Chapter 5
1070words
Leicester stood by the window, absently tracing the frame with his fingertips. His nails glowed faintly blue in the moonlight—a telltale sign of vampires long deprived of sunlight. His skin remained cold as winter frost.
I remembered how tightly he'd buttoned his collar on our wedding day. When the wind occasionally lifted his cape, I'd caught glimpses of an angry red mark on his chest. He'd dismissed it as an "old wound," but now I suspected there was more to the story.
"The wolf tribe holds their ceremony on the eve of the blood moon," Leicester said, turning to face me. His crimson eyes burned in the darkness. "That's when they drink fresh blood and tear into raw meat. Their bestial nature reaches its peak. Grey choosing this day to 'deliver a big gift' means he plans to unleash their savagery against us."
I remembered the wolf tribe's ceremony from my previous life. Grey's tribesmen had circled the bonfire, ripping into deer carcasses with their teeth. Blood dripped onto the snow, freezing into crimson beads. Their nails lengthened into claws, their ears sharpened to points—wild beasts barely contained in human form.
"I know their weakness." I pulled a package of dried Silver Leaf from my medicine box. "This works like pepper to werewolves—a pinch makes them sneeze uncontrollably."
Leicester approached and bent to sniff the Silver Leaf. He winced slightly—vampires were notoriously sensitive to herbs, especially potent ones like this.
He suddenly coughed twice, pressing his hand to his chest. The movement seemed stiff, pained.
Days ago, while tending the herb garden together, his face had turned ashen when a sliver of midday sun touched his sleeve. When questioned, he'd muttered that "all vampires fear light." Only now did I realize his reaction to sunlight was far more severe than normal for his kind.
"Grey can wait. We need to investigate something first." Leicester guided me toward the study, his footsteps silent as shadow—a natural vampire trait that left no sound even on carpet. "My grandfather's study might hold clues about my… condition."
I followed, increasingly curious. For him to openly acknowledge his "condition," something significant must be weighing on his mind.
The study's bookshelves were more extensive than I'd imagined. On the top shelf sat a black leather diary secured with a bronze lock. To my surprise, the lock's pattern matched my Contract Ring perfectly.
Leicester brought a ladder. As I climbed to retrieve the diary, my Contract Ring suddenly burned against my skin, as if reaching toward the lock with invisible tendrils.
With a soft click, the lock sprang open. Leicester's eyebrows shot up. "Your ring can unlock ancient bronze? Interesting."
The diary's handwriting was bold and dark, the ink seemingly mixed with blood. I flipped to a middle page and froze at one particular line: "In the year of the Blood Moon, at the Sacred Grove pledge, the Wolf Clan bearing bone staff and the Blood Clan bearing blood jade jointly sealed the Abyss Demon. The King, fearing their alliance, rewrote history to claim they slaughtered each other, then cast the Blood Curse to exterminate the Blood Clan."
I remembered the wolf bone staff from my previous life—the one with a carved wolf head that Grey's tribe brought out for every ritual. Not just a sacred object, but a symbol of the ancient alliance between our races.
"Blood Curse?" I looked up at Leicester, understanding dawning. "The mark on your chest—it's from this curse, isn't it?"
Leicester silently opened his collar, revealing the Sunlight Scar. The skin was angry red, with tiny fissures spreading from the edges—far worse than the glimpses I'd caught before.
"Three years ago, the king sent a 'gift.' After drinking the wine, I became… this." His voice dropped to a dangerous register, crimson eyes hardening. "Pain when exposed to even the weakest light—far beyond normal vampire sensitivity. Our elders recognized it as the royal family's Blood Curse, designed specifically for vampire nobility."
I thought of how I'd helped Grey in my past life—brewing remedies when plague struck the wolf tribe, saving half their numbers; using Contract Magic to spot enemy traps before his warriors fell into them. Half his military glory had been built on my silent contributions.
"The royal family isn't just targeting vampires," I said, closing the diary. "They're deliberately pitting us against werewolves—using both carrot and stick to manipulate Grey, ensuring our tribes destroy each other."
The diary's final page described the curse's remedy: "The Blood Curse can only be broken with the original blood moon covenant, hidden behind the stone wall in the wolf tribe's sacred cave."
Leicester took my hand, his grip tight despite his cool skin. "You're the 'Covenant Guardian.' Mother must have known—that's why she left you the ring."
I remembered Mother's final moments—her desperate grip on my hand as she whispered, "Protect yourself, and those who deserve protection." Even then, she'd been entrusting me with the hope of reconciliation between our peoples.
"But the Sacred Cave lies deep in wolf territory, under Grey's constant watch. And Seraphina will help him—her head's filled with dreams of being a 'general's wife.' She won't let us ruin her fantasy."
I remembered Seraphina's pathetic display at the banquet. She believed stealing a werewolf husband would grant her my former glory, never realizing that without my guidance, Grey couldn't have won even his first border skirmish.
"I know a way into the Sacred Cave." I tucked the Silver Leaf into my pocket. "In my previous life, I helped some elder werewolves who still guard its entrance. They owe me favors—time to collect."
Leicester's face softened into a genuine smile, the tips of his fangs just visible—a rare sign of vampire ease.
"We'll split up, then. You find the elders while I track the royal family's movements." He handed me a small vial of pale red liquid. "Vampire blood. If werewolves attack, sprinkle this—they'll recoil instantly."
I took the ice-cold vial, noticing that my Contract Ring no longer burned against my skin. Not a burden after all, but a weapon left by Mother—the key to healing centuries of hatred between our peoples.
Whatever schemes Grey and Seraphina might hatch, I would uncover the truth in this life. The royal family—and everyone else who had wronged me—would pay their debts in full.
