Chapter 226: Bitter Past

As Professor Isabella quietly told her story, Elias realized her childhood was anything but easy.

In the realm of vampires, only the blood of the seven founding clans held true prestige. Her parents' marriage was arranged, a common practice. Her mother, previously the leading lady of her lineage, was a Torrido from Cain City.

Isabella's early years were filled with joy, surrounded by her parents' love. She was the clan's happiest child, unaware of the marriage's strategic underpinnings.

Vampire society valued ancient bloodlines for their inherent magical potential. Being directly descended from Cain, the progenitor, the truebloods of the seven clans were elite. When Isabella's powers seemed weak, her father's affection for her mother, the Torrido heiress, cooled.

The Duke's eyes wandered, finding a new passion in another heiress from the elite clans, one whose child fulfilled his desires for a potent successor...