On the night of my eighteenth birthday ball, the Clare clan's ballroom was a sea of gold and crystal.

I stood in the center of it all, accepting the guests' hollow congratulations.

"Happy birthday, Miss Maggie."

"You'll be the Lady of the clan soon."

"What an enviable life."

Fake smiles. Empty words.

In my last life, I was naive enough to think they meant it.

Now, I saw them for what they were: a flock of vultures waiting to pick my bones clean.

At nine o'clock, the ballroom doors swung open again.

Julian had arrived, fashionably late.

He wore a black tuxedo, his silver hair slicked back perfectly. He looked flawless.

But my eyes were drawn to Chloe, trailing just behind him.

She wore a pale pink evening gown, her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were hazy.

Most importantly, on her snow-white neck were two fresh bite marks, still beaded with blood.

Whispers rippled through the guests.

"Are those... bite marks?"

"What was Lord Julian doing just now?"

"Before her birthday ball even starts..."

I watched them, feeling nothing.

In my last life, I caught them having sex on my twenty-second birthday, after we were already bonded.

They were in one of the castle's guest rooms, shamelessly. When I threw the door open, Julian was pulling out of her, his seed glistening all over her body.

The scandal nearly blew up in the media and ended with Chloe's exile.

It seemed they started much, much earlier this time.

"Maggie," Julian said, walking up to me with a perfect smile. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," I replied, my voice flat.

He paused, clearly surprised by my coldness.

Based on my last life, I should have been heartbroken over the bite marks on Chloe's neck.

"It seems you're willing to suppress even basic female jealousy for the sake of this pact," Julian sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You play the devoted fiancée so well. Not a flicker of jealousy."

A low chuckle went through the crowd.

"She has to, to become the Lady."

"One must be proper."

Julian lifted his chin, smug. "Maggie, I hope you understand something. After we are bonded, I will be the Lord of the Clare clan. Both vampire nobles and human blood pets may become my lovers. You had best prepare yourself for that."

As he spoke, he pulled a small, exquisite black box from his pocket.

"This is your birthday gift."

Before I could take it, Chloe leaned in.

"Wow, Sanguine Elixir!" she gasped, her eyes filled with greed. "That's the legendary bio-serum! A single bottle is worth a castle! They say it grants eternal youth, delaying aging for decades!"

A collective gasp went through the ballroom.

It was an incredibly precious substance, something only the most ancient vampire families could create.

Julian looked at the box in his hand, then at Chloe's eager face. He suddenly smiled.

"Well, if Chloe likes it so much, then it's yours."

He handed the box to Chloe, then shot me a look of pure contempt. "Besides," he added, his voice dripping with contempt. "Something this precious is wasted on Maggie. She’d treasure a discarded handkerchief if it was mine."

The room erupted in laughter.

"Julian is right!"

"Something this precious is wasted on a shameless chaser like her."

"You could give her pearls and she wouldn't know their worth."

I stared at them, a memory from my past life flashing in my mind.

It was at a dinner party. A vicious vampire noblewoman had deliberately pushed me into the pool. I was soaked and humiliated.

Julian had casually taken off his suit jacket and draped it over my shoulders.

I treated it like a treasure, keeping it safe and sound.

During the height of my love for him, I even slept with that jacket in my arms.

When he found out, he mocked me in front of everyone, calling me "delusional" and telling anyone who would listen that I had a fetish for a piece of old clothing.

For a long time after that, I was too ashamed to appear in public.

Thinking of it now, it all felt so pointless.

Just how pathetic was I in my last life?

"I'm tired. I'm going to rest." I turned to leave.

"Stop," Julian's voice was sharp with anger.

I turned back to him.

"What? Dropping the act already?" he hissed, his charming mask starting to crack. "I knew it. A vicious woman like you could never pretend to be gracious for long."

The ballroom fell silent.

The guests watched the show, their eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Julian, please stay away from me," I said calmly.

"Stay away from you?" He sneered. "Isn't getting close to me exactly what you've been dreaming of?"

He moved in, his lips brushing my ear. "After we bond, I'll be inside you. Let's see you stay cold to my touch then."

His vile words made my stomach turn.

I once dreamed of spending an eternity with this man?

I couldn't take it anymore. I shoved him away.

"Who said I was going to choose you?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, the entire ballroom went dead silent.

Then, it exploded with even louder laughter.

"Hahaha! What did she say?"

"If not Julian, who else could she choose?"

"Is she going to choose Evan? The one who's been asleep for a hundred years?"

An older vampire noble stood up, his tone theatrically pitying. "Oh, that's right, I'd forgotten. Evan is indeed a candidate. But the poor thing was so gravely wounded in the war a century ago, his power is nearly gone. He's still dormant, even now."

Hearing this, Julian looked at me with a cruel, mocking smile.

"And," he added with a venomous smile, "some of his other… functions… were permanently damaged. He can't produce a child, Maggie. Not with you. Not with anyone."

Julian’s venomous words were still hanging in the air when Chloe chimed in, her voice dripping with poison disguised as honey.

"Yes, if my sister chooses Lord Evan, she'll be a widow before the wedding gifts are even unwrapped." She gave me a look of fake concern. "And there'll be no one left to even cry for you."

I stared at her, my voice cold and flat. "Who I choose is none of your business."

Anger flashed in Chloe's eyes, but she hid it in an instant. She clutched her chest and began to cough, sagging against Julian like a frail flower.

"Cough, cough... I'm sorry. I'm just worried about you, sister," she said, her eyes welling up with tears. "I remember that night at the auction... those rival families ganging up on you. I was terrified they'd draw their silver on Julian..."

Her voice grew weaker, as if she might faint at any moment.

The guests around us began to murmur with sympathy.

"That poor child. So fragile, and her own sister treats her so cruelly."

"She seems like such a kind girl."

Julian immediately wrapped a protective arm around her. "Chloe, don't push yourself."

"I'm alright, Julian," Chloe said with a weak smile. "All that matters is my sister's happiness."

The sight of her performance made me want to vomit.

I fell for this same innocent act in my last life. Hook, line, and sinker.

"Enough." I turned to leave, sick of the whole charade. I'd seen this play before.

The moment I turned my back, the mask dropped. A vicious glint flashed in Chloe’s eyes. She deliberately stumbled into a nearby table, "accidentally" knocking over a priceless bottle of bloodwine.

"Ah!"

The crystal decanter shattered on the floor with a sharp crack, spilling crimson liquid everywhere.

"Gods, that's a million-dollar bottle of bloodwine!" someone gasped.

Chloe scrambled to the floor, pretending to clean up the mess. But she "tripped" right at the edge of the puddle, flinging herself backward onto the stone floor.

"Ahhh!" she shrieked, tears streaming down her face. "Help! Maggie pushed me! You all saw it! She pushed me because she's jealous!"

Julian was at her side in a flash. He cradled her as he helped her up, his face a mask of fury. "Maggie! How could you!"

In his arms, while all eyes were on Julian, Chloe shot me a triumphant smirk.

That smirk. The same one she wore as she tore my life apart, piece by piece.

"I didn't touch her," I said, my voice calm.

"Liar!" Julian roared, his silver hair practically crackling with rage. "Everyone saw you!"

"Saw what?" I scoffed. "Did you see me push her? Or did you just see her fall all by herself?"

"You're a monster, Maggie!" Julian's eyes burned with rage. "You're just jealous that she's more beautiful than you! Jealous that I love her, not you!"

Chloe sobbed harder in his arms. "Julian, don't blame her... She's probably just upset. I don't blame her."

That was the last straw. A shockwave of raw power erupted from Julian.

BAM!

I was slammed backward, my back hitting the stone wall hard. The pain was so sharp it almost buckled my knees.

Julian stood there, his eyes blazing. "Touch her again, and I will erase you from this house. Forever."

The fire in my back screamed for blood. My fingers twitched, my body aching to retaliate with the combat moves I knew from my past life.

But I couldn't. Not now.

Tonight was my birthday. The night of the Blood Bond announcement. Every important member of the Clare family was here. I couldn't make a scene.

I clenched my jaw, swallowing my anger, and pushed myself off the wall. "I'm fine," I said, brushing the dust from my dress. My voice was steady.

Chloe continued her performance in Julian's arms, tears still streaming. "Julian, I'm really okay... My sister was probably just nervous," she whispered. "Tonight is so important, after all."

Julian's followers chimed in, eager to twist the knife.

"A mere human, and she can't even stomach her own sister."

"How can she lead a family with a heart full of jealousy?"

"Lord Julian, you should reconsider your choice."

A smug look crossed Julian's face as he listened. He released Chloe and stalked toward me, his presence suffocating.

"Maggie," he said, looking down his nose at me. "Apologize to Chloe."

"Apologize?" I laughed. "For what?"

"For pushing her!" His voice was a command. "If you want me to choose you, you need to learn to control that venomous tongue of yours!"

He took another step, his face inches from mine. "Know your place. After the bond, we will live separate lives. As long as you accept that, I will choose you."

Separate lives.

He could be with Chloe openly, and I would have to suffer in silence. That was exactly how they drove me mad in my past life.

"Julian," I said, looking at the face I was once so obsessed with. "Do you really think I have no other choice?"

"Don't you?" he smirked, his eyes full of contempt. "Who else would have you but—"

A calm voice cut through the tension. "My apologies for the interruption."

Marcus, the Lord's right-hand man, stood at the entrance to the hall.

"The banquet is about to begin. Lord Alistair will be arriving shortly." Marcus gave me a respectful nod, then scanned the room. "Please prepare yourselves."

Just then, the lights in the hall dimmed.

A living storm of black bats poured from the vaulted ceiling, their wings making an eerie, flapping sound. When the vortex of shadows subsided, a tall figure stood in its place.

Evan.

The firstborn of the Clare family. An ancient vampire who had slumbered for a hundred years.

He wore an exquisite black suit, his long silver hair a cascade down his back.

His pale face was inhumanly beautiful, and cold.

But the most shocking thing was the aura of raw power that radiated from him.

It was an ancient, predatory presence, stronger than any legend dared to claim, and it made everyone instinctively take a step back.

Hushed gasps filled the hall.

"Gods... it's Lord Evan..."

"Why has he awakened?"

"That power... it's overwhelming."

"I thought he was still gravely injured."

Everyone stared, too stunned to speak. But Marcus showed no surprise at all, as if he'd been expecting this. He even gave a slight bow. "Lord Evan."

Julian's face turned ugly. "I can't believe that fossil is still breathing," he muttered.

Evan's crimson eyes swept the room, finally landing on me.

He walked straight toward me.

The floor seemed to tremble with each step, and the crowd parted for him like the sea.

No one dared get in his way.

He stopped in front of me and saw my hand pressed against my back.

His brow furrowed. "Are you alright?" he asked, his voice low and concerned.

Seeing his face, I was hit with a sudden flash of my death. A bloody night.

Everyone had abandoned me, betrayed me. Only Evan had avenged me.

After I was gone, he had slaughtered every last person involved in that dark ritual, including Julian and Chloe.

All those who had hurt me had turned to ash in his rage.

The memory made my eyes burn. "I'm fine," I whispered.

Julian saw this and stormed over, his eyes blazing with possessiveness. "Evan, she doesn't need your concern," he sneered. "Maggie will be my bonded partner soon enough. You're just an outsider."

Marcus's eyes widened in shock at Julian's claim, and he opened his mouth to speak.

But Evan raised a hand, silencing him.

"The Lord decreed that Miss Maggie's coming-of-age is a family affair," Evan said, his voice cool and proud. "I am merely observing basic courtesy."

With that, he strode toward the back of the hall, his back straight, radiating an untouchable authority.

Julian watched him go, then laughed.

He wrapped an arm around me, pulling me close.

"You see?" he whispered in my ear. "Even if you threw yourself at him, a washed-up fossil like that wouldn't give you a second look."

His voice dripped with scorn. "So, play by my rules... or else."