One night, Vyonne had returned to her room and looked out the open window at the dark sky.
Someone knocked on her door.
"Come in."
A maidservant about her age entered the room with some clothes in her hands. These were her nightwear.
"Excuse me, Princess."
After helping Vyonne change, Vyonne, still sitting in deep thought, began to speak.
"Lyn, what do you think?" Vyonne asked the maidservant standing gracefully beside her.
"Yes, Princess?" The maidservant replied in a confused tone.
Vyonne continued to gaze at the sky and play with the ends of her beautiful white hair. Her pale red lips opened and closed wordlessly.
After a moment, Vyonne spoke again.
"What do you think if a noble fell in love with a commoner?"
Slightly surprised by the question, the maidservant still answered politely.
"If that were to happen, it likely wouldn't cause any serious problems. However, the commoner's partner would likely be treated unfavorably."
"And if the commoner were a woman, she would likely be treated like a concubine, and if it were a nobleman, he would certainly be dethroned. " The maid said.
"And what if a vampire fell in love with a human?" Vyonne asked, her eyes still fixed on the night sky.
The maid was quite surprised to hear this. But even so, she tried to answer in a calm and polite tone.
"That's impossible, my lady."
"For a noble?"
"Even for a commoner."
Hearing this, Vyonne, who had been staring at the sky expressionlessly, turned to the maid.
"Then... what if it were me?"
Her pale red lips smiled softly. Her blood-red eyes revealed an unreadable emotion.
Whether she was happy or disappointed.
The maid's expression was dazed. She didn't know how to respond.
To the princess who would inherit the throne, the words slipped from her lips unconsciously.
"Even for you, Princess..."
"That's impossible?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because..." For a moment, the maid couldn't answer.
Her voice caught in her throat.
"Because it's... simply impossible."
"Is it because of tradition? Or because of pride? Or because it's the way it should be?" Vyonne asked, her expression unchanged.
"Yes..." the maid replied hesitantly.
"Is that your opinion?"
"Yes."
"What's the reason?"
"Because that's how it's taught."
"Then what about your own opinion?"
"I also... don't know..." the maid lowered her head.
Although Vyonne felt a little disappointed at not getting the answer she wanted, she still smiled gracefully.
The maid sensed something a little strange about Vyonne, so she cautiously asked.
"I apologize for the rudeness of my question, Princess... but was that question really about you...?"
Vyonne was quite surprised by her servant's boldness. Vyonne smiled slightly.
"I don't know, I still don't know either."
Somewhere in an inn located near the border of the kingdom's territory.
Although the sunlight here was slightly brighter than the center of the kingdom, the sunlight didn't bother Cyan that much.
However, due to his characteristics, he still felt a little uncomfortable.
A few meters away from the inn was a special post used for inter-racial trade.
Because other races were not allowed to enter further into the Rosemoon kingdom's territory, but trade was still necessary, so this place was created.
If the sunlight there was stronger, then how could the vampires survive there?
Of course, they had prepared themselves by wearing specially made black hooded cloaks.
If the area that other races could enter was restricted, then how could the princess meet that human man?
Doesn't the border of the kingdom mean it's far from the capital or the royal palace?
Yes, Vyonne did leave the palace secretly and no one knew.
So how could she have returned to the palace so quickly without anyone knowing if she went all the way to the border?
Even with the vampire's fast movement ability, it was still impossible.
And yes, Vyonne had never gone too far from the center of the kingdom. So she met the human man within the Rosemoon kingdom.
And that means, the thing that can be concluded is, the man infiltrated the vampire kingdom's territory.
If that's true, why? And how could Vyonne the princess not realize that and instead fall in love with that human?
Of course, there's no simple reason behind it.
Humans have a short lifespan, and what if vampires who can be said to be immortal tell humans a secret that can extend their lives?
Then what benefit would it be for the vampires to tell them?
Vampires live by consuming only raw blood and flesh for their entire lives, and the blood of each creature has its own qualities.
And the best quality?
Of course, human blood.
It wasn't a fair exchange, nor was it a disadvantageous exchange.
So, that human man? No. He wasn't the one who wanted the secret.
Instead, he was one of the kidnapping victims who managed to escape.
Humans would trade other humans for the secret of immortality, and vampires would pay with it.
A dark secret that even the queen didn't know about.
And sadly, the ones conducting this illicit trade were some of the nobles who served the queen.
Did Vyonne know about it? Of course, and in fact, it was Vyonne who had helped protect the young man.
And Cyan? The hero knew more than that.
The Rosemoon Kingdom, the domain of vampires. A country located far in the northern reaches of the dark and cold continent.
A region quite isolated due to the characteristics of its inhabitants.
Only drinking blood and eating raw meat, their lives became boring.
Then that day, some who were watching the trade with other races thought something.
How would the blood of another race taste?
Not livestock, but intelligent people.
What would the smell, texture, and color be like?
But they were just commoners who wouldn't dare act on their own. Until one day a force supported them. The nobility.
Arrogant nobles in power would be interested in such things.
They knew it was a serious offense.
However, if lust had overcome them? Well, they would just think, as long as no one found out, it was fine.
In a rather luxurious-looking room,
"According to your report, you suspect that the princess might have fallen in love with a commoner?"
"Yes... Princess Vyonne's questions have sounded quite strange since she returned from her disguise."
"And she even asked what if she fell in love with a human?"
"Yes... that's true."
"Interesting..." The bespectacled nobleman grinned.
"I wonder what if the queen finds out... ah, no..." The man raised his glass of fresh blood. His eyes stared slyly.
"What if the human dies in front of her?"
In a small building, a rather nice building, but strangely without a single window. Cyan crept inside.
The first floor was eerily quiet, as if no one lived there. But Cyan's instincts told him something was here.
Navigating the corridors of the two-story building, Cyan came across a strange door.
He could smell the strong scent of blood coming from behind it.
It wasn't a vampire scent, Cyan knew it was a human, and not just one.
Cyan opened the door that led to another secret room.
The stench of rotting corpses mixed with blood was thick.
There, Cyan saw it. It was a horrifying sight.
Bodies hung dry and rotting.
Some were headless, some legless, some armless, and some had become bones.
Exploring further, Cyan found several giant iron cages. Those bound by chains appeared to have lost consciousness.
"Am I too late?" Cyan slowly approached and touched the nearly cold bodies.
"It seems it's not too late, but unfortunately, I didn't bring any potion to heal them. If I return to the city and get it now, maybe I still have time. But... Would it be better to report this to the queen first?" Cyan hesitated slightly.
"No. Their lives are more important."
"Hey! Who are you?!"
As Cyan was about to leave, several guards caught him. Because his face was covered by a black hood, they didn't recognize him.
The guards ran over, and Cyan swiftly threw his blood dagger and managed to paralyze them.
Cyan managed to escape.
Cyan's movements were so fast that it looked like he was teleporting a short distance.
A thought crossed Cyan's mind.
"Wait... could it be that the man with the princess..."
Cyan suspected that the human youth was one of the kidnapping victims who had managed to escape.
Cyan's instincts immediately told him to approach her.
At the same time, Vyonne, who had been visiting the man's house, collapsed upon seeing what was before her.
Vyonne, who couldn't remember the last time she cried, immediately screamed hysterically as she looked at the man lying there, his chest ripped open and blood flowing like a river.
"What... is this...?"
Vyonne cradled the man's head with great care.
"Vyon... ee..." The man, whose eyes were closed, called out softly, though he was stuttering.
"Quick... get... out... of... here..." the man said.
"No. What did you say?" Vyonne gently caressed his face.
"I won't leave you…" Vyonne cried.
"Hurry… go…" The man could no longer speak.
He had breathed his last.