Dizzy and slightly unsteady, Vero walked out of the mansion complex. She stopped in front of the gate overlooking the lake, then squinted to look at the Noblebranch on the other side. Even in the sun, the place still looks scary.Even though when she first came to Duradel, Vero thought about buying one of the mansions there, now she was reluctant to even set foot there. A black veil of cruelty seemed to envelop the place, but Vero couldn’t explain why she thought that way.After all, Noblebranch is just a bunch of giant old houses and not a place to harbor monsters.Vero folded the brown envelope from Ms. Caroline, then put it in her sweater pocket. Today she was wearing a maroon sweater that was as dark as blood.After taking a deep breath and having difficulty letting it out due to the mucus clogging her nose, Vero started her walk to Noblebranch. She traced the paved path at the edge of the Caravons Depth.The road ended at the edge of the
At least she’s fine.Lev ignored Verona on purpose when they met in class. He didn’t want her to get in trouble with his fans and Lev didn’t want everyone to think he has a close relationship with her.But there is one thing that stuck in Lev’s mind. The fact that Verona is just fine.She should be feeling traumatized. Lev even thought she would lock herself in her room for days and go to the campus psychologist afterward. But no. She went to campus and attended lectures as if nothing had happened last night.Something’s wrong with her.After returning from attending lectures, Lev intends to meet one of the vampire elders who regulate the use of the forbidden area in the Duradel forest. He wanted to warn them that Conner was using the area to excess and that it could have a major impact on the reputation of the university in the future.But on the way back to Noblebranch, he met Sant.“You look grudging,” said Sant. “Has anyone asked you to fuck?”“I wish you knew what happened in the
The Moldark family’s maid escorted Vero into a large house that looked like an abandoned house. Vero wasn’t in the least bit interested in seeing the garden, and after she went inside, she wanted to get out of this house as soon as possible. A faint stench mixed with dust and moisture. The air was so thick in here, Vero felt she could touch and see its form. She wrinkled her nose and took as short a breath as possible to keep her stomach from turning over. The only lighting here comes from the chandelier, which sits right in the middle of the room. The light was a somber orange color that accentuated the gloomy atmosphere of this place. The staircase winds up in a corner of the main room, and at the bottom of the stairs is a short, stout man with a scruffy mustache. He was wearing a cheap suit that was a size smaller than he should have been. The buttons of his shirt seemed to struggle to hold back his protruding belly. “Welcome!” exclaimed the man while spreading his arms and b
“FUCK!” Vero screamed and jumped back. She almost fell backward if Lev didn’t catch her swiftly. Lev grabbed Vero’s waist and pulled her, saving her from hitting a pile of sharp-cornered books.Vero’s arms folded in front of her chest, becoming a barrier between her and Lev. She lifted her face and her eyes met his. Her breath was panting and felt hot.Lev’s face was so close and, even though he always looked cold, now he became the sun in this gloomy place. Vero could breathe a sigh of relief just by looking at him. Yeah, she knew her thought was so ridiculous. As time went on, she didn’t understand her feelings for Lev.“What are you doing here?” asked Vero under her breath.Lev didn’t answer. Vero then heard a clearing from behind him and she tilted her head to the side to see who it was.“Have you found what you were looking for, Mr. Deammone?” asked Mr. Moldark. He stood in the doorway. His big fat body blocked Vero’s view towards the hallway, but Vero seemed to catch a glimpse o
Verona said nothing after Lev asked her to leave Duradel, and Lev took her silence as a sign that she understood what he meant.They walked down the gloomy hall of the Moldark family’s residence.Once again, Lev saved Verona from being exposed. He knew that Vincent Moldark, the crazy son of Old Moldark, had been waiting for Verona in a small cubicle in the library, waiting for the right moment to attack her.If Lev had been a few seconds late, by now all the vampires in Duradel would have been in a state of shock because they knew that there were still pure descendants of the Vampire Hunter race in this world.Lev deliberately slowed down so he could walk behind Verona. He watched the girl intently, still not understanding how she didn’t know who she really was.Lev should do more research on her.Or… he could choose the easier path. Get her out of here and get her away from the vampires once and for all.And isn’t that what she wants? Her former peaceful life.“Ah—Mr. Deammone!” crie
The medicine that Sant gave was very effective. After Vero drank it and went to bed, she woke up feeling refreshed the next day. The social sanctions she received were, in fact, not as bad as she had imagined. And she couldn’t help thanking Lev for helping her, even though she didn’t understand what Lev’s motivation was for doing that.It felt too strange for Lev’s arrival at the Moldark residence to be called a coincidence. But Vero also doesn’t want to expect much, especially after Lev openly ordered Vero to leave Duradel.Vero took a deep breath as she remembered that. She shouldn’t have felt hurt, but that was how she felt. In fact, it still lingers to this day.When she came out of the room and locked the door, she heard the door across her room open. She turned her head and found Gothic Jia coming out of the room.“Good morning,” said Vero. She smiled slightly and, for some reason, she felt happy because Jia returned her smile lazily.“Are they bothering you again?” asked Jia af
Vero did not attend the rest of the class that day. She stayed in her room, but not to cry or lament her fate.“You damn bitch,” Vero hissed while drying her hair in front of the mirror.She had just finished taking a shower and had washed her hair several times to get rid of the strong smell of meat from the soup Hatice splashed on her face.The incident in the cafeteria just now was not only embarrassing and trampled on her pride but also made her hatred of Lev grow even more.By God, she swore she would want nothing to do with Lev again in any case.After she finished drying her hair and getting dressed, Vero took her things out of the garbage-smelling bag, then put the bag along with her soup-soaked clothes into a large trash bag. She tied the plastic and took it out of the room.When she opened the door, Jia was standing at the door of her own room. She turned her head back and stared at Vero.Vero half slammed the door shut behind her. “Is this what you meant this morning?” she
Mr. James stood by the door, looming like shadow and terror… and also the hope for Vero.Hatice dropped the scissors from her hand, then stood up straight and turned to face Mr. James while hiding her hands behind her back. The two burly girls who held Vero release her and stood up straight beside Hatice.“Hi, Mr. James,” said Hatice. Even though she couldn’t see her face, Vero could hear the smile in her words. “What are you doing in the women’s restroom?”Mr. James didn’t answer Hatice’s question, which, of course, was not a real question and only meant to be a joke. He looked past Hatice and his gaze fell on Vero’s torn clothes.“Ms. Windward,” called Mr. James. “What happened to you?”“I—““We’re just solving a problem between girls—”“I’m asking Ms. Windward, not you, Ms. Solace.”Hatice was silent when Mr. James cut her off, and Vero saw Hatice’s hands clenched tightly behind her back. Mr. James’ treatment against her must have hurt her pride.Vero tried to stand up. Her legs fe