I’m Not Falling for the Vampire Princess! - Chapter 2

Chapter 2

There was no sensation of pain; instead, Jona tumbled into an ice-cold embrace. In the next moment, the world spun. Before Jona could cry out, she was whisked away to the second floor.

Her forearm rested against a soft surface, and the cool fragrance emanating from Aurora filled her nostrils, masking the nauseating metallic scent of blood from the hall.

Jona lifted her head, meeting Aurora’s pale blue eyes. These aloof orbs seemed to possess a magical quality that instantly put Jona at ease. Instinctively, she clung tighter to Aurora, failing to notice that her grip was wrinkling the Princess’s magnificent gown.

“Let go.”

The gentle voice carried a hint of displeasure. Princess Aurora loathed being touched, a fact that had been mentioned in the novel Jona had read.

Now, Aurora’s skirt was creased something she normally found intolerable. Realizing her mistake too late, Jona scrambled to pull away from the embrace.

Aurora knit her brows and released her. Lacking support, Jona fell heavily to the floor.

“Ah!”

Jona’s cry drew the attention of Fanier and Sisha.

Sisha was young, after all; the momentary distraction caused the magic circle beneath her feet to dim.

Fanier recovered instantly, seizing the opportunity to hurl a ball of fire toward Sisha.

Sisha dodged nimbly, but a tuft of hair on the ragdoll in her arms was scorched by the flames.

Knowing she was no match for Fanier, Sisha refused to back down verbally.

“I thought only lowly creatures used such crude magic. It seems Sister Fanier still hasn’t adjusted to her noble status.”

A magic circle appeared beneath Fanier’s feet as she pulled off her gloves. A blazing fire ignited in her palm. “Magic does not care for status. As long as it can kill an enemy in one blow, it is useful. Sisha, if you wish to be my opponent, you’ll need at least another few hundred years of practice.”

“Enough,” Aurora spoke up in time to stop Fanier’s next attack. “I will not pursue today’s events further. However, I expect that no one will cause a disturbance in my castle again.”

Aurora wasn’t upset about the sisters’ internecine conflict; she simply didn’t want to see her castle destroyed.

Fanier withdrew her power, a smile playing on her lips. she glanced at Jona, who was sitting slumped at Aurora’s feet, and spoke with a playful tone. “In that case, does Sister Aurora also intend to overlook Miss Jona’s insolence?”

Aurora lowered her gaze, eyeing the trembling Jona without committing to an answer.

Fanier didn’t seem inclined to let Jona off the hook. She continued, “Then again, Miss Jona is, after all, Sister Suika’s fiancée. It stands to reason that Sister Aurora would have some reservations.”

Beside them, Jona’s eyes widened. Wait, wasn’t I just cannon fodder in the novel? How did I become Princess Suika’s fiancée?

If that were the case, her declaration today about wanting to marry Princess Aurora which everyone had heard was a direct slap in Suika’s face.

Fortunately, Suika wasn’t present, or the final war of the story might have started early.

In the original setting, Suika was the Princess in charge of potions. Initially, she stayed out of the royal power struggles, but through her mastery of alchemy, she held a pivotal position in the vampire world.

If Jona was truly Suika’s fiancée, why had she died such a miserable death? The original text never mentioned this.

Perhaps Suika didn’t like her fiancée at all. And Fanier’s words sounded more like an attempt to sow discord between Suika and Aurora.

Thinking of this, Jona took a deep breath. “Today’s fault is mine alone. It has nothing to do with Princess Suika. Please do not blame her, Princess Aurora.”

Fanier tilted her head. “Are you saying ‘don’t blame Sister Suika,’ or ‘don’t blame Miss Jona’? Is Miss Jona trying to exonerate Sister Suika, or are you just trying to save your own skin?”

Sisha couldn’t quite follow the situation. She stroked the doll scorched by Fanier and said resentfully, “Such an unfaithful woman, and she even wrinkled Sister Aurora’s gown. She deserves to die. I say at the next ball, we should serve Miss Jona as the main course.”

Sisha’s sharp gaze terrified Jona, who instinctively tried to hide behind Aurora.

Aurora looked at Sisha, her eyes full of reproach. “Sisha, the menu for a ball is decided by adult vampires. Your task right now is to study magic properly.”

Fanier chuckled. “Has Miss Jona truly become Sister Aurora’s servant? Such fickleness… I wonder how Sister Suika will feel when she finds out.”

With that, she dismissed her magic circle, unfurled her black wings, and flew out of the castle window.

Sisha realized she might have said the wrong thing. Her eyes darted around as she hugged her doll tight and retreated step by step along the wall.

They both chose to leave before Aurora’s anger could flare, leaving Jona alone to face the calm before the storm.

Aurora leaned down, her gaze gentle yet detached as it fell on Jona’s face, making Jona’s skin crawl.

Aurora’s lips parted slightly, revealing the faint glint of sharp fangs. Jona shrank back. “Princess Aurora, please… could you not bite my neck? I’m a bit afraid of pain. If you must drink my blood, you can… you can bite my arm.”

Aurora seemed to turn a deaf ear to Jona’s plea. She pulled off Jona’s neck ribbon and gently stroked her throat. “So, is this bite mark on your neck Suika’s doing? To exchange blood before even being married… when did Suika become so unrefined?”

Jona instinctively reached for her neck, but her hand met Aurora’s icy fingers. “I… I don’t remember.”

“Do you also not remember who instructed you to ruin tonight’s banquet? Miss Jona, as far as I recall, I have no grievances with Suika.”

The scrutinizing gaze caused the surrounding air pressure to drop sharply. The blood-servants hiding in the shadows hesitated, unsure if they should come out to clean the hall.

Jona suddenly remembered something and blurted out, “It wasn’t Princess Suika! Princess Suika has always respected you, Princess Aurora! What happened today has nothing to do with her. Please do not misunderstand!”

Jona recalled that in the novel, this scene happened because Fanier wanted to drive a wedge between Aurora and Suika. Perhaps Suika had ignored the original Jona’s fate precisely to distance herself and ensure her own safety.

Even so, Aurora had never forgiven Suika. As fellow pure-blooded princesses, Suika was both a sister and a rival in Aurora’s eyes.

Since Suika wouldn’t save her, Jona had to save herself.

Aurora paid no heed to Jona’s explanation. She grabbed Jona’s hand, her cold fangs pressing against the girl’s slender wrist.

Jona squeezed her eyes shut, not daring to look. Feeling the sharp sting at her wrist, she bit her lower lip, trembling slightly as tears escaped the corners of her eyes.

Time ticked by. A sense of dizziness washed over her. Jona gradually lost consciousness, eventually collapsing into Aurora’s arms.

When she woke up again, the elaborate gown was gone. She was lying on a soft bed, wearing only a silk chemise.

Jona struggled to sit up. Likely due to excessive blood loss, she felt completely drained of strength.

“Miss Jona, you are awake.” A blood-servant walked into the bedroom carrying a chalice of blood. She stood quietly to the side, seemingly waiting for Jona’s orders.

“Who… who are you?”

“My name is Tari. Princess Aurora ordered me to look after you.” Tari’s tone was cold; though she used honorifics, her attitude was far from respectful.

Jona recalled the previous night. Her memory ended at the moment Aurora bit her wrist.

Jona lifted her arm and turned her wrist over. It was perfectly smooth, without a single mark.

Was last night a dream?

The sensation of blood being drained had been too vivid. The lingering fear made her feel as if every pore on her body was constricting; it wasn’t a dream.

“Miss Jona, Princess Aurora said you lost too much blood last night. You must replenish yourself today,” Tari said with a hint of impatience.

Having served in Aurora’s castle for years, she knew the Princess never graced anyone’s skin with her noble fangs. She couldn’t believe Princess Aurora would stoop so low as to touch this ill-reputed Miss Jona.

Jona looked at Tari and felt the hostility radiating from her. Why would a blood-servant be hostile toward a vampire?

Though confused, Jona didn’t start a conflict. Instead, she said softly, “Tari, I want to sleep a bit longer. You can go now.”

Tari rolled her eyes. She slammed the goblet filled with blood onto the nightstand and turned to leave.

Jona touched her empty stomach and looked at the blood in the chalice. The crimson liquid made her nose wrinkle. The sensation of hunger combined with the metallic scent made her stomach churn. She fought through the dizziness and walked to the washroom.

Jona splashed cold water on her face. The chill made her feel much more alert.

She washed her face and looked up, quietly studying the person in the mirror.

The face in the mirror had exquisite features, with lips as red as if they’d been stained by blood. A beauty mark at the corner of her eye gave her a pitiful, delicate look. With a face like this, it was no wonder the original Jona was known as the “Bimbo Beauty” in the book.

But in the world of vampires, beauty was never the priority power was. If your magic wasn’t strong enough, a pretty face would only turn into bone fragments in this dog-eat-dog world. Moreover, there was no shortage of stunning ladies and princesses among the nobility.

Through the mirror, Jona saw the purple-blue bite marks on her neck. They looked old, but the tooth marks in the center of the bruising hadn’t healed, making for a gruesome sight.

Who could have left this mark?

The original Jona was apparently engaged to Princess Suika, but Suika was famously ascetic. Even when she drank blood, she wouldn’t bite so harshly. Could it be that the more repressed someone is on the surface, the more intense they are inside?

Jona reached out, but the moment she touched her neck, a piercing pain shot through her.

“This is too much… aren’t vampires supposed to have powerful self-healing abilities? Why does this wound hurt so much?”

Jona grumbled quietly. In the next second, she nearly bit her tongue.

She discovered a red figure had appeared in the mirror.

Princess Fanier had materialized behind her. She shifted forward instantly, her icy aura enveloping Jona. The temperature in the washroom was already low, and Fanier’s proximity chilled Jona to the bone. Before she could cry for help, Fanier’s hand clamped around her neck from behind.

“It seems Miss Jona is quite dissatisfied with me.”

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