Khloe's POV:

I aimlessly wandered around the floor I resided on, immediately figuring out that it was a lot larger than I had initially anticipated.

We had only been here a couple of days but the Lord decided to Take Nico and Xander down to officially announce their arrival in a civil and apparently traditional manner.

Nico told me that if I wanted to accompany him during that time that I'd be beyond bored for hours on end while every vampire in this city welcomed him back.

So instead I took this time to explore.

Nico had promised me countless things to do here with my ability to freely roam this entire floor.

I had already stumbled across the admittedly glorious library filled with more books than I thought even existed, and the stunning outdoor garden that was placed on the very left side of the building.

And of course, a handful of some very cute portraits of the royal family from earlier days.

But for right now... I think I was lost.

I stopped and turned my head back to where I came from.

This floor was like a maze filled with too many doors and hallways.

Maybe I could just ask one of the slaves to help me back...

But I had only seen two of them during the entire time I had been wandering, so maybe that wasn't the best plan to fall back on.

I continued on my path.

I guess if worse came to worse, Nico would probably be able to track me down. Although I'd much rather prefer to not make him have to do that.

My head rose a bit as a sweet smell hit my nose.

I picked up my pace a bit, spotting two large dark doors as I turned the corner.

That's definitely where the smell was coming from.

My stomach growled as I approached it, carefully pushing open one of the doors.

My brows rose as I peeked my head inside.

Dark wood and dim lighting covered the entirety of the room, the floor dotted with small round tables and chairs.

A few chairs being vacated by some slaves that hadn't seemed to have noticed my intrusion.

Was this the kitchen Nico was talking about?

"Oh! You must be Khloe!" A sweet female voice rang out.

I jumped a bit at the hearing of my own name but turned my head a bit to see where it came from.

I spotted a woman behind a bar to my left, looking at me with a sweet smile.

The slaves had now noticed me as well.

I timidly stepped fully into the room, letting the door shut behind me.

"Uh yeah," I responded, having to force my next words to be louder, "How did you know?"

She laughed sweetly, "The slaves notified me of the presence of the Prince's pets the day you arrived and I met Doe earlier today," She explained, "Come on over here dear and I'll introduce myself."

I did as I was told and made my way over to her, hopping into one of the bar seats facing her.

I didn't think that I had any reason to be nervous.

"I'm Lily, the cook for everyone on this floor. If you ever have a hunger or craving for anything at all, just come see me and I'll fix up whatever you'd like," she said with a smile.

I curiously looked her over.

She was an older woman, maybe somewhere in her fifties. Her body moderately plump with kind eyes and short brown hair with just barely a noticeable amount of gray.

But she was a human. Which didn't make sense to me since she was older than twenty-five, yet still living in the castle.

"Something the matter, dear?" She asked.

"Oh sorry! I didn't mean to stare but uh," Well, I might as well ask it, "Are you a- um-,"

I really didn't know how to finish that sentence without sounding rude.

But somehow she seemed to have caught on.

"Oh. No, I'm not a pet, although with all the luxuries and attention that the pets in the royal family get, sometimes I wish I was," She said with a wink, "But no, I work here as a citizen. My family comes from a long line of professional chefs that ended up catching the eye of the Lord many centuries ago and we've worked here ever since. In fact my Great-great-great-great- grandmother did a lot of work in raising the Princes during their childhood."

I smiled a bit at the thought of that, wondering what those two were like when they were younger.

"And what about you, dear? What's your story? By the looks of it, it looks like Prince Nicolas treats you very well."

I nodded, leaning forward and setting my arms on the bar.

She seemed like a very kind-hearted woman

"Yes, he does. I was born as a citizen of a different city and forced into being a pet for a reason id rather not dwell on," I began.

I look of empathy crossed over her face.

She looked like she was about to tell me I didn't have to tell her the rest, but I spoke before she could.

"I was terrified of everything living in that pet shop, but after Nico bought me, his kindness and understanding of my situation helped me calm down," I tried to hide my smile as I thought about the things that I better not say, "I didn't think vampires were capable of the things he's showed me, but honestly I think I'm the luckiest pet in the world."

Lily hummed before she spoke, mirroring the smile I failed in hiding.

"It would appear so. My mother used to tell me that in the short time she spent with the Princes before they left, Nico had absolutely no interest in having a pet and rarely if ever called upon the ones he had, but it seems like he's changed."

Oh if only she knew...

"But! Regardless of that, if you ever need someone to talk to or complain to and if Prince Nicolas allows it, come find me, darling, you seem like a very sweet girl."

She gave me a smile that I could only explain as motherly, which sent a whirlwind of emotions flying through my head.

I guess it would be nice to know more people around here.

Plus I became comfortable around her quite quickly. I guess I was trusting more easily nowadays.

I nodded, "I will, thanks!"

"Of course dear. Now, have you eaten lunch yet? I'd be more than happy to fix something up for you."

"Oh no, I'm fine! I'd really hate to bother you-"

Of course, as soon as I said that my stomach growled loud enough to be heard, causing my face to flame red.

Lily smirked at my now obvious lie.

"Nonsense, I'll fix you up something in no time, plus you look like you need it." She said, tightening the apron that she wore.

Well, she was right, I was still a bit skinny from my time in the pet shop, but I had definitely gained weight since that time. Although I think it all mainly went to my breasts...

Regardless of that, I just watched as she headed back into the kitchen, doing so many things at once that I could barely keep up watching through the small hole in the wall that let me see what she was doing.

She was out in about 10 Minutes, carrying three different things on a tray.

She explained each one as she placed them in front of me.

"Bruschetta, Tulip soda, and I threw in one of the Apple strudel muffins that I just baked."

I recognized the scent from the muffin as the one that brought me here and wow... everything looked delicious.

I turned my head to the soda in the tall thin glass.

The drink was mesmerizing, the color of it changing from a deep red to a bright yellow as it rose to the top of the glass, with a raspberry hanging onto the rim.

I carefully picked it up, watching the thin straw bob as the carbonated bubbles rose to the surface.

"That drink was a classic that named after my mother. She told me that it was a favorite among anyone who tried it." She explained.

I looked over it some more, watching the colors dance around.

"It's not alcoholic right?" I asked.

I noticed the bottles of various alcohols behind her and just wanted to make sure.

"Oh heavens no! I would never give something like that to you. I'm not even allowed to serve alcoholic beverages to anyone except the Princes," She explained, "This drink is a special mix of lemon juice, raspberry puree and a bit of ginger. As well as a couple more secret ingredients,"

I closed my lips around the straw and took a small drink.

My eyes widened as the mix of sweet, sour, and spice hit my tongue and the feeling of the carbonation tickling my throat to finish it off.

"Woah..." I said, not really meaning to say it out loud.

Lily giggled, "I guess that means you like it?"

"I love it!" I told her, taking another drink before I began eating the rest of the absolutely amazing food she prepared for me.

Nico was right. I was really going to like it here.