Chapter 278
"What is this place, Sister Val?" An enchantingly beautiful girl, who was about 12 years old, curiously asked as she followed Valerie into an old castle, somewhere in Turkiye.
Valerie only turned and smiled at her, then gently offered her hand, which the little girl with auburn hair and amber eyes happily grabbed.
She had not been allowed to go outside so freely, and never without her Brother Feng. But this time, he was not with them, and she was a little excited as it looked like she could explore this place for as long as she wanted.
When they entered the Castle, the guards and butlers, most of which were Vampires, bowed to them, and she curiously looked at all the unfamiliar faces and then at the paintings on the walls.
"Ingvild." Valerie suddenly called out to her, and the little girl was confused since it was not the name people around her had used for a long-long time.
"Yes, Sister Val?" She asked, frowning at the light smile on Valerie's face, which was not exactly a smile.
"If you ever find it in your heart, do forgive Qin Feng for what he did." The Mortal Goddess of Love and Passion lightly said before they stepped into a Garden, where some people seemed to be waiting for them.
A dreadful feeling washed over the little girl's heart after Aphrodite's words, but then her eyes inadvertently landed on a girl with jet-black, long hair, and a face that even made her heart skip a beat.
The girl, who looked to be around 18 years old, was the most beautiful girl she had seen in her life, and yes, including the one by her side and the one she daily saw in the mirror.
There was another girl present as well, a Chinese girl, which reminded her of Sister Meng due to the same indifferent expression and the ever-battle-ready outfit that she was wearing. But this girl, who looked to be in her early twenties, was way more beautiful than her sister Meng.
There was also an Old man, a young boy of around 16 years, and then a young man who was sitting with his back facing her.
"Lord Erebus, Lord Abuzar, Lord Hodur..." Valerie politely called out to them with a slight bow, and the old man and the young boy looked in her direction and nodded to her before their eyes settled on Ingvild.
The Carmilla Princess was curious after she heard those names. She had now understood that these were not normal people, because even her sister Val seemed very respectful to them.
She had read a lot of books back on Purgatory Island, and since her Brother Feng was this time's Hades, she guessed that these three individuals were just like him.
And then her eyes settled on the young man, who stood up on his feet and then elegantly turned around to look at her.
Ingvild just stood there with her eyes locked on his face and at a loss for words. He was so perfect that he seemed unreal, and then when she saw him gently smile at her, she felt a little nervous for some reason.
"Come here." She heard him call to her, and she subconsciously stepped forward.
Perhaps a part of her was hoping that Val would walk forward with her, but the Mortal Goddess let go of her hand.
Just when she was about to hesitantly stop, she felt the hold of Gravity disappear, and then her body floated up to the tall young man before stopping in front of him.
It was as if she could step on air, and she curiously looked down but only found air.
"How did you do it?" She cutely tilted her head and asked, but soon felt a little nervous as she knew that she was talking to someone very powerful and important.
The young man chuckled when she curtsied to him, and then his hand reached forward.
She thought that he would pet her head, so, she lowered it. But he had reached for her chin and lifted her face, gently tracing her cheekbone with his thumb.
His deep brown eyes bore into her, and Ingvild felt more nervous than she had ever felt in her life.
"You won't introduce yourself?" The man playfully said, and a wave of embarrassment washed over her.
"Ingvild Carmilla, My Lord." She curtsied again and then felt his hand comfortingly land on her head, gently caressing it.
"It is nice to meet you, Princess." He said. "My name is Keith Argus Demiliore." He introduced himself.
"It's nice to meet you too." She smiled at him and lowered her head again as she felt a little shy.
However, his next words froze her, and she felt a little suffocated when she made sense of what he said.
"You are just as beautiful as your sister."
It was a simple sentence, but the problem was the mention of her sister, which evoked some of the repressed memories in her mind.
And then they all just came flooding out against all her attempts to shake them off.
Unbeknownst to her, a tear slipped out of her eye, and it was only when he wiped it with his thumb that she realised it and looked into his eyes.
"You knew my sister?" She asked.
"Knew?" For some reason, the man frowned at her words and then turned to look at Valerie.
"She does not know, Lord Erebus."
Ingvild heard her sister Val answer the young man, and her heart ached again.
However, when she saw him gently smile at her again, her heart calmed down a little. It was a strange phenomenon.
"I have known your sister for the last few years now, Princess." He smiled at her, and her mind went blank at his words.
"Ingrid...?" Her voice wavered as she took that name.
"Well, at least you remember her name. I was afraid that they made you forget it as well." He smiled at her. "And yes, I am talking about Ingrid Carmilla, Princess. Your older sister."
"How..."
"You don't believe me?"
"S-she's dead..." The little girl's heart ached as she said those words, but then she saw the man shake his head and pick out his phone from his pocket.
"Is she not your sister?" He asked as he showed her a picture of him and two girls who were hugging him.
And her eyes immediately widened as they locked on the girl with the familiar auburn hair and amber eyes, who was smiling brightly at the camera.
She had recognised her in just one glance, and then her tears uncontrollably pooled out of her eyes.
"Ingrid..."
"Yes." The man gently nodded his head. "I will take you to her in a few days." He promised.
"I want to see her now..." She pleaded with all her heart and did not resist him when he gently pulled her into his arms and wrapped his arms around her.
"Okay." He nodded. "I will take you to see her tomorrow." He comforted her back, and then she heard him excuse himself away, taking her with him.
Ingvild kept crying in his arms as he walked with her inside the Palace.
She was not a foolish girl and her mind had already started piecing things together.
And the more she realised these things, the more her heart ached.
Everyone lied to her, telling her that her sister was dead.
She recalled the day she had asked Brother Feng, and he had so convincingly told her that Ingrid died in the attack on her home.
But then some part of her heart hoped that maybe her Brother Feng did not know it.
They entered a room, and then the man sat down on a couch and let her stay in his lap.
She had finally realised that she was hugging him very intimately and tried to pull away, but his arms were strong and did not let her move.
Panic whispered in her heart, but when she felt him plant a kiss on her head, she calmed down for some reason.
"When was the last time you fed?" He asked.
"I..." She understood what he meant, and now, the thirst she had held back for a long time kicked in.
His scent assaulted her senses, captivating him, but she recalled the words of her Brother Feng that she must never give in to her urge to drink blood.
"It's fine." The man gently whispered. "You can feed on me."
His words were like the whisper of the devil, and her eyes turned to a shade of blood-red.
"I let Ingrid feed on me too."
And those words broke all her resolve and she reached for his neck, sinking her cute fangs in him.
Her body trembled as a wave of pleasure hit her. She had never tasted something so divine in her life, and she felt a wave of power flood her veins that she had never experienced before.
It was just too overwhelming for her, and soon her mind went blank and she had lost consciousness.