Chapter 3

Six hundred years of life cleared out in three hours.

I left all of Valerius's gifts behind: memory crystals, family jewelry, commemorative pendants.

My suitcase held only clothes and essentials.

Two blood-servants whispered nearby. I ignored them.

That afternoon, I waited in the hall for Diana. The manor was unusually quiet.

Leo, the illegitimate child, was nowhere to be seen.

Had Valerius kept his promise to "send him away"?

The doors slammed open. Valerius strode in, followed closely by his mother.

Before I could stand, Elara lunged at me.

"My Lady! Where is Leo?" she screamed, her nails digging into my arm as she shook me.

I backed away. My spine slammed into the table edge. Pain shot through me, but I steadied myself.

"Are you crazy?" I shoved her off. "How would I know?"

"You're lying!"

Elara pulled a silver blade and pressed it to my throat. The silver seared my vampire skin. Blood trickled down my collarbone.

"You can't send him away!" her hand trembled. "Give Leo back!"

"Snap out of it," I stared at her coldly. "I don't know where he is."

Elara pointed at the tire tracks outside. "You ordered trucks out of the city today! Who else could it be?"

She dropped the blade and fell to her knees. "Leo is my life..."

I wiped the blood from my neck. "Isn't he just an adopted orphan? What does an orphan have to do with you?"

Elara flinched. "Because he's my..."

She paled and swallowed the words, crying instead. "I'm... I'm just his caregiver. I love him..."

"He is your what?" I stepped closer. "Speak."

"Enough," Valerius's mother cut in.

Valerius finally moved, but not toward me. He shielded Elara behind him.

"Stop being so aggressive, Seraphina!"

I froze.

When a silver blade sliced my neck, he did nothing. Now, he yelled at me to protect a blood-slave and her son.

Catching my expression, he softened. "I'm not blaming you. Elara is just emotional..."

"I don't want to hear it," I cut him off. "If the kid is missing, go find him."

My extreme calm made Valerius panic.

A deputy ran in. "My Lord! We found the young master on a blood transport truck at the city bounds!"

Everyone exhaled. But his mother glared at me.

"A blood truck? Your moving trucks left the city today."

Elara cried, "She wanted to throw him out of the territory! She wants him dead!"

"You severed your Firstborn Source, and now you want to end our bloodline?" his mother hissed. "Without an heir, you are unfit for the throne."

My old wound—my inability to bear children for him—was torn open.

I looked at Valerius. He was staring thoughtfully at Elara.

"Right," I laughed bitterly. "I never should have saved you. Six hundred years ago, I should have let the Sun Curse burn you to ashes."

He finally saw my bleeding neck. Panic flashed across his face, and he reached for me. "You're bleeding..."

I stepped back.

The memory of his heavy breathing with Elara in the study last night made me sick.

Guards carried Leo in.

"Daddy!" Leo ran to Valerius, then pointed his finger directly at me. "It was her! She threw me on the truck!"

"What else can you say?" Valerius's mother struck her cane. "Would a child lie?"

I met Valerius's eyes and saw the hesitation. He suspected me.

An overwhelming exhaustion hit me. "Think what you want."

His mother delivered the sentence. "Confine her in the Blood Ancestor Shrine! Let her kneel for three nights!"

Before I could refuse, Valerius finalized the decision. "Let's leave it at that. Go clear your head."

He ordered Leo to the infirmary and gently helped Elara up. The "family of three" walked out without looking back.

I stood there, feeling utterly ridiculous.

...

That night, in the Shrine.

Six hundred years ago, Valerius slit his wrist in this exact spot and swore: "I'd rather lose my Senate seat than betray our pact."

Now, I was the sinner on trial.

A guard whispered, "My Lady, the Lord must have his reasons..."

I smirked. It didn't matter. I was leaving anyway.

Three days later, Valerius stood in the Shrine doorway. "I'm here."

I stood up, stumbling on numb knees. He reached out to support me, but I slapped his hand away.

"You promised to send him away whenever I wanted."

His hand dropped. "The family needs an heir. Consider my position."

"People might think he's your biological son," I mocked.

His breath hitched. Guilt flashed in his eyes, but he kept up his loving facade. "I will only love you. Leo is a good kid."

Without waiting for my answer, he continued, "Tomorrow is Leo's birthday. I've arranged a banquet to announce him as the heir. You will attend as his mother."

Forcing me to be a stepping stone for a blood-slave's bastard. Disgusting.

I limped out without a word. Diana was waiting by the SUV outside. I walked straight to her.

Valerius didn't follow.

"I'm staying to monitor tomorrow's arrangements... I'll send someone for you in the morning!" he called out.

I didn't turn around.

Standing behind me, he was panicking yet convinced himself I would compromise for the family's dignity once the banquet started.

Too bad. He guessed wrong.