She was Celosia Ferner, the daughter of Duke Ferner, one of the prestigious nobles in the vampire race.
As the daughter of a duke, her life felt like a princess, didn't it? Just lacking the formal title. Now that a genuine one showed up, it was like a basin of cold water splashed on her head, reminding her she wasn't a true princess.
No matter how close she was to the few queens, in the end, she was still not a true royal.
The palace maids around working on their job shifted some part of their attention to the two of them, their ears perked up like an audience listening to a drama.
Queen Alvira had just returned from giving orders to a maid. She kindly gazed at Irene. "Irene, sit down. I will introduce you to a new friend."
Irene complied, sitting down without any scruple. The palace maids seemed to hear the sigh of disappointment from within their hearts.
"This is Celosia. She is the daughter of Duke Ferner. Her mother was pretty close to your mother back then." Queen Alvira introduced her, her tone was slightly enthusiastic.
It was a moment later that she seemed to realize the tense atmosphere between the two. She also turned to Celosia, introducing Irene, thinking that perhaps she hadn't known who Irene was. "Celosia, this is Irene, our royal princess. I hope that you can help her adjust to life here. She had just returned and was still new to things."
Irene's expression was still neutral, she sat straight elegantly in her seat, fully displaying the behavior of a noble lady. From start to finish, she didn't spare a glance at Celosia, treating her like air.
"Hello, Irene." It was Celosia who took the initiative to greet her. If she didn't reply, it would be too rude, right?
Irene was too lazy, so she just nodded in acknowledgement.
The tense atmosphere was still lingering. The palace maids exchanged secret glances. The mood was rather suffocating.
"You are already here." The courteous, pleasant voice floated to their ears.
It was Queen Izora, the second queen. She walked briskly, but still had a graceful demeanor. In no time, she arrived at the scene.
"Izora, you are here. Sit down, Irene is visiting the palace today, so I invited her to come with us." Queen Alvira said generously.
Queen Izora had already noticed Irene's presence the moment she stepped into the northern royal garden. She nodded affectionately. "It's good to get out more, don't be cooped up in Blackcourt City."
With the arrival of Queen Izora, the tense situation was gradually eased.
"Serve the drink." Queen Alvira ordered the palace maids around them, and they scrambled to exercise the order.
Irene emotionlessly watched them moving around. She gave a light sweep with her eyes, then shifted her gaze to the red liquid in the glass in front of her.
Nausea bubbled in her stomach. She forced herself to hold the stem of the glass. They used a wine glass, but the content inside undoubtedly wasn't wine.
"Drink more of the blood. It's filled with nourishing properties to strengthen your body." Queen Alvira smiled.
To hear her say so straightforwardly that it was blood, Irene felt even more nauseous. She held the stem tighter, fortunate that their attention was not on her, who hadn't even taken a single sip yet. She was about to forcefully drink the contents when Celosia, who had taken a few sips that slight red coated her lips, suddenly spoke.
"I heard from His Highness Stelian that recently there are a lot of guards who died in Blackcourt City." She glanced at Irene meaningfully. "It's unfortunate that it happened when the princess had just taken charge. It's been a lot of years since such a thing happened."
It was said casually, but among those who had lived in the palace for a long time, who didn't understand what this daughter of the duke was insinuating?
She addressed Stelian as His Highness and referred to Irene's title as the princess so casually that if one heard it without watching with their own eyes, they would think that the princess wasn't there. And second, she was implying that Irene was incompetent as a city lord.
Irene softly put the glass back down on the table. Her eyes flashed as she traced the smooth surface of the glass. She lifted her head, the pair of clear eyes with black pupils gave a sense of evil beauty.
"My age is young, so I still lack a lot of experience of governing a city." She said bluntly, her voice pleasant and calm. "If Miss Ferner has any experience in city governance, I will have to bother asking Miss Ferner for guidance, especially for a city near the Forest of Beasts."
As soon as she said those words, she watched in amusement as Celosia's complexion darkened. She had indirectly called her old, and how could she have any experience of governing a territory? The daughters of nobles who had brothers had no such privilege. Cities near the Forest of Beasts were even more prone to deaths, and harder to manage.
The situation, which had gotten better, suddenly became tense again.
Queen Izora quickly tried to appease the atmosphere. "It's alright. Blackcourt City is the nearest to the Forest of Beast, so the maintenance will be harder. Irene had also just taken over the city and she could still learn. If Celosia had the tips from her uncle, she could share it with Irene."
Stefan Ferner, Celosia's uncle, was the former lord of Blackcourt City, and he had governed the city for a long time. The king granted him a holiday and after his resting time ended, he would continue to assist Irene in governing the city.
"Don't think too hard about such matters." Queen Alvira also said. "Just enjoy your drink and relax more."
Irene's eyes flashed, and she was also no longer entangled with the matter. Celosia's expression was still filled with indignation about not being given a chance to retort back, but she also quickly adjusted her expression. Every time her eyes landed on Irene, her eyes would stare at her sharply.
Irene wasn't bothered. She didn't know if the rumor was right. This spoiled little princess was going to be the fiance of that grave-faced Stelian. She couldn't help but slightly rejoice in his misfortune. With this kind of little ancestor in his mansion, he was bound to have a lot of headaches. Celosia was too reckless, not thoughtful enough, and also lacked the ability to read the room.
She could tell that this little gathering was intended for her to know other queens better, so that she'd have a smoother time in the palace.
She just wondered why Queen Alvira chose this kind of woman for her beloved son. Such a life-saving grace from Duke Ferner had cost her son his harmonious remaining life.
Only the two queens were present this time. She had a rather good impression of Queen Lamia, who looked like a sickly beauty, so she couldn't help but ask. "I wonder why Her Majesty, Queen Lamia isn't present today?"
It was Queen Alvira who answered her question. "Lamia's body isn't good. She has just gotten sick again this time."
Then, she shook her head. Her expression revealed the look of pity and regret. Irene didn't ask again. Everyone knew that Queen Lamia's body had deteriorated since she gave birth. They speculated that it was because she gave birth to a pair of twins.
Irene stayed a bit longer in the little gathering. She just mostly listened to their conversation, and occasionally received Celosia's flash of ridicule in her eyes. Was she arrogant because she could hold conversation smoothly with the queens?
Irene didn't care.
Halfway, she excused herself. She wanted to visit Queen Lamia in her palace.
After she arrived at her palace, she got permission to enter easily. However, as soon as she arrived in front of Queen Lamia's chamber, the palace maid in charge of taking care of the queen was hesitant.
"Irene is visiting? Let her in." The palace maid's hesitation disappeared and she opened the door respectfully.
Irene's impression of Queen Lamia was mostly from her son, Edmund. She could take care of him to grow into such a sunny young man and didn't pressure him to fight for power. It can be seen that she cared genuinely for her son.
In actuality, Irene had only met her a few times and in all the opportunities, they just exchanged greetings without delving too deep into a more serious topic of conversation.
Nevertheless, she still wanted to visit Queen Lamia. She had never had the chance to get face-to-face alone with her.
"Irene greets Her Majesty, Queen Lamia."
Queen Lamia's eyes were full of complexity when she heard Irene's way of greeting, but she quickly adjusted her expression and smiled. She joked, "Irene finally comes into the palace. How can the palace be without the little princess?"
"Your Majesty can jest." The corner of her mouth also curled up slightly.
They talked about a lot of trivial things, like about what was in the human world and its technology, or also some little gossip in the palace.
"In the human world, there is no teleportation array, but people can travel through the air and see scenery from above." Irene spoke eloquently, narrating her experience.
Queen Lamia also listened with interest. They talked until it was time for Queen Lamia to take her rest and sleep. Due to her disease, she was weak and needed occasional rest.
Irene didn't leave until the queen closed her eyes. She looked around the magnificent room. It was spacious and comfortable. The sun penetrated through the cracks in the window, warding off the darkness, thus the atmosphere wasn't gloomy.
Her eyes spotted the dark red flowers filling a vase on the table. It had five petals, and it was pretty. Each petal was shaped like a triangle with the long pointed end coated with a gradient of scarlet colors. There were red dots at the end of the petal, and a whitish line in the middle.
"Those beautiful flowers, where did you get them?" Irene asked the maid standing at the door.
The palace maid was taken aback at the sudden question. She glanced at the flower, and answered, "Replying to Her Highness, the flowers were sent by Her Majesty, Queen Alvira."
"Queen Alvira visited in the morning?"
The palace maid quickly replied, saying that it was indeed from Queen Alvira who visited this morning.
A thought filled with interest crossed her mind. The relationship between the queens of the vampire race actually seemed so harmonious.
At night, Irene was back to the city lord's mansion. The servants knew that she was still practically half-human right now, and she couldn't get rid of the habit of eating human food.She could perceive their contempt as they moved around cutting fruits, preparing the cutlery, and making the dinner table. She simply put on an emotionless face. How could such a little thing bother her? In the end, they still obediently serve her.She tasted the food. Even if some tasted too salty or too sweet, she didn't blink. She had eaten food which tasted way worse, and she also had begun to lose her sense of taste. The only thing she regretted was this loss, that she pestered her alchemist friend to make food that could be eaten by vampires.She was served by a lot of servants. As she ate, one servant was washing her feet. Albeit she was eating pretty quickly, she still retained her calm and collected demeanor, not lacking the table manner of a lady.At some point she felt that the maid washing he
"You are not bad." The deep voice sounded pleasing to the ears.Irene's eyes narrowed at his words, suddenly her anger spiked up. She forcefully restrained her uncontrollable emotion.She didn't know why this man's words could induce such a reaction from her. Besides Stelian, he was the second person in this Astral continent who managed to annoy her.She didn't hesitate anymore to move very fast, the small nimble body jumped into the air, not impeded by the black dress in the slightest. She quickly sent him a punch, gathering the familiar power in her body.The man wasn't about just becoming a sitting duck either. He parried her attack, sometimes dodging, and oftentimes attacking back.In less than a minute, they had exchanged hundreds of moves.Irene fought him fiercely, not annoyed at all when she found that he was harder to deal with than she thought. The more she fought, the more excited she became.Obviously, the man also noticed her weird state.The matter about her fighting bea
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
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,