Chapter 3
They'd kept their distance from me back then because of the Sterling coven.
Things were different now.
As soon as I stepped into the hall, a deep voice echoed from above. "Finally decided to leave Southfeld, huh?"
I looked up.
On the raised platform sat a man with silver hair.
He was Claude Ravenshade, the Prince of Northfeld.
His skin was pale, and his eyes were a deep, dark red.
The aura he gave off was nothing like that of regular high-ranking vampires.
The whole hall went silent.
I gave a slight nod. "Your Highness."
Claude stared at me for a few seconds and then suddenly smiled. "Wendy has terrible taste."
Many nobles in the hall chuckled along.
No one spoke up for Wendy.
Everyone was well aware of the situation.
She'd messed up big time.
She carried another man's child, yet still tried to hold onto our engagement.
Even in the vampire world, that was enough to make her a laughingstock.
Claude gestured with a lift of his hand.
The attendant at his side promptly handed me a glass of blood wine.
"Welcome to Northfeld," Claude said.
I accepted the glass.
All the dukes and counts in the hall raised their glasses together.
Many young vampires looked stunned.
They knew this was a huge honor.
The Prince of Northfeld was welcoming me personally, and all the high-ranking nobles were raising their glasses in my honor.
This was an extraordinary welcome.
And I only set foot in Northfeld a short while ago.
*****
Once the party began, others kept coming forward to make connections with me.
"Lord Eric, I heard you can restore ancient blood bonds?"
"My coven has a blood bond that's become unstable. Perhaps we would seek your help in the future."
"There's a blood crystal lode on the eastern side of Northfeld. If you're interested, we could collaborate."
I responded with polite indifference.
I'd never received this kind of attention before.
For years, I'd devoted myself to Wendy.
I took care of her coven business.
I kept things steady with the Council of Elders.
I even crushed uprisings within her clan.
But now that I'd left her, I realized that all those connections were always there.
I never bothered to pay attention to anything else before.
Halfway through the party, an attendant suddenly approached me, head lowered. "Lord Eric, a message from Southfeld."
I took the scroll.
There were only a few lines: [Ms. Sterling tried to reach you, but the mental link failed.]
I glanced at the message and closed the scroll without a second thought.
Once the blood bond was severed, the telepathic link would disappear as a matter of course.
She only realized it now, but it was too late.
*****
Meanwhile, in the castle of Southfeld, the atmosphere was growing more oppressive by the minute.
Wendy stood in the center of the hall, her expression icy.
She'd attempted to connect telepathically more than a dozen times, but every attempt failed.
Before, no matter how far apart we were, she could always sense my presence.
But now, the mental link felt like it had been cut off in a heartbeat.
The maid beside her kept her head down, barely daring to breathe.
Then, Edward came down the stairs.
He was dressed in a dark gray robe, his expression gloomy, with faint shadows under his eyes.
He'd been looking worse and worse these past few days because the Sterling coven was starting to run into trouble.
Several blood crystal deals that had been agreed upon were suddenly canceled.
The border patrols were refusing deployment orders.
Even the Council of Elders wasn't giving Wendy's requests any special attention anymore.
I was the one who took care of almost everything before.
Now that I'd left, all sorts of problems started cropping up.
Edward had obviously picked up on it, too.
He frowned and asked, "Eric still hasn't come back?"
Wendy kept quiet.
Edward's face grew grim. "Didn't you say he couldn't do without you?"
His words made the atmosphere in the hall instantly tense.
Wendy looked up at him, her eyes growing cold for the first time. "What do you mean?"
Edward gritted his teeth and lowered his voice. "Other vampires out there are coming after us.
"Yesterday, the lode in Westvale was almost seized.
"The Council is dragging its feet on processing our requests.
"Eric used to handle all this. Now that he's gone—"
"Enough!" Wendy snapped, cutting him off.
Her breath came fast, and her fingers clenched tightly.
Edward froze, startled by her sudden outburst.
The hall went quiet for a few seconds.
Wendy pursed her lips and then suddenly turned and went upstairs.
But after only a few steps, she stopped in her tracks.
She suddenly realized that what Edward said was right.