Chapter 21: The Secret Laboratory and the Most Ancient True Ancestor

By the time Chloe Raina and Alice returned to Sirena Castle, the moon had already emerged from behind the clouds.

They strolled along the corridor, where windows had been opened, allowing a fair amount of light to filter in.

A cold breeze swept through the wheat fields, now bathed in moonlight and shimmering silver, producing a rustling sound that, from a distance, resembled the howls of wolves.

“It’s so cold.”

Chloe exhaled a puff of white mist, her teeth chattering. The dress Cliff Normanthine had gifted her, while beautiful, was far too thin and utterly unsuitable for winter.

Alice snaked her arm through Chloe’s right arm, and they huddled together for warmth.

“Not cold anymore, are you?” Alice pressed against Chloe, opening her mouth slightly and sending a gentle breath towards Chloe’s chilled ear. Chloe shivered, a tingling sensation spreading throughout her body.

“Don’t blow into people’s ears!”

Alice giggled softly. “Just kidding.”

The castle’s pathways were as intricate as a maze. Without Lucia’s guidance this time, Chloe found herself utterly lost. Fortunately, Alice remembered the way back to their rooms.

Alice suddenly halted, signaling their arrival. She simply wished Chloe goodnight, then walked into her room without a backward glance, clearly utterly exhausted from the day.

“Goodnight.”

Chloe entered her own room, where the candlestick still burned, offering a small sense of security. A fire crackled in the hearth, warming the room considerably.

Silence enveloped the room, broken only by the crackling of burning wood and the pendulum’s rhythmic swing.

Chloe glanced at the clock, an old-fashioned grandfather clock, its hands pointing to the eighth mark.

Only eight o’clock.

Yet, neither Lucia nor Xina were anywhere to be seen; they had apparently retired for the night.

As a modern person, Chloe found their early sleep schedule utterly baffling.

People here lacked cell phones, computers, and similar devices, forcing them into a life of rising with the sun and resting with its setting. How pitiful. In her real world, Chloe’s nightlife would have just begun.

However, she now had neither a phone nor a computer. If only she had thought to grab her phone before traversing worlds; then she might have brought it with her.

Chloe patted her head, trying to banish the wild thoughts from her mind. She had to face the reality that this world offered sparse entertainment options.

Boredom led her to roll from one side of the bed to the other, a routine she repeated dozens of times before suddenly remembering a book on the history of the kingdom left on the bookshelf.

‘Only reading could dispel her gloom!’ She approached the bookshelf, surprised to find it now filled with numerous books of diverse genres, including novels, medicinal texts, and religious scriptures.

‘Hehe, now I have something to pass the time with!’ Chloe’s slender fingers traced the spines of the books. She initially intended to find a new one, but on second thought, it seemed more appropriate to finish the history book first. She had only reached the most captivating part that morning, and it would pain her not to continue.

She tried to pull the history book from the shelf, but it seemed stubbornly jammed, refusing to budge. Chloe planted a foot on the bookshelf and yanked the book outward with all her might.

As she pulled, there was a sudden *crack*. The history book dislodged, but the bookshelf groaned and shifted rightward. In its former place, a gaping, fathomless hole was starkly embedded in the wall.

“This is… a secret passage?” Chloe murmured. She had read in books that castles often featured intricate networks of hidden routes, built to allow the lord and their family to escape in the event of a siege.

Yet, this particular passage emitted an unsettling aura—Chloe could detect a potent scent of blood wafting from within.

‘What unfathomable secret lay hidden here?’ The question gnawed at Chloe’s curiosity.

Chloe swallowed, her resolve hardening. She decided to descend into the secret passage—

Just kidding! Chloe had no intention of venturing into a likely death trap in the middle of the night. In horror films, protagonists often foolishly explored such ominous places, but Chloe was far too sensible to do the same.

If she were to investigate, she would call upon Alice and Xina, and they would go in broad daylight. By then, no monster or ghoul would be able to frighten Chloe.

She tried to shove the history book back into place, but it seemed stubbornly stuck, refusing to respond to her pushes.

Perhaps too engrossed in her task, Chloe entirely missed the stirring at the edge of the secret passage.

From the darkness, several blood-red claws extended, clamping tightly onto the edge of the bookshelf with enough force to leave indentations several millimeters deep. The owner of the claws then peered out, meaningfully watching the adorable, uninvited guest.

*CRASH*—

****

When Chloe opened her eyes, she found herself lying on a pristine white bed, her head throbbing with pain. She groped at her head, her eyes darting around the darkened room.

This was a sizeable secret room, roughly the size of a miniature office. On a wooden table, numerous glass jars sat, filled with liquids of various hues.

“You’re awake?”

The figure was perched on a four-legged chair, holding a stemmed glass. She brushed aside her pale pink bangs, revealing her vermilion eyes.

She was Lucia, the housekeeper of Sirena Castle, a woman shrouded in mystery. Now, it seemed, the enigmas surrounding her were finally about to unravel.

“Welcome to my secret laboratory.”

Lucia swirled the stemmed glass, then drained its contents in one gulp. The remaining liquid trickled down her lips.

The liquid held a fatal allure for Chloe—blood, and fresh human blood at that! To a vampire, this was nothing short of a heavenly feast.

“I recognized you as a vampire the moment I saw you. How ironic, though, for an esteemed Elder of the Empire to have fallen to such a state.” Lucia tilted Chloe’s chin with her finger, her gaze amused as she studied Chloe.

Almost instinctively, Chloe lunged at Lucia, extending her tongue to lap up the blood from around Lucia’s lips.

“Wh-what are you doing?!” Lucia struggled to break free, but Chloe’s strength was overwhelming, leaving Lucia utterly defenseless.

“So hungry.”

Chloe’s mind was completely overtaken by primal hunger. For too long, she had been forced to consume revolting horse blood, and she could no longer bear it. She craved human blood, delicious human blood!

Chloe had already licked clean the residual blood from Lucia’s lips, yet this was far from sating her craving.

“More…”

Chloe aimed for Lucia’s elegant neck and sank her fangs in fiercely.

When Chloe regained consciousness again, she found herself straddling Lucia.

Chloe hastily stood up.

Both of them were disheveled, and anyone unaware of the situation might have assumed some untoward activities had occurred.

“Truly shameless,” Lucia declared, her face flushed crimson.

‘Hey! It was just a little blood, no need to act like something truly scandalous happened,’ Chloe thought with exasperation.

“For vampires, mutual blood consumption is akin to an act of intimacy between spouses,” Lucia stated coldly.

A dull ache began in Chloe’s abdomen. She looked down to find her clothes torn open, exposing her stomach to the cool air.

A peculiar dark-red pattern was etched onto her abdomen, seeming to glow faintly.

“Woah, what is this?!”

“That is a ‘Blood Mark,’ a symbol of a vampire’s rank. It only appears after consuming human blood. By the way, I am a ‘True Ancestor.'” Lucia lifted her own clothing, revealing a similar mark on her abdomen.

“Your mark is simpler than mine.”

“Hmph, I’d like to see what kind of rank you possess.” Lucia scoffed, looking contemptuously at Chloe’s Blood Mark. Chloe instinctively covered it, mortified.

“Obey. Let me see it!”

“No!”

Having just consumed blood, Chloe was drained of strength and proved no match for Lucia. Lucia effortlessly pinned her to the ground until she had a clear view of Chloe’s Blood Mark.

Then, her expression froze.

“What is it?” Chloe, too, was curious about what her own rank was.

Lucia stepped back a few paces, straightened her clothes, and then, to Chloe’s astonishment, she bowed deeply towards her.

“Forgive my insolence, Most Ancient True Ancestor, no… Mother.”