Estania, Year 1760.
"What now, Melissa Edevane? Is this for real?"
A loud female voice laced with amazement and bewilderment echoed sharply in the lady's room on the left-wing of the college building. By the sink in front of a large rectangular mirror, several women stood behind a young woman in a blue simple high waisted long gown. The latter was retching her guts out at the sink, looking so miserable and embarrassing. The ones behind her stifled their laughter as they looked down at her with crossed arms and ridicule in their eyes.
"Why are you reluctant to drink a livestock's blood? Don't tell me... you have never tasted human blood before?" The voice that belonged to Leonora Jackson rang again, filled with both amusement and disbelief.
The girls garbed in colorful dresses next to Leonora covered their mouths as they gasped. Of course, they were merely faking it since all of them were aware of this piece of information beforehand. In fact, they were the ones who pushed Melissa to her current state. All of them were having fun making a fool out of the newly found heir candidate of the Edevane territory. Were the girls simply unafraid of House Edevane? Not really. However, none of them intended to stop even though a few schoolmates of theirs began to crane their necks from outside the restroom to see what was happening inside.
"Look, our schoolmates are approaching to see you, Miss Edevane."
Because they were facing the back of the brown-haired lady in blue and busy laughing and calling more people to witness the scene, they did not notice that she suddenly stopped vomiting. Melissa stopped moving altogether.
A blank expression took over her face as she stared mindlessly at the running water from the faucet. Then a few seconds later, a confused look flickered across her eyes.
As Melissa's brain began to function, questions unrelated to her current condition and look crossed her mind.
Why was there no wooden stake stabbed into her chest? Why was the ghastly wound on her stomach missing from sight? Her senses were also not dull. She could see, hear, and perceive the coldness of the water through her skin. But...
'I was sure I died...'
Melissa Edevane's mind was like a leaf caught in a tornado. She struggled to understand her present situation as there was suddenly a huge gap between the last thing she remembered and her current reality.
Thankfully, after vomiting, her body no longer felt any discomfort. No pain distracted her, so she was soon able to confirm that she was no longer in the castle. Her body too was not the one she was familiar with.
Did somebody extract her soul and implant it into another body? If so, was she still in her original timeline?
"I really wonder from which backwater village did they fetch you from? How did you survive to this date?"
"Hah. I bet she survived by drinking pig's blood!"
The malicious remarks woke up Melissa from her stupor. She glanced over her shoulder to see the owner of the familiar voice. The young face of the girl who spoke just now was truly from somebody she knew. However, Melissa did not waste time reminiscing her bad memories with this girl who bullied her when she was still attending the school for nobles.
Only one thing registered in her mind. Leonora and the ones standing next to her belonged to the same species. They were creatures of the night who looked down and hated humans. They were one of those who persecuted her and her beloved human knight.
'Vampires! Disgusting vampires of the royal camp!'
In no time, Melissa's eyes reddened. She forgot that she too was a member of the Night Tribe. Memories from before her death rushed towards her like a tide. The words she said before dying once again came out of her mouth.
"I will never forgive you!"
A slap resounded at the same time. The person who got slapped was forced to take a step back and turned her face to one side. A moment later, she raised her head with a blank look in her eyes.
When Leonora saw the owner of the abominable hand that hit her, she could not believe it. The pushover girl did it? That inferior noble?
"You!!!" On the face of the usually domineering vampirette was disbelief.
How did Melissa Edevane arrive in front of her that fast?
When it comes to physical strength, since both of them were vampire nobles, their strengths were around the same. However, Melissa was a coward! The difference between them was that Melissa was shy and easily guilty, hence she was reluctant to hurt others, not even when badly bullied. Meanwhile, Leonora had no qualms about letting others know about her power.
So who could explain to her what just happened?
"H-hey! What do you think are you doing? Are you out of your mind?"
Outside the restroom, onlookers gasped upon seeing Leonora's nearly dislocated jaws. The latter's friends hurriedly went to support or check on her. Leonora also recovered from the shock, then angrily glared at Melissa.
"How dare you!?" For someone who had long viewed herself as a predator, it was very unacceptable to get hurt by somebody she deemed beneath her. Of course, the Jackson clan's heiress retaliated.
Leonora threw herself at Melissa, her hands stretched out to grab the other by the neck. She wanted to choke the audacious girl to death. The stinging pain from her cheek made her so angry that she nearly could not control herself from baring her fangs.
Just when the Jackson family heiress and her companions were imagining Melissa getting beaten up by them, the vampirette in question suddenly vanished.
Naturally, Leonora's hands touched nothing as the neck that she wanted to break disappeared. A moment later, a strong grip made her flip in midair and violently collide with the door of the cubicle. As if the culprit was not yet content seeing blood gushed forth from the wound that Leonora got on the head, a kick flew towards the latter and pushed her inside.
"Ahhhh!"
The scream came from one of Leonora's followers, drowning the groans and moans of pain from the Jackson's heiress. Then as if it was a contagious disease, the onlookers outside the restroom also began to scream. The heavy collision sounds also startled them.
Melissa's eyes were still red and her attacks showed no sign of stopping. When one of the girls behind her tried to subjugate her, she became angrier and started using her fists against Leonora's companions. They were shocked when the girl dodged all the attacks they rained upon her. They became more shocked when they discovered that she was able to evade them and counterattack by blending into the shadows and taking advantage of their blindspot.
"Call a teacher! Somebody's on a rampage!" In the end, one of them could only admit defeat and ask for help.
...