Henry shook his head helplessly and smiled, "This matter is a long story. They are half-brothers, but the situation is complicated. As you know, vampires don't like to discuss royal family matters; it's a sensitive topic."
I never expected that my boyfriend was not just a vampire baron but also an unfavored prince! No wonder Princess Sibelle and Duchess Tiffany were so deeply involved with him. Such dramatic and inevitable emotional entanglements among royalty.
I didn't ask further and quietly followed Henry and Winans to meet Lionel's friends.
Most of the people here were natural-born vampires—pure-blooded vampires. Their bloodlines were among the most noble in the vampire race, and they possessed formidable powers. They could also transform into blood bats.
However, only the purest royal vampires could possess the enviable large wings like Lionel and Rui Jones.
Unfortunately, the royal vampire bloodline was becoming increasingly thin. Among the third generation of the Vampire King's lineage—Lionel's generation—there were only him and Rui Jones.
Listening to the whispers of the female vampires, Rui Jones had hundreds of mistresses and many vampire children, but none of them were pure-blooded vampires, and their status was not recognized by the current Vampire King, August. For this reason, Queen Dalena had been tirelessly searching for hidden royal heirs, hoping to find a suitable match for Rui Jones to marry and consolidate her position.
It was clear that if Lionel wanted to elevate his status, he would need to marry a pure-blooded vampire woman. It wasn't just about status; personally, I thought it would be a great pity if his pure bloodline, capable of growing wings, wasn't passed on.
But thinking this way, my heart ached with bitterness. As a mere mortal, I had no hope at all.
Fortunately, my life was short, and I would vanish from the world in a few decades. Falling in love and enjoying romance were merely ways to please myself. Lionel was merely a passing figure in my life.
The power struggle and rivalry between Rui Jones and Lionel had existed since birth.
From Lionel's title of "Baron," it was clear that he had already suffered a devastating defeat.
His mother was killed, the ring symbolizing his prince status was stolen, and he was exiled from the royal family, demoted to a baron.
According to Henry, after Lionel lost the battle with Rui Jones, he was first stripped of his royal status and became an ordinary vampire with no title. The baron title and the respect from the elders and high-ranking vampires were related to the connections between the elves and the vampire race—no wonder his hatred had lasted for seven or eight hundred years.
Strangely, if Vampire King August and Queen Dalena's blood wasn't pure enough, why not just have more children with wings? That way, Rui Jones wouldn't have to target Lionel alone, and Lionel wouldn't have the pressure to produce heirs or seek out pure-blooded royal descendants to marry.
If I ever got the chance to meet Vampire King August, I would definitely ask him myself.
Of course, among Lionel's friends, there were also many non-pure-blooded vampires. Winans was a prime example, having gained some of the pure-blooded vampire's power through the "initial bite."
The lowest class consisted of the "children" brought in by non-pure-blooded vampires. Even after struggling in the vampire world for centuries, they could never rise to the rank of district head or even earn any title. As for the baron's banquet, they had no right to attend!
It was evident that severe class discrimination existed in the vampire race, a long-standing "tradition" and a reflection of the vast power disparity. Although the non-pure-blooded vampires were numerous, a single move from a high-ranking pure-blooded vampire could turn their world upside down.
The elder of the Western European district, Benson, whom I had always wanted to meet—and whom Bevis wanted me to kill—was a severe class discriminator.
I also came to realize that even among vampires, there were those with such ordinary appearances.
His overly plump and round face didn't give off any sense of kindness but rather exuded a slick, cunning aura. Even his smile was repulsive.
After Henry introduced him to me, he launched into a three-minute lecture on class discrimination, proudly declaring that he always used those "children" as tools for hunting food, with great success.
In fact, he was subtly mocking me, implying that even if I became a vampire through Lionel's "initial bite," I was still just a slightly higher-class vampire than the lowly "tools."
Clearly, my six friends who had been turned into vampires would also face oppression and discrimination from him, and they might even be trained as hunting tools. I needed to find them as soon as possible.
Later, Winans pulled me onto the dance floor and took the opportunity to explain, "Generally, it's the non-pure-blooded vampires who pose a threat to elves and humans. They are desperate to increase their power, so they hunt elves more frequently. Margie, you must be careful."
"Haha... are you saying I should be careful of you?!" I raised an eyebrow and glanced at him.
He shook his head helplessly, "Usually, people who are with me, especially an elf, wouldn't act like you!"
I leaned closer and said with a raised eyebrow, "Dene, stop pretending. I know it's you!"
He looked surprised, "What did you call me?"
"Dene!" I smiled lightly, "What's wrong? Still pretending in front of me? You're doing a great job; no one else recognizes you, but I do!" Especially since he used the code name "Princess" to address me, clearly reminding me to remember my mission.
But he asked seriously, "Who is Dene? Could he infiltrate the tightly secured baron's mansion?"
What?! Tightly secured?
He... wasn't he Dene?
Why did his eyes, demeanor, and movements feel so familiar?