The ancient castle was as dim as ever, with only a few candles burning on the candlestands.

I lit a candle to check the light-blocking in the castle. When I slightly pulled back the curtain, the glaring sunlight outside would stream in.

Having lived here for a long time, I was already used to the darkness. But Jacinda—bright and alive—couldn't stand it.

She begged Saul to let her feel the sun on her skin.

There was tenderness in Saul's eyes as he replied, "Okay."

Years ago, when I had just arrived, I had made a similar request to him.

At that time, he only emphasized to me that vampires couldn't be exposed to light and that following the rules was the only way to survive in this world.

Reading a lord's expressions was an instinct for a bloodslave to survive, so I never brought the request up again later.

Now it seemed that it wasn't impossible, just that the person who asked was different.

Jacinda pulled Saul up to me, wore a bright smile, and asked if I wanted to go with them.

I was stunned for a moment, then lowered my head and said, "I'll stay here to prepare the meal for you."

My refusal made her smile fade, and she looked disappointed.

Sensing her mood change, Saul turned his gaze to me and said without negotiation, "Don't be so stubborn. Go with us."

I looked up at him and the candlelight shone on my expressionless face, and he just noticed my pale lips from excessive blood loss.

His tone became less harsh. "You're badly injured. Don't take blood recently. Just prepare animal blood for me."

Jacinda warmly grabbed the hand where I held the candle and persuaded, "Come with us! You must haven't walked in the sun for a long time! Let's enjoy the sun."

The long-lost body temperature of the same kind made me feel a little trance, and I didn't notice the candle wax was dripping down.

Saul's eyes flashed, and he quickly pulled Jacinda's hands away. "Careful, don't get burned by the wax."

A tingling pain came from my fingertips. I looked at their holding hands and silently switched the candle to the other hand.

After rinsing the burn of the candle wax, I tore off one page from the calendar.

When I tore off the rest two pages, the blood pact would be full, and I would have a chance to break the pact.

After preparing the meal, I opened the door, and sunlight poured in.

After spending thousands of days in the darkness, my first reaction was to hide.

But Saul was wearing his magnificent black robe, letting Jacinda pull him outward.

I cautiously took a step behind them and mustered the courage to step into the long-lost natural light.

Every inch of my exposed skin gradually felt the temperature of the light, and for a moment, I didn't know why I had the urge to cry."

My eyes habitually looked for Saul's figure but caught the scene of Jacinda standing on her tiptoe.

"Can I see your teeth?" She was healthy and curvy, her long hair shining beautifully, and the smile on her face was extremely bright.

Saul held her waist, lifted the hood of the black robe for her, smiled gently and he really showed two fangs belonging to a vampire.

He wasn't worried about attacking Jacinda in front of him because of my existence as a bloodslave.

In the unnoticed corner, I took two steps back and hid in the shadow again.

I used the tree shadow to cover my withered hair and hid my thin and ugly hands in my sleeves.

The sunset, and night was about to fall.

Seeing that the duty time was approaching, I came out and proposed to leave first.

Saul seemed to not expect that I had been there. When he just wanted to say something, Jacinda asked him, "It's time for me to go too. Will you walk me back?"

Saul surely would, but he suddenly noticed my presence and said to me, "I'll walk you too."

The communication between the vampire world and the human world relied on the border train, and my other job was to be on duty at the train platform every night.

Saul had never offered to walk me.

Feeling tired, I refused his whim: "Thank you, Lord, but no and I can go myself. Pls walk Miss Jacinda back."

He saw that I was in a bad mood, unconsciously took a step closer to me, and insisted, "I'll walk you."

Jacinda looked at the interaction between us, sensed something, and took the initiative to hold Saul's arm.

"Come with us if it's on your way. I heard you've known Saul for a long time, and I also want to learn more about him from you."

She built a high wall of defense in her words.

Saul patted her hand and was very pleased with these words.

I didn't know him so much. At least, these expressions of his in front of Jacinda were extremely unfamiliar to me, as Saul was always condescending towards me.

But I no longer refused and gave a slave's bow. "Then thank you, my lord and Miss Jacinda."

When I stood up, my eyes met Saul's dark eyes.

I just did what a slave should do as he said, although there was never a rule of saluting in the rules he set for me.

When we arrived at the border platform, I was ready to put things in the duty room when Saul suddenly pulled me.

"Wait for me and I'll pick you up and buy your favourite vanilla ice cream after it's over."

Really?

Would he come back tonight?

Vanilla ice cream was my absolute favorite; its flavor and shape stay perfect at the vampire-cold.

I didn't ask anymore because Jacinda watched us intently the whole time.

The pager rang, and my colleague was looking for me, so I nodded hurriedly to say goodbye.

They quickly boarded the night train to the human world and vanished before my eyes.

The routine inspection went smoothly. The station clock ticked on, and the number of vampires coming and going first decreased, then increased, then decreased again.

By the time the last train arrived, I still hadn't seen Saul.

I went back to the duty room, too tired to do anything but slump in the chair, and fell asleep gradually and soundly.

I stopped waiting for those who wouldn't come. Why did I take promises without results seriously?

When I opened my eyes, I saw the familiar ceiling.

Saul was sitting by my bed.

There was also a sweet smell. I sniffed and turned my head to see a half box of popcorn on the bedside table. There was no my favourite vanilla ice cream.

"For you."

In the dim light, our eyes met.

The next second I looked away, saying "thanks" in a flat voice.

My reaction was clearly not what he expected. He frowned, explaining somewhat irritably:

"I had an emergency last night. I didn't mean to make you wait, Jacinda..."

"It's fine." I cut him off, not wanting to hear more.

He'd abandoned me too many times to count this as a new offense.

Having not eaten for a long time, I felt dizzy and reached for the popcorn.

Saul, who'd looked annoyed after being interrupted, spoke again:

"It turns out Jacinda was right: women all love sweet popcorn. What else do you humans like to eat? Tell me quickly!"

My hand froze.

So the popcorn was an afterthought after buying it for Jacinda. That's what he meant. He totally forgot the vanilla ice cream he promised me.

I pulled my hand back, lay down again despite the discomfort, and said listlessly: "Just ask Miss Jacinda."

"What's the hell..." He was at a loss for words, frowning at me.

Ding...

A message came in and he stood up with his expression changed in a hurry and left without a word.

I tore off the second page from the calendar.

I gave the popcorn to the old butler to thank him for bandaging my wounds.

After grabbing some food and changing my bandages, I went to the border platform.

My fellow bloodslave colleague was surprised to see me so early, then told me she'd just seen my lord Saul.

"A beautiful human somehow ended up here alone. The platform was full of vampires—almost caused a commotion.

Your master arrived just in time, or she might've been in danger.

I saw them hugging. What's their relationship?"

A surge of bitterness rose in my chest. I lowered my eyes and shook my head, saying I didn't know.

Then I handed her baked cookies and asked about the conditions for breaking the blood pact, as it was the real reason I'd come early.

She'd broken a pact before and now served a second lord.

When I suddenly brought up breaking the pact, my bloodslave colleague wanted to ask more, but seeing the wounds on my arms, she held back.

Finally, she just rubbed my shoulder knowingly and told me everything she knew.

After saying goodbye, I quit my platform duty job and returned to the castle in the thick night.

As I pushed open the door, something felt wrong.

Clothes littered the floor, and there were suppressed gasps.

Following the light, I found a door wide open. Saul's pupils were deep red, and his fangs sunk into Jacinda's neck as he drank her blood. She didn't struggle—instead, her hands circled his waist, trusting him completely.

The sound of my backpack falling alerted them. Saul's eyes snapped to me, sharp as daggers. With a sweep of his hand, he threw the picture frame on his nightstand at me.

The picture frame held a photo of us. The frame hit my shoulder hard, then fell to the floor with a loud crash, shattering.

"Get out!"

I snapped back to reality, realizing what they were doing.

The First Embrace: a vampire bit a human on the neck and drained a human's blood to mark ownership, then fed them vampire blood, turning them into a vampire.

Under Saul's enraged shout, I was silent for two seconds, then I figured out what happened and left the room quickly.

The First Embrace lasted long and by the time the noises next door died down, it was already the next night.

Just as I finished tidying my room, Saul kicked the door open furiously. His hands clamped down on my shoulders—right where the purple bruises from the picture frame still ached.

"You gave her the blood extractor, didn't you?"

His pupils had returned to normal black, no longer in feeding mode, but he seemed angrier than before.

I winced in pain, took a deep breath, and said word by word, "I don't know what you're talking about."

At my denial, he sneered, not loosening his grip.

"I can only recognize your blood scent. If you hadn't given her the extractor—coated in your smell—how could I have lost control and done that to her... Bella," he ground out my name, "I know your intentions, but you shouldn't have hurt her."

Looking at his angry, twisted face, I felt an overwhelming exhaustion.

"You couldn't control yourself and drank her blood, and you made her one of you..." I looked up at him and tried my best to explain. "You should be happy. At least no one else will drink her blood now."

The slap!

My cheek burned hot. I turned my face, blinking hard to hold back the tears in my eyes.

"You've changed."

He forced my chin up, eyes blazing with anger and disappointment. "I should never have saved you in the first place."

Yes. Why had he bothered?

I laughed bitterly, as years of company and devotion were wasted.

"Blood!" A scream came from next door. "I need blood!"

Saul's expression changed. Ignoring my struggles, he dragged me into the next room.

Jacinda, hair disheveled, looked around wildly. At the sight of Saul, she burst into tears like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline.

"Give me blood, Saul! Give me blood!" Her nails scraped the blanket, leaving jagged marks.

The scene was so horrifying that I forgot my pain for a moment.

There was animal blood in the fridge—it could save her.

But the next second, I was yanked in front of Jacinda.

Saul tore down my collar, and I realized his plan. I thrashed wildly, but my hands were pinned behind my back, and my neck was thrust toward Jacinda's mouth.

My veins held the fresh human blood that vampires craved most.

Jacinda didn't hesitate. Her fangs sank into my neck—right where Saul's mark had once been. She drank ravenously.

Blood drained fast, and I convulsed in pain.

"Let... me... go..."

The healed wounds on my back split open again with the struggle. I felt blood soaking my clothes, the smell of the blood choking my nose until I wanted to vomit.

As Saul leaned in to steady my drooping head, I felt a sharp pain from the pact tattoo on the back of my hand.

Three years ago, he saved me.

This was the last time he disappointed me and I've paid my debt.

I was feeling dizzy, and I had lost the last bit of strength I had. I closed my eyes resignedly, hands slipping limp from behind my back.

Saul felt my weight collapse and saw my pale face.

He jolted, releasing me just as Jacinda still lost her mind and tried to bite again. He shoved her, and she collapsed unconsciously.

His hand clamped over the two deep punctures on my neck, but blood poured through his fingers.

"Butler! Butler!" he shouted, panic in his voice.

There was no answer, so he laid me on the bed, saying "Wait for me," then bolted out.

Hearing him yelling for help, and then the door slam, I forced my eyes open. Shaking, I ripped the bandage from my arm, pressed it to my neck, and staggered up.

Dizzy as hell, I ransacked the drawer where the extractor usually was—it was gone...

The ancient clock chimed midnight.

I tore off the third page from the calendar and took the silver dagger to slash my pact tattoo on the back of my hand.

Blood gushed out, stinging horribly. It was agony, pain shooting through my entire body but the bond was broken finally.

Then, I left the castle without looking back.