"You ran away from home because you don't want to be the Queen of the vampires?" Nobita was surprised, seeing how she was and how she behaved, he didn't expect that the reason she was on Earth was something as common as running away from home, something he used to do for absurd reasons compared to her problem, but it never turns out the way he expects.
The vampiress still embarrassed plays with her fingers "It's just that I don't feel ready to be one, being the leader of the vampires implies a full schedule and everything depends on you, that puts too much pressure on me. I really like having free time to read novels, dance in the night sky, play the violin, explore and interact with animals, even..."
Selene pulls out a purple thread, which obviously activated the emotion in the boy with eyes lit up like stars in a night sky "It can't be! Do you like making figures with thread?!"
The vampire nods and calmly but accurately makes the figure of a bat "My tutors say it's a waste of time that I could spend preparing to be the queen, but it helps me a lot with stress, and it's nice to see figures formed like this, I don't usually show this to other guys my age because they think it's meaningless"
"Of course it's not!" Nobita takes out a red thread from his pocket and quickly makes the figure of a bridge, which impresses the platinum girl "I do it too, although I get criticized too because it's not (productive)."
"Wow, you're fast and very good at that! I'm impressed and I'm very happy to find someone with the same hobby" Selene applauds to which Nobita tears up happily, it couldn't be any other way, he felt like he wasn't so alone in one of the things he liked to do.
"How nice it feels to have a girl praise you for playing with string. I'm not very popular with the girls in my neighborhood because of who I am." The boy's face of satisfaction and joy was almost impossible to erase. "I didn't know about that figure. I'm going to practice it."
"Sure, if you want I'll show you. But I don't understand why you wouldn't get along so well with other women. You're sweet and compassionate, otherwise I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for you." Selene's comment makes Nobita turn red again as he moves his hands quickly.
"B-but what are you saying?! I-I'm not as good as you think, I get jealous, I'm not a good student, I'm clumsy, a crybaby and a coward, plus I'm weak at sports and all that." Nobita just plays with his fingers, still red but somewhat embarrassed.
"Nobita, remember that vampires have that characteristic of praising or charming another species of the opposite gender. Although it's good that you do not let those compliments go to your head" Doraemon crosses his arms closing his eyes while Nobita looks at him annoyed by the comment "For those reasons that my buddy mentions is that I am here with him, I'm a robot from the future sent to improve his life, and the work is very hard because he is like that. By the way, how old are you?"
"120" Selene says very calmly
"120 YEARS?!" They both shout in unison "Uh, of course. It's that vampires are almost immortal and age very slowly" Nobita says amazed.
"Well, we are talking about vampire years, my age would be equivalent to 11 human years" The boy lets out an ("Oh!") at what his new friend said.
Doraemon is startled "So, you ran away from home to avoid being the Queen of Vampires. Could you explain to us who the guys were that attacked us before I met you? Now with everything you said, I'm sure they are vampires from Amarant, but they had a ribbon on their arm with a red moon on it."
Selene gets nervous with the description that the robot mentions to her, her face turns somewhat blue as she brings her face to her mouth "Did you say Red Moon?!" The blue one answers her nodding as if nothing happened "That only means that they are vampires from the Scarlet Moon clan"
"Scarlet Moon? Sounds a bit like a teen novel" Nobita says with a confused face. "So they're like the bad vampires?"
"They're basically vampire deserters to the lifestyle that people like my father have implemented in Kyuketsu. Remember when I told you that Amarant has 2 Dimensional Doors? They have the other one, they stole it years ago, at first we had that one but suddenly it disappeared, so we had to create the other one that we currently have. They want to take over the planet for the magentun and power over all vampires, as well as wanting to use the mineral to be able to invade other planets that are habitable, for vampires, blood is the most important, the most valuable. And knowing that there are other species on other planets, it's likely that they want to enslave them to have (food) in abundance."
Both boys are dumbfounded, gulping at the same time. "I don't want to be food for bad vampires!" Of course the boy's reaction couldn't be any other way, they just found out about an invasion plan in order to enslave planets and use them as interplanetary blood banks. "Although, we have the day that protects us, it would be difficult for them"
"It's possible that maybe they think about that and that's why they're also thinking about using the magentun for that BUT" Says Doraemon
"We also have a day and night cycle so to speak, only that on our planet the sky is always nighttime 24 hours, but clear nighttime for 4 hours and dark nighttime for the other 20. Anyway, vampires don't sleep much so it's not a problem for us" Selene receives another (Oh) from her new friends.
"With my father in charge, they haven't been able to do much, but they are abusive to other vampires, since they even think they are better than the rest of us. That is always emphasized by their leader, no one knows her true identity because she always wears a mask and a red wig with her big black and red dress, she is only known as Lady Belladonna. Being the King of the Vampires is a very coveted position since as I said, whoever has control of Amarant and Kyuketsu, will have access to technology and all the magentun. Vampires who aren't deserters follow the Vampire Lord, as simple as that, one or another crazy vampire has already tried to usurp the title but since my father is very strong, they never had the opportunity. Currently, those of Scarlet Moon are the only ones causing problems"
Lady Belladonna is seen again, but now completely, a refined mask covered both her eyes and her nose, while she smiles with painted lips (probably with blood) her hair was a deep red and if one notices, she was a wig, all to hide his true identity.
(Editor's note: This was originally going to be called Bloody Mary as a reference to one of the versions of the origin of that name, but it sounds more like a cocktail to me, so I'm not going to use that.)
"I understand, whoever becomes the Vampire King has control of Amarant and its minerals. But you shouldn't have run away from your city." Doraemon crosses his arms "With everything you've told, it seems that the Vasilescu prevent the deserting vampires from taking over all of Magentun, and if your father is going to die, it's better that you take that responsibility."
Selene shakes her head while pouting "I don't want to! I can't be the Vampire Queen, it's too much responsibility for me, and my freedom to do what I want will go from very little to none. I already have a plan and I'm going to follow it, I'll live on Earth" the vampire points to the boy while smiling "And I'll live at Nobita's house."
"EH?!" Again another scream from the pair, from so much screaming, the door opens suddenly, it was Mrs. Nobi
"Nobita, Doraemon! Why are you making such a fuss?!" Tamako notices Selene who was under the night light and the pair panics "I didn't know you had company, I didn't even see her come in. Who is she? And why is that flashlight darkening that part of your room?"
"Doraemon, do something, if mom finds out she's a vampire, she'll panic" Nobita whispers nervously while the robot cat searches his pocket throwing random things.
"The flower of oblivion! Where did I put it? I saw it last time while I was cleaning the inventions!" It was definitely the worst time to not find a specific gadget.
Things were getting awkward, but Selene already knew what to do in these cases, so she just gets up and bows again with her eyes closed. "Good afternoon, Nobita's mother, I'm sorry for coming in unannounced, my name is Vasilescu Selene, I've been worried about my friend's health and I came to see him, and my skin is a little sensitive to UV rays."
As soon as Selene opens her eyes, her violet eyes shine a little "But right now I don't have a place to stay because of a problem at home. Could I stay with you for a while until I can go back home? I promise to help with whatever you need, it will only be for a while."
Nobita looks at his mother and notices that her eyes were purple for a moment but they return to the same charcoal eyes as always and smiles "Oh sure dear, gladly. Although we don't have much space."
"Uh..." Doraemon sees how the three of them look at him and although he was so stunned by what just happened, he gets up and searches his pocket again "Okay, I think I can fix that"
The vampiress was happy with what she had done but the boy with glasses gets up looking at her ("Did you hypnotize my mom?")
("Uh? I shouldn't have? It's just that since I saw you upset and I have to avoid being discovered by humans, I thought it was a good idea, so it's okay, right? It's not so bad, I'll just stay here until it's safe.") Selene smiles at Nobita who just exhales nervously.
("Okay but... Anyway, let me know when you're going to do it.") Nobita scratches the back of his neck as they talk mentally ("It's not like we have much anyway because it's not a huge castle, so sorry if it's not a luxury.") The boy turns red again because the vampire takes his hands and smiles at him
("Don't worry, it's more welcoming this way.")
The boy can't help but smile as he puts one of his hands to his head, embarrassed by all the attention he was receiving from her. Apparently he hadn't only gotten a friend, but also a roommate, as Doraemon shows that instead of the mat there was now a red door. "With this dimensional room door, you'll have your own room while you spend your days here, Selene."
"Thank you very much, Doraemon, and thank you very much, Miss Nobita's mother. I promise to contribute in everything you need."
It was obvious that this comment would make Mrs. Nobi happy, causing her to smile, this time naturally and without hypnosis. "Miss? Oh come on, don't be so modest and make yourself at home, let me know if you need anything ho ho hoooo" Giggling, Tamako leaves the room, delighted with the compliment.
"Of course, that flattery never fails" Nobita smiles sighing
The blue cat wasn't entirely convinced of that plan, especially by the idea that if Selene doesn't assume the title of Vampire Queen when her father dies, Amarant would be at the mercy of being taken, which meant problems for other planets including Earth "I know you want to continue having a life as a vampire girl, but I think it isn't right to leave your people unprotected, Selene. If you don't accept being the Vampire Queen, your city and your planet could be in trouble and possibly other planets if those bullies from Scarlet Moon are trying to seize the mineral that you possess"
"Oh, don't worry about that Doraemon. If I'm not there, there is another person better qualified than me to do it, my aunt Vasilescu Mara" A vampire is seen wearing a long purple and black gothic Victorian dress, pale, she looked 40 years old in human form, her hair was short and black and reached her shoulders, but she had a gentle look, she had the same color of violet eyes as everyone in her family had that color. "She is my father's younger sister and I trust her a lot. In fact, she was the one who suggested this flawless plan to me which I call: Master plan to avoid the responsibility of a boring life of being a Vampire Queen"
Selene smiles proudly leaving Nobita smiling curiously while Doraemon just exhales tiredly. Was the plan with the long name REALLY a good idea? And what's more, it seems that his human friend was interested in the idea and it wasn't surprising, if someone was an expert in escaping from responsibilities and efforts it was Nobita, not for nothing was the robot with him. But now it seems that the escapes from responsibility had doubled with the pair in the same room.
"And how is that plan?" The boy was really curious, which the vampiress takes very well.
"It's actually very simple: According to the tradition of the vampire city of our planet, or at least what I read from what one of my tutors taught me, only those who are direct heirs can be the successor of the current Vampire King and will take his place when he has died or is no longer fit to continue with the title, and they are usually the firstborn like me."
"But if the next in line fails to become Vampire King within two months after the announcement of the titling ceremony or if he loses his life in that time, it would be the next person's turn, who would be the next son, but I'm his only child. So that would be up to blood relatives, more specifically, siblings. My father only has my aunt, and if she couldn't, it would have to be her children, that's why there's also my cousin Zurie."
Yes, she is talking about the boy who was standing next to the woman that night in the prologue, a young man of her age, pale and wearing Victorian-Gothic clothing, with black hair combed back like Count Dracula, with violet eyes.
"That night when they announced that my father was close to leaving our world, I knew they would announce my graduation ceremony sooner or later, despite the severe diagnosis my father was given and even though I have accepted it, there is a small spark in me that believes he will be saved. Still, they decided to move up my ceremony which was scheduled for the following midnight since the Kyuketsu Council thinks that he might not be well enough to continue in charge."
Selene lowers her head making Nobita put on a worried face for her, even though she wanted to get rid of her responsibilities, she still hoped that her father would come out alive from his illness, after all, she loved him because her mother hadn't been with them for MANY years.
"That's why my aunt helped me, she knew that I don't want the duty of leading the vampires, I don't feel capable of that task even if I wanted to, my tutors tell me every time I couldn't do something right, I... I'm not up to my father's level, I'll end up disappointing the vampires of Amarant."
Again another worried look from the young human towards her, he felt identified with the vampiress, it was often that Nobita felt that he wasn't enough and that's why he didn't even bother trying and continue being down, although, it was a noticeable difference between changing a future for the better and leading an entire civilization of another species forward.
"When I thought I would end up fulfilling my destiny, she told me that I could escape for a while using a capsule that she had hidden in case of emergency if Scarlet Moon were to attack us, she said that if I let the 2 months pass, I could be free of my destiny, that she was willing to take my place because she wanted me to be happy. And I trust her, she is very prepared, she was a mother to me after I lost mine years ago. She said that she would help my father and at the same time try to convince him of what I feel, so I accepted and used a capsule, and taking advantage of the fog hours later, I took off in the capsule to Earth" Selene smiles tenderly "It was a selfish decision, but in my heart I feel that it is the only way to be able to continue enjoying what I like, as well as not disappointing others by doing it wrong"
"Is it really the only way? But... Why Earth?" Doraemon asks.
"My aunt says that this planet is quiet unlike the others, that I had to stay hidden until the deadline is met, then I would use the capsule to return home, and that by that time, I would be free. Basically, that's the plan."
"So. Do you have a month? I mean, I'm not good at math but if it took you a month to get here with that capsule, it should be like this" Nobita asks while counting with his fingers
"Well not really, it's true that it took me a month to get here, but the deadline starts from the announcement of the ceremony, when you were resting, I took advantage of the room to feel around in my capsule and use the communicator to talk to Zurie, he has one in his room and I had to inform him of my situation so he wouldn't worry, I have 3 cousins, but Zurie is the youngest and my age, that's why we get along well. And he told me that the council that is currently taking my father's place, has just announced my ceremony because they wanted to check my father's status, they didn't tell me anything about him but, with what he told me, it's official that I have to wait the 2 months. Although I have no idea how Scarlet Moon found out that I'm here, that scares me a little"
Nobita looks at Doraemon a little upset "Do the bad vampires want to hurt Selene?!"
"She is the princess of Amarant, it's obvious that they will want to get her out of the way to weaken the Vasilescu. Somehow they knew that she would arrive vulnerable and take advantage of their opportunity to eliminate her. That is why they must be here, that and because they have interest in this planet with that plan of interplanetary blood banks that they have.
The robot cat starts. "OF COURSE! I get it now. The people they found passed out a couple of days ago were attacked by that pair of vampires to feed on them and they used hypnosis to make them forget what really happened to them. Same with the cattle outside Tokyo. Just like the blood bank robbery, nothing shows up on the security cameras because vampires can't be captured by cameras nor can they be reflected."
Doraemon exhales "Look Selene, I still think it's not a good idea for you to run away from your responsibilities because everyone loves your father and expects the same from you. But now you're in the crosshairs of that deserter clan, so I guess... There's no other choice but to help you with this plan because we want to protect you. Still, you should take this time to reflect on your actions."
"But Doraemon, she doesn't feel comfortable being the Vampire Queen, if her aunt gave her that idea and Selene trusts her it's because she wants her to continue with her peaceful childhood, we should do that too, we can't force her to do what she doesn't want. We have to trust her aunt, she didn't give that idea for nothing. Besides, those bad guys want to hurt her, we can't let them get away with it." Nobita looks at Selene "We're going to help you be free and protect you from the Crimson Moon, after all we're friends, right?"
"It's Scarlet Moon, Nobita. But yes, we have to protect her." Doraemon smiles but he still has doubts about the vampire's plan. "They probably want to hurt you at night, so stay alert, but since you are free to come and go as you please in this house unlike that pair, you can take shelter if you decide to go out at night. I'll have to look in the 22nd century catalog for something to help her protect herself from natural light. For now, Selene will just be the foreign girl who was welcomed into our house for two months."
Nobita nods, the princess's identity had to be taken with caution, Scarlet Moon already did damage to Tokyo, if other people who aren't used to unusual things like Nobita and his friends found out that she is a vampire, not only would it be revealed that they really exist, but they would directly blame her for what happened 2 days ago even if she wasn't the culprit, human reactions are usually somewhat overwhelming for other species. The vampire smiles at him "I can hide my fangs without a problem, I did it as soon as Nobita's mother showed up"
The boy blushes slightly smiling as he scratches the back of his neck "It seems that we will be roommates for two months, I hope you are comfortable here"
"I will be if a friend is with me. Also..." The platinum girl again takes her friend's hands "Since Doraemon is going to give me something for the sunlight, I would like you to show me what your world is like during the day, after all, they are not going to attack me during the day for obvious reasons"
"S-sure, tomorrow without fail, after I get out of school" The boy answers nervously because she takes his hands but smiling in the end.
"School? We have that there too, but I have tutors who teach me in the castle."
A very unique idea had occurred to the girl, Nobita couldn't know what she was thinking because she didn't tell him mentally, but he was nervous, living with the girl he saved for a while was going to be an interesting odyssey, not only for him, but for both of them because they were about to learn about each other being from different species that have now established a genuine and unusual friendship.