Chapter 8: The Awakening

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 daze. He flinched from Kairos' gaze, seemingly having encountered something terrifying. After that, he walked away with large strides and didn't once turn his head back.

"Alright, I will go." With a nod of her head, she turned her body and went back to the study room.

She had seen her countenance in the mirror just now, as pale as a sheet of paper. She truly looked like the dead.

The light footsteps echoed in the silent and spacious study room. To mask her pale countenance from arousing suspicion, she was forced to cover it up with makeup.

She was never the one with the hobby to dress up, except for the convenience of disguising and blending in with the shadows. Nevertheless, she was still pretty skilled since one of her people was an expert in this field.

As for Kairos, it was unlikely for him to ask. He was a cold person, and never someone who would meddle in the business of others. Perhaps, for him, she was just like the other royal children.

It was also better that way, although she still needed to do one thing...

After this awakening ceremony, she was destined to have more contact with this brother of hers.

"Let's go." The complexion of her face was no longer as pale as it was earlier. Her cheeks were slightly rosy. The skin also looked fresh, like she was a living human. 

A sudden intense gaze caused her to look doubtfully at Kairos, who swept his gaze at her figure, not ashamed that he was getting caught. His eyes flashed. As they walked side by side, he pointed at her wrist. "This is...?"

Irene subconsciously clutched the bracelet in her hand. The yellow-green crystal gave her slight assurance. She was startled, and her gaze, which contained a bit of caution, was directed at him. After he found this bracelet familiar, he wouldn't snatch it, right?

The first time she met King Darien, she also found that his stare lingered on the bracelet on her wrist. After that, she no longer wore a short-sleeved dress. For this occasion, she wore one and almost forgot about it.

"Mother's bracelet." There was something suppressed in her tone. Her gaze momentarily became empty. She looked ahead and walked. If he wanted to snatch it, she would fight it out with him, even with the risk of revealing her strength.

Yes, she was hiding her strength. There were so few people she could trust in these magnificently luxurious, yet cold walls of the palace. Anyone could turn against her at any moment.

More than once, she suspected a spy was lurking in the palace, directing things from behind the scene. She found the case of her mother's accident back then a bit strange.

Queen Adrianne was a strong woman herself. She had gone incognito when she traveled outside. The guards brought by her were also strong. Fighting against some wandering pack of werewolves wouldn't be a problem. But the opponent numbered in hundreds, against the group of fewer than thirty people. Apparently, someone had leaked the news to the werewolf race.

The queen was also restricted because she was pregnant. Hence, she couldn't unleash her full power.

After she saw the swirling lights of the teleportation array, Irene recovered from her trance. This array was the technology developed by some elders in the vampire race. There were golden runes floating in the air, forming a tunnel with a door on the other side.

Kairos also seemed distracted. His gaze occasionally flitted about her wrist, seemingly uncertain. After Irene stepped into the tunnel, he followed.

Rufus couldn't follow her because he was no longer a commander.

In less than a minute, she again felt the amazement of this teleportation array; they had arrived.

"Lord Father has ordered the maids to clean up and decorate your room. You can go there first." Kairos glanced at her briefly, then walked away without looking back.

His words surprised her a little that she cast doubtful eyes at his retreating back. However, she was glad that she could rest first. Her strength was sucked dry after days and nights without sleep, enduring the excruciating pain that made her want to die but was unable to.

She spent her time sleeping, and the blood delivered to her door remained untouched. Unknowingly, she had slept for a few days. Today was the day when the awakening ceremony would begin.

A few maids helped her to get dressed. The intricate red rose was attached to her shoulder, and a long-sleeved long dress almost covered her entire body. The black veil shielded her face from prying eyes.

The king had yet to introduce her to the nobles, and many were curious about the only royal princess. This awakening ceremony would be the first one they'd meet her.

"They are waiting for you." Kairos came again. He was wearing a black cloak, his body wrapped in royal attire.

Irene nodded indifferently in acknowledgment. She got up from the chair in front of the mirror, her high heels clacking as they collided with the floor.

It was still a bit awkward for her due to her amateurish skill in teleportation, but she had improved tremendously. She found that she liked this ability very much. It was so cool when she could suddenly disappear and appear again more than a hundred meters away.

Not long after, they arrived.

The door was tall and mighty. The guard's voice was loud as he announced her and Kairos' names, and they entered the room together.

Instantly, many pairs of eyes cast their gaze on her. There were various expressions; curiosity, contempt, disdain, doubt, and others. She put on a nonchalant look, silently remembering each one of them.

On the high throne, the king's majestic figure was sitting down.

After a slightly longer walk on the dark red colored carpet, they both arrived in front of him. Kairos bowed while Irene curtsied as a sign of respect, then withdrew to the side.

"Are you ready?" King Darien turned his head toward Irene.

"This subject is ready, Your Majesty." She didn't hesitate to answer.

The way she referred herself instantly became the topic of silent discussion. All kinds of eyes were giving her strange looks, some with pity and some containing disguised mockery or raw amusement.

Irene's expression remained unchanged. When she stole a glance at King Darien, his complexion was also neutral, as if the farce didn't bother him at all, even though she didn't refer to herself as his child, a royal daughter.

She knew she was treading on thin ice, repeatedly testing each royal family member. She didn't mind sinking down as long as she dragged the person responsible for her mother's accident with her. Just let's accompany each other on the road to hell.

A moment later, the stagnant atmosphere was slightly eased when King Darien rose from his throne. He walked to the side, bypassing the ancient antiques made of gold and silver until he arrived at a small iron door.

He motioned to Irene, and she slowly walked there. As soon as the door opened, she was sucked in. After she was inside, the door closed by itself.

Slightly confused, she looked at the small pool of blood uncomfortably, unsure. In an attempt to try and find out what should she was supposed to do next, she tentatively reached out her hands.

She hoped she didn't need to drink it. Just by looking at it, she was already nauseous somehow. The sudden sensation in the fingertips surprised her that she abruptly exclaimed, "What..."

She felt a stream of power that resonated with her bloodline. Buzzing noises floated around her ears, and she was slightly dizzy from this unanticipated phenomenon.

"So, it's like this." She muttered to herself. She resisted the churning stomach and took a meditation gesture, submerging half her body in the pool of blood. 

The pool was only around five meters in both length and width. The feeling was uncomfortable, like slimy snakes wriggling on the skin. She almost threw up, tempted to get up from the pool, and slammed the door open to get out. However, her willpower resisted.

Rufus had informed her that she should stay here for three days and nights or for as long as possible. This bloodline was also beneficial for her. At least she'd recover faster from any injuries.

The suffocating feeling around her skin gradually disappeared, replaced by steadiness. The blood in the pool was tempering with her body, transforming it completely into becoming a royal vampire, shedding her previously human physique. 

She was like a lonely boat in the sea, resisting the billowing waves. Gradually, the power entering her body became more aggressive and tyrannical. Her skin turned pale, seemingly bloodless. The domineering force was threatening to tear her organs apart.

With the grit of her teeth, which slowly and painfully grew into fangs, she forcefully endured. She was well aware that if she forced herself to withstand the power beyond her capability, she would receive backlash. Perhaps, her organs would rupture, or when it came at worst, she could turn into a puddle of blood, becoming part of this pool.

It was almost three days and three nights. For half-immortal creatures like vampires, it was a blink of an eye. The nobles were currently sitting in the hall, enjoying their drink while they waited for the royal princess's awakening ceremony to conclude.

The king sat on the high throne, accompanied by the three queens, all of who were sitting on his sides. Queen Lamia was sitting alone on his left side while the right side was occupied subsequently by Queen Alvira, then Queen Izora.

The four princes were sitting quite close to the king: Stelian, Kairos, Draven, and Edmund. Edmund's twin brother, however, was nowhere in sight.

Whispers sounded among the nobles. Their eyes occasionally flitted to the main seats where the royal family members were sitting. Nearly three days and three nights passed. And yet, the princess hadn't come out. She was a little bit tougher than they had expected.

However, she was still no match if she were to be compared to the princes, right?

The nobles continued to drink with relish, waiting for the time to slowly pass by.

Sun and mood had exchanged places several times during this period. 

The three days and night threshold had passed a few days ago. And for Irene's awakening... there was no news and not even a small movement from the chamber.

Edmund's porcelain-like face couldn't help but scrunch slightly. His eyes flitted about the door of the awakening chamber for the thousandth time.

"Is she alright? How was her condition before she entered the awakening chamber?" He couldn't help asking Kairos, who had fetched her from Blackcourt City.

Traces of wrinkle also formed on Kairos' smooth forehead. He remembered that Irene's state seemed a bit wrong back then. He didn't dig into it further, thinking that it was because of her gradual vampire transformation and tiredness. 

Now, things didn't seem to be that simple. 

"She was too pale at that time," Edmund mumbled, remembering that he had once wanted to meet her, but she looked so tired. So, he didn't disturb her further and only sent her a bag of nourishing blood. His voice wasn't loud, only enough for the four princes to hear. 

On the high throne, next to the king, Queen Alvira seemed to mutter something about the king. The delicate face was taut, and the eyebrows twisted together. "Your Majesty, it has been more than three days. This consort is worried that something might happen to her."

The king was silent. It was unknown whether he had heard her softly spoken words or not.

It was almost a week, long passed the three the days and three night period. Forcefully interrupting in the middle of bloodline awakening was fatal; she could receive backlash, becoming weak and sickly. However, it was better than turning into a puddle of blood and joining the previous ancestors.

Just as the king had raised his head, an extremely loud explosion that shocked the nobles and royal family members resonated in the hall. The floor under their feet was shaking. Vibrations could be heard buzzing in their ears.