Chapter 4

Alaric's face darkened instantly. He seized Elise's wrist and practically dragged her into the rose garden behind the castle.

"Are you insane? How many times have I warned you never to set foot through that door! If she suspects anything at all, you know what will happen to you."

I hid in a shadowy corner of the garden. From this angle, I had a clear view of everything in the rose garden.

"What is wrong with you? Are you trying to start a war between our clans?"

Elise flinched at his roar, tears streaming down her face. With a trembling hand, she pulled a scroll of parchment from her cloak. It was sealed with the dark red sigil of the clan's Elder Council.

Even from a distance, I could hear her sobs clearly.

"I know I shouldn't have come... but Alaric, a miracle has happened."

"The elders performed the blood rite for me last night... It's been nine weeks. It's a pureblood boy. A blessing bestowed by the ancient pact itself."

"You know purebloods never conceive children naturally... but this time, he's really here."

"But the elders say the child's bloodline is too weak. He won't make it... He can only survive if he's nourished day and night by your princely blood."

"Alaric, this is your first pureblood heir... I was so scared I couldn't sleep all night."

The words landed like a physical blow, leaving me frozen. It felt as if my chest had been hollowed out. My blood ran cold, and the pain was a hollow numbness.

Elise... had really conceived a pureblood child?

I remembered when we first married, we had discussed the dangers of a human carrying a vampire's child.

Alaric had sworn up and down that it was too dangerous for a human to carry a vampire's child, that he could never bear to see me suffer, and that he only desired the purest love between us.

At the time, I had taken his words as the deepest form of affection. So, day after day, I drank the witches' herbs that suppressed fertility, cutting off any chance of conceiving.

It wasn't until a few months ago, hoping to give him a complete family for our fifth anniversary, that I secretly stopped the herbs, enduring the painful backlash in my blood to finally conceive this child.

Only now did I realize that what he truly feared was a half-mortal child.

At the word "pureblood," Alaric froze completely.

He was incredulous at first, but then his expression shifted to one of near-fanatical joy.

He stared at Elise's stomach, his throat working. The hard line of his jaw softened inch by inch, and even his voice changed.

"Nine weeks... the ancient rite really worked."

"This is a miracle our clan hasn't seen in centuries. I will not lose it. Not on my watch."

"Go wait for me in the car outside. I will summon the highest-ranking bloodline healers of the clan immediately. We can't waste a moment."

Elise's tears turned to a smile, and she rose on her toes to offer a kiss.

Alaric's gaze instantly darkened to a deep abyss, but he turned his head to avoid her. "This is the castle. Control yourself."

"Besides, your priority right now is to protect that little one inside you."

"Don't tempt me."

A dark smile played on his lips as he turned and walked back toward the castle.

I retreated to our chambers before he could look up and sat back down at the dining table.

Nine weeks. Counting back, that was the night of his first all-night absence.

I subconsciously pressed a hand to my own stomach, where the pregnancy crystal still rested in my pocket, cool against my skin.

I'm sorry, my child. Your mother was too weak to give you a complete family.

A short while later, Alaric walked in. "Seraphina, something urgent has come up with the Elder Council. I have to go deal with it."

"Several rival clans have been making moves lately, trying to stir up trouble on the border."

"I'll be gone for the next two days. You be good and stay in the castle. Don't go out."

I lowered my eyes and nodded obediently.

Seeing my calm expression, he smiled with satisfaction, kissed my forehead, and turned to leave.

He performed this pre-departure ritual flawlessly every single time, shuttling between Elise and me with such ease.

I watched his retreating back, then glanced up at the calendar on the wall.

This would be the last time we would see each other in our long lives.

That afternoon, my phone vibrated. I had received two photos.

The first was a scroll of bloodline authentication, magically sealed. The second was of Alaric, kneeling on one knee, his arms wrapped around Elise's waist as he devoutly kissed her belly.

The look on his face was a tenderness I had never seen in my five years of marriage to him.

The sender's number was unknown, but her identity was obvious.

Perhaps carrying the so-called pureblood heir in her womb had made even Elise, who had always been wary of me, bold enough to provoke me directly.

Too bad for her. These provocations stirred nothing but cold resolve in my heart.

For the next two days, as expected, there was no word from Alaric.

I used those two days to erase every trace of "Seraphina Morrell" from the castle.

The treasures gifted by the Kindred were either melted down or destroyed. My personal belongings from the human world were burned in a single fire.

I kept only a few essential items of clothing, packed into a simple travel bag.

The only thing I couldn't remove was the blood-amber pendant at my collarbone, the one infused with a drop of his heart's blood.

On the day I left, I woke before dawn and loaded my luggage into the trunk of the car.

Just as I was about to send the final confirmation to my father, my phone vibrated a third time.

'My esteemed princess, the elders say it's a pureblood boy. Alaric's first true heir.'

'Alaric has promised me and our child the highest honor. You're just a barren human who can't even continue the bloodline. If you have any sense, you will get out of this castle on your own.'

This time, for once, I replied.

"Congratulations. You'll get your wish soon enough."

After sending it, our convoy was already waiting outside the city gates. I pulled my luggage into the back seat, and the cars slowly began to move.

The witches' enchantment took effect, and my presence vanished from the world of the Kindred.

As our convoy passed the lonely mountain peak where we had made our blood pact, a torrential downpour suddenly began.

The rain hammered against the car window, blurring the entire world into a grey fog.

Just as the cars rounded the mountain pass, I looked through the rain and saw the spot where Alaric and I had sworn our vows to the God of Night. Alaric stepped out from an old fortress, holding a wide black umbrella, his other arm wrapped protectively around Elise at his side.

A pureblood vampire fetus grows incredibly fast.

At only nine weeks, her belly already showed a slight curve. She wore a white gown, much like the one I had worn on my wedding day.

They had just come from the altar, looking as if they had just completed an ancient ritual to pray for the child's safety.

A gust of wind tore through the curtain of rain. Alaric looked up, his gaze cutting through the sheets of water and locking with mine.

In front of the very fortress where we had sworn ourselves to each other five years ago, our eyes met once more.

The moment he recognized me, the shock and horror in his eyes were so intense they seemed to cut through the rain.

Alaric's pale lips moved silently in the gale, as if he were calling my name.

In that same second, the blood-amber pendant at my collarbone, the one infused with a drop of his heart's blood, began to vibrate violently.

I closed my eyes and let the car take me far away.