Chapter 1
682words
But once her name began to echo in my ears, I suddenly realized that decay doesn't stem from time, but from the human heart.
Lorelei, a girl whose name sounds as beautiful as poetry.
She was once a mortal, the neighborhood girl who was like a sister to Karen when he was human, and the daughter of his old friend.
Shortly after I gave Karen the Embrace, bringing him into the world of eternal night, Lorelei met with misfortune.
She was attacked by an unidentified low-ranking vampire and forcibly transformed, becoming a weak, unprotected bottom-tier Fledgling.
Karen was consumed by guilt over this. He convinced himself that if I hadn't taken him away, Lorelei wouldn't have been alone and would never have met such a fate.
More importantly, they became the only two from their former human circle who had stepped into this darkness together.
This shared history created a bond between them that I could never penetrate, no matter how hard I tried.
He begged me, even taking a Blood Oath, swearing to use his immortality to protect this helpless girl who couldn't defend herself in our world.
I loved him so damn much back then that I couldn't help myself. I naively believed that anyone who mattered that much to him must be worthy of protection. I even promised to protect her like family. What a fool I was.
Until our first meeting, when Lorelei dramatically collapsed against Karen right in front of me, claiming she'd been wounded by some low-level magical creature.
With her face pale as snow and looking pathetically vulnerable, she grabbed Karen's wrist and sank her fangs directly into his flesh, engaging in Blood Sharing with him.
This is an extremely intimate act between vampires - practically foreplay in our world.
I watched in shock at her brazen behavior, then turned to Karen, whose face showed reluctance mixed with resignation. It made me wonder if I was somehow misreading the entire situation.
She continued drinking while staring at me with those misty eyes of hers. Only after she'd had her fill did she speak softly: "Oh, Alicia, my bloodline is somewhat special. Only blood from the same source as Karen can heal my wounds. You don't mind, do you?"
Before I could even respond, Karen answered for me in a weary voice: "No, she doesn't."
His eyes held a hint of apology, but he hadn't considered my position at all.
On the way to the banquet, Lorelei clung to him like ivy on a wall, constantly whispering in his ear, occasionally using "dizziness" as an excuse to grab his arm.
I watched all of this with growing anger burning in my chest, but was too bound by social etiquette to call her out. After all, he insisted she was "just like a sister."
If I showed jealousy toward someone's "sister," I'd only look petty and insecure.
But eventually, I couldn't take it anymore.
Lorelei sent him some message, and they both glanced down at Karen's cuff.
That's when I noticed the unfamiliar crest engraved on his cufflink.
I knew Karen wore various accessories, and while I'd found the intricate vine crest on this cufflink odd, I'd assumed it was some alchemical charm to stabilize his magic. Fledglings often need such things for their unstable powers.
What I never imagined was that my boyfriend would be wearing matching crests with another woman.
"This mark," I said slowly, "I believe I've seen it in some fallen noble family's genealogy."
"You're not mistaken, Alicia." Before Karen could explain, Lorelei jumped in. "This crest is indeed from a fallen noble house."
Then, as if suddenly realizing her mistake, she covered her mouth with one delicate hand, eyes wide with feigned innocence.
"I don't know the origin of this crest," she backpedaled. "I just wanted to give Karen a protective seal to stabilize his power."
"It happens to match my hairpin purely by coincidence. You wouldn't be angry over such a small trinket, would you, Alicia?"
