I’m Not Falling for the Vampire Princess! - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Jona woke up with a start, only to find herself standing in the center of a dance floor. The hall was luxuriously decorated, and everyone present wore opulent formal attire. The classical Western architecture made Jona feel as if she were inside a medieval castle.

Feeling a sticky liquid on her skin, Jona looked down and discovered that her snow-white gown was stained with red wine. She reached out to wipe it away, but a strong, metallic scent of blood hit her nose. With horror, she realized the liquid staining her skirt wasn’t red wine—it was fresh blood.

Fear surged through her. Resisting the urge to retch, Jona scanned her surroundings. The light reflecting off the crystal chandeliers above the dance floor was blinding. She took a half-step back, instinctively raising her hand to block the glare, only to have her wrist seized in a death grip.

A bone-chilling cold radiated from the hand on her wrist, making her shiver. She tried to pull away, but she couldn’t break free no matter how hard she struggled.

The one holding her was a lady in a purple gown. Her lace gloves were coarse, chafing Jona’s wrist until it stung. The lady in purple questioned her loudly: “To ruin Princess Aurora’s coronation banquet and commit such a blunder—does Miss Jona expect to escape punishment by playing dumb?”

“It matters not. I’m sure Miss Jona didn’t do it on purpose.” A gentle yet powerful voice rang out, and everyone’s gaze was involuntarily drawn toward the second floor.

Aurora was dressed in a golden gown, her long, beige hair appearing effortless yet perfectly arranged. Though she wore no crown, her majesty was undeniable. She looked down nonchalantly at the chaotic hall, seeing the overturned goblets that were supposed to be filled with blood now spilling scarlet across the floor.

“Miss Jona surely must have a reason for doing this. Please, Miss Jona, give me a reasonable explanation.”

Aurora?

The familiar name echoed in Jona’s mind. She suddenly remembered that this was a ruthless character from a novel. That novel began exactly like this: a banquet filled with blood and fangs.

Jona hammered her head, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest. She could only vaguely recall the plot, unable to immediately link those events to her current situation. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had transmigrated into a book.

The novel was about the power struggle between the vampire princesses and the Council of Elders. The “Miss Jona” who shared her name was merely a pawn in this game. She had been framed into sabotaging Aurora’s coronation to prevent the eldest princess from becoming Queen. The price for this was becoming an outcast of her family; she had perished before the story even reached the VIP chapters. In the original text, Jona ended up as “royal rations,” dying a gruesome death from blood loss.

The thought made Jona shudder.

Aurora descended slowly from the spiral staircase, her diamond-encrusted train spreading across the steps like the tail feathers of a phoenix, making it impossible to look away. Unfortunately, she wasn’t a phoenix, but a genuine vampire. She lightly brushed the gilded railing as she walked step by step toward Jona.

Seeing Jona trembling, she leaned in slightly and gently lifted Jona’s chin. Her voice was tender, carrying a hint of seduction. “Miss Jona, do not be afraid. If someone coerced you, I will have the Council investigate and find justice for you. No one here will harm you.”

As if!

Jona knew full well that Princess Aurora’s kindness was only skin-deep. The one who actually wanted to ruin the coronation was the third princess, Fanier. In the original story, the host-Jona was retaliated against because she snitched on Fanier. But if she said nothing and took the blame, she wouldn’t survive either.

Jona sensed a sinister gaze fixed on her from the crowd. She realized that in this world of “survival of the fittest,” she had to cling to a powerful leg to survive.

“No one coerced me! I wanted to ruin Princess Aurora’s coronation myself!”

Jona’s voice rang through the hall, and everyone held their breath.

“What did you say?”

Jona took a deep breath, looked into Aurora’s eyes, and shouted: “Because my lifelong wish is to marry Princess Aurora! If the Princess becomes the Queen, I will never be able to reach her!”

“You…” Aurora’s mouth parted, her pale blue eyes flashing with disbelief. She tried her best to remain elegant, but a faint blush uncontrollably crept onto her pale face.

Jona’s eyes lit up. This trick was working.

“I didn’t think Miss Jona could be so ill-bred. As the daughter of Elder Rila, how could you offend Sister Aurora like this? I wonder how Elder Rila will deal with you when he finds out.”

A cold voice cut through Jona’s thoughts. She looked toward the source: a young girl in a red dress leaning lazily against the wall. The blood on the corner of her mouth hadn’t dried yet, and her goblet still held half a cup of red liquid. Her brown eyes reflected the crimson shadows, and her jet-black hair looked out of place among the vampires.

A name for this outlier surfaced in Jona’s mind—Fanier.

Princess Fanier was a child the Queen had picked up. Some suspected she was actually human, yet her talent was so high that almost no one was her match—except Aurora.

Seeing Jona’s deathly pale face, Fanier walked forward slowly. She reached out and lightly caressed Jona’s reddened wrist, asking nonchalantly, “Miss Jona, do you really love Sister Aurora? As far as I know, you’ve lived in the Council and have never met her in private. Your ‘love’ is a bit too casual.”

Noticing Aurora’s slight frown, Jona, fearing she would be doubted, hurried to say: “I… I haven’t been in close contact with Princess Aurora, but I’ve heard her stories! Whether in appearance or ability, she is outstanding. She mastered dozens of high-level spells as soon as she came of age. She is gifted and kind to her subjects—a paragon of the vampire race! It’s only natural for me to love her!”

After speaking, Jona gave Aurora a fawning smile, but the latter’s frown only seemed to deepen. What’s going on? I’m flattering her so much, why isn’t she buying it?

Instead, it was Fanier who let out a wanton laugh. She tossed her goblet aside and clapped lightly. “To think Sister Aurora has mastered dozens of high-level spells. How worth celebrating!”

The applause was crisp, echoing through the hall. Fanier’s words sent a shock through Jona. She just remembered that these two princesses were rivals, hiding their true strength and waiting for a chance to strike. I know too much—am I going to be silenced?!

Fortunately, Aurora didn’t seem in a hurry to deal with her. “Fanier, you’re being unseemly. How could you pour blood on my carpet?” Compared to Jona’s words, Aurora was more annoyed by Fanier ruining her expensive rug.

Fanier didn’t care. She walked up, grabbed Aurora’s hand, and said with great emotion: “I’m just happy for you, Sister. I just didn’t expect such a celebratory fact to be known by Miss Jona first. If I didn’t know she lived in the Council, I’d almost suspect you two had a ‘private affair’ long ago.”

It wasn’t a hallucination; Jona felt Fanier put heavy emphasis on the words “private affair,” as if she wanted to swallow Jona whole.

Aurora pulled her hand away forcefully, smoothed her wrinkled lace gloves, and uttered two words: “Absurd.”

“True. Why would a soon-to-be-crowned Princess waste her thoughts on a useless girl who can’t even learn low-level magic? After all, besides her beauty and the Council behind her, Miss Jona has nothing to offer.”

What?! Jona’s eyes widened. This was too much.

Jona thought that since she transmigrated into a vampire, she might have some magic or at least be able to fly. She didn’t expect the Jona of this world to be so weak. At this rate, living was a luxury, let alone returning to the real world.

While Jona was thinking about how to survive, a contemptuous voice came from the crowd. “Fanier, if you spent the energy you use to scrutinize Sister Aurora on practicing magic, perhaps you’d be the one getting crowned today.” A girl in a green puffy dress with twin ponytails, holding a ragdoll, walked through the crowd.

The girl successfully enraged Fanier. Fanier let go of Jona and looked down at the girl who was half a head shorter. “Sisha, don’t forget that I am also your sister. You should show me some respect.”

Sisha was as exquisite as the doll in her arms. Her beige hair and pale blue eyes declared one thing: she and Aurora were blood sisters, while Fanier was an outsider.

Jona quietly took a half-step back. The other vampire ladies attending the banquet were also tactfully leaving Aurora’s castle. Fanier and Sisha had a long-standing grudge; there was no telling when they’d start fighting. For ordinary vampires, staying far away was the wisest move. Jona wanted to leave with them, but she was completely unfamiliar with this world and didn’t know where to go.

Sisha looked down, playing with her doll’s hair, as if to say even this doll was more like a proper princess than Fanier. Seeing the anger rising on Fanier’s face, Sisha mocked: “Sister? Your eye and hair colors are so strange; no one would doubt it if you were called a lowly creature born of a blood servant and a human. How dare you call yourself my sister?”

“Ha!” Fanier let out a sneer. She hated people bringing up her origin most. “Sisha, it seems Mother fell into her slumber too early and no one taught you how to speak properly. As your elder sister, I’ll teach you a lesson today!”

“Teach me? I’m afraid you’re not qualified!” A magic circle appeared under Sisha’s feet. Although she was smiling, her aura made Jona shiver.

Seeing Fanier and Sisha about to fight, it was clear Aurora wasn’t going to stop them. To avoid being caught in the crossfire, Jona quickly backed up two more steps. In her cumbersome dress and ill-fitting heels, every step had to be taken with extreme caution.

In her haste to escape, Jona didn’t notice the goblet at her feet. Her heel caught on the glass, and before she could react, she lost her balance and fell backward.

Looking at the shards of the goblet behind her, Jona closed her eyes in despair.

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