Chapter 9
“I risked everything and even cast a dark curse on Selenia’s necklace.”
Evangeline’s gaze was fixed on the map spread out on the desk.
On the map showing the royal palace, the name “Selenia” was written in red ink, with footprints marking a path of movement.
Thanks to that map, Luciel was able to pinpoint Selenia’s exact location.
It was also because of it that he could find Edwin’s house.
However, there was no response from Luciel.
He was clearly very uneasy. The wound inflicted by Edwin still throbbed painfully.
Although he had rushed to heal it and tracked the spot indicated by Selenia’s necklace, there were only shabby humans there, and he had returned empty-handed to the palace.
“That man…”
Luciel frowned, recalling a very unpleasant memory.
“Who?”
“The man beside Selenia knows how to use holy power.”
“Oh, that lowly man.”
Because of that bastard, not only had they lost Selenia, whom they had almost caught, but they had also wasted time treating the wound on his face.
He was still bitter about that man.
Luciel bared his sharp, non-human teeth in frustration.
Despite this, Evangeline responded in a tone that made it seem like it was nothing serious.
Yet, Luciel’s expression was far from ordinary.
“He’s an obstacle.”
“Is he a man that even the leader of the vampire nobles like you fears?”
Evangeline’s tone was clearly mocking him.
She looked at Luciel with eyes that regarded him as less than a bug, sneering.
Luciel slowly stepped closer toward her.
“Don’t come any closer.”
Evangeline coldly said while looking at her neatly manicured nails.
“You filthy descendants cursed by God…”
But she couldn’t finish her sentence.
“Ugh!”
Luciel’s hand tightened around her throat.
With one hand gripping her neck, he slowly lifted her up.
Evangeline’s feet struggled, lifted off the floor.
Her breath was gradually being choked off.
She tried to escape his grip, clutching his hand with both of her own.
Her nails dug into Luciel’s flesh.
Yet he only smiled coldly as if it meant nothing.
That smile sent shivers down Evangeline’s spine, as if every hair on her body stood on end.
His eyes showed no amusement.
Luciel’s pale eyes were filled only with darkness, like those of the dead.
Looking at the suffering Evangeline, he slowly spoke.
“Yes. Cursed by God to never be reincarnated in this world…”
Luciel’s eyes flashed beast-like, filled with murderous intent, as if he would snap her neck at any moment.
He finished with a bitter laugh.
“A great species that can live for eternity. Evangeline.”
Only then did Luciel drop Evangeline’s neck.
She fell swiftly to the floor, clutching her throat, coughing.
Bloodshot eyes glared at him.
“How dare you, you savage race…!”
In frustration, her nails scraped loudly against the floor.
But it was useless.
Evangeline was the eldest daughter of the royal family, yet unlike Selenia, she was not born with any special physical abilities.
That’s why she had tried harder.
Since the day her younger sister was born and crowned crown princess, she had never slept early even once.
Her spilled blood must be equivalent to the dirty blood that the other species drank.
Following her mother’s teachings, she nurtured books and people who would become her hands and feet to compensate for the lack of physical strength.
But Selenia was even clever.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t surpass her.
That frustration eventually blossomed into hatred for her sister.
Because Selenia had everything she did not.
So she tried in every way to drag Selenia down from the crown princess’s position.
The emperor’s throne should be hers. Being born as the eldest daughter of the royal family, that was only right.
During that time, she met Luciel by chance.
To the young Evangeline, he had knelt down.
Luciel promised to grant her wishes.
His voice was sweeter than chocolate, so she couldn’t help but hold his hand.
Thus, their first plan began — releasing dangerous beasts during the hunting festival to threaten Selenia’s life.
But the royal blood flowing thickly within Selenia even blocked the poison of those beasts.
The only saving grace was that the poison left a very strong scar threatening Selenia’s life.
It was almost time.
The poison in the scar was slowly tightening around Selenia’s neck.
So she hoped her father wouldn’t die. That after Selenia died and passed the crown princess title to her, then he would die.
But time was cruel and did not wait for Evangeline.
Her father died, and Selenia was about to become emperor.
Evangeline could only get more desperate.
In the Apollonia Empire, the goddess personally bestows the blessing power to the emperor during the coronation ceremony.
It was information passed down only to the emperors, kept in a forbidden library that no one could access until now.
But by a very lucky chance, Evangeline overheard this.
Currently, she was the only one in the empire who knew this fact.
“If Selenia receives that power, my chance to become emperor will be lost.”
So she tried to use Luciel to handle it.
Not knowing that it would fail so stupidly.
Evangeline’s trembling gaze met Luciel’s.
In Luciel’s eyes was nothing but disdain and contempt for her.
“I am the first vampire who can create vampires like myself.”
Luciel arrogantly looked down at Evangeline sitting on the floor and brushed his hands off as if he had touched something filthy.
“What are you then?”
Evangeline couldn’t reply and shivered.
Luciel deliberately distorted his voice, acting as if reciting a theatrical line.
“Despite being the eldest daughter, you are a bastard who can’t have the crown princess’s seat, aren’t you?”
“You…!”
Luciel raised one corner of his mouth, openly mocking her.
To him, humans were no different than ants on the road.
Just as one doesn’t feel guilty stepping on ants, he felt no remorse killing and hunting humans.
There was only one reason he bowed to Evangeline.
“Selenia.”
“What?”
Taken aback by the sudden name, Evangeline frowned.
Luciel ignored her and continued.
“The only reason I don’t kill you is simply because it’s an easier way to get Selenia.”
Evangeline and he wanted the same thing.
She wanted Selenia out of the way, and he wanted to have Selenia.
They were destined to be linked. From long ago.
“So…”
Luciel grabbed Evangeline’s chin and lifted her up while she was still sitting on the floor.
Out of shame, she tensed her face and struggled to break free.
But she couldn’t withstand the vampire’s power.
Luciel looked at her with satisfaction, then gently closed his eyes and said,
“Don’t get cocky, princess.”
It was an obvious threat.
That those claws could tear her apart anytime.
Power beyond humans.
A power ordinary humans could never even approach.
Fear made Evangeline’s body tremble weakly.
Luciel smiled grimly and let go with a snap.
Evangelin’s chin turned red.
“From the start, you never intended to kill Selenia. Releasing those beasts was only to create shackles…!”
She rubbed her chin gently and glared at Luciel.
A smile still lingered on his face.
A smile that was surely fake.
“Don’t worry.”
Luciel softly brushed her hair as she weakly trembled, hugging herself.
Then he added in a very gentle voice.
“Soon, the throne will be yours.”
“How…?”
“I will send a letter to the raven.”
With those words left behind, he disappeared in a swirl of black smoke.
Evangeline’s eyes, darkened by despair, stared blankly into the empty space where he had vanished.
But soon, she held the wall and slowly stood up.
Her legs were still trembling from the shock.
“Yeah, whatever. As long as I get the throne…”
Even if she had to bow to those filthy descendants.
Trembling, she looked at the spot where Luciel had left and faintly smiled.
What her mother had passed down was not only the color of these eyes.
Her mother’s greed—who had poisoned Selenia’s mother to become empress—had passed on to her daughter, blazing like hellfire in Evangeline’s eyes.
“…Dwin, Edwin!”
“…Oh, when did you come?”
Edwin, completely absorbed in his book, was startled and raised his head.
Selenia looked disapprovingly at the many books piled on the desk.
It was laughable.
Since the day of that confession, they had made no progress.
Not even a proper date.
Could they really be so busy, even in the royal palace? And she was the only patient.
It was enough to make her jealous.
At a pile of lifeless books.
Curious about what he was studying so intently, Selenia leaned closer to see what kind of book it was.
“What kind of book are you reading…?”
“Oh, it’s nothing.”
But Edwin quickly closed the book so she couldn’t see it.
His exaggerated action narrowed Selenia’s eyes suspiciously.
“Are you hiding something from me?”
“Huh? No, not at all!”
His defensive shouting only made her suspicion grow.
“If you’re honest, I will forgive all your past grievances.”
“…There’s really nothing. Why would I hide anything from Your Majesty…?”
Edwin answered in a meek voice.
How could he tell her that he had less than three months left to live?
He somehow couldn’t look her in the eyes.
But Selenia’s expression hardened more and more, feeling he was hiding something.
“Your Majesty…”
“Enough. If you won’t speak, then don’t. I won’t seek you anymore.”
Selenia spun around and left the room. She was clearly sulking.
A deep sigh escaped Edwin’s lips.
He wanted to do everything with her — hold hands, take walks, hug, kiss.
But all that was only possible if she lived.
The burden of having to keep her alive weighed heavily on his shoulders.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
The door opened, and none other than Evangeline entered.
