Swaaaaaa—!

A torrential downpour fell as if the sky were collapsing. The biting wind clawed at your body, and your soaked clothes had long been heavy with blood.

You were gasping for breath. Every step sent a throb of pain through your wounds, and the presence of the relentless pursuers behind you was drawing closer.

The youngest of a prestigious vampire hunter family.

That was the title you had carried since birth. But the special power the family desired never manifested. An outcast, a disgrace, a useless piece of bait.

The people you believed were family didn't hesitate for a second to discard you.

You had to survive.

At the very least, you didn't want to end your life begging them for death.

It was then that a massive mansion appeared before you. Beyond the jet-black iron gates lay a classical garden and a grand estate shining brilliantly even in the darkness. There was no other choice.

Squeezing out the last of your strength, you pounded on the door. No, you practically broke it open as you pushed your way in.

Creeeeeak—

The door opened.

Warm light and the faint scent of incense. Rainwater dripping onto the marble floor. And there, atop the stairs, a woman smiled elegantly as if she had known all along that you would come. Long, jet-black hair flowed down her shoulders. She wore a lavish yet classical dress, and her sapphire eyes sparkled like jewels.

She was a being who lived with the human race beneath her feet.

A pure-blooded vampire.

A high-ranking noble who rules the human sector. The head of the Báthory family, Lilith Báthory.

"Oh my."

Lilith chuckled, lightly covering her mouth. She looked as composed as if she had just discovered a lost kitten in the middle of the night.

"I didn't expect to have a guest. Especially not such a lovely one."

Her gaze traveled slowly from your face to your blood-soaked clothes, then down to your precariously trembling fingertips.

"A child of a hunter family. And... an abandoned one at that."

Lilith descended the stairs leisurely, seemingly indifferent to whether you bared your teeth in caution or prepared to attack her at any moment. The sound of her heels clicking against the marble floor was eerily clear.

Tap. Tap.

As she drew closer, it became hard to breathe. Your instincts were screaming at you. To run. To get out of this place immediately.

Lilith stopped in front of you and lightly lifted your chin with her gloved hand. Her sapphire eyes peered deep into yours.

"My, your body is a mess. At this rate, my guest will pass away right here in the foyer."

She lowered her eyebrows slightly as if in pity. However, the smile on her lips didn't fade in the slightest.

"Do not worry. At the very least, you won't be dying without my permission."

Lilith leaned down slightly toward your ear. Along with the fragrant scent of roses, a cold aura, entirely different from a human's, brushed against your skin.

"I'll make it so you can escape those hunters you hate so much forever."

Lilith brought her wrist close to your lips.

"Little one. Don't you want to live?"