Chapter 3 CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

REINA HEARTS

The moment those words escaped his lips, a cold shiver ran down my spine.

Goosebumps spread across my entire body, and every tiny hair on my skin stood on end. My mind went completely blank, leaving me frozen in place for several long seconds as I struggled to process what I had just heard.

"Of course, I'll understand if you decide to back out. I only wanted to bring you there if it's something you truly want."

Bloodsucker's Mountains...

Vampires...

Just hearing those words made my heart skip a beat.

Vampires were immortals, beings that humans had feared and avoided for as long as anyone could remember.

And Bloodsucker's Mountains was the one place people warned each other never to set foot in.

It was their territory where creatures vastly different from humans lived beyond the borders of our world.

I had only heard stories about them a handful of times throughout my life.

People rarely spoke of vampires openly. The topic was considered far too sensitive, and most people avoided mentioning it altogether, as though simply saying their name out loud might invite trouble. Whenever someone did bring them up, the conversation would quickly end in uneasy silence, with nervous glances exchanged all around.

That was why my knowledge of vampires was painfully limited.

In fact, I had never seen one with my own eyes.

Everything I knew came from rumors, old tales, and frightening stories whispered from one person to another. They said vampires had razor-sharp fangs that could pierce human flesh with ease.

They possessed incredible strength, far beyond anything an ordinary human could hope to match, and moved with unnatural speed. They avoided direct sunlight because its scorching rays burned their skin, forcing them to remain hidden from the daylight.

I also remembered hearing another rumor when I was younger, that vampires were horrifying to look at. People claimed they had grotesque faces, monstrous features, and terrifying appearances that could make anyone scream at first sight.

I blinked, snapping myself out of the whirlwind of thoughts that had consumed my mind.

"H...Have you ever seen a vampire before, Madame?" I asked, unable to hide the hesitation in my voice.

She simply shook her head.

"Not yet," she answered with surprising honesty. "They're far too elusive to be seen by ordinary humans." A small smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "I'm simply a fan of them."

I couldn't help but stare at her.

A fan... of vampires?

She spoke about them with a fascination that contrasted sharply with the fear most people felt.

"Only a few of the influential people have ever been fortunate enough to see them," she continued. "Especially the wealthy families in our nation. They're the ones who occasionally come into contact with vampires... but we all know they live among us, don't we? They blend into human society so naturally that we never realize who they truly are."

Her words sent another wave of uneasiness through me.

The thought alone was enough to make my skin crawl.

"If you accept my offer, there's a good chance you'll see one before I ever do. You'll meet them in person. I've only admired them through old paintings and a few illegally taken photographs... that's the closest I've ever come to seeing a real vampire."

I swallowed hard, my throat suddenly feeling dry.

"Why..." I asked, my brows knitting together. "Why are they looking for human servants in the first place?"

"They're simply short on staff," she replied. "Nearly all vampires come from wealthy families, which is why they're looking for humans to serve them."

She paused, allowing her words to sink in before tilting her head slightly.

"So, what do you think? Are you interested?"

I instinctively lowered my gaze to the table, unable to look her in the eyes.

Ever since I was a child, vampires have always been surrounded by mystery. They were immortals whose existence ordinary humans rarely dared to acknowledge.

Their world felt distant and forbidden, existing somewhere beyond the boundaries of our own. Everything I had ever heard about them came from whispered stories and frightening rumors, and none of those stories painted them as creatures I should willingly approach.

The thought of leaving my ordinary life behind to work for beings like them...

It terrified me.

My fingers unconsciously tightened around the edge of my apron as countless possibilities ran through my mind.

I couldn't ignore the fear that wrapped itself around my heart.

Slowly, I shook my head.

"I'm sorry..." I murmured.

"I understand." The woman didn't seem offended by my answer. Instead, she offered me a polite, professional smile. "Enjoy your tip, young lady."

With graceful elegance, she rose from her chair.

She picked up her leather wallet along with the book resting on the table before making her way toward the entrance.

When she reached the door, she retrieved her black umbrella from the stand beside it. With a smooth flick of her wrist, the umbrella opened above her head.

Without another glance back, she stepped outside.

The rain continued to pour relentlessly, drumming against the pavement and painting the world in shades of gray. Clad in black from head to toe, she seemed to blend effortlessly into the gloomy afternoon, her figure gradually disappearing beneath the curtain of rain.

I remained where I was, silently watching her through the wide glass wall until she became nothing more than a distant silhouette.

"Reina, were you the one who served that lady in black?"

Sofie's voice suddenly rang out behind me, snapping me back to reality.

I flinched at the sound of her voice.

Without thinking, I quickly slipped the thousand-dollar bill into the pocket of my apron before turning around to face her.

Pushing my thoughts aside, I slowly rose to my feet and turned to face Sofie. I forced a small smile onto my lips.

The moment our eyes met, her brows immediately furrowed with concern.

"Oh no," she said anxiously. "Don't tell me that old lady in black gave you an attitude. Did she complain about the food? Did she yell at you?"

I quickly shook my head.

"N-No," I replied. "Actually... she liked the blackberry pancakes."

For a second, Sofie simply stared at me.

She blinked once, her eyes widening as surprise spread across her face.

"Really?" she murmured in disbelief.

I nodded.

"Is she a regular customer here?" I asked, unable to hide my curiosity.

Sofie shook her head.

"Not really," she explained. "She only comes here now and then, and she always orders the same meal."

She folded her arms as though recalling every visit the woman had made.

"The funny thing is, she always finishes everything on her plate. Not a single bite is left behind. But despite that, she still manages to leave us with some kind of negative comment afterward." Sofie sighed with a helpless smile. "Whether it's the taste, the presentation, or something else, there's always something she isn't completely satisfied with."

She looked back at me, the astonishment still evident on her face.

"So the fact that she genuinely liked your cooking... that's nothing short of a miracle."

A proud smile slowly appeared on her lips.

"You really are amazing, Reina."

She gave my shoulder a few gentle pats.

I could only let out an awkward laugh.

“Anyway, back to work!” she said cheerfully, flashing me an energetic smile before turning away and heading back to her duties.

The moment she left my sight, the smile I had been forcing slowly faded from my lips.

And no matter how much I tried to push it away, the conversation we had earlier kept replaying in my mind.

I let out a long, heavy sigh, almost like I was trying to exhale all the lingering thoughts inside me.

Then I shook my head sharply, as if that alone could force me back into reality.

I still had work to finish.

That evening, I didn’t have any classes at the academy, so I decided to go grocery shopping instead.

When I got home, I brought all the groceries inside, and the sight of them immediately brightened the mood of everyone in the house.

I told them I had received a large tip from a customer at work, which was why I was able to bring home so many things.

But I left out the rest.

I didn’t mention the woman in black.

I didn’t tell them about Bloodsucker’s Mountains.

As the days passed, life slowly slipped back into its usual rhythm.

Work, the academy, home, everything became predictable again. Little by little, I convinced myself that the encounter had been nothing more than something I could safely forget.

And for a while, I almost believed it.

But then came the night everything changed.

Under the cold glow of a bright, merciless moon, I returned home expecting nothing more than another ordinary evening.

Instead, the moment I stepped into the manor, I realized something was terribly wrong.

I stayed hidden behind a large tree, my body pressed tightly against its rough bark as I watched everything unfold.

A crowd of furious former workers from our now-defunct mine had gathered outside the manor grounds.

Each of them held blazing torchlights that flickered violently in the darkness, casting restless shadows across the night. The flames danced in their hands as they raised them high, illuminating their furious faces as they shouted the same demand over and over again.

They wanted to be paid.

Their voices echoed loudly through the night air, filled with desperation and rage, shaking the silence that usually surrounded our estate.

If not for the tall, steep, and heavily reinforced gate surrounding our manor house, they would have already broken through. That gate was our only protection, standing firm between them and us, keeping the chaos outside from spilling into our home.

Even so, it didn’t make the situation any less terrifying.

Later, I found out the truth behind their anger.

There were still unpaid wages that my father had failed to settle. Those unresolved debts had become the reason those workers gathered outside our gates, turning their frustration into a full-blown protest. And as the night went on, their demands grew harsher, their voices turning into threats that echoed ominously against the walls of our manor.

Every word they shouted filled us with fear.

That night, no one in our household could find peace.

Sleep never came.

Even my siblings refused to work the next day, too shaken and too afraid of what might happen if we stepped outside or let our guard down.

Every single day, I have to take a different route just to sneak out of our manor unnoticed. I avoid the main entrance at all costs, slipping through paths before carefully making my way past the long line of carriages waiting outside.

Only after I've managed to leave the estate without drawing anyone's attention can I finally board a public carriage bound for the diner where I work.

"...Reina, are you alright?"

Sofie's gentle voice cut through the thoughts in my head, instantly pulling me back to reality.

I blinked several times before lifting my eyes. She had just taken a seat on the sofa across from me here in the women's lounge, her expression filled with concern.

She must have noticed how absent-minded I'd been.

"You've been staring off into space for quite a while now," she said, tilting her head slightly as she examined my face. "Are you feeling sick?"

I quickly straightened in my seat and offered her a small smile, hoping it didn't look as forced as it felt.

"N-No," I answered, giving my head a slight shake. "I think... I'm just a little short on sleep."

Sofie let out a hum before smiling sympathetically.

"If that's the case, then you should try to get some sleep," she suggested. "We still have twenty-five minutes before our shift starts."

I slowly shook my head.

"Oh, right..." I murmured. "When do you think I'll see... the Black Lady you told me about again?" I asked hesitantly. "Does she usually come to the diner on certain days?"

"Hmm..." Sofie lightly tapped her chin as she tried to think of an answer.

"I'm not sure," she admitted after a moment. "The Black Lady doesn't really have a schedule. She just... suddenly shows up whenever she feels like it."

Her gaze shifted back to me, and one of her brows lifted in curiosity.

"But why do you ask?"

I paused briefly before offering a faint smile.

"It's nothing," I replied, trying to sound casual. "There's just something I'd like to tell her if I ever get the chance."

Sofie studied my face for a second before giving a small nod. She didn't question me any further.

From that day on, every hour that passed felt painfully slow.

Whenever the bell above the diner's entrance rang, my eyes would instinctively dart toward the door, hoping it would finally be the customer I had been waiting for.

But each time, I was met with disappointment.

The days stretched on, one after another, yet the mysterious Black Lady never appeared.

As more time slipped away, the pressure on my shoulders grew heavier with each passing day.

The situation at the manor was only getting worse.

One after another, our former employees kept returning to the estate, demanding the wages my father still hadn't paid them.

Every visit reminded me just how deeply our family had fallen.

With no other choice, Dad went back to the bank and took out another loan.

The problem was that this one came with an incredibly high interest rate.

Instead of helping us recover, it only added another enormous burden to the mountain of debt we were already struggling to carry.

"Reina!"

I was in the middle of slicing potatoes in the kitchen when Sofie's voice suddenly rang out behind me.

The urgency in her tone made me stop immediately.

I turned toward the doorway and saw her standing there, slightly out of breath. Her eyes were wide with anxiety, as though she had rushed over the moment she spotted something important.

"What is it?" I asked, still gripping the kitchen knife.

"I-It's the Black Lady!" she exclaimed. "She's here again! Go prepare the same thing she ordered from you the last time she visited!"

The moment those words reached my ears, my heart pounded violently against my chest.

She's here...

Without a second thought, I released the knife from my hand. It landed on the wooden counter with a sharp clatter, but I didn't even spare it a glance.

Instead of gathering the ingredients to prepare her order, I hurried straight out of the kitchen.

"Reina!" Sofie called after me. "Wait!"

I heard her voice echo behind me, but I couldn't bring myself to stop.

As soon as I reached the dining area, my eyes searched the room.

It only took a second to find her.

She was sitting exactly where she had been the last time, at the table near the center of the diner.

Dressed from head to toe in black, she sat with effortless grace, completely detached from the lively conversations filling the room. A book rested in her hands as she read its pages.

I took a deep breath and slowly walked toward her table.

Each step made my heartbeat grow louder.

The closer I got, the more nervous I became.

When I finally stopped in front of her, she immediately sensed my presence.

Without a word, she slowly lifted her gaze from the pages of her book.

Our eyes met.

The instant our gazes locked, every ounce of confidence I had carefully gathered threatened to crumble.

I discreetly clenched my fists at my sides, digging my nails into my palms in an attempt to steady my trembling nerves.

"Madam... I want to become a servant of the Volgoth family... Please, take me to the Bloodsucker's mountain."