2

Satisfied, I aimed David's wrist at the glass as he prepared a Bloody Mary for me.

After he finished making it, he respectfully handed it over to me.

"Thanks." I lifted the drink and took a satisfying sip while raising an eyebrow.

My thirst for blood was insatiable. One Bloody Mary simply wouldn't suffice for an entire night at the bar. The strong smell of alcohol mixed with various perfumes and smoke masked the scent of human blood. However, there were times when I got addicted at the bar—during those moments, I'd kiss men's necks on the dance floor to drink their blood before making them forget everything.

In this vibrant atmosphere filled with lights and drinks, no one noticed what I was doing. Thus, I spent quite some leisurely days at Green Bar without finding what I truly desired.

That night, I sat alone at the bar savoring my drink—this time it was genuine alcohol as I'd fed enough at home before coming out.

Wearing a backless black scale dress with long black hair cascading down my waist almost obscuring it, I could feel many men casting covetous glances at me, yet none dared approach me. I took a sip of my drink with a disdainful smile.

Most regular male patrons here had already fallen under my spell. There wasn't much novelty left for me anymore after such a long time without encountering any attractive men.

I planned to switch places after tonight to see if there were any men who caught my eye elsewhere.

But then my plans were interrupted by a man.

"May I buy you a drink?" A man approached from outside my line of sight.

I tilted my head slightly to look and was instantly captivated by his charm. He was incredibly handsome, resembling those from our vampire clan. Tall with sharp features, he clearly stood apart from ordinary folks.

Yet I sensed his human scent. He wasn't from my kind.

Raising an eyebrow slightly, I gestured for him to sit beside me. I never refuse handsome men.

Moreover, this attractive man stirred an unusual feeling within me.

For the first time in years, I felt butterflies in my stomach.

"Is this love?" I laughed inwardly. Perhaps I've finally found the man I've been searching for.

"I don't think I've seen you here before," I downed my drink in one go.

"Maybe it's fate," he replied with a smile that felt like spring sunshine enveloping me.

Through our conversation, I learned his name was Martin and that he worked at a research institute downtown.

I assumed he was involved in scientific research since there wasn't any biological research institute downtown.

We chatted pleasantly together.

As we drank real alcohol together and lost ourselves in each other's company.

But when I leaned closer to his neck, that moment, I realized that I wanted to drink his blood. My desire surged intensely. Abruptly pushing Martin away, I hurriedly ran outside.

Back home that night, I soaked in my blood pool leisurely while gazing at two nearly lifeless men within it—feeling no pity whatsoever.

After indulging myself with their blood, the terrifying cracks on my face disappeared while the crimson hue in my eyes gradually faded away. Breathing heavily in satisfaction, I retracted my fangs.

This time instead of saving them, I instructed my servants to dispose of those two dead bodies casually in the woods.

Little did I know that this careless mistake would bring trouble upon me.

In my haste leaving Martin behind without exchanging contact information left him lingering on my mind.

The next night came around as usual. I once again found myself at the bar.

I wore a restraint bracelet designed to suppress bloodlust—a gift from my parents when they sought help after noticing my addiction at eight years old.

I wanted to see if I'd encounter Martin again. Though honestly uncertain if I'd run into him again since yesterday was our first meeting at Green Bar. He might just be passing through. Anxiously entering that night filled with trepidation about possibly not finding him again, fearing that this one man who made me feel different would vanish without a trace.

3

But as soon as I entered the bar, I spotted a familiar figure. A satisfied smile crept across my face. It seemed like fate was on my side.

But while others might attribute their fate to destiny, mine was orchestrated by human hands. This was something I would only realize later.

As I walked towards Martin, I noticed two women trying to flirt with him.

I couldn't hear what they were saying, but their desires were evident on their faces.

But it appeared that Martin had turned them down.

The two women left in disappointment.

"What a coincidence," I said, sitting down next to Martin and ordering a bourbon.

"Actually, I don't usually come here," he replied, looking at me with a shy smile.

I tilted my head slightly, not quite understanding what he meant. However, the fact that he had rejected those two women but not me made me very happy.

"I wanted to try my luck and see if I could run into you again," Martin said earnestly, looking into my eyes.

His eyes were beautiful—dark and shiny like obsidian, captivating enough to mesmerize me.

"Were you waiting for me?" My pupils trembled at his words, stirring something within me.

Suddenly, Martin leaned closer, causing my heart to race wildly as if it might leap from my chest.

Wearing a blood-suppressing bracelet, I successfully kissed him that day.

We quickly fell deeply in love.

Vampires can amplify emotions. The joy I felt with Martin was intoxicating, pulling me deeper into his gentle trap.

I had fallen for Martin.

Every day, I reveled in the sweetness of finding my beloved. My entire world was enveloped in love. It was the first time I experienced such bliss—finding a loyal partner felt like this.

My infatuation continued until my parents sent me a message insisting that I break up with him and return immediately.

But I refused adamantly. They were powerless against my resolve and could only advise me to stay safe and not get hurt.

I didn't realize that would be my parents' last communication with me.

Martin told me he studied chemistry. The specifics were unclear to me since I had little interest in that field and didn't ask further questions.

Martin and I loved each other dearly.

We engaged in many wild adventures together.

I had fallen deeply in love with him.

But I was a mixed-blood vampire.

I couldn't be exposed to sunlight. I could only come out at night or during overcast days.

I worried that Martin would become suspicious. Even though he worked late hours, it was still light outside when he finished his job.

That night after our date, I returned home late.

"Princess," Kevin and Casey were waiting for me as I walked into the hall.

I glanced at them but didn't pay much attention. They were sent by my parents. They were probably there to persuade me to break up with Martin or leave this place and return to my own territory.

Ignoring them, I headed toward the blood pool.

"Your Highness, please come back with us," Kevin and Casey followed closely behind me.

"I'm not going back." I leisurely stepped into the blood pool, lying down as cracks appeared on my face, revealing my crimson eyes as I savored the rich scent of blood.

"Are Darl's people here again?" I casually asked while pulling someone who was soaking at the edge of the blood pool and biting into his neck without hesitation to drink deeply.

Kevin and Casey kept their heads down in silence.

I chuckled softly.

Why should I go back when no one was causing trouble? I had found my beloved. I wanted to be with him fully.

Darl had caused me trouble several times before, but each time he failed miserably. He simply overestimated himself.

4

After sending Kevin and Casey away, I continued living my carefree life.

For many days now, I've only appeared at night. This situation left me unsure how to explain things to Martin.

There were also many things we couldn't do together—like watching sunrises and sunsets, which are so romantic. Sometimes I resented being part of this race. But then again, if he were of my kind, wouldn't we be able to be together forever?

I loved Martin deeply. Such selfish thoughts flashed through my mind briefly.

I considered telling Martin about my identity. If he agreed, I could transform him into one of us.

But then fear gripped me—what if he was scared and left? Let alone becoming one of us. This inner conflict trapped me in turmoil.

That day, I chatted with Martin under the moonlight.

"Do you believe in zombies and vampires?" I asked while sitting beside him.

"Others might not believe it," Martin paused for two seconds before chuckling lightly.

"Oh?" My interest piqued. Did that mean he believed?

"I've done some research," Martin replied, gazing ahead with a slight smile on his lips as if it were a casual remark.

Yet his nonchalant statement sent chills down my spine.

I had seen how biological research institutes captured vampires and zombies for study—how they dissected us, observing our bodies regenerate organs time after time... They even tried extracting immortality genes from us.

Staring blankly at Martin, I thought he was just a scientist focused on research.

I never imagined he worked at a city research institute studying vampires and zombies!

A wave of doubt washed over me. Panic set in as suspicion arose—was he approaching me for ulterior motives?

If it wasn't for some hidden agenda, then having researched these creatures meant he likely knew about our habits and he could easily discover who I really was!

I couldn't help but feel anxious and asked him what exactly he studied.

"It's not what you think," Martin said, his gaze fixed on me with a hint of mockery—as if sensing that my thoughts were filled with terrifying notions.

He explained that he wasn't professionally involved in this field. It was merely a personal interest of his because he found such creatures fascinating—especially vampires. He had heard they were beautiful and wished to meet one in real life someday.

As he spoke those words filled with yearning and curiosity about new things, I gradually relaxed.

What would Martin think if he knew the very kind of creature he longed to see was right beside him?

However, I didn't dare tell him directly.

"What if I'm a vampire? What would you do?" I leaned closer to him and tentatively asked by his ear.

"Then turn me into one," Martin suddenly turned to look at me with an intense gaze that sent shivers down my spine.

"I don't have that ability," I chuckled lightly to brush it off.

"Just kidding," Martin held my hand and pulled me into his embrace.

Smiling faintly, a shadow of doubt settled in my heart—did Martin want to become a vampire?

But since he said it was just a joke and didn't press further on the topic, it faded away quietly between us.

Having been sheltered all my life without witnessing the darker side of humanity made me naive enough to believe that Martin wanted to become one of us out of love for me. Thus an idea began to take root within me. I wanted to become him.