For a week, Vincent didn't return to the castle.

But I knew his every move.

Just like now, my phone screen lit up, a notification popped up: Camilla's latest post.

Nine high-definition photos filled the screen.

In the pictures, she was wearing the couture wedding gown I'd had commissioned, standing by the edge of the Blood Springs in the Undercity.

One even showed them in an intimate embrace under the faint moonlight.

Through those posts, I once again saw a completely different Vincent.

It turned out the formidable, bloodthirsty Prince could be as tender as a mortal lover.

I laughed coldly and placed my phone face down on the table.

With ten days until the ceremony, I kept busy.

There were too many of my things in the estate; it took me several days just to pack everything.

I also made a trip back to my own clan's territory.

"Elena, what's this I hear from the Milan workshop about the order being canceled?" the First Elder of my clan asked, his voice laced with concern.

With a calm expression, I handed him the invitation from Europe's Supreme Institute for Vampiric Research.

"Elder, I'm going to Europe to lead a top-secret research project," I explained. "The gown won't be necessary. We'll have a simple ceremony."

I couldn't afford any complications before my departure, so I had to hide the truth about the breakup.

"Has Prince Vincent agreed to this?" the elder asked with a frown.

"Yes. He's handling all the arrangements for the ceremony," I lied calmly, giving them no chance to ask more before I turned and left.

I knew that if I said more, they would only worry.

They had watched the two centuries I'd spent humiliating myself in pursuit of Vincent.

And they had long been aware of the Prince's cold, dismissive attitude toward me.

They had warned me before, subtly, that I meant too little to Vincent and that I should reconsider.

But back then, I was blindly confident, convinced that with enough time, I could warm his heart and win him over completely.

Looking back now, I should have listened.

Late that night, I returned to the empty castle and called my best friend, Linda.

"Bring your most potent erasure potion. Get here now."

Ten minutes later, Linda teleported into my room.

Seeing the empty closets and drawers, her eyes widened in shock.

"Are you insane? You're going to erase your presence from this place entirely?" Linda grabbed my hand in disbelief.

"The Unification Ceremony is in ten days! You know how powerful a pureblood's scent-tracking is. You really want to leave him without a single trace of yourself?"

Linda was incredulous. She remembered how I had dragged her out for a full night of celebratory blood-wine when Vincent finally agreed to the ceremony.

I had gotten completely drunk, repeating endlessly how my two hundred years of devotion were finally paying off.

But now, here I was, demanding to destroy it all.

"You're actually serious," she said, her eyes wide. "I thought you were just blowing off steam at the bar the other day when you talked about canceling."

She paused, her brow furrowed. "I watched you pine after him for two centuries. What on earth happened? How can you bear to let go?"

Perhaps because my departure was so close, the long-suppressed need to confide finally broke through.

"He's staging a mock wedding with Camilla."

"And they formed a Mutual Blood Bond two weeks ago. In secret."

CRASH.

At my words, the glass vial slipped from Linda's hand and shattered on the floor.

"After you poured your heart out for him! He forms a life bond with another woman right before your ceremony, then has the gall to strong-arm you into accepting it? What is that lunatic thinking?"

I lowered my head, swallowing the sharp, bitter lump in my throat.

"I know. The unbreakable ancient code of honor. I can't fight that."

When she heard the words "ancient code of honor," Linda went rigid.

Her eyes blazed with fury. "Then what about the permanent sun-scars you got saving his life! How dare he treat you like this!"

I bit my lip, unable to say another word.

"I'm going to tear that hypocritical bitch apart!" Linda's eyes were bloodshot as she turned to leave.

I grabbed her arm.

"There's no point," I said, my voice unnervingly calm. "I no longer want what was never mine. Don't make a scene. Just help me cover my tracks."

Linda bit her lip, tears streaming down her face. Without another word, she waved her hand and cast the most powerful spell of erasure.

Five days until the ceremony, I officially submitted my resignation to the New York Coven's laboratory.

To stay by Vincent's side, I had given up a coveted position at the Supreme Institute in Europe to become his personal serumist.

Everyone in the lab was stunned by my announcement.

"Why quit so suddenly, Elena?"

"You just sent out the Unification Ceremony invitations. Is the Prince so possessive he's forcing you to be his consort full-time?"

I clutched a black case filled with my private research data and shook my head with a small smile.

"No, the wedding is off."

Ignoring the stunned silence of my colleagues, I drove straight back to the castle.

I saw Vincent almost immediately. He had been gone for days, but there he was, with a pale, smiling Camilla at his side.

They were leaning against the black velvet sofa, whispering to each other.

At the sound, Vincent's gaze fell on the black case in my hands, and he sat up abruptly.

"What's in the case?"

I offered a simple excuse. "Just some old things from the lab. I'm having them destroyed."

He seemed to relax, giving a thoughtful nod.

But as he scanned the now-empty hall, a hint of confusion crossed his face. "I've only been gone a week. Why does the castle feel so empty?"

I handed the case to a servant and met his gaze. "As I said, I'm clearing out the old."

Vincent was about to ask more, but Camilla interrupted him, her voice soft and delicate.

"Elena, thank you for letting me borrow the wedding gown. To show my gratitude, perhaps we could enjoy that new shipment of the finest pure blood together tonight?"

"The Prince has been so kind, staying with me during my recovery. I'm sure he's tired."

Her words sounded grateful, but she couldn't hide the triumphant air of a victor.

I didn't even bother to look up.

I was done playing these hypocritical games with her.

In five days, I would vanish from Vincent's world completely. For now, I just wanted to get through these final motions in peace.

Seeing my cold, silent demeanor, Camilla's eyes instantly reddened.

"Vincent… Is Elena angry with me? I mean, you two are about to be united, and I just..."

At the sound of her choked, pained voice, Vincent's expression darkened.

He was displeased. "Camilla is thanking you in good faith. Why the cold shoulder? You're not the Princess Consort yet. It's just one meal. It's not like she's going to poison your blood-wine."

I hadn't said a word, and still I was the one being blamed.

In the end, I nodded. I didn't want any more trouble.

At the hall's crystal bar, Vincent instructed the steward, "Open that vintage bottle of specialty blood-wine. Add Camilla's favorite, Ice-Thorn extract, to each glass."

He explained to Camilla, reciting from memory, "Ice-Thorn keeps the blood fresh. It's good for your condition."

I stood to the side, watching the steward fill three crimson goblets. My gaze turned to ice.

Ice-Thorn. I'm severely allergic to it.

For two centuries, a single drop of Ice-Thorn extract would cause violent spasms in my blood, an agony beyond words.

Every servant in the castle knew my personal goblet was never to contain it.

But Vincent, the man who had been my partner for two hundred years, had completely forgotten. Yet he remembered Camilla's preferences perfectly.

The steward approached me with a goblet laced with Ice-Thorn, his hands trembling.

I pushed the goblet away. "I'm severely allergic to Ice-Thorn," I said coldly.

At my words, Vincent's expression froze, a flicker of guilt crossing his face.

He waved the goblet away and ordered a servant to bring me a new glass of the pure blood I preferred.

But I didn't touch a single goblet. I just sat there, silently drinking ice water.

As we were leaving the Undercity, my phone buzzed.

It was my mentor from the European Institute.

"Elena, I need to confirm one last time. Are you absolutely certain you want to enter the subterranean labs directly?"

"This Daylight Serum project involves the highest level of coven secrets. Once the ancient magical seals are in place, you'll be completely cut off from the outside world for eighteen months."

My gaze fell on the two figures walking side by side ahead of me.

Vincent was holding Camilla by the waist, his large black cloak wrapped securely around her, shielding her from the tainted, low-grade magical energies of the Undercity.

"I'm sure," I replied without hesitation.

My mentor let out a long sigh of relief. "Good. The board was worried you wouldn't be able to leave your Prince."

I pulled my gaze away and turned to leave.

"The wedding is off."

"I can leave at a moment's notice."

The moment the words left my mouth, a cold voice cut in from behind me.

"Who's leaving?"

Vincent stepped out of the shadows, having heard the last few words of my phone call.

Clearly, he'd missed the rest of the conversation.

I turned around calmly, tapping my phone screen dark.

"One of my human lab assistants," I lied smoothly, my voice unhurried. "The hours were too demanding for her, so she resigned. She's leaving New York tomorrow."

Vincent watched me for a few seconds.

He had never concerned himself with his subordinates. Seeing it was just a human, the suspicion in his eyes vanished.

"Just an assistant. If she's gone, hire another."

He stepped closer, his tone returning to its usual arrogance. "The ceremony is almost here. You should be focusing on more important matters."

I lowered my eyes, offering no comment.

Four days left.

Vincent emerged from his study with a thick stack of photographs.

They were photos of Camilla in my couture wedding gown. He had actually had them printed.

Then, he took a video call from Camilla right there in the living room.

"I've had the ceremony venue decorated with the Lily of the Valley you like," Vincent said to the screen, his voice laced with a tenderness he seemed unaware of. "Get some rest these next few days."

I casually picked up a glass of blood-wine, took a sip, and said nothing.

Vincent looked at me, his lips parting as if he wanted to say something.

I gave the photos a cursory glance and offered a convincing smile. "That ice-silk gown really does suit her."

For two hundred years, I had dreamed of this moment.

I had imagined myself at our Unification Ceremony, arm in arm with the most powerful Prince in North America, accepting the fealty of thousands of vampires.

In the photos, the man in the dark, patterned formal wear, radiating a deadly allure, was the one I had been willing to sacrifice my long life for.

The only difference was that the bride by his side was not me.

Vincent looked completely stunned.

Finally, the alpha Prince was beginning to sense that something was wrong.

It had been a long time since I'd reached out to him through our private bond.

Even during the week he spent with Camilla in the Blood Springs of the Undercity, I hadn't sent a single accusatory message.

I was too calm, and that calmness stirred an unfamiliar panic in him.

Camilla was still chattering on the video call.

But Vincent's eyes were fixed on me, searching my placid gaze for any flicker of jealousy. He found nothing.

Two days left.

After a message from an informant, I went to the black market to acquire a batch of extremely rare materials for the Daylight Serum experiment.

Just as I stepped out of the market's dark alley, I ran into a familiar pair.

Vincent was being held up by a merchant selling rare magical artifacts.

Camilla followed me into the alley, blocking my path.

The alley was dimly lit. Away from Vincent, her pale face lost its fragile demeanor, replaced by an undisguised, taunting aggression.

"Elena," she said, her voice low and dripping with malicious glee. "How does it feel, watching the man you've loved for two centuries give the Mutual Blood Bond, a symbol of a shared life, to someone else?"

"Move," I said, my voice as cold as my eyes, tightening my grip on the case.

My time was precious. The experimental materials needed to be sealed away as soon as possible.

She grabbed my arm, refusing to let go.

"Don't waste your energy. So what if you were with him for two centuries?"

"He even let me wear the gown meant for you. On the day of the ceremony, I will be the one standing by his side."

My face was grim as I flung her hand off me. "I said, get out of my way."

But the instant my hand touched hers, a flash of vicious calculation crossed Camilla's eyes.

She went limp, using the force of my push to throw herself backward.

She crashed into a nearby stall laden with silver artifacts.

Sizzle...

The sizzle of pure silver searing flesh filled the air.

She clutched her burned arm and let out a bloodcurdling scream.

I froze.

I never imagined she would throw herself onto silver, a vampire's greatest weakness, just to frame me.

Instinctively, I took a step forward to check her injury, reaching out to help her up.

But in the next instant, Vincent teleported to her side, pulling Camilla protectively into his arms.

His crimson eyes locked on to me, blazing with fury.

"What did you do!"

"Apologize to Camilla. Now!"