlie pull away from her, gently unwrapping her legs from his hips as he looked at her, his face as red as the glows of the fireplace. For their second time getting intimate, they hadn't been enveloped by darkness so it must have been quite the sight to witness with her eyes partly closed, cheeks flaming red, hair whipped around her head like the messy assortment of peacock feathers.

Or maybe he was looking for injuries.

A tired smile quickly dashed those worries. Menat's heart soared when Charlie responded with a ghosting smirk. To that, she couldn't help but giggle, watching him move from the bed to gather glasses, clothes, and blankets from the floor, naked as the day he was born. Undead or not, he had a nice body, and she had no shame thinking that.

He deserved that goodwill.

Satisfied and satiated, Menat closed her eyes, rolling onto her side and humming softly when the duvet was put over her. Soon after she felt Charlie behind her, resting his face in the gap between her neck and shoulder.

They stayed like that until there was a knock on the door. Hastily, Menat climbed away from the warm entanglement of Charlie's arms and snatched some of his clothes to look somewhat presentable. She went to open the door just slightly, ready to slam it shut if it was Maggio wanting to gloat about his victory. Instead, it was one of the older maids, Marion, with a tray in her hands.

Without assessing Menat completely, she held out the tray. "Lord Vega has left the manor for the night, and I reckon you'd like to warm yourself in front of the fireplace. Thus, I bring you and the gentleman some supper. You may leave the utensils outside the door once you are done."

"Oh, thanks!" Menat took the food and Moira was so generous to close the door for her. When she turned around, she spotted Charlie, partly dressed, feeding the fireplace some logs. Behind the curtains of the window, it was pitch black, soothed by the flames that cast the room in an intimate orange glow, perfect for a romantic dinner.