Chapter 1

He was Lucian, the elven prince. I was the queen of the vampires.

I'd been biting him for three years.

He endured it for three years, and finally fought back: he made his blood poisonous.

By the time the system warned me, my fangs were already pressed against his neck.

I stopped and turned.

Caelan stood three steps away, his gaze intense.

I strode over, yanked down his collar, and sank my fangs into him.

Lucian's face turned ghostly pale. "You..."

Caelan's face flushed. "Your Majesty..."

I looked up, blood still on my lips. "Lucian, you poisoned me. He took the bite for you. Tell me, who should I pick?"

The system had only one line left: [The knight won.]

Caelan's blood was warm.

It tasted pure, with a trace of pine and rust, sliding down my tongue, landing in my stomach, and igniting a small fire inside me.

I wiped the blood from the corner of my mouth with the back of my finger, then leisurely licked it away.

Lucian stood five steps away, his face darkening noticeably.

For the first time, the face the elven nobles had been raving about for three hundred years looked this awful.

"Isolde." He forced my name through clenched teeth. "You dare bite my man?"

The hall instantly fell silent. The elven envoys, vampire elders, serving maids, and even the guards in the corners all froze where they stood.

I let out a small smile. "Your man?"

I turned to Caelan. He was kneeling on one knee. The two bite marks on his neck were still seeping blood, spreading a small patch of red across his white collar. He didn't wipe it or move. He just stayed there, looking up at me.

There was no shame in his eyes, only something I had never seen in any elf before.

I shifted my gaze and looked back at Lucian. "His blood is purer than yours."

Lucian's fingers twitched.

He took two steps forward, his golden robe brushing the marble floor with a whisper. He was close enough now that I could smell his usual cedar scent. It was a fragrance I once liked, but today it only made me feel sick.

"A filthy vampire." He spat out each word. "And you think you have the right to be picky?"

My throat suddenly burned.

It wasn't intense, just like swallowing a red-hot needle. I knew exactly what it was: the trace of poison I had inhaled when I leaned in close to his neck.

I had only inhaled a small amount of it, but my fingertips had already begun to go numb.

Three years had passed. Every seven days, I bit him. Each time, he would gently offer the side of his neck and tell me, "Take it slow. I don't feel any pain."

It turned out he had been lacing his blood with something for three years, and today it had finally become potent enough.

I kept my expression under control and did not let my face change.

"Picky?" I lifted my chin.

"Prince Lucian, you handed me your poisoned blood. Spitting it out was my way of showing courtesy."

Among Lucian's elven nobles, someone let out a derisive snort.

The sound was barely audible, but in the hush of the hall, it was sharp as a knife.

Lucian heard it. And, surprisingly, he actually smiled.

"Courtesy?" he repeated. "Isolde, it's been three years. Have you forgotten how you used to beg on your knees for me to bare my neck to you?"

My nails dug into my palm.

I'd never once knelt.

But right then, with all those strange, mocking, greedy eyes on me, I suddenly couldn't tell if he was telling the truth.

Caelan shifted slightly, as if preparing to stand.

I stopped him with a glance.

"Lucian," I said, keeping my tone flat. "What do you want today? Say it."

"What do I want?" He laughed out loud. "I want you to realize something. Without my blood, you, this so-called queen, couldn't even handle a wild boar."

He lifted his hand and snapped his fingers.

Four guards swarmed in from both sides, pouncing on Caelan.

Caelan didn't resist.

His arms were twisted behind his back as they dragged him up from the floor. Blood streamed down his collar, splattering the white marble. Every drop was a vivid, shocking red.

"Wait." I took a step forward.

I stumbled for a moment. It was only for a second, but I caught myself right away. Still, Lucian caught it.

The smug satisfaction in his eyes made my fingers itch to tear it out.

"Did you see that?" Lucian shouted to the crowd, his voice ringing out. "The vampire queen can't even keep her balance."

He turned back to me. "Isolde, go back to your room. Behave yourself. I'll come by later."

I didn't move.

Caelan was dragged to the doors, and he looked back at me.

In that instant, his lips moved, but no sound came out.

I understood the message he tried to convey: "Your Majesty, don't do anything reckless."