How to Keep a Vampire - Chapter 2

In an ancient castle thousands of years ago.

The grand hall was magnificent, with precious gems and rare treasures embedded in the walls and pillars, blinding anyone who laid eyes on them for the first time.

It was luxurious and aristocratic, yes, but also full of the ostentatious vibe of an upstart.

However, this was the preference of the castle’s master, and no one dared to say a word. Such was the taste of Shi Yu; he loved collections that were both expensive and flashy.

Displaying his treasures before everyone was, in Shi Yu’s view, a form of sharing.

Allowing others to witness his treasures was a very pleasurable thing, and it could also be considered a way to satisfy those who wanted to curry favor with him—by giving everyone the opportunity to find rare treasures to gift him.

In the main seat of the hall, Shi Yu listlessly swayed a glass of red liquid. He picked up the goblet, spiritless, and pressed the rim to his lips, but he didn’t move it for a long time.

“Your Highness, do you still have no appetite?”

This was the Vampire race from thousands of years ago. According to the timeline, the Prince at that time should have been the grandfather of the Prince from a thousand years later.

After the Prince spoke, the high-ranking vampires around him also chimed in, filled with concern.

This liquid was the most delicious blood available.

Since a few days ago, Shi Yu had lost his appetite. Even though he had not eaten for days, he felt no interest in the delicacies before him.

Upon learning this news, the Prince had hurriedly organized the event, wanting to hold the sacrificial ceremony for Shi Yu ahead of schedule.

In a sense, it was no exaggeration to call Shi Yu the treasure of the Vampires.

After all, Shi Yu was the only atavistic bloodline currently among the Vampires, possessing a bloodline inheritance even more superior to that of the first-generation Vampires.

Among the Vampires, status is determined by bloodline ability. Even the Prince had an instinctive urge to bow down and submit in the face of such a superior atavistic Vampire.

Logically speaking, if Shi Yu wanted to, he could even sit on the Prince’s throne surrounded by a throng of Vampires.

Unfortunately, Shi Yu was too much of a slacker; he refused the thankless task of being Prince without the slightest hesitation.

The sacrificial ceremony was supposed to be held when a Vampire reached adulthood, and Shi Yu was only eight hundred years old, with several hundred years left before he reached adulthood.

Vampires come of age at one thousand years old. Under normal circumstances, they lose their appetite around the time of adulthood. At this time, a sacrificial ceremony is required to choose a satisfactory human to complete the Embrace.

This is a sacred moment for the Vampires: personally biting into the neck of the prey they have taken a fancy to, and then slowly savoring the sweet blood flowing from it. The Embrace requires consuming all of the human’s blood and then injecting one’s own blood into the human’s body. Through the Embrace, a human can be transformed into a vampire. This is also how the Vampire race marks a human, declaring their ownership.

Vampires and the Vampire race are different; the former are the lowest class of the latter.

On a forest path in the distance.

A humble carriage sped along the muddy road. The coachman wore a black veil hat that sufficiently covered his face. As the wind swept through the gaps, one could occasionally catch a glimpse of a pair of red-tinged eyes and a sickly, yellow complexion that looked as if it were about to crack.

The coachman was a vampire.

The carriage was cramped and full of humans who dared not cry out too loudly. Several people were squeezed into the already narrow space, and the salty, wet scent of tears was heavy.

Only one person was different. He was squeezed in the middle, and only a pair of obsidian-like eyes could be seen, which were currently numb and devoid of emotion.

The youth looked as if he had just reached adulthood. His cheeks were excessively thin, but that did not detract from the beauty of his overall contours.

Perhaps because he was of mixed race, his facial features were three-dimensional and superior, with thick brows like ink and a high nose bridge. Yet, because of his extreme silence, he seemed like an outsider among the crying and sobbing boys and girls.

“Ah”

The carriage swayed violently for a moment, as if a wheel had hit a large rock, causing the people inside to gasp; the sobbing was forced to pause.

“Bah! A bunch of jinxes.” The coachman’s complaining voice rose. He pulled open the carriage window, his horsewhip pointing at the few people in the very back, his words full of irritability.

“Lowly things, don’t blame me for whipping you to death if you cry again!”

The already suppressed sobbing vanished for a moment. The boys and girls all lowered their heads, not daring to meet the other’s terrifying eyes vampires were at the very fringe of the Vampire race, yet even this was enough to make them afraid.

They dared not imagine what would happen next, but they were even more afraid of dying right now.

The conflict between humans and the Vampire race had never ceased, but it had naturally formed an industrial chain. The Vampire sacrificial ceremony required humans, and these humans were mostly sold to the Vampires by others.

The coachman hummed with satisfaction. He looked around carefully; the humans in the carriage were all very good-looking, especially the youth squeezed in the middle.

These humans couldn’t tell, but he knew.

The youth had a pair of half-Vampire eyes this was the offspring of a union between a Vampire and a human, an existence that was looked down upon.

What was different was that from the hair of this half-Vampire, a small, fuzzy, circular arc was vaguely exposed, with a bit of gray mixed into the white soft fur.

“A mongrel born from a werewolf and a vampire?” The coachman sneered contemptuously.

The characteristics of a werewolf are the wolf ears in their hair, which are mostly gray, with harder hair and standing upright in points. But this half-Vampire’s ears were not as pointed as a werewolf’s; the triangular curve was rounder. Compared to wolf ears, they looked more like a puppy’s ears, with a bit of gray mixed into the white fluff.

“A neither-fish-nor-fowl thing, heh.”

But in his view, this lowly half-Vampire was a trade object that could be sold for a good price. The Prince’s sacrificial ceremony was underway, and the picky big shots were extremely demanding about their prey; this half-Vampire’s blood was very alluring.

Coupled with this excellent appearance, he was the perfect sacrifice for the ceremony.

Greedy malice emerged in the coachman’s turbid eyes, sticking deeply to Wen Si.

The low-level vampires dared not covet such a delicacy. If he could win the favor of the protagonist of today’s foundation ceremony, His Highness Shi Yu, it would be the greatest honor.

As if feeling something, Wen Si raised his pitch-black eyes. He looked at the coachman like a deep pool, as calm as a crouching beast eyeing an opponent it wanted to tear apart.

They remained locked in a silent, endless standoff.

The coachman felt his scalp tingle from being stared at by the youth. He glared at him fiercely, “I’m warning you all, the upcoming sacrificial ceremony is very important. The Vampire lords will come to choose the sacrifices they fancy. This is your honor, to be able to become the lords’ blood servants.”

The coachman’s words were full of longing, as if he wished he could be the sacrifice himself. This was the natural submission of vampires to the high-ranking Vampires.

The hierarchy among the Vampire race is distinct. Only those with pure bloodlines can be called Vampires; the low-level ones are just vampires.

The carriage continued to move along the bumpy road. This time, the sacrifices in the carriage dared not cry loudly anymore, fearing they would annoy the coachman, and only dared to sob with trembling shoulders.

The further they went into the depths of the forest, the darker the sky became. A flock of black crows flew over their heads, adding a bit of eerie vitality to the quiet forest.

Finally, the carriage passed through the cover of the forest and stopped in front of an ancient castle.

Surrounded by numerous thorns and pink roses, an ancient castle stood tall. Vines wound around the bottom of the castle; rather than being built, it looked more like it had blossomed from the midst of the rose bushes. The castle was old but did not appear dilapidated. The gold-plated ceiling fire candles lit up the dim night, casting light through the transparent windows to the outside.

Compared to a castle, it perhaps deserved a more fitting name.

—The Rose Castle.

“Good evening, sir.”

The castle’s butler was a young man named Lan Yin. He was standing quietly in front of the door and was not impolite even when seeing the low-level vampire driving the carriage.

The coachman had long since lost his previous arrogance. He nodded and bowed, smiling obsequiously, “Greetings, my lord. The sacrifices for today are in the carriage. I hope His Highness will like them.”

Lan Yin nodded. His white-gloved hand lifted the cloth in front of the carriage, carefully inspecting the sacrifices inside, especially the youth in the middle.

Fearing that the butler would despise a low-quality sacrifice like a half-Vampire, the coachman quickly explained, “This half-Vampire…”

Unexpectedly, before he could finish, Lan Yin withdrew his gaze.

“Take the sacrifices to wash and change their clothes.”

As his voice fell, the servants waiting on the side stepped forward and began to act in an orderly manner.

In the main seat, looking down from above, the high-ranking Vampires in the hall clinked glasses.

Shi Yu sat in a seat that allowed him to overlook the entire situation; rather than him watching others, it was more that it was convenient for others to watch him.

His eyelashes were lowered, and his pink-tinted eyes were filled with a faint mist, the wateriness making the youth’s pupils shimmer even more. He didn’t look very energetic, and his face showed an unhealthy, faint flush, as if his very breath carried a touch of heat.

It was a moist, dewy, and gorgeous look.

The young Vampires who carefully raised their eyes could not help but lower their gazes, their earlobes burning; the youth’s pink pupils turned into tangible red, burning on their faces.

His Highness… is so beautiful.

Shi Yu’s mood was calm. He pulled the corners of his full, ruddy lips into an arc, staring at the glittering ruby silver ring on his finger. A faint restlessness arose in his body unconsciously; his head gradually became dizzy, and an anxious mood emerged. The bustling noise below drifted further and further away from him. Instinctive craving made him look toward the entrance of the hall.

“The sacrifices have arrived.”

“I don’t know if His Highness will like them.”

“Hey, it seems a half-Vampire has been mixed in.”

“Did you guys smell a fragrance?”

In a trance, Shi Yu’s long, slender eyelashes trembled for a moment, like a butterfly beating its wings, finding its habitat.

“Stop making noise.”

The moment the youth in the main seat finished speaking, the previously noisy hall suddenly became dead silent. Everyone’s gaze gathered on the youth, their fervent eyes condensing into beads that turned into the thin sweat on Shi Yu’s snow-white neck.

The sacrifices stood in the center of the hall, heads lowered and trembling, all of them being good-looking humans.

A very rich fragrance floated in the air. Almost without needing to search, Shi Yu locked onto his target.

The blood color in the depths of Shi Yu’s eyes surged. Red like pigeon-blood stone gradually occupied his pupils, and his small fangs unconsciously wanted to break free from their master’s will to grow out, his entire temperament becoming bizarrely beautiful.

The dangerous color made it even harder for others to look away.

He subconsciously licked his lips, the full, pink, and moist lips stained with a layer of water, appearing even more glamorous, like a pink rose blooming brilliantly in the moonlight.

Shi Yu hesitated as he recognized, “It’s a half-Vampire…”

Almost instantly, Shi Yu rose from his seat and appeared in the center of the hall, leaving only a flickering afterimage.

One of the abilities of the atavistic bloodline teleportation.

“Raise your head.”

Shi Yu’s voice was clear and melodious, like a trickling stream flowing through the heart, but the faint words carried an unquestionable command.

Wen Si raised his head obediently, meeting Shi Yu’s condescending gaze, and his calm, waveless emotions were stirred.

The light pillar in the hall tilted down, shining on Wen Si’s face—his skin was cold and white, his features deep, which was very much to Shi Yu’s aesthetic.

Everything around seemed very far away, yet the intense fragrance was close at hand.

Unlike other humans, Wen Si’s pupils contained half a blood color. Shi Yu couldn’t help but look for a long time at the fuzzy circular arc in Wen Si’s short hair; that was the mark of a werewolf, but it was not entirely the same.

After all, a werewolf’s hair is rough and stiff, while the ears of the youth in front of him…

“Soft.” Shi Yu’s fingers touched that soft texture gently and unconsciously. With just a light touch, the warm ear shrank violently and shivered.

Wen Si was surprised and retreated for a moment, his eyes flashing with wariness as he looked at the youth.

“Be good, little dog.” Shi Yu did not mind Wen Si’s reaction at all, his mouth curving up into a tone that could be called gentle, “Remember, I am the master.”

Wen Si’s pitch-black eyes contracted suddenly, and the ears in his hair folded down limply.

Lan Yin reviewed the events of the sacrificial ceremony for Shi Yu.

According to Lan Yin’s description, he really had rescued an ungrateful little dog.

And now that the little dog had grown up, he had even occupied his territory; there had never been an atavistic Vampire as aggrieved as he was.

However, Shi Yu was more concerned about the little dog ears mentioned; it was hard to imagine that Wen Si really had a pair of fuzzy little circular arcs. His eyes flickered with interest.

[My memory only goes up to the sacrificial ceremony, and the subsequent memories are very blurry. But baby, it should have been shortly after the sacrificial ceremony that you fell into a deep sleep.]

[So I have a bold guess…!]

“The one who harmed me is Wen Si.”

At the same time, Shi Yu and Lan Yin said in unison.

[Baby, why are you so calm?]

The pale pink transparent little ball of light appeared again, with a big (ovo)? expression.

“He is a suspect. The ultimate beneficiary at first glance seems to be entirely him,” Shi Yu analyzed, “However, we don’t know more details, and I don’t have my former abilities now, so the first thing I should do is not expose myself.”

“If he is really an ungrateful little dog, then he is the most dangerous person to me.”

[Yes yes yes, so the next step is for us to show what we can do.]

Lan Yin also became a mass of consciousness after he fell into a deep sleep, imprisoned in the castle. The time he could stay awake each day was limited, and day after day, there actually wasn’t much information.

“I’m hungry, let’s go eat first.” Shi Yu stroked the soft texture of the black velvet beneath him, reluctant to get up.

The blue sky and white clouds were clean and pure. He pulled back the heavy red velvet floor-to-ceiling curtains, and the sun, scorching enough to blur the corners of its edges, hung high in the sky, shining inside without hesitation.

Shi Yu was not used to this intense brightness and couldn’t help but squint his eyes. His amber eyes appeared transparent under the reflection of the light.

“Long time no see, sunshine.”

He curled his lips happily, his beautiful, pale face becoming lively.

This was on the third floor; there were six floors in total in the castle, but overall, the view from the third floor was the best.

[After you fell into a deep sleep, Wen Si maintained almost the original layout of the castle. So the garden and fountain in front of you are the same as before you slept, except that many unrecognizable roses have been added to the flower beds.]

[On this point, Wen Si still has self-knowledge; the castle will have to be returned to you sooner or later anyway. Hmph.

The colors of the roses were bright and the petals were delicate, gathering into a sea of flowers, shining brilliantly in the sun.

Shi Yu thought to himself that Wen Si had done a good job in enriching the rose varieties.

The ability of an atavistic Vampire includes superior vision; he could even clearly see that a rosebud ready to bloom was decorated with morning dewdrops, looking delicate and dripping with beauty.

Everything if one ignored the ever-changing scenery outside seemed as if its master was still him.

Pushing open the door, he was met by a woman dressed in a maid’s outfit.

When she saw the person coming, the arc of her mouth stiffened, and she bowed respectfully, “Sir, Lord Duke has ordered me to take you to the dining room for a meal.”

Shi Yu: “…”

“Okay, thank you.” Shi Yu blinked, staring at the maid’s emotionless eyes.

How troublesome; he even had to send a puppet to take care of dining on human food.

This maid, without a doubt, was hypnotized. It was an ability that only a pure-blood Vampire could possess; besides him, only one other person could do it.

“Wen Si.”