"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!"

At Vincent's immediate, baseless accusation, I didn't back down. I just laughed, a cold, sharp sound.

"Apologize to her?" I scoffed. "For that pathetic little performance?"

Vincent's brow tightened, his face grim. "I saw you push her into the silver with my own eyes."

"Camilla's bloodline is already failing. Why would she deliberately hurt herself?"

"Are you truly that blind? A Prince who can't distinguish a lie from the truth." My tone was ice. "If you want the truth, read her surface memories. See if I pushed her, or if she threw herself!"

At the words "read her memories," Camilla's supposedly weak body went rigid.

A flash of panic crossed her eyes, and in the next instant, they rolled back and she collapsed into Vincent's arms.

"Forget it, Vincent. It's normal for Elena to be angry. After all, I did use her wedding gown… Let's just go. My chest… it hurts so much…"

I saw right through her act.

She was afraid Vincent would actually probe her memories, so she feigned a swoon.

As expected, Vincent panicked. He immediately swept Camilla into his arms.

That night, he didn't return to the castle.

I guessed he was busy using his own pure blood to soothe Camilla's "bloodline spasms."

The next morning, I sent all my luggage to the Supreme Institute in Florence via a teleportation array.

In the vast princely bedchamber, only a small case of my personal effects remained.

Not a single trace of me remained.

Late that night, the castle doors opened.

Vincent returned, carrying the faint scent of another's blood, his expression etched with anger and exhaustion.

He had clearly given up a significant amount of his own pure blood to heal Camilla's silver burns.

"Camilla is still in the healing chamber."

He approached me. "Even if you didn't mean to, as the future Princess Consort, you could have shown some grace. Must you pick a fight with a dying woman?"

I laughed, a bone-chillingly cold sound.

I had been more than generous.

Generous enough to let her have my title, generous enough to let her wear the ice-silk gown that held all my dreams.

Vincent's gaze fell on the parchment calendar on the table.

The circled date was tomorrow.

His tone softened as he reached for me. "Alright, the Unification Ceremony is tomorrow. I don't want to fight anymore."

"After the ritual, apologize to her. For the sake of our clan's dignity, we will let this matter drop."

"Then we'll go on our honeymoon. Have you made the arrangements?"

I didn't respond.

If he had been paying any attention at all, he would have noticed long ago.

This castle, the supposed venue for a grand ceremony, was devoid of a single Nether Rose, the flower of union.

Did this look like a place preparing for a wedding tomorrow?

"Vincent…"

I was about to speak when his phone rang.

He answered. Camilla's weak plea for help came through the line.

"Wait for me. I'm on my way."

He cut the call and strode toward the door.

"Camilla's blood bond is unstable. I have to check on her in the hidden chamber. Don't be late for the ceremony tomorrow. Be at the clan's Sacred Hall on time."

In the instant he crossed the threshold, just as the door began to close, I looked at his retreating back and said softly:

"Vincent, we're done."

The door slammed shut, drowning out my voice completely.

He left in such a hurry that he didn't hear me. But it no longer mattered.

I sat in the empty hall until dawn.

A message from my mentor arrived. Two hours until departure.

I drew a heavy X over tomorrow's date on the calendar, the day of my Unification Ceremony.

Then, I spread out a piece of ancient parchment.

With the magic of a high-born vampire, I wrote two final words: Pact Annulled.

I placed the parchment in the center of the table and walked away from the gilded cage that had imprisoned me for two centuries, without a single backward glance.

Meanwhile, Vincent stayed by the healing pool until Camilla's bloodline stabilized.

Elena's emotionless eyes from the moment he left kept flashing through his mind.

He stood, preparing to rush to the clan's Sacred Hall.

On the way, he sent a telepathic message through our private bond.

Are the wards at the ceremony site in place? I'm on my way.

There was no response.

He scrolled through their message history.

For the past month, almost all the messages had been trivial notes from her.

What time will you be back at the castle tonight? I've mixed a new blood drink.

The menu for the ceremony's blood feast. Do you have time to confirm it?

I chose Nether Roses for the Sacred Hall's decorations. Is that alright?

And his replies were always cold and dismissive: Fine. You decide. Whatever.

An unfamiliar panic began to coil in his chest.

He remembered telling her about the mock wedding with Camilla. Elena's gaze had been unnervingly calm.

And from that day on, she had stopped initiating contact through their bond and no longer waited up for him.

He quickened his pace.

But surely Elena had arranged everything. She was always so meticulous.

When he arrived at the Sacred Hall, he realized he had no idea what the ceremony actually entailed. Elena had never explained the details, and he had never bothered to ask.

He strode toward the head steward of the Sacred Hall.

"Which dressing chamber is Lady Elena in?"

The head steward's face went white, and his entire body began to tremble.

"Your Highness…"

"Lady Elena had all the ceremonial wards dismantled two weeks ago. She said the wedding was canceled."