I live in a strange world, loving the night and hating the light.

I have beautiful looks and sharp teeth to lure and hunt for food.

However, when a foolish hunter falls in love with a cunning prey, that is the beginning of all tragedies.

I couldn't control the urge to drink blood. I killed him.

Looking at his body, I don't know where to go.

He left, and what awaits me is another long, endless life.

I miss him.

— Natalie Mendes

[Liam's angle]

I opened Reese's notebook. There was such a piece of paper in it.

"Natalie Mendes?" The name sounded familiar.

After recalling for a long time, I finally associated this name with the name of the traitor of the Kindred.

She was a vampire who fell in love with a human, a humiliation to the Kindred.

If she hadn't accidentally killed her lover and walked into the fire with the corpse, she would have probably been punished even more severely by the Kindred.

Why did Reese collect the sinner's stuff?

I didn't understand this.

The sound of the door opening came and I looked at the guard who had been following me.

The first thing he did when he saw the thing in my hand was kneel on one knee and wait for his punishment. What a boring person.

"Reese Norma, do you know what kind of punishment you will receive for secretly keeping a sinner's legacy?"

I focused my gaze on the back of Reese's head. In fact, I was a little curious to see what kind of expression Reese had. Terrified? Ashamed? Or vigilant? Trying to think of some reason to deal with me?

However, as the heir to the House of Stuart, I would never let him look up. He was a sinner in front of me at that moment.

[Reese's angle]

"Master, a traitor will be punished with wooden nails and holy water by the Kindred."

I had never thought that Natalie's suicide note I kept would be exposed in Master Liam's sight. Master was the next heir to the House of Stuart, the royal family of the Kindred. My actions were a different kind of betrayal to him.

I couldn't guess what Master was thinking, so I could only kneel before him for a long time.

But I didn't regret what I had done, because Natalie was the only warmth I had left apart from Master. I wouldn't have survived those cruel childhood days without Natalie's company.

If Master wanted to end me, I also had nothing to say. After all, my life belonged to Master.

It seemed like a long time had passed, but it also felt like it had only been a few seconds.

Master's eyes constantly pierced me like needles.

Then, I heard Master say, "Get up. There's no need to fuss over things that belong to someone who's dead."

As I got up, I couldn't help but feel a lingering fear. Master had always been moody and never showed mercy to traitors. I was probably the first person to survive after such an obvious betrayal.

The matter of Natalie's note seemed to have become an episode.

When I confessed my sin, Master lost interest and took me to a manor outside the city.

The then leader of the witches, Ashley Lancaster, lived there.

Ashley Lancaster was a beautiful and quiet lady. Every time she met Master Liam, she offered the most noble courtesy and used the most concise words to report what had happened. This made me respect her a lot.

Master once asked me suddenly what I thought of Lady Ashley, and I said that she was a dignified and trustworthy person.

For some reason, after I answered, Master gave me a faint smile. The creepy feeling was still fresh in my memory.

Speaking of Lady Ashley, I must mention her family, the Lancasters, and the most powerful witch in the family, Isla Lancaster.

Lady Isla was born in the early Middle Ages and was an ancestor of Lady Ashley.

At that time, the battle between the ancestors of the Kindred had just ended. The Stuarts finally won and became the true ruler of the Kindred.

Rumor has it that on the day when the ancestor of the Stuarts was baptized, Lady Isla was suddenly inspired.

She prophesied that in a hundred years, a new king would be born in the union of humans and the Kindred, overthrowing the reign of the Stuarts. The Moonstone was the key to the birth of the new king. It would point out where the new king was, and it would awaken the power of the new king.

The entire Kindred was stunned upon hearing this prophecy.

However, since the ancestor had just ascended the throne, he didn't care about Lady Isla's prophecy.

As time passed, Lady Isla had proven her ability after helping the ancestor and the Kindred avoid disasters again and again.

When she brought up the prophecy again, the ancestor finally took it seriously. He also discovered that many vampires had been in close contact with humans in secret. Some even became partners.

So, the dark decade under the reign of the Stuarts came.

During that period, countless vampires that betrayed the Kindred were dismembered, pierced through the heart, burned, and sprinkled with holy water. They were strictly ordered to sever their connections with humans.

What did it mean to sever their connections? Just as Natalie's suicide note had said, to end their lover's life with their own hands.

This cruel massacre began with Lady Isla's prophecy, and also ended with Lady Isla's revelation.