The grand halls of Nocturne Manor were unusually quiet, save for the echoing calls of three increasingly frustrated voices.
"Lucius!" Cassandra's tone was sharp and edged with impatience. "Come out this instant!"
Evelina, tapping her heeled foot against the polished marble floor, growled under her breath. "I swear, if I have to look under one more piece of furniture, he won't need blood for a week. I'll wring him dry myself."
Marietta, ever the mischief-maker herself, stifled a laugh. "Oh, let him hide a little longer. It's probably the only exercise he gets."
Somewhere in the cavernous dining hall, a faint giggle escaped from the shadows. The sisters froze.
"Under the table?" Evelina whispered.
"No," Cassandra hissed, her crimson eyes narrowing. "That's too obvious. Check the curtains!"
The three sisters prowled the room like predators stalking their prey. But Lucius, small and sly, was proving to be as elusive as smoke.
Marietta crouched by a gilded sofa, peering underneath. "Not here," she muttered, blowing a strand of her auburn hair from her face. "Maybe he's—"
Before she could finish, a stifled giggle came again, this time from under the enormous canopy bed in the study. Cassandra's eyes narrowed.
"Oh, little brother," she cooed in a tone laced with false sweetness. "We're not mad. Really. Just come out, and we'll forget this little... incident."
Another giggle.
Evelina smirked. "Found you."
With an almost inhuman speed, Cassandra reached down and yanked the bed skirt up, revealing a pair of crimson eyes staring back at her. Lucius, clutching a pillow like a shield, let out a startled squeak.
"No! I'm not studying anymore!" he shouted, wriggling backward as Cassandra grabbed his ankle.
"Oh, yes, you are!" Cassandra retorted, dragging him out effortlessly.
Evelina grabbed his other arm, and together they hoisted the squirming boy to his feet. "How many times do we have to tell you? You're the heir to the Nocturne Regime! You don't get to skip lessons just because you're bored!"
"But they're so boring!" Lucius whined, attempting to free himself from their iron grip. "Who cares about the history of blood purity or the hierarchy of vampire jobs? I already know how to bite people!"
Marietta laughed as she leaned against the doorframe. "Oh, little brother, biting isn't everything. If you don't learn, you'll never know whose blood is worth biting."
The sisters dragged him to the long ebony table in the study and plopped him onto the chair with little ceremony. Evelina pulled out a thick, ancient tome titled The Chronicles of Vampiric Reigns. The dusty book hit the table with a resounding thud, sending a cloud of dust into the air.
"Read," Cassandra commanded, her tone leaving no room for argument.
Lucius crossed his arms, glaring at the book as though it had personally wronged him. "I'd rather drink bat blood."
Evelina leaned down, her face inches from his. "If you don't start reading right now, I'll make sure your next meal is bat blood."
That did the trick. Lucius opened the book begrudgingly, muttering under his breath about how unfair his life was.
The next two hours were a mix of Lucius's half-hearted attempts to study and the sisters' relentless supervision. Cassandra paced behind him, reading over his shoulder. Evelina quizzed him mercilessly.
"What is the rarest blood type among mortals, and why is it valuable?"
"AB-negative," Lucius droned, barely stifling a yawn. "Because it's rare and has a unique taste. Like... aged wine or something."
"Good," Evelina said, though her approving nod was more like a warning. "And what's the punishment for a vampire who drinks from another's bonded thrall without permission?"
"Decapitation," Lucius muttered. "Obviously."
Meanwhile, Marietta found ways to make the session more entertaining for herself. She flicked Lucius's ear every time he yawned, earning her a glare. At one point, she dangled a goblet of blood in front of him, pulling it away whenever he reached for it.
"Study first," she teased, "then you can have your reward."
Despite his sisters' best efforts, Lucius's mischievous streak proved difficult to contain.
At one point, he scribbled mustaches onto the illustrations of ancient vampire lords in the margins of the book. Evelina caught him mid-sketch and confiscated the quill with an exasperated sigh.
Later, while Cassandra was reading aloud from The Art of Mortal Manipulation, Lucius feigned interest before suddenly pointing behind her. "What's that on the ceiling?"
When Cassandra turned, Lucius made a break for the door. He didn't get far. Evelina was waiting outside, arms crossed, and promptly dragged him back to the table by his collar.
By the end of the evening, the sisters had had enough.
"You need discipline, little brother," Cassandra said, narrowing her eyes.
"I am disciplined!" Lucius protested. "I'm just... creative."
"Creative?" Evelina raised an eyebrow. "We'll show you creative."
Marietta smirked and reached for a silver bucket. Lucius's eyes widened as she dumped its contents over his head—a mix of cold water and crushed rose petals. The smell was overwhelming.
"No! Not roses!" Lucius wailed, shaking his head like a drenched cat.
"Oh, don't be such a baby," Cassandra said, her lips twitching into a smile.
For the next hour, Lucius was made to copy vampire family crests onto parchment while drenched and sulking. The sisters watched him like hawks, occasionally whispering to each other and laughing at his expense.
When the clock struck three, Cassandra closed the book with a definitive thud.
"That's enough for tonight," she declared.
Lucius let out a dramatic sigh of relief, slumping forward onto the table.
Evelina ruffled his hair affectionately. "You're lucky we love you, little brat."
Marietta handed him a goblet of warm blood as a peace offering. "Here. You earned it. Barely."
Lucius took it with a muttered "thanks," glaring at them half-heartedly. But as he sipped, he couldn't help but smirk. His sisters might torment him, but he knew they'd always have his back.