Chapter 6: An Attack

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.