The Fallen Vampire Princess

Without paying any attention to the dazed guards at the inn's entrance, Eriri and her group walked straight into the establishment.

The entire first floor of the inn functioned as a dining area. Perhaps due to the exorbitant prices of this premier adventurer inn in the royal capital, there were only a few patrons scattered throughout.

The arrival of Eriri's group naturally drew attention. A gathering of such stunning beauties would turn heads anywhere.

Suddenly, a low, delighted female voice called out from nearby.

"Well, well, Arche, long time no see. What brings you to the royal capital?"

The speaker was a rough-looking woman clad in dark red armor with short golden hair. She was sitting at a round table in the farthest corner of the dining hall.

To her right sat two identical twin sisters, both dressed in identical outfits with matching hairstyles. The only difference was the color of their hair ribbons, which made it possible to tell them apart.

Next to the twins was a petite girl draped in a crimson cloak, her face completely hidden behind a mask as she quietly sat on a chair.

These four women were the members of the Adamantite-ranked adventurer team "Blue Rose": Gagaran, Tia, Tina, and Evileye.

The moment the adventurers in the inn realized that Blue Rose appeared to know Eriri's group, any thoughts of approaching them vanished. No one wanted to risk offending an Adamantite-ranked team.

Arche led her group to the round table where Blue Rose was seated and greeted them warmly.

"It's been a while, Gagaran, Tia, Tina, and Evileye," Arche said with a smile.

"Long time no see, Miss Arche," the twins replied in unison. Even Evileye, usually silent, greeted her earnestly.

Although Arche had not displayed her full power during their joint mission to take down Eight Fingers and Six Arms, Blue Rose regarded her as a formidable figure, likely on par with the legendary Thirteen Heroes.

Thus, they held a sense of respect and awe toward Arche.

"Haha! So, are you finally ready to join Blue Rose?" Gagaran asked with a hearty laugh.

"Sorry, but I'm still not interested," Arche replied, shaking her head.

"Is that so? What a pity," Gagaran said, feigning disappointment. She didn't seem overly upset, however, as their leader, Lakyus, had personally tried to recruit Arche before and had been turned down just as firmly.

Gagaran's gaze shifted to Eriri and her companions. She was visibly surprised.

"Arche, are these your friends? They're stunning!" Gagaran exclaimed, her eyes particularly drawn to Eriri. Although she thought Evileye, Lakyus, and even the Golden Princess were among the most beautiful women she had seen, the arrival of this group had redefined her understanding of beauty.

Her attention then fell on the two small girls hiding behind Arche. "These adorable little ones must be your sisters. They look so much like you," Gagaran added.

"Yes, they are," Arche said, pulling the two girls to her side. She gazed at them affectionately and introduced them, "These are my precious younger sisters, Kuuderika and Ureirika."

Before she could continue introducing the others, Eriri took a step forward and introduced herself.

"Hello, members of Blue Rose. It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Eriri Spencer Sawamura, but you can just call me Eriri."

"Well, nice to meet you. By the way, Eriri, are you from the Empire like Arche?" Gagaran asked.

"Oh, no, not at all," Eriri replied with a light chuckle.

Hearing this, Gagaran didn't pursue the matter further, as it had only been a casual question.

"Eriri, are these three adorable little ones your sisters?" Gagaran asked, gesturing toward Ophis, Scarlet, and Kohina, who were beside Eriri.

"Hmm, you could say that," Eriri said with a smile.

Eriri then moved closer to Evileye, pointing to the seat next to her. "You're Evileye, right? Mind if we sit here?"

"Go ahead," Evileye said flatly, scooting closer to Tina to make more room.

With Evileye's permission, Eriri unceremoniously took the seat next to her. Ophis, Scarlet, and Kohina followed suit, seating themselves around the large table. Despite the number of people now gathered, the spacious table still felt accommodating.

Somehow, the whole scene resembled guests sitting down at a banquet, awaiting the start of a feast...

"Mmm! What is this? It's incredible! Hey, Gagaran, slow down! I haven't even tried that dish yet!" Tia protested.

"Haha, don't blame me! It's not my fault you're eating so slowly. Honestly, though, I've never had anything this delicious in my life!" Gagaran laughed, scarfing down another bite.

"Shouldn't we save some for our demon commander?" Tina asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nah, I'm sure Lakyus won't mind," Gagaran replied dismissively.

About ten minutes had passed since Eriri and her companions had joined them. By now, the table was laden with food, which the members of Blue Rose were eagerly devouring.

The dishes, far superior to anything the inn could provide, had been prepared by Eriri herself, who had retrieved them from her storage space. Her collection of prepared meals was sufficient to feed her group for several days, so sharing some with Blue Rose was no trouble at all.

Evileye, however, remained seated quietly beside Eriri, still wearing her mask. Unlike the others, she didn't touch any of the food on the table.

"Miss Masked Lady, aren't you going to eat?" Ureirika asked curiously, looking up at Evileye from her seat next to Kohina.

"Thank you, but I'm not hungry," Evileye replied calmly.

Once a human, Evileye had stopped consuming human food after becoming a vampire. She wore her mask primarily to conceal her undead nature.

At this point, Eriri turned toward Evileye with a smile. "Evileye… That's not your real name, is it? Would you mind telling me your true name?"

Hearing this, Evileye froze.

When Eriri spoke, Evileye fell silent for a moment. Then, with a firm tone, she replied, "Just call me Evileye. That is the name I go by now."

"Hmm~ Is that so? It seems like there's an untold story behind your name," Eriri said with a knowing smile, nodding as if she had just pieced something together. Evileye made no reaction to her words.

But the next thing Eriri said made Evileye's eyes widen in shock behind her mask.

"Let me guess—it's something from before you became a vampire, right? Was it the incident that turned you into a vampire, a disaster that brought irreversible harm to those connected to you, making you unwilling to bring up your old name?"

Pausing for effect, Eriri continued with a hint of playful certainty, "If I recall correctly, about 200 years ago, there was a kingdom called Inveria that was destroyed by the undead. That calamity… was the reason you became a vampire, wasn't it?"

Evileye abruptly stood up from her chair, taking a few wary steps back. Her voice sharp and tense, she demanded, "Who are you? How do you know this? Don't tell me you just guessed it. And that storage device for food—it's an unknown magical tool of incredible power. Someone with access to such magic items cannot be an ordinary person!"

The fact that Evileye was a vampire was something known to a select few, such as her companions in Blue Rose. It wasn't hard to discover this information with some investigation.

But the events that transpired in Inveria were a near-total secret. Aside from the perpetrator of the catastrophe, Evileye—its sole survivor—was the only one who knew the full truth. This made her extremely wary of how Eriri could know such things.

The commotion caused by Evileye's actions immediately drew the attention of Gagaran, Tia, and Tina, pulling them out of their indulgence in the delicious food. Concerned for their comrade, they abandoned their meals to address the situation.

"Hey, Evileye, what's going on? Did something happen between you and Eriri?" Gagaran asked worriedly.

To be honest, Gagaran had a very favorable impression of Eriri. Not only was she breathtakingly beautiful—enough to make someone like Gagaran, who had a preference for men, question her orientation—but she had also generously shared a meal that was unforgettable. Moreover, she could sense that Eriri's group was not to be trifled with, particularly Arche.

The last thing Gagaran wanted was to get into a conflict with people who could effortlessly overpower them.

"Calm down, calm down. Let's not resort to violence," Eriri said nonchalantly, her tone lighthearted. She casually extended a hand toward Evileye, and with a simple gesture, pulled her back to her seat as if by an invisible force.

Then, without waiting for a response, Eriri reached out again and pulled back the crimson hood of Evileye's cloak, revealing her golden, glossy hair. Without stopping there, Eriri also removed Evileye's white mask, unveiling a face so doll-like in its perfection that it seemed unreal. Her crimson eyes and small, sharp fangs unmistakably marked her as a vampire.

However, Evileye's face was now filled with shock and horror.

"What did you do to me?" Evileye asked, panic evident in her trembling voice. She realized she had completely lost control of her body.

Seeing Evileye sitting motionless, her expression frozen, Gagaran and the twins quickly sprang into action. They hurried to her side, weapons at the ready.

"Eriri, enough of the jokes, okay? This isn't funny at all. Let her go now," Gagaran shouted, gripping her weapon tightly. Yet her heart raced with unease. For Evileye, who was no ordinary adventurer, to be subdued so easily was terrifying.

Until now, she had thought the only major threat was Arche. But now, she realized the delicate-looking Eriri was just as formidable. Her gaze involuntarily shifted toward the three young girls accompanying Eriri: Ophis, Scarlet, and Kohina.

"Don't tell me… they're incredibly strong too," Gagaran speculated nervously.

As if sensing her gaze, Scarlet turned and gave Gagaran a sweet smile, sending a chill down her spine.

Gagaran quickly averted her eyes, now almost certain of her guess. At the very least, the red-haired girl was no ordinary child.

Her eyes then flicked to Arche's younger sisters, Kuuderika and Ureirika, who were sitting quietly nearby.

Eriri, noticing the growing tension, spread her hands innocently. "Hey now, do I look like a villain to you? I'm a virtuous and exemplary super-beauty. Would I really do something evil?" she said with an exaggeratedly innocent expression. "I was just having a little chat with Evileye. Don't worry about it—go back to eating and drinking."

After her words, Evileye found she could move her body again. She let out a small sigh of relief but refrained from making any rash moves.

Now fully aware of the power disparity between herself and Eriri, Evileye decided not to resist. She didn't pull her hood back up or put her mask back on, leaving her delicate, porcelain-like face exposed for all to see.

With Evileye seemingly at ease, Gagaran and the twins relaxed as well. Gagaran forced a chuckle and said, "Alright then, you two have your chat. Just don't start a fight, okay?" She then dragged Tia and Tina back to their seats, where they resumed devouring the remaining food.

"This is too complicated for us to get involved in," Gagaran muttered under her breath.

"Eriri, I'm sorry for my earlier behavior. I acted impulsively," Evileye said softly. For someone as prideful as her, apologizing was a rare occurrence. This showed how deeply Eriri's overwhelming strength had shaken her.

"But I still want to know—did you really guess what you said earlier, or did you already know?" Evileye asked, her voice tinged with desperation.

"Hmm~ That's more like it," Eriri said with a smile, seemingly satisfied. She let her words hang in the air, causing Evileye to fidget with anticipation.

Finally, just as Evileye was about to press her for an answer, Eriri spoke again.

"Of course, I already knew. And I know your real name too—Keno Fasris Invern, Princess of Inveria. Am I right?"

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