Wasteland

"Wake up, Lolita!"

At the sound of a gentle voice, Blood Queen Lolita opened her eyes. The first person she saw was Charles.

"This is..."

Confusion flashed through her eyes, then turned to sharpness. "You brought me back to life?"

"That's right. I'm sorry for going against your wishes, but I need you now. We all do!"

Charles scratched his head, his expression utterly sincere, almost even a little naïve.

"We? Your team? What does that have to do with me?"

Lolita gave a cold laugh, then her expression darkened with sorrow.

"No! It's not like that. Come with me and see for yourself!"

Charles led Lolita into his private space.

A villa with a garden stood before them, and the sound of laughter drifted from inside.

"Hmm?"

Lolita narrowed her eyes slightly. "You exchanged for servants? And there are men, too? I never imagined you had such unusual tastes..."

"What? No!"

Charles blushed as he explained, "The people here are some of my teammates' family members. Your sister is here, too!"

Whoosh!

The moment the words left his mouth, Lolita's expression changed abruptly. She lunged at him like a streak of red, pressing her crimson nails against his neck.

"I've learned a lot about you, but please believe me—I mean you no harm!"

Charles stood perfectly still and smiled wryly. "The world outside is now nothing but ruins. Your sister can explain what happened."

He opened the door. A lavish spread covered the living-room table; they were clearly in the middle of a feast.

"Big sister!"

A girl who looked very much like Lolita, dressed in a white dress, cried out delightedly and hurried over to take Lolita's arm.

"What on earth is going on? Why are you here?"

Lolita looked her sister up and down, realizing that she