The next afternoon, an apprentice from the corner coffee shop knocked on my door.

He was a kind human boy with eyes as clear as a mountain spring.

"Ma'am, you looked very pale yesterday. This latte is on the house."

He shyly held out a steaming cup of coffee, its rich aroma dispelling some of the musty smell in the room.

In this world, the only one to show me any kindness was a complete stranger, a human.

Just as I was about to gratefully accept the coffee, Isabella appeared.

She was dressed in a stylish, form-fitting leather outfit, a cruel sneer on her lips.

"Sister, hiding in this little rat hole. You've been hard to find."

She strode into the room without a second thought and shoved the slender boy hard.

The scalding latte overturned, splashing across my cold ankles and raising an angry red welt.

"Oops, my hand slipped," Isabella giggled, covering her mouth without a hint of apology. "But you really should stay away from human trash, sister."

The boy glared at her angrily. "Why did you do that?"

"Get lost if you don't want to die." Isabella narrowed her eyes, her pupils turning scarlet as she unleashed her vampiric aura.

The boy's face turned deathly pale, and he stumbled backward.

"Oh, by the way, I have some good news for you," Isabella said slowly as she shut the door. "That foolish official who dared to help you with the dissolution? Prince Damien stripped him of his title and exiled him to the forsaken lands."

"Look at you. So pathetic. Anyone who gets involved with you is ruined."

"The whole clan knows you're an ungrateful traitor now."

Hearing this, I felt my entire world crumble.

Even the one person willing to help me had suffered because of me.

I was a curse upon everyone.

"Why are you doing this?" I asked, using all the strength I had.

"Because I hate you!"

The mask of benevolence on Isabella's face finally shattered, and she let out a shrill, piercing laugh.

"You're going to turn to ash anyway, so why not die somewhere far away? Why do you have to stay here and be an eyesore?"

"Do you think Damien believes you? From the very beginning, he's seen you as nothing but a burden!"

This was the real her.

This was the perfect Isabella that everyone adored.

My voice was calm as I spoke.

"Isabella, I can honestly say I have never done a single thing to harm you."

"Where does all this hatred in your heart come from?"

"Because you, a useless thing, were born with a pureblood title and the position of the Prince's mate!" She loomed over me, her eyes filled with the venomous fire of jealousy.

"All of that should belong to someone strong, like me!"

"And I know better than anyone what's really wrong with that broken body of yours."

"From the day I moved in, I've been lacing your blood packs with vervain. Drop by drop, slowly rotting your insides."

"And that ambush by the hunters? I was the one who handed them the map of your patrol route."

I trembled with rage, wishing I could raise my hand and slap her, but the moment I tried, she pushed me to the ground.

Of course. How could this dying, withered body possibly stand against a vampire at the peak of her power?

She slowly crouched down. "What? Are you angry? Do you feel wronged?"

"Too bad there's nothing you, a failure, can do about it!"

"You don't even have the strength to kill me!"

She pulled a sharpened wooden stake from her sleeve and viciously stabbed it into my shoulder.

The splinters of wood sent waves of pain through my bloodstream, the pain making me curl into a ball.

"Watching you weaken day by day over the years has brought me so much joy."

"Well, once you're gone, I'll be the one and only Princess of the Kindred."

The intense pain nearly made me pass out.

Isabella, having finally vented her frustrations, straightened her wrinkled leather clothes and left, visibly pleased with herself.

She was completely unaware that the phone in the pocket of the jacket I was clutching to my body was in recording mode.

The red recording light blinked silently.

It had captured every single word of her confession.

I struggled to get up from the floor, my clothes soaked with the cold sweat of my agony.

Looking at the encrypted audio file on the screen, I let out a wretched laugh.

Finally, I could make everyone see Isabella for who she truly was.

In the final day of my life, it was time for the truth to come out.

At the very moment Isabella attacked me, Damien, in his office, felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his Blood Core.

He shot to his feet, knocking his chair over.

A sense of foreboding, dark as a storm cloud, enveloped him, making it hard to breathe.

"Seraphina…" he murmured, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Staring at the encrypted audio file on the screen, I sent it with a single tap to Damien and my parents.

Then, I sent a backup copy to every member of the Kindred's High Council.

As the progress bar moved, Isabella's venomous and triumphant voice echoed in the dead silence:

"The vervain in the blood packs, the route for the hunter's ambush, all my handiwork."

"So just die peacefully. Once you've turned to ash, I'll be Damien's one and only love."

Then, I removed the SIM card from my phone and severed all contact through our blood vow.

In the last twenty hours before I turned to ash, I had finally accomplished one remarkable thing.

Now, I just wanted to walk the final stretch of my path in peace.

The sky had completely darkened, and the neon lights outside the motel flickered with a harsh glare.

I dragged my weak body out of the room and headed toward the old antique district on the edge of the city.

It was the only place in this world that might still accept me.

After walking for over half an hour, I finally reached the small antique shop.

Through the window, I saw Maria organizing antiques, her movements gentle and focused.

"Miss Maria," I said, gently pushing the door open.

She looked up and saw me, her face immediately clouding with concern. "Seraphina? You poor child, your aura has grown so weak."

"Can… can I stay here for a little while?"

"Of course, sit down and rest." Maria immediately put down the object in her hand and hurried over to support my swaying body. "Your bloodline is depleting. Wait here, I'll get something from the cellar."

She didn't ask any questions, just silently prepared some sustenance for me.

This unconditional kindness made my eyes well up again.

Maria brought a cup of warm blood, which emanated the purest life energy.

"Drink this. It will make you feel a little better."

I sipped the blood, the warm liquid bringing some warmth back to my cold body.

"Child, why are you not at home?" Maria asked softly.

"I don't have a home anymore," I answered calmly. "They don't want me."

A flicker of pain crossed Maria's eyes. "I, too, lost a fledgling daughter in the Holy War of the last century."

"She died on a hunter's stake."

"If she could stand before me now, I imagine she would be as gentle and beautiful as you."

She reached out and stroked my hair, like a mother comforting her child.

"Seraphina, if you're willing, let me take care of you. Think of it as… a balm for the centuries of regret I've carried."

I could no longer control my emotions, and tears streamed down my face.

In these long, desperate years, it was the first time I had tasted the feeling of being cherished like a mother's child.

Not because of any noble title I held, nor because of any benefit I could bring to the family.

It was born purely of compassion and love from the depths of her soul.

"Come, let's go rest in the back room." Maria helped me to my feet.

Her cottage was simple but incredibly warm.

Maria helped me out of my blood-stained coat and into a soft, comfortable vintage velvet dress.

"Your hair is so beautiful, like starlight in the night sky," she said gently, combing my hair.

I nestled into her warm embrace, enveloped by an endless sense of peace.

The toxic sores and excruciating pain that had tormented me for centuries seemed to miraculously subside in that moment.

"Miss Maria, thank you."

"Don't be silly, child," her voice choked a little. "It is you who has reminded me what it feels like to be a mother."

I closed my eyes, my consciousness beginning to fade.

My bloodline's energy was dissipating, bit by bit, yet my heart was calmer than it had ever been.

At least in my final moments, someone truly loved me.

As my consciousness began to slip into eternal darkness, I heard Maria whisper in my ear:

"Sleep now, child, just like my little daughter… Sleep peacefully…"

I tried to return her smile, but I no longer had the strength to even move my lips.

I only felt my body growing lighter and my bloodline withering away, as my soul prepared to leave this broken vessel.