Chapter 3 Blood Contract

[Demesne Empire, 446 Century, Autumn]

One year after the tragedy.

Madame Abellone sat alone, the room was filled with haunting echoes of her heartache. Her gaze was distant, dull, and lifeless. Outside, raindrops tapped rhythmically on the windowpane, mirroring the steady rhythm of her sadness.

Ophelia knocked and went inside to see her grandmother's melancholic shadow.

"Grandmama..." She said softly.

She didn't answer. Ophelia walked towards her grandmother's shady figure with bread and water in her hands.

She tapped on the old lady's shoulder.

"Oh, Ophelia..." She threw a mourning smile before looking towards the window once again.

"Grandmama, please, you must eat..."

No response. Ophelia released a long-held breath as she walked outside the room. She stopped in front of the door and crouched. Her shoulders slumped, burdened by the crushing weight of sadness.

Days turned into weeks, and weeks turned into months.

Ophelia encountered her second loss, the death of her grandmother. She stood beside her grandmother's grave, and her eyes had become hollow chasms. Surrounding her, muted shades of gray with no glimmer among.

The night came as she walked into the woods, to pray.

In solitude, a relentless storm of despair, downpoured tears and devastation resonated through her broken voice, saying "Anybody...Please, help me..."

Suddenly, a chilling breeze stirred the fog inside the woods, creating a symphony of broken branches and rustling leaves.

*tap *tap *tap

"Who are you?"

Ophelia lifted her head upon hearing a deep voice of a man. The moon shines upon his tied black hair. His skin, kissed by a celestial light, glowing within his all-white tunic.

The young girl stumbled, her hands were cold.

The man, upon seeing her trembling figure, stepped away. "My lady, you should not be afraid...I heard your prayers" he smiled. Young Ophelia stood up after hearing his

sentence.

"Who are you?" she asked.

The man chuckled, "You haven't answered my question," he said.

"Ophelia...Ophelia Abellone..."

Upon hearing the name, his crimson eyes lit like a fire. Like a living beauty, paradoxically along with terror. He stepped closer to the young girl. In his presence, the air grew heavy as he held Ophelia's hand.

"I will show you everything, Ophelia"

Ophelia gazed upon the figure with her brows furrowed. Uncertainty echoed inside her mind. This unknown man appeared out of nowhere, offering her help; suspicious. But on the other hand, she had nowhere else to go.

And so, she dared.

"What do you want?"

The man pulled Ophelia's body into his embrace. "By a blood contract, you shall be my lady" he said. His captivating smile created a mixture of fear and fascination.

Ophelia doubted for a while before releasing a long breath. Her heart pounded as she nodded to the man.

He grinned, revealing his sharp and predatory teeth, and his hunger that transcended mere bloodlust, the figure immediately transferred a sharp pain that shot through

Ophelia's wrist.

With a delicate bite, she saw a glimpse of the past.

["Nobody can replace the Abellone-"

*sang

Lucas Abellone fell onto the ground as the masked man swung his sword upon the man's chest. Beside him, his wife, Marianne Abellone with her head chopped off.

"Long live the Theme Empire"

The masked man said as he swept his hand, directing a flame to burn the Abellone Duke House along with the member's body, scattered around like pieces of trash.

The house, once a sanctuary of warmth, turned into chaos and ruin. It crumbled under the flames, sending embers, spiraling into the night sky.]

Ophelia's eyes were misted with tears. Contract that was made by a delicate bite revealed her raw emotions of anger and a storming rage that led Ophelia to her revenge.

----

to be continued.