Irene was silent, her expression inscrutable. It was unknown whether she felt disturbed by the question or not. After all, it had been her obsession.
Reyes' eyes became complicated. He sighed quietly in his heart.
"I have been gone for a lot of days. There are a lot of things to be taken care of." Her face didn't show the slightest emotion. She slung the things on her shoulder, then walked out of his cabin.
The cabin was quite big, but since Irene used the teleportation ability that the royal vampire possessed, she had gotten out quickly.
Thinking of this newfound ability, the light in her eyes deepened. Going to the Forest of Beasts wasn't without gain this time. She had actually awakened the most useful ability. Not all vampires possessed this skill, mostly only those with thick bloodlines did, so royal children were a must.
She was a bit uncoordinated at first, and slowly, she was getting better at it. It made dashing around the forest more convenient. She was able to move without startling too many beasts. It was a good improvement, though she still felt envy whenever she saw how the princes were able to use this ability with ease as if they were breathing.
In no time, she arrived at the city lord mansion in Blackcourt City. She had washed off the blood in the river earlier, but the uncomfortable smell still remained. She took a bath before exiting her room.
"City Lord, Lord Stefan is waiting for you." A maid came up to her as soon as she saw Irene.
Irene nodded and said nothing. She just walked ahead toward her study. She took her leisure time there, eating the snacks that were beginning to taste weird, or reading some books.
After thirty minutes, she exited the study to meet Stefan.
Stefan's last name was Ferner. He had a close relationship with Ferner Dukedom and was considered Celosia's uncle. He was the illegitimate child of the previous Duke Ferner. Because he still retained some noble blood, he was granted a city to govern before Irene returned.
Irene entered the spacious room, her lips curled up imperceptibly at the sight in front of her.
"Princess Irene is very busy lately," Stefan said as soon as he saw Irene. There was a look of amazement in his eyes, which he quickly forcibly restrain, yet, his eyes still lingered on her elegant black dress.
He was sitting in a leisurely posture, his back leaning back on the comfy sofa. There were two beautiful beside him, one was pouring him a glass of blood.
"Naturally." The tone was flat.
"I wonder where the Princess was those past few days? I haven't seen the Princess around. I hope that the Princess is alright. If there's any trouble, you can tell me." Stefan's mouth curved up slightly into a smile, maintaining a kind face.
He looked like he was in his late twenties, and his face was quite young. If not for the fact that he was too thin as if he had contracted some sickness, he would look more attractive.
"Lord Stefan is too curious about this princess' business." The slight edge in her voice carried a warning.
Stefan was silent for a moment. His face looked like he couldn't maintain his smile any longer. A moment later, his smile strangely grew wider. "There has been a lot of attack from werewolves recently. I am just worried that Princess might get hurt."
Listening to that, Irene nodded.
Here we go, she muttered silently in her heart, brimming with amusement.
"Do you have something else?" She knew what this man was going for.
"About the attack from the werewolves. Does the Princess wants to send reinforcement?" Stefan's eyes gleamed, flitting around. Even the maids were listening to their conversation, their faces had unnatural expressions.
"No need." She didn't delay in replying to his question. "Just let Stelian deal with it."
Irene saw the flash of surprise from the three pairs of eyes of the people in front of her. At that moment, a maid stepped forward and poured a drink, her eyes concealed the flash of contempt, the corner of her mouth bent slightly in a sneer. The other maid lowered her eyes, and there was a playful light in them. Her hands behind the sofa were grasped discreetly by Stefan.
"Do you have anything else?" Irene's cold tone was sharp, waking them from their dream and their bodies instantly tensed. "If not, I am going to rest."
Irene didn't wait for their response. She stood up, turned around, and walked away from the three, her high heels echoed in the spaciously silent room.
As she was out, her extraordinary sense of hearing caught the mess in the room. It seemed to be the voice of Stefan scolding the maid who had accidentally got the drink splashed on him.
Irene's eyes shone playfully, and a graceful smile emerged on her stunning countenance. She was rather amused.
That little vampire man still regarded this mansion as his home, didn't he? For a city lord, this mansion was indeed too luxurious, almost equal to some mansions of nobles in the capital. It was one thing for him to act like that, but the maids didn't even regard her respectfully.
So much for a race that prided in putting unity above anything else in front of the packs of werewolves.
Irene actually didn't have any feelings for both races. After she spent a lot of time focusing on survival, how did race matter anymore?
She was actually a bit weak, and her complexion had gotten paler. It was inconspicuous on her extremely white and tender skin, but the slight haggardness in her eyes was still noticeable.
"Do you need something, My Lord?" A man who looked like he was in his early twenties appeared beside her.
"Follow me to my study." Irene was done pretending. She had sensed that something seemed to be wrong with her body since she was in Reyes' place. She wasn't deliberately putting on airs when she took more than thirty minutes to finally meet Stefan. She was trying to regulate her breathing and manage her complexion.
The man who appeared was Rufus, a trusted confidant. She hadn't thought that she would meet him again on this continent. Nevertheless, everything became more convenient with his help.
He was originally an elite commander under Stelian. After meeting her, he resigned from the post to follow her. Everyone thought it was a pity for such an excellent commander to serve her.
Even Stelian bothered to say a few words and persuaded Rufus. He just didn't insist after Rufus rejected his offer politely. Everyone questioned the ambiguous relationship, but those who dared to gossip were quickly cut down.
Over time, it was proven that the relationship between the two was purely between a lord and a subordinate.
She didn't use her teleportation, but they quickly arrived at the study. She motioned for Rufus to tell her about what he had found. "Have you found anything?"
Irene listened attentively as Rufus recited his reports about various strange werewolf movements.
"They are attacking North Territory?" Irene's face was thoughtful. "What was the purpose?"
"It's some werewolves who were caught kidnapping vampire civilians. They were executed on the spot. The werewolves from Emeral Territory are unable to swallow it and wanted to retaliate." Rufus' tone was rather relaxed, but still carried a hint of respect. It was clear that they were familiar with each other after spending years getting along.
It wasn't the kind of respect for someone of high standing, not for her empty title.
"Emerald Territory..." Her eyes were slightly narrowed.
At this moment, sudden nausea hit her.
Irene winced slightly, gasping for breath. She rubbed her temples in irritation. Rufus, who quickly noticed something wrong with her hurriedly called out. "My Lord!"
"Close the door and lock it. Don't let anyone disturb me."
Rufus still looked worried. Nonetheless, he quickly executed her order. It was a must in her rule. Otherwise, how could he become her trusted person?
The study had been cleaned and layers of enchantment were added. Since she occupied this mansion, Irene had transformed a part of it into a place that suit her taste.
She wanted to prepare for all sorts of emergencies in this unfamiliar environment. This decision was proven to be handy. Ever since that incident, she had always gotten the outbreak of sequelae.
Her whole body would feel as if it was being skinned alive, the blood burned like lava, and the whole organ as if they were stabbed by thousand knives.
Irene was fighting against the severe pain that almost pulled her soul out. She squeezed her own right hand, and the other was clutching the metal chair she was sitting on that was gradually becoming deformed under the force.
Rufus was guarding outside, like an immovable high mountain. His eyes looked straight ahead full of alertness.
Irene's outbreak of sequelae took more than two days. She was still able to hold on to her consciousness, and her body was becoming more and more painful. A slight movement heightened the senses of her nerves, which in turn also sharpened the pain.
In such a condition, however, she was still able to hear the movement outside.
"Where is the Princess?"
"Go and ask the Princess to be out. I have an important thing to say here." It was Stefan's voice, and he was ordering Rufus.
Irene could still hear Stefan saying a series of words to Rufus, and her brain seemed to process them too slowly. However, she vaguely still understand what he intended to do.Her eyelashes trembled as another wave of pain wracked her body. She was gasping, breathing hard. If she was not in the middle of completely transforming into a pureblood vampire, perhaps her body would have been drenched with cold sweat at the moment. She forcibly endured staying conscious."Her Highness is busy. Go back, I will call you when she is ready." The stern words were uttered by Rufus, standing straight in front of the door, blocking Stefan and his people. His whole body exuded extreme coldness."This is a message from His Majesty. Do you dare to ignore it?" Stefan insisted, his head was raised high. The people behind him, mansion guards, and some maids seemed to reveal the look of approval even though they didn't voice their opinions.Rufus' brows knitted together. He still didn't back down. "You do
It was Kairos, her full biological brother.The silver hair was unlike Stelian's, as his hair was cut short. It made his countenance resemble King Darien, the vampire king further. Whenever she faced him, she couldn't help but fall into a fleeting stupor. Those grey eyes were so similar to her mother, whose eyes, in the short minutes were etched deeply and indelibly in her memory. The thought only lasted a moment, and she quickly recovered herself. Nevertheless, her mood was slightly affected."Welcome, brother." She said with a little stiffness. As quick as passing clouds, her countenance returned to that aloof, undisturbed expression again.Kairos wasn't as aggressive as Stelian, but he was equally inscrutable. Especially his stance toward his sister. Would he think that she had killed their mother?"Lord Father called you to the palace for the awakening ceremony." He said concisely, straight to the point. The pairs of grey eyes flitted to Stefan, who had just awakened from his da
In the awakening chamber, Irene was currently unconscious. Her skin was coated with red, and a trace of blood was on her lips. It was her blood. It was not without consequence that she tried to withstand such a terrifying force.The accumulation of the power of ancestors indeed couldn't be underestimated. She had been too reckless and impatient. Now, after she had just recovered from the magnetic field sequelae, she was injured again. Her inner organs had ruptured, hence the blood on her lips. Luckily, she protected her heart. Otherwise, she'd be without a complete corpse by now.The damage caused by the tyrannical force had calmed down, and the cells began to repair themselves slowly. Even in her unconscious state, Irene still dimly feel great pain as weakness overtook her entire being.After what seemed to be a long time, her consciousness hovered between sobriety and drunkness."Dæmon's people snatched the weapons again. We were the ones who intercepted these scoundrels. Now, they
She dusted herself off, standing up. Her eyes swept the surrounding, finding that the man had disappeared. A surge of disappointment filled her heart. She yearned to see that man in the same state as she was, untidy and vulnerable. It was a petty thought, she knew. She couldn't help it that she also wanted a little revenge. As the door opened, two silver heads came into sight. They were Edmund and Kairos. The two seemed to be startled at the condition inside. The pool of blood was bubbling like lava, rolling with oppressiveness toward those of the same bloodline. Even both men could perceive it, the anger. Some places were wrecked, lamps shattered on the floor, and debris of whatever they were before they turned into such unrecognizable things was scattered around. There were signs of battle everywhere, and the residue of power was still faintly looming. "What happened?" Kairos opened his mouth first, taking in the sight of Irene, who was wiping blood from the corner of her lips.
After this little scene, Irene was aware she would be in the spotlight; eyes gazed with scrutiny, fingers pointed at her, and mouths talked about her. The color of her blood... was red. Whizzing like it was burning, fiery red as dark as blood appeared, the flames danced in the bowl of small white bone. The color of commoners. It was not that they didn't have any powers, but commoners were practically half human. They only held the advantage of being stronger and possessing a longer lifespan than regular humans. For a royal descendant to possess red blood, just like her title as a royal princess, was unheard of. Irene's cold countenance still didn't change. Still as indifferent as ever. Confusion was swirling in her head, but she didn't truly care about blood colors. What she cared the most was about the enhancement of her power. The only goal of her life now was to get stronger. "You are a royal descendant." The king said after a few seconds of silence. Probably just like others,
"Do you understand now?" She tilted her head. "I am not as weak as you think I am."There was a kind of look Kairos had never seen before on Irene's face. It was one filled with determination, also indescribably stubborn. He realized that perhaps, he had never understood her at all."Do you really want to know?" The usually cold countenance was painted in complex colors, representing his inner struggle. After he debated with himself for a while, he sighed and fell back to his chair.Meanwhile, Irene waited, already making herself comfortable as she sipped on a drink she had brought. It was Reyes's handiwork. She couldn't wait to check whether she could taste it with her tongue again or not."Alright then, I will tell you. Remember that this is the decision you make yourself." Kairos said after a while. His body shifted, closing the windows and locking the door. For whatever reason she had chosen to hide the truth about her bloodline, it was still unacceptable to lie to the king."That
She reappeared again in the city lord mansion of Blackcourt City. As she walked into the hallway, she could feel the maids’ and guards’ surreptitious eyes whispering to the partner beside them. Her sharp, eagle-like eyes caught their prying eyes, which made them hurriedly lower their head or scurry away in fright.The news was sure very vast, to the point even this remote mansion had received it in less than a day. Irene’s eyes narrowed, finding the clown’s performance boring.She teleported to her study room and took a seat.“My Lord, Stefan Ferner brought news about the banquet. They will hold it tomorrow night.” Rufus suddenly appeared in front of her.She raised her eyebrows. There was quite some information in Rufus’ words. The little vampire man didn’t inform her of such an important matter right away.It should be a banquet specifically set for her to celebrate her awakening. If she failed to a
In the study room, Stelian faced the king. Solemness painted on his face, vaguely had already an inkling of what matters he wanted to talk with him."Sit down." The king motioned to the chair across him. Stelian did as ordered, slowly sitting down. His complexion had been imperceptibly tense, waiting for the king's next words."How is the investigation in the human world?" His eyes weren't on Stelian, but at the rows of words on the document in front of him. He was still taking care of the affairs of the vampire race, doing his responsibility as a capable monarch.Stelian was silent for a moment, his brain worked fast to organize his words. Even he was still guessing the king's intention."If Your Majesty is asking about Irene, her state when I first found her ... she wasn't good." He paused, considering his next words. "Her emotions seemed to be unstable and she was in a state of violence."He hesitated whether to explain further or not. Only in front of the king that he would have
In the past, she had gotten used to acting and playing things according to her way, so there was no need to suppress her temper. Only did she toned it down upon arriving in the Astral Continent. Her cold mask was a part of her guise; the other half was a temperamental one.Seeing the familiar face standing in the doorway, looking cold and displeased at her small figure sitting on a soft chair, Irene didn't put on a pleasing mask. Sneering at him with contempt, she turned the other way.The two forces collided in the air, oppressive and overwhelming and the remaining people could only put an expression of horror, instinctively wanting to escape the scene."Royal Father is waiting for you." Stelian's tone was stern, there was undisguised mockery in his eyes.She continued to ignore him, turning to the maid who had shrunk to the side trying to reduce her presence and ordering her. "Lead the way."The maid was startled, instinctively taking a pee
The vague memories of what was happening when she lost her consciousness came crashing down like torrential waves, each scene so vividly in her head driving her mad. What had she done?The color of the pupils frantically changed to red. The unstable emotion was getting out of control. The man in front of her was startled. His eyes flashed as he advanced toward her. "You… calm down."It was Stelian's face!Listening to him saying such words from his mouth was so disgusting that Irene had the urge to throw up. She couldn't believe she had been in such close proximity to someone who shared the same bloodline as her.As despicable, as disgusting, as detestable, and as loathsome as she was, such a thing had crossed her bottom line. It was beyond all these words, the degree was immeasurable by words."Stay away." She snarled, the red eyes glaring at him with hatred. With difficulty, Irene moved her trembling body, the finger pointing at him, who had stopped moving all of a sudden. "Don't ev
Stelian didn't react much. The footsteps stopped, but he merely glanced at her briefly. Still, with the usual stoic-looking face, he continued to walk away, disappearing in his third step.Irene narrowed her eyes, a vague outline of anger visible in her scrunched face. It was just a test, yet the answer she had gotten nonetheless annoyed her. Of course, Stelian should know who she was talking about as she had a guess that the person must have been slaughtered somewhere recently. Suppressing the fury in her heart, she hastened her footsteps.The entire countenance was cold, and her body radiated oppressiveness as if she was enveloped in frost; whoever touched her was going to turn into a frozen statue. In this state her entire being was alert and in high sensitivity.Briefly, she closed her eyes. When she opened them again, a pair of outlines of people appeared in her range of sight. They were such familiar acquaintances that she couldn't be more familiar w
Willa looked startled, her head snapped at the window, a flash of vigilance in the eyes that made Irene wonder.Irene stood up and approached the window, opening it amidst Willa's watchful eyes. The red, small bird fluttered in the air, then obediently landed on her shoulder, right beside the red rose. With a hint of doubt, she gazed at the little red bird, wondering why it seemed a bit unusual today as if it was intimidated by something. Its red feathers trembled slightly, and the footing on her shoulder was a bit shaky before it finally could stabilize itself."It's my messenger bird." The pleasing voice floated in the air, a hint of reassurance."Ah." Willa let out a small gasp. "Your Highness has a messenger bird?"She nodded in response, rubbing the slightly wet feathers of the red bird, and didn't let the bird spit out the letter in its stomach. The bird was small, its body length was around three fingers, but it had a space power. Quite a rare bird nowadays which didn't origin
The two high, mighty queens who were supposed to be above thousands of people; the most respected queens of the vampire race were doing something she least expected.She found that she had been in a daze a lot lately, most of the time thinking about how to solve her ongoing problems. But now, she discovered that she dazed off because she didn't know how to react.Queen Lamia's moves were very agile. The small pale hands clutched the pot, stirring it gently to create the dough. Queen Izora also busied herself with the stove, melting the chocolate. Seeing them like this, she couldn't just sit idly.Irene stood up, intending to help them. The remaining palace maids were already biting their lips or nails in anxiety, afraid that something would go wrong with the two queens during the cooking process. Even so, they didn't try to stop them, which was quite strange. "Just sit and wait." Queen Lamia saw Irene standing up and reprimanded her. "Don't you believe our cooking skills?""But--" sh
As a royal descendant, she was required to participate in special training. The first class she had that day was archery. People may wonder, why would vampires who possessed innate strength capable of smashing elephants into pieces needed to learn such an inefficient thing.The answer was that, for the preservation of their life. Every single second on the battlefield decided life and death. In case the power within their body was overdrawn, they could only remain to be a sitting duck then. If a vampire could also incorporate their force into the arrows, the result would be even better.Irene was calm as she held the bow in her hand. She had just launched an arrow but was missing the target. Lowering her eyes slightly, the long silky hair covered a part of her face, making her expression unreadable.This ground was available for high-ranking nobles’ descendants as well. Celosia strode forward beside her, the breeze knocking her strand of hair gently.Arrogantly, the daughter of the d
She didn't lose her mind. The incoming claw was severed just as the man's hand was about to slap it away, causing double destruction to the beast's body that its skin hit by the man became ruptured."I can handle it." She lifted her chin. The tone was slightly arrogant. It was unknown what came over her. The second time she saw him, something was blocked inside her chest.Then, a tacit understanding and cooperation came just as naturally. The two people's position gradually changed, becoming closer physically; their backs against each other. The attacks of the beasts were solved easily like they were swatting a bunch of mosquitos.Irene hadn't spoken besides these four words. Nikolas didn't seem like he wanted to talk much either. However, after time passed, she finally opened her mouth and asked. "What are you doing here?"Nikolas raised one of his eyebrows. They didn't stop warding off the incoming attack just because of the start of this small conversation. "It should be just like
The aura around her instantly turned cold, and a pair of eyebrows tightly twisted. After she took a deep breath, the small figure crouched down to check the body on the ground. “Do you know who did it?” “It only appeared today.” He was identified as a male vampire, with a gash on his chest. The huge gaping wound was without a heart. His head missing an eye, and his mouth was bruised; all parts pretty much made his identity unrecognizable from who he was when he was alive. The only indication was the greyish color of the blood, which meant that he was not a commoner. The appearance was so strange that Irene couldn’t help but have doubts. For a moment, she suspected Nikolas did it but immediately shook that notion away. He didn’t seem to be such a person who would kill and not admit it. It wasn’t that she thought he was an honest person, but someone of his stature surely had his own arrogance. Killing and fleeing would shatter his pride, and the dignity of the strong power he possess
"Is this yours?" The deep voice sounded again, awakening her from the sudden shock. Irene's pupils constricted, looking at the man wearing a slightly torn shirt, revealing his toned arm muscle. Instead of giving him a ragged look, it amplified the sense of attractive wildness. "What?" Her hoarse voice sounded, and a frown marred her forehead. This man's face was akin to a Greek sculpture; perfect and fascinating with sharp and prominent features. However, it wasn't enough to make her lose her mind. She vigilantly glanced around, making sure that it wasn't the second assassination. Then, her gaze fell on the thing on his hand, the sight that had sent her into a shock. It was a piece of bloody red meat, and the quantity wasn't small. If she wasn't wrong, it must have been the flesh of the white-furred werewolf earlier. The man motioned to her hand, then to her face. "If it's yours, I will leave it here." He put down the bloody meat and then turned around, walking away. Irene's