The mysterious, blood red moon resembled Daleina Cameron's bloodshot eyes. For the sake of this divination, she had adhered to a clean diet for a week and it had been three days since she last slept. She floated in the night sky, as silent as the crowd around her. As she stared into the bronze mirror, her frown deepened.
Everyone leaned towards the mirror in curiosity. Once… twice… the images in the mirror changed abruptly. They were blurry and difficult to decipher, and the crowd could only see the outline of a shape from a distance. It was the appearance of a young infant. The infant wailed, crying incoherently. Their cries could not be heard through the bronze mirror and as their mouth opened and closed, they did not make for a particularly adorable sight. The infant could even be said to appear a little strange.
A pair of hands reached out from behind Daleina and respectfully offered her a dagger. She was, after all, the leader of the witches in the Vampire Kingdom. Everyone treated her respectfully and rightly so. Even the authoritative and cold Vampire King had to be wary of her.
She appeared to be in a hurry for the results, making a cut on her finger without any hesitation. One drop… two drops… three drops… The image of the infant in the bronze mirror was gradually dyed red by her blood, turning blurrier. Under the blood moon, it made for an especially strange sight.
The vampires were not stimulated by the sight of her blood. For them the blood of witches and of their kind did not attract their interest, only human blood did. They only wished to know the results, and the sooner the better.
A strange light suddenly lit up from the palace. All the vampires present were startled. It was tens and even hundreds of times brighter than any light they had seen before.
They shifted their gaze between the full moon, the bronze mirror, and the witch Daleina, who appeared unusually worried. They were desperate to learn the outcomes of her divination. This was partially out of curiosity and partially out of concern for the future of the Vampire Kingdom.
On the other side, in the palace, a handsome and mysterious young man had curled up into a ball. He pressed one hand against his right cheek as he endured the burning sensation on his skin. Strong rays penetrated through the gaps between his fingers and shot out of the palace. A red lightning symbol could be vaguely seen on his face and it was the source of the blinding light. He was Westley, the only heir of the Dracula family, and the noble and mysterious Vampire Prince.
"Daleina's divination results are out…"
"Did you hear? The rumored vampire bride has appeared."
"What? Are you referring to that legend?"
"What do you mean by 'legend'? It's a curse the MacLeans Family placed on Westley. Elder Manolo made the curse with his blood before he died…"
"I saw an infant earlier. I'm guessing it's the prince's future bride. She was really beautiful."
"So what if she's beautiful? According to the rumors, she will one day kill Prince Westley…"
"Shh… speak softly."
The vampires discussed among themselves with worried expressions as the crowd dispersed. However, many of them also appeared to consider this incident a performance that had been arranged by the palace. They used it as a conversation topic to liven up their dull life in the kingdom.
Westley could hear them clearly despite his pain. He was expressionless, but his eyes clearly lit up for a moment, and a sneer escaped his lips. It wasn't clear if it was an expression of pain or disdain. A few moments later, he realized that the heat on his face had begun to lessen. It then gradually disappeared.
After the pain fully receded, he touched the lightning-shaped scar on his face and muttered to himself, "It seems like my cursed bride was born, despite it all. I've been waiting for the past five hundred years…"
Chapter 1: She Has Appeared
[Elvira's POV]
Eighteen years later…
"You jinx, you killed your own parents the moment you were born. You tell us, are you a source of misfortune or not? If you know that you're useless, you should work hard on your chores. Don't wear a bitter expression all day as if we owe you something. You're the one who killed your parents, not us, do you understand!"
The middle-aged woman cursed at me without any mercy. She had never treated me like her brother's child. Naturally, her relationship with my father had also been poor. She shoved against me as she walked by, knocking my basket of freshly laundry onto the ground. I had no choice but to lower my head to pat the clothes clean before returning them to the basket.
"Look at what you've done! You need to move faster when you work! You're already an adult, yet you can't even move the laundry! What can you do? You jinx! Short-lived ghost!" She shot me a look of disgust as she spoke. She must have felt that this wasn't enough, and kicked me several times. I endured her blows from where I had fallen sitting on the ground. Her blows were painful, but compared to what I had endured over the years, they were light injuries.
"Elvira, are you blind? Can't you see that these are all dirty? Huh?" Aunt Shelly grew even more annoyed with my silence. She had no plans of stopping.
"It seems like you aren't just blind. You're also deaf." She casually knocked the entire basket onto the ground, causing the clothes to spill out. She then continued, "Wash all of these again." She emphasized the word 'wash' heavily.
Thankfully, she then left. It seemed like she would not persist any longer today. I felt a little fortunate that she would not waste anymore of my time. I was already used to such occurrences.
Aunt Shelly had adopted me after my parents passed away. Although it was an 'adoption', her only motive was the insurance money my father had left behind in his death.
Where else can I go? Aunt Shelly was my only relative. Although Emma, my best friend, mentioned that her parents wouldn't mind having me in their home, I was too embarrassed to keep bothering them. I lowered my head and picked up the messy clothes one by one. I was somewhat distracted by my thoughts. Will everything improve once I turn eighteen?
By the time I finally finished the washing, the moon was high up in the sky. I stretched my back and slouched down into my oversized sweater. The air had been chilly against the exposed skin on my stomach.
I heard a rattle behind me and turned around. Aunt Shelly's son, my sleazy cousin, was watching me through the crack of the door with lecherous eyes. I suddenly felt very tired and disgusted by all of this. I ignored him and pushed the door hard, locking it.
I truly had enough of this woman who was related to me. I was tired of living under someone else's roof. I laid in bed for a long time, unable to fall asleep. The moonlight outside the window was bright, and I caught a shooting star moving across the night sky. I then pressed my palms together under the covers.
"I pray that I'll be able to escape this hell once I turn eighteen next week…"
[Westley's POV]
The Vampire King's Palace.
Daleina's bronze mirror flickered again for the first time in years and the image of a woman in a hoodie appeared for but a moment.
The news spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom. The curse of the vampire bride became everyone's focus again. This time, the discussions were even more intense than before.
This was because everyone knew that as my "bride" grew older, the threat she posed against the kingdom would grow. Some even began to panic, spreading false news that the Vampire Kingdom would soon be destroyed. My father, King Brooks Dracula, could no longer sit still.
"Call Westley here," he said in a low and heavy voice to his men. The men took one look at their King's face and moved to carry out his orders quickly. They did not dare to slight him for they knew his temper all too well.
I happened to witness this as I passed by. I waved to him and headed in with Brandon.
"Daleina can only identify the general direction the girl is located. The both of you are to go and find her for me," Brooks ordered Brandon Hunter and I emotionlessly. He paused, then added, "The best thing to do… is to kill her." His eyes flashed menacingly. I knew my father too well. He was ruthless and merciless, and when he showed this side of himself, he would not hesitate to hurt even a family member.
Brandon and I exchanged glances. There was always an unspoken understanding between us. I spoke first. "Father, about the curse… I think it won't exist as long as I don't fall in love with her. I don't think it's necessary…"
Before I could finish speaking, he interrupted me. "You think? You think? Do you want our entire family clan to pay for your foolish thoughts? The woman's existence is a threat to our kingdom. She has only appeared in Daleina's bronze mirror twice and rumors have spread all over the kingdom. Haven't you noticed the mass panic?"
No one could change my father's mind once he made a decision. I felt a little frustrated with this and wanted to make another attempt. However, Brandon tugged me discreetly and I could only leave the palace in anger.
"Sometimes, you're truly a fool. Did you think you would convince him? Has he ever listened to you? Since he told us to look for her, let's just go and look for her."
Brandon broke the silence and then changed the topic. "Isn't this also a good opportunity for us to head out and relax? You've suffered enough here."
"We will also be able to search for solutions to remove your curse." Brandon was always able to appease my worries with a few words. I felt at ease with him around.
We followed Witch Daleina's directions and arrived at Vanita Town. We knew that identity was important in human society. Thus, we relied on our resources in the kingdom to quickly purchase a company with good potential.
"She should be turning 18 soon. Am I really going to die in her hands?" My mind had been wandering lately. My secretary informed me that a school our company previously funded was having its coming-of-age celebration in three days, and that they had invited me to attend.
"Hm, interesting. Add it to my schedule." My secretary appeared surprised. She understood my personality and knew I disliked such events. She had expected me to refuse and it was possible she had even prepared her response for this.
"A coming-of-age ceremony might yield a different harvest," I thought to myself.