Playing with the Omega

Through our blood, sweat, and tears... "I cheated on you... You have been deceived by me!" His fingers went down towards the corner of her lips and gently caressed the soft, delicate skin of her cheeks.

Her whole being crumbled to bits, even her heart. "T-That's not true... You are lying to me! Stop making me suffer..." She denied and pleaded a hushed syllable with her last breath. He gazed intently into her eyes for a moment. The pain of the unresolved uncertainty was written across her face and the desperate soul carved in her eyes was looking at his nonchalant.

And the last thing he witnessed, her heart wasn't breathing.

He locked his gaze into her body as it dropped to the ground in front of him. He spread his arms up high and let out a wicked scream of triumph-his shoulders raising up and down, kissing the bottom of his ears. Her hair covered her pale face. When the wind's tension removed the strand of her hair from covering her face, he was stunned. He began to question which of his own inner voices he ought to be listening to as a twinge of guilt began to creep into his senses.

It was thousands of years ago that a queen by the name of Tayla reigned over the society of vampires that existed ever since the world came into being. She is the mother of the whole existence of all creatures, and her austere, overprotective temperament causes her to bring prosperity and order everywhere she goes. She is devoted to her country and does all in her power to safeguard the lives of the people she serves. During that era, every single citizen looked up to her as an example of a lady who carried herself with honor, pride, and dedication.

In her time, there were fewer crimes, and those who broke the law were not inevitably subject to the death penalty or to being locked up in a dungeon jail. This allowed for a lower overall crime rate. But because of her benevolence and the excellent method in which she influenced the community to follow her, she really became an inspiration, particularly to the young women who aspired to follow in her footsteps sometime in the future.

Tayla is such a kind and generous queen of the vampires that even her beauty stands head and shoulders above all the other attractive women in the whole planet. She is every man's fantasy, yet she is not someone who can be easily swayed by words said by others. Despite this, there is only one man who has ended up winning her affection.

"And who is that grandma?" During the midst of my narrative, my granddaughter, Midura, but most of the time we are calling her Middy, interrupted me with a question about a fantasy story I am telling her about a vampire queen. Even though she is almost seventeen years old, she continues to enjoy child tales and asks me to read them to her just before she goes to sleep.

I dropped down the book slightly below my chest and glanced at her with a tiny smile. "Aha, you are intrigued about the story, don't you?" I teased her. Middy yawned and then shifted her position so that she could face me while simultaneously adjusting the cushion that was wedged in between her legs. It seemed as if she was trying to coerce me into giving her an answer as she blinked her eyes numerous times while staring at me.

"Hm, the story of the vampire queen and how you describe her feels familiar to me, grandmother. I don't know where I heard it before." She revealed her thoughts while showing a little tightening of her brows and assumed, "I think somewhere within the class before..." Even though she had pillows below her forehead, she utilized her hands as her pillows instead. We were using the blankets to cover ourselves from our toes to our waists as we lay on the surface of the bed with me seated next to her.

I tried to coax a chuckle out of her by massaging the back of her head. "Well, I am not done telling you the story, so you might as well listen to what I have to say first, all right?" She then stretched her arms and moistened her lips before turning her attention back to me. After that, as soon as she was ready to listen once again, I carried on with the narration.

I cleared my throat first before turning the next page of the book.

The man who captured the heart of the queen was later on being held as the king of the vampires and his name is King Siran. At first, there were raised doubts about the existence of the king given that he is a werewolf. News had been arising of possible torment and fall of the kingdom because of their marriage. Because of the subtlety with which he had delivered his remarks and the assistance he had provided, the populace had come to see him as more approachable and kind than Queen Tayla herself. He became known as the father of the country and made significant contributions to the advancement of agriculture, economic prosperity, the wellbeing of citizens, and human rights.

Because King Siran was such a kind and caring husband, even when the queen was away on diplomatic business in other places, where he was unable to accompany her for a variety of reasons related to both his personal life and the duties he was expected to fulfill for their nation, he never stopped thinking about and looking for her. If the Queen is considered by all men to be the perfect example of a woman, then the King was considered by all women of that time period to be the greatest example of a man. They were the epitome of what it means to be in love and went on to serve as an inspiration to other couples.

"I miss Tayla," the king muttered while he was with the other officials, and he was unknowingly aware that he had been in the presence of the throng such as the residents gathered to see and hear his plans. "I hope she will be here soon," he continued as he gazed up to the sky in the direction that the queen had gone when she went to pay a visit. After that, he secretly called his closest buddy Nick and asked him to instruct their employees to bring meals to the queen. It didn't take long for Nick to give his assent, and then he was gone in the blink of an eye to carry out the king's command. And a large number of people had seen this unfold before their own eyes.

People who had previously listened to him had murmured, "Aw, what an affectionate spouse. I have faith that there is someone out there that is just as considerate as he is." It was rather evident that the majority of them were from females.

A few years later, after they had been married for a while, the vampire queen was suspected of cheating on the king through his best friend, Nick. When King Siran made the announcement to everyone that the queen had fondness for his closest friend, he did it with sneaky eyes and a sorrowful grin on his face. This caused everyone to feel sorry for the king and not listen to the queen's side of the story. Because of their animosity against him, they demanded to see his closest confidant, and the king responded by claiming that his queen had him murdered to prevent him from disclosing the reality of their affair. After hearing these, everyone's heart was shattered into pieces, and their expectations for the queen were dashed. They were completely taken aback when the queen did something intensely cruel to her loving husband. She did more than only cheat on him; she really took the life of her husband's closest companion just to cover up her infidelity!

"The queen ought to be put to death! She is not just a cheater but also a killer!" The audience immediately began chanting and demanding that the kingdom punish the queen by stripping her of her title and power.

The queen isolated herself in her chambers and sobbed often during the ordeal. She was so terrified of going out into the world and being judged by other people that no one bothered to listen to her or attempt to understand her perspective. She had dark bags under her eyes, and her hair was unkempt, with strands of it falling to the carpet in her room. She seemed to be exhausted. All she wanted was for at least one of these people to listen to her, but none of them did because of what his lying spouse had said to them.

"What exactly took place with my people?" She questioned herself while continuing to weep. "They have lost sight of me!" She bawled her eyes out while concealing her face with her arms. The moment her husband entered her room, he punched her in the stomach before pointing a finger at her and threatening to hit her again.

The gasp, the anguish dominated her body for a few seconds, but the pain of being deceived triumphed in her awareness to such a degree that she entirely forgot that she was the queen of the vampires! "Don't you ever dare speak my name in favor of you, or I will send you to the desert and let the sun chop off your head!" He made a threat to her ability to speak her mind and tell the truth. Because of this, the unfortunate queen had no choice but to allow herself to be overcome by her feelings and the circumstances around her.

"You are a monster! You are a traitor to me! They were lied to by you! I didn't have an affair with your best friend! I regret offering myself to you!" The queen yelled at him to be quiet. She stood up and was about to slap his face so that she can have access to his neck so that she can end his life by sipping his blood, but King Siran quickly slapped her in the face with his werewolf claws, causing her to drop her body on the ground and feel more vulnerable.

The king approached the queen cautiously, his footsteps carrying a sense of superiority as he did so. He propped his leg on the ground and reached behind her to grasp her hair, inadvertently lifting the queen's head off the ground. Because he was trying so hard not to laugh, his shoulders were practically touching the bottom of his ears. "Take a look at them; your most trusted and devoted followers despise you right now. They decided not to hear what you had to say any longer. They even desired for you to be put to death. Does that suggest that they are more loyal to me than they are to you?" He questioned in a mocking tone, smirking as if he didn't know the answers to his questions or the reasons for what was taking place, and he used a caustic tone in his voice.

The several visits that the queen took to other countries resulted in her being physically isolated from her people. As a result of the king's command to have meals sent to the queen with the assistance of the king's closest friend, Queen Tayla and Nick's relationship began to blossom. From then on, many started speculating even before the monarch made the formal announcement that the queen had betrayed him.

However, what nobody knows is that King Siran had already planned everything out before anything else happened. He made the deliberate decision to stay in the country of Tayla so that he could work alone and run the nation by himself. Additionally, he did this so that the connection he had with the people of the nation could grow as he purposely made them forget about the queen. He had also decided to destroy his friendship with Nick by coercing him into accompanying the queen on some of their excursions in the role of his embodiment.

After the queen discovered that her husband had wicked plans for her, she made the decision to assassinate the king while he was sleeping in order to protect herself. But as things turned out, Nick was the one who stood in her way before she could severe the king's head, which is what ultimately led to her murdering Nick rather than the king. The king had by then awoken and seen the whole incident, which compelled the queen to face the king with all she knew about the situation.

After all that had happened, the queen eventually made the decision to end her life by severing her head. And the Kingdom of Tayla was changed into Yavola, which was a tribute to the king's full name, Siran Yavola.

After I had finished telling her the narrative, I concluded by saying, "And that is the end of the Aphonic Vampire Queen story." Middy sat up from where she had been lying down and turned her perplexed gaze toward me.

"In all honesty, I was told this tale from our history teacher before, and now I can see the parallels between it and Queen Tayla's story!" Middy exclaimed. I slipped my spectacles off of my face and wiped it with my bare shirt. I then set the storybook down on the nightstand that was next to the bed.

"The only thing that's different, except the fact that those characters have different names, is that the king lies to his people..." Middy had, at a later time, emphasized and pointed out, "In our textbook, the king did not lie, and the queen actually cheated." She lifted up her gaze above the ceiling, probably pondering about her thoughts.

I heaved a sigh and didn't think much about what she had been saying. At the same moment, my other granddaughter, Chandra, arrived from feeding her pet sheep. She was also bringing a basket of strawberries with her. When she came in front of us, her brow was creased and her respiration seemed to catch up with itself.

"What happened?" I asked, becoming alarmed.

Chandra Parcson

I forced myself to carry my body out of the house with slouched shoulders and eyes that were partly open so that I could feed Shaena and Shaun their breakfast. These two are the sheep that I keep as pets.

My grandmother has been planting flowers and plants in our backyard for years, so we have no choice but to place my sheep a quite distance away from our house and just rely on our neighbors who live close to the fences to take a look at them from time to time. They have already considered them to be their pets, which is one of the reasons why I am willing to trust them in taking care of the sheep while I am away.

"Watch out! "The screeching voice of a woman jolted all of my dozing senses into action, waking me up completely. When I turned in her way, she was already close to falling off the horse's back before I even saw her.

I kept my distance in order to avoid being struck by her body as she landed on the grassy plains, and just looked at her with her face turned toward the ground. After I realized who it was, I quickly blinked my eyes a few times to calm my astonishment.

"Princess Xenaia, I told you to obey your butler!" A masculine voice came to our senses. When I realized that it was the princess's brother, Prince Nikolay Valentin, I was astounded that I couldn't even stand up straight. I let out a sigh of relief and forced myself to quit fretting about how I ought to behave in the presence of these two aristocrats.

And more importantly, why are they even at this rural place of Heart Stella?

When I turned my attention back to the royal prince, we locked gazes by accident. Even if h e had just spoken to his sister in a hostile manner, he looked at me with that placid expression on his face that gave off the sense that he was completely unaffected by what had taken place. It was common knowledge among the populace that the lycan prince was not enthused about his royal responsibilities, leading the citizens to believe that he does not fit to be the king, and there were even rumors going around that he was getting weary of it.

"I apologize for the trouble that my sister had caused," he spoke. I was startled by his face being closer to me. His tone was calmer and seductive, but with an alluring air of formality on it. His eyes were flitting back and forth like the clear waters that were linked to it when it fell into my mine. After a few quick blinks, I cleared my vision and locked my gaze at him. I chewed the insides of my bottom lips together to stop my frantic thoughts from racing and my heart from throbbing faster than it should have been.

Breathed in... Breathed out...

"I-I-"

"Thank you."

Huh?

Without me saying anything, he quickly grabbed his sister's arms and dragged her back to the royal horse cart. As I watched them moving away, my forehead creased in annoyance at what he did.

"Psh! He is indeed not an ideal lycan prince to serve as the king!"

"GOOD MORNING, Kaira and Mike!" I greeted the two individuals, whom I knew to be the neighbors who looked after the sheep. Both Kaira Blake and Mark Steevens were older than I was, with Kaira Blake being twenty-three and Mark Steevens being twenty-four years old respectively. They were the only occupants of this little home, which was teeming with yale as well as a variety of animals including horses, ducks, and pigs.

When Kaira spotted me before Mike did, she swiftly waved her hands at me and rushed in my way, but Mike refused to follow and just stayed there feeding the pigs. Kaira was able to fast approach me by using the fairy power she had and close the space that separated us. She embraced me tightly as soon as she came as if we had never seen each other for a long time. I mean, I visit this place quite literally pretty close to every day.

"Don't embrace me too tightly, I haven't had a bath yet!" I was trying to calm her down but I started to freak out. She gave a simple shrug of her shoulders before proceeding to embrace me nonetheless. My body tightened up, and I had an overwhelming sense of unease around her.

When I occurred to peek across at Mike, he had already transitioned into his werewolf form while using his strong werewolf jaws to pull those heavy carts of feed and animal goods.

After Kaira pulled away from me in order to avoid giving me a hug, she looked at me with a tiny smirk on her face before continuing with her talking in a joyful tone. "Come on, let's go get Shaena and Shaun some food!" After giving a short nod, we moved rapidly in the direction of the gates around the area where my pets were housed.

"Hey, Mike! I'll go accompany Chandra!" While we were in the process of moving away from the spot, Kaira raised her voice to attract the notice of her boyfriend.

"Yeah, whatever!"

Because of the romantic thrill that she was feeling, Kaira rolled her eyes and shrugged her shoulders while covertly pinching my side. I joined in her laughter and offered her a taunting grin.

The early morning sounds of the various animals and other creatures that inhabit this realm, such as little fairies, butterflies, frogs, blooming flowers, and a large number of farm animals, have been stuck in my head ever since we went through there.

We both went over the field and gathered some grasses, leaves, legumes, and several other blooming flora that may be used to feed the sheep. When we had arrived inside the fence, Shaena and Shaun greeted our arrival with a baa sound as they approached. They turned their heads to look at me. I started by stroking the underside of their chin and then gradually put the food that I brought into their mouths. Kaira did a similar thing.

During the time that I was grazing the sheep, I had a sudden memory of the new workplace application that was available for employees in Zila City, the capital of Valentin. I was aware that Kaira had not been working from the time that the two of them started dating, so I did not waste any time in bringing up this subject with her. Because I am a concerned-ass neighbor too who wants the best for others as well, I have come to the conclusion that encouraging Kaira to find employment would be beneficial not just to Kaira but also to her partner.

"By the way, Kaira, I wanted to let you know that I've heard there are a lot of work opportunities in the capital city, particularly for women. Why don't you give their employment application a shot?" I told her in a short and straightforward manner, "Considering that I have also heard that just a small number of people were interested, it would be an incredible chance for you to be picked." On the other hand, as I glanced at her, her normally pleasant countenance became angry, and a frown formed on her brow. I got to my feet, arched my back, and looked at her in a quizzical look.

After placing the meal on top of the yale pile, Kaira brushed the dirt from her fingers and the apron she was wearing before turning her attention to me with an abruptly somber look on her face. I quickly blinked my eyes many times as I considered the possibility that I had offended her. I self-scolded in quiet by biting the inside of my lower lip and reprimanding myself for being too reckless. Oh, damn!

"O-Oh, nevermind-"

She gave out a long sigh, which was enough to silence me. She stated this as a pang of thinking ran across the corners of her eyes. "It's perilous to live in the center city and to apply for a job there," she said. She crossed to the opposite side, where she found a grass broom made of wood that was rather narrow, and she began sweeping up the excess grass that the sheep had left behind on the ground.

My brows furrowed in response to her statement. I approached her and questioned the meaning of a certain phrase. "W-What exactly do you mean when you say that living in Zila may be dangerous?" My eyes nearly dropped all the way down to the bottom of my head, and my shoulders mimicked the look of needing an explanation to fulfill the feeling of being bewildered.

As soon as she had finished cleaning, she straightened her back, and she let out another long, contented sigh. She seemed to be attempting to read my face or some other aspect of my appearance as she stared directly into my eyes, and the intensity of this interaction had brought me to the point where I wanted to jump over the fence and simply leave. Her deep bluish eyes were intimidating me. She questioned while placing her hand on her waist, "Haven't you heard the most recent news right now? You were aware of the vacancies in the workforce, but you were unaware of what is really taking on in our society. Wow!" My face immediately began to take on a giddy appearance as soon as I heard this.

"Well, I am also in the process of searching for a job, which is why it was the center of my attention and-" I hesitated for a moment after seeing the dejected expression on her face before continuing. Before continuing, I exhaled deeply and lowered my shoulders, saying, "Yeah, I am not really sure what it is that you are trying to express and what's with that latest news. Bring it on!"

Kaira gave a little shake of her head and walked away from the fence, leaving me both dumbfounded and mystified. As I followed everywhere she went, my eyes became wider. "Hey! I am asking!" I tried to get her attention but she continued to go without stopping.

When she came to a tree that was crawling with bees and honeycombs, she hurriedly climbed up one of the three severed branches, pulled one of the honeycombs from the branch, and then tossed it in front of me without any regard for its safety. I let out a scream and acted swiftly to protect myself from those stings by performing a blood of vampire magic that I was familiar with to deter creatures from coming close to me.

"Bring that honeycomb for me," she demanded, yelling the instruction while maintaining a cavalier demeanor. Before I went after her, I stamped my foot several times and clenched my fingertips. Tsk.

She was carrying another honeycomb in her possession as she made her way towards their warehouse, where she intended to lay it down and discard the honey it contained. I took sure to set the honeycomb on the table, and then I gave her and him free reign to do whatever they pleased with the honeycomb. Since honeycombs were not something I really like, I did not mind what she was doing in order to sidestep my question. Her short, shoulder level, blonde hair had been glistened by the sun's rays that came across that small window from the top.

"So..." I attempted to get her attention again while leaning on the edge of the table and making a look that was equal parts forceful excitement and little embarrassment. "Would you mind enlightening me on the latest information?" I felt quite thrilled. Kaira smiled at me in a way that, if eyes could speak, it would definitely tell me to shut up. She proceeded to a cupboard, removed some strawberries, and hurled them in my way. She offered me a basket and asked me to put those fruits inside of it.

Kaira was aware that the red color of strawberries is one of the reasons I like eating them so much. "Oh, I am so grateful for this!" I expressed my appreciation for her thoughtfulness but almost immediately gave her an unpleasant glare. While I was plucking the strawberries and carefully placing them in the basket, I prompted her to update me on the latest happenings by saying, "But you still need to tell me about the news."

Mike had already come, but since he was also harvesting things, I didn't mind asking for his help in persuading his girlfriend to inform me about the situation. While Kaira is still working on certain farming-related tasks, she has begun talking.

"Recently, a significant number of women have vanished. Because of this sudden incident at which officials can't track the ones doing this crime, a great number of businesses have opened new positions, and the majority of them are giving preference to women. You want to know why?"

"Because... Their former female workers were also listed on the missing list?" I assumed.

To my amusement, Kaira chuckled and teased, "Surprisingly, your level of intelligence has increased." My eyes slid back in my head, and I made a psh sound with my lips. "But, all kidding aside, that is the most recent piece of news right now, and it has been the talk of the town lately. If I were you, I would cease hunting for a job for the time being or else I would go missing too like other females were," she cautioned me while shaking her index finger at me.

I froze.

I was caught off guard by the issue. "Do they have a point to make to the individual who most likely abducted those ladies? Or do they have a possible suspect in mind?" I asked while lifting both of my shoulders and noticing that my frame of mind had become earnest while simultaneously becoming so anxious that I could feel the hairs on the surface of my skin standing up.

"Well, as usual, they are pointing the finger at the vampires. Citizens are alleging that vampires are working with their mastermind to carry out such an act," Kaira immediately answered without looking at me. I heaved a sigh and quickly turned aside.

Kaira doesn't know about my vampire identity. Not even our close neighborhoods. The only reason we kept this lineage a secret inside our family was to protect ourselves from being impacted as a curse or crimes similar to those that have occurred recently.

While I was walking back to my house while encircling my elbows with this basket full of fresh, crimson strawberries, the information that Kaira had just shared with me was stuck in my head. Vampires in modern times were referred to as the enemy of the government, particularly the werewolves, and as a result, those who are still living vampires up until now have been concealing their identities by using a different family name, not practicing their vampire existence, or marrying other creatures.

If that's the case, I am worrying that I won't be successful in my job search this time...

I was startled to hear a loud boom coming from the direction of our far-off neighborhood. It originated at the home of the Leager Family, whose members include both werewolves and mermaids. I heard Fatima, the mother of my closest friend Faith, yelling from the front of their home. It seemed as if she had lost control of herself because of the way she was leaping. Her face was obscured by her shoulder-length blonde hair that had one strand of pink and blue highlights in it.

In addition, a swarm of people from the neighborhood had approached her and taken up positions such that they surrounded the home.

"Could you please help me?" She yelled while gazing around at each and every person in the area. She was being wrapped and soothed by her family members, but it seemed as if their comfort weren't doing enough to make her feel at ease.

I came to a halt in my tracks, and a frown formed on my brow as I became more puzzled by the circumstance. After deliberating for a few moments over whether or not I should check out the issue or simply go back home, I started making my way slowly in that direction while simultaneously elevating myself by pointing my toes on the ground. As soon as I started getting closer to them, I overheard a number of different species chatting to one another about how terrified they were by the scenario and sharing their own perspectives on it.

While glancing at Aunt Fatima's tear-streaked face, I saw that some of them were covering their mouths with their hands and staring wide-eyed at the grieving woman. "Oh my goddess! Has it already been a week since she last heard from her daughter? I suppose that this is one of those times when I shouldn't be letting my daughter attend her university classes!"

"Yeah! That is what I took away from it! The number of cases in which women are reported missing in today's society is, unfortunately, growing by the day. I can't help but question whether or not the kingdom had anything to do with this or perhaps if they are already doing something with the issue!"

"But, in your opinion, who do you believe the cause of those missing ladies is? Who treated those poor women in such a manner?"

"The vampires?" After hearing that they were referring to the vampires as a possible culprit in the matter, my breath seized in my chest, and I hurriedly glanced down while gulping. I attempted to persuade myself that I wasn't being impacted all that much by tapping my chest and lifting my head while doing so.

Come on, Chandra, you really need to take a deep breath and calm yourself before you lose your cool and risk drawing attention to the reality that you have vampire blood with you!

I pushed myself to take a deep breath and blow some air out of my lungs in order to stop letting those remarks from the creatures around me get to me. It's possible that each and every one of them is a hybrid, and if that's not the case, then at least some of them must have the genetics of a werewolf, mermaid, or another kind of species. In this universe, there was no such thing as a completely unadulterated creature. Perhaps there were some of them, but up to this point, there have only been a few of them discovered.

I turned my attention back to Aunt Fatima, and she is still unable to stop bouncing up and down, weeping, and tightly clutching the other members of her family. Her husband, George Leager, was able to keep her rage under control by constantly embracing her and caressing her back. While the other siblings of my beloved friend had discreetly cried and sought solace from our neighbors as well, they had gone near her and expressed their sympathy. Their eyes were wide with fear, as they most likely believed that my friend, like the other ladies, had also vanished without a trace. The father continued to try to reassure her by telling her to relax and that their child would definitely arrive home soon, but the mother continued to shake her head and refused to take his words seriously.

After the mother had sobbed her heart out without paying attention to the people around her, I couldn't help but cast my eyes downward and draw my eyebrows together as the pain in my chest intensified. I had also contemplated the predicament that Faith was in. That makes sense; so, this is the reason why I haven't seen her in a few days' time already. When she finally got back from her work, she was supposed to be helping me in my job search. What if it turns out to be true that she went missing at the same time?

If it turned out that a vampire was the cause of their disappearance, the thought that someone with blood similar to mine had committed another act of evil would kill me from the inside. Additionally, it would certainly ruin the already tarnished reputation that we vampires have had over the course of history.

"Chandra..."

Someone had yelled my name immediately in front of me, and I quickly blinked my eyes many times in response. As I raised my eyes, I caught sight of Faith's older brother, who goes by the name Frank. His eyes were reddened, and one could see tears pooling around the rims of his eye sockets. On the other hand, his cheeks were dry, which suggests that he had finished wiping the tears that had fallen down there. After hearing his words, I came so close to stopping my own breathing, and my soul came so close to leaving my body, that I gasped for oxygen and accidentally took a step backward.

"O-Oh... Frank..." In a fit of fear, I blurted.

Before proceeding, Frank coughed loudly for a few seconds. "I am sorry..." When he said this, it caused a twitch in my eyebrows. "I had no idea where he could vent out my worries," he added. I made a joke while pinching the outside of his elbows.

"Psh, quit saying sorry. As if we aren't friends," I pouted, elevating my gaze above the clouds before rolling my eyes at him. He laughed for a few seconds and then smiled at me, revealing his pearly white teeth.

Before returning my focus to his crying face, I cast a quick glimpse over his shoulder in the direction of his family. The disordered sensation I get from the situation, along with the fact that it has in some way agitated my vampire blood, makes it impossible for me to stop averting my gaze from it. If I stayed in this area for any more period of time, I had the distinct impression that I would perish here. Perhaps it was just my habit of dwelling on things in my thoughts too much that prompted me to consider it, which in turn drove me to just shake my head in silence and position myself directly in front of him.

"I am sorry for the news that happened to your sister. But, at this time, we do not know for certain whether or not she went missing. It's conceivable that she worked nonstop for a week in order to increase the amount of money in her salary or complete the several tasks that have been assigned to her, right? That is a possibility too," I attempted to persuade him and make him calm down by making this assumption, which I am sure does not persuade anybody at all. I attempted to build a smile inside my lips in the hopes that it might infect his downturned mouth and melancholy eyes, but he has not modified the look that he is now displaying at all.

He peered at his shoes for a moment before returning his sight to mine. He also managed to persuade himself, saying, "Well, I hope that's true." In the back of my mind, I tend to give myself a mental smack for bringing up such a stupid assumption as he was simply pushing himself to accept it since it was me who said it... For sure!

After some time had passed, we found ourselves in the midst of the forest strolling. The cheerful singing of birds filled our ears, and this helped to dispel the melancholy that had been lingering in our hearts. While we were out walking around in this area that was not too far from their house, Frank told me about how much he looked up to his younger sister despite the fact that he was the oldest of the siblings. I showed him my agreement with what he was saying by giving him a little nod.

During this time, after he had finished speaking, it was now my turn to bring up some topic related to my lost friend in order to prevent our spaces from seeming to be empty.

"What is the plan for your family if it seems like Faith won't be arriving in the next seven days? Or maybe, if she won't be there either tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?" I asked while glancing down at the luscious strawberries in front of me.

Frank's response was delivered with an air of uncertainty. "It's likely that we'll report it to the kingdom as well..." I nodded. They may not have had any other choice than to report it because if they didn't, the information wouldn't be relayed to the people who are employed to find a solution to the issue.

"How about you?" I was told that my sister is expected to help you in seeking work there in the central city. Sadly, it seems that you won't be able to accomplish the work at this time due to the circumstances." Even though he had his hands tightly clutched together, he continued to sneeze at random intervals.

I raised my head and recognized that I could feel the breath of fresh air entering my nose. "At this time, I do not have any plans. My greatest concern is that I, too, may vanish without a trace, just like the others." Or maybe, if that doesn't happen, the gravity of the situation will make it such that my vampire blood gets exposed in a very short amount of time. And if I don't go missing, the palace might suspect that I am a vampire. Because vampires, if it's true that they have something to do with the problem, are the ones who are causing the disappearance of those ladies.

When I looked down into an empty area where grasses grow on the near side of us, I noticed traces of blood that disappeared into the air when the sun reached them. I observed these traces of blood by mistake when I gazed down into the space. My eyebrows knit together in thought as I pondered it, but Frank's heavy sighs distracted me and caused me to forget about the occurrence in question.

He turned his head towards the enormous river that was located a little distance from where we were. This river flows into a large waterfall that is located at the end. The sun's beams had illuminated the whole metropolitan region as well as the surrounding rural areas, which allowed the gorgeous natural scenery to show off its blooming flowers and the vivid colors they exuded.

While Frank looked out at the landscape, he whispered, "I hope my sister will return home and the mastermind who was responsible for the abduction of the women will be punished." He closed his eyes and let the cool breeze from the river's surface caress his face, as well as mine. I was transfixed on him as I mulled over what he had just said. Our eyes then came into unintentional contact, and we both broke into the warmest smiles we could muster for one another.

"Don't smile at me like that!" He suddenly giggled, looking away. I laughed at him while covering my mouth using my hand.

"Why? Is there something wrong?" I asked, kind of teasing him.

He pinched my cheek and chuckled, "You were so cute when you did that." The tone of his voice dropped and he looked at me with his softened features. I rolled my eyes at him and hid my smiles away from his sight. Hearing him complimented me in such a way caused my heart to race, which is a difficult confession to admit.

After a few seconds of laughing and smiling, he cleared his throat and straightened himself back to his gentleman posture. "By the way, I haven't seen your sister and grandmother this morning. Are they there as well in the middle of the city?" He abruptly asked. I wasn't anticipating that he would pick up on this at all.

Should I let him know that my sleepy-headed sister likes to get her sleep in the morning and stay up all night since she works better that way?

Ah, no! It would only serve to raise the suspicion that she is a vampire. She is the only one of the two of us that got more of the vampire blood gradient from our parents, which is why she has such a hard time surviving in the sunlight. If she does, she hasn't mastered it that much yet.

"By the way, I haven't seen your sister and grandmother this morning. Are they there as well in the middle of the city?" He abruptly asked. I wasn't anticipating that he would pick up on this at all. Should I let him know that my sleepy-headed sister likes to get her sleep in the morning and stay up all night since she works better that way? Ah, no! It would only serve to raise the suspicion that she is a vampire. She is the only one of the two of us that got more of the vampire blood gradient from our parents, which is why she has such a hard time surviving in the sunlight. If she does, she hasn't mastered it that much yet.

Our loneliness had been disturbed by the sound of the horses' hooves, which is what prompted us to feel agitated. Our nerves appeared to be on edge as we turned our attention to the source of the disturbance, which had caused them to rise off our senses. After that, Frank and I turned around and walked back to the residential side, where we gathered with the rest of the residents.

"A report that a large number of ladies have been reported missing in the central city has been brought to our attention. If you are a woman, please try to avoid going out to your houses more often. This request is made with the strongest possible intention. This instruction comes directly from the king, and as such, it must be carried out." The courtier of the royal family made the announcement as they were galloping across the region on horses in a short length of time.

The voices of the residents had collided in my ears, and I had accidentally opened my mind to hear what they had inside their thoughts. Given that, it added to the amount of voices I have taken inside my mind at the same time. I raised my shoulders up a little as I slowly looked down. I messed up my hair a little and divided the longest part of my hair at each side to cover my ears.

When one of the villagers, Jeremiah, who also happened to be Leager's cousin, shouted, "We want a quick solution from the kingdom! If at all possible, slaying anybody in every region of the nation who is carrying the blood of a vampire!" I heaved a breath and clenched my bottom lips. My fingers started to crack, and I slowly moved my hands up to my neck so that I could cover my ears and prevent myself from listening. I felt my blood heating, struggling to exclude whether attempting to transition into my werewolf form or the vampire one. As a result of this, I had unintentionally messed up the handling of the basket of strawberries that I was carrying.

Frank lowered himself to the ground and carefully replaced the strawberries back in the basket for me. However, he cast a quick peek in my direction and then gazed at me with his mouth agape as he saw my response.