Rule 5
Participants are enticed to use any and all means at their disposal to sabotage their contenders secretly, but those who are caught would face severe punishment, including death.
They are encouraged to cheat and even sabotage their opponents but they cannot be caught. Once caught, they could be punished with death.
Eve stared at Trinity without saying a word. She had met these kinds of people in the past. They would try to antagonize you hoping to get a reaction from you then they would immediately act like you did something terrible to them.
They would act like the victim and would make you question what you did to them.
The tactic might work for some other women, but not Eve.
So, instead of starting to say a word. She just stared at Trinity.
She could do this all day.
"Freak," Trinity broke off the stare and focused on her tea. For a few seconds, none of the women spoke.
"I do not know about the others, but I heard there were only a few noble women who joined the courtship this time,"
"Wouldn't it be because noblewomen were singled out and would eventually perish?" Someone answered. Clearly, they wanted her to hear it. Now that Eve thought about it, noblewomen have a clear edge because they were trained since they were younger.
This meant that this was going to become more complicated than what she originally thought.
Still, Eve was determined to use the opportunity that was given to her. She had a new face and she could easily use this to her advantage.
First, she needed to win this game.
And she would do anything to win.
After a few minutes, the maids came back to start teaching them. Then it was time for them to prepare dinner.
Apparently, for the next 98 days, this would be their life.
First, they would wake up and fix themselves up. They would not be having breakfast as this was a part of the vampire's customs. Humans needed to fast for a few hours to maintain their bodies.
Of course, Eve knew this was all nonsense. This was just the vampire's way of telling them to always maintain their bodies so they would be tasty for their dinner.
They need to be ready by nine in the morning. Their faces should be clean, their hair brushed, the bed arranged. At nine, the Mistress will arrive and they will start their morning lessons about this new life. The customs and history of the vampires were a part of the lesson.
Lunch started at 12, high noon.
They would dine in a closed place, only illuminated by candles. Some high-ranking vampires would suddenly show up to ask them questions and they should have the answers to their questions or they could… just die.
Then, they have another four-hour lesson before they start to prepare for dinner which would start at seven in the evening.
Dinner would be one hour.
Then they would be given another hour of rest.
At nine in the evening, some events would begin.
Vampires always found the sun uncomfortable, so their life usually started at nine in the evening and ended when the sun made its presence known in the morning.
Banquets and parties would be held at midnight, but the women were required to sleep by two in the morning, giving them time to sleep for at least six hours before waking up for their routine.
Every week, one or two women would leave, depending on their performance. A vampire knowledge assessment will be administered every ten days. The person who received the lowest score would be eliminated.
Eve was startled out of her thoughts when a group of maids arrived to help them prepare for tonight's banquet.
Since the Prince would be there, the banquet would start at nine, but since they would not serve any human food, every human who would join it needed to eat earlier than that.
Considering that vampires were in attendance, the only thing on the menu would be blood.
Eve did not have to ask what kind of blood would be served.
Vampires could drink any blood, be it human or animal or the ones made by sorcerers, just like the ones that Lucius loved to drink.
By six in the evening, the Mistress came back to check their clothes.
"Tighter," Ophelia told the maid as she pointed to the waist of one woman. "We need it smaller." They were all wearing extravagant dresses with corsets that emphasized their hips.
While each dress was unique, featuring intricate embroidery, beading, and lace, all of them were wearing corsets that created a striking hourglass shape.
"Her makeup is too thick," Ophelia pointed at Eve. "Make it less. She is a natural beauty. There is no need to wear too much makeup."
The maid complied.
Eve's ball gown was a breathtaking creation made of shimmering black satin. The bodice was form-fitting and had a sweetheart neckline, which emphasized her delicate collarbones and slender neck- something that many vampires would find very alluring.
In fact, each one of the dresses tonight were showing their delicate neck as if it was one of their best features.
The skirt of her dress was voluminous and billowy.
In an attempt to complement her dress, Eve was given a heavy makeup application, complete with dark red lipstick, smokey eyeshadow, and a flawless updo.
This was something that Eve liked. Her current look reminded her too much of how Evelynn did her makeup. So, when she saw her reflection, she did not say anything to the maid.
For some reason, it appeared that the Mistress had a specific vision for Eve's appearance— Less makeup in order to achieve a more innocent-looking face.
Yes, a lesser, more natural-looking makeup could easily emphasize her innocent-looking face— an exact opposite of what she was really on the inside.
Still, Eve could not blame the Mistress for doing this.
After all, an innocent-looking face would easily attract the attention of a hungry prince.
Eve smiled inwardly. She was planning to use that to her advantage.
"Better," the Mistress said. "That face suits you better. The previous one seemed too evil, too scheming. It would only suit an older woman with evil intentions." Mistress Ophelia nodded in appreciation as she stared at Eve's face.
Unbeknownst to her, the words that she just spoke of were true.
The one inside Eve was indeed an older woman with evil intentions.