Everwinter Estate (2)

"... When you said that all expenses were going to be paid, I didn't expect you to actually bring in a private jet to fly us."

My mother marvelled at the plane's interior which Irina had sent to pick us up. The same could be said about my beefcake of a father. He stood broodingly in the private cabin, which seemed tailored for his enormous size.

And who could blame them? Although they were former Hunters and were not strangers to flying in private jets, most of the time, they were for military use. However, the plane we were in was easily at the pinnacle of luxury.

It had oversized velvet chairs that were made for royalty plus huge headspace for people of all shapes and sizes to wander about. Over a dozen stewards and stewardesses were also serving us, even though the plane was supposed to fly only the four of us.

Whatever luxury item we wanted, the plane provided. Be it expensive food to high-end entertainment, the aircraft had it all. There were even a few beds just in case we wanted to have a comfortable sleep in the air.

"Please feel free to ask for anything," Irina said as she took the chair next to mine. A glass of fine wine was in her hands, which highly resembled that of the liquid that flowed in our bodies.

"Can Vampires drink things other than blood?" I asked curiously.

"Yes," Irina smiled as she replied. "Eating or drinking regular foods won't harm our bodies or anything. We just don't do it often as blood is all that we need to survive. So if you want, you can eat and drink as per usual. But truth be told… Blood is more intoxicating than any other delicacy in the world."

Irina shot me a suggestive look as she twirled the glass of wine in her hands. I thought back on the expired blood that the hospital provided to me and couldn't help but scowl. If that was the best delicacy in the world, then Vampires weren't right in their heads.

"So… Why are you drinking wine instead of blood?"

"I'm saving my appetite," Irina shook her head as the corners of her lips slightly rose. She then looked at me with a sultry expression and said: "For the most delicious blood I'll ever taste."

"..."

Not knowing how to reply to that, I simply kept my mouth shut and moved my attention elsewhere.

Only a day had passed since the Night of the Blood Moon, and the journey I had been on was nothing short of extraordinary. After Irina had gotten my parents' permission, the wheel began to spin rapidly.

Firstly, over a dozen servants came out of nowhere and brought my parents and me back home to pack and settle our small bookstore. Although my parents were functionally retired, they did run a bookstore that housed a plethora of interesting papers and novels. Plus, with their connections with the world of Hunters, we had a steady flow of customers throughout the years.

And usually, it would take us a few days to get everything in order before we could leave for an extended duration. However, Irina's servants were just too efficient. Our passports that expired, our luggage that needed to be packed and everything we needed to travel was done within six hours, and we were whisked off to a private terminal by nightfall.

Before entering the plane, we were asked to surrender our phones and were given brand new replacements to prevent anyone from tracking our location.

Although I knew nothing of Vampire society, even I could tell that this was highly peculiar. And evidently, my parents felt the same way.

"Hey, Miss Vampire."

"Please, just call me Irina."

My mother's face was ashen, and her voice was far lower than I'd ever heard before. For one, her tone of speech was much more respectful than when she'd first met Irina, and her business-like demeanour quickly took centre stage.

"Alright then, Irina…" My mother sighed deeply before locking eyes with the snowy-haired girl who coquettishly sat by my side. "You aren't a normal Vampire, aren't you?"

"..."

"What do you mean by that, Mom?"

I answered in Irina's stead. No, rather, I wanted to hear my mother's logic for coming to that conclusion.

"Jin, your little Vampire friend isn't that simple." My mother frowned and spoke in a grave tone. "Yes, the average Vampire would have amassed a vast amount of money during their near-infinite lifespans, but what she has is on a whole other level."

My mother turned to the man seated next to her for validation and found precisely what she was looking for.

"Your mom and I had met a few Vampires back when we were still Hunters. They had fortunes that would make the average millionaire cry out in jealousy and would often spend thousands without blinking an eye. They sometimes even had servants like this girl here. However…"

My father folded his arms in akimbo and looked warily at the adorable critter whose hands were slowly encroaching up my knees.

"I'd never seen a Vampire influence the government this easily… No regular Vampire could force the government to issue a new passport within hours. Also, the fact that we were escorted to a private terminal and took a private plane…"

Irina blinked twice and stared right back at my parents. If my parents were wavering due to the unknown variable that this young beauty brought, then Irina's eyes were as calm as a still lake. It felt as if everything was under her elaborate spell.

"Ah, it was rude of me… I don't believe I have introduced myself properly yet."

Irina's cold expression broke into a gentle smile. Irina pulled her hand away from my lap with great reluctance and placed both her hands gently down on her own. With her chest puffed out and her back straightened, the girl spoke confidently.

"My name is Irina Everwinter, granddaughter of Matriarch Innocence! As you've guessed, I'm part of the Everwinter House as well as an heir-in-training! Pleased to make your acquaintance!"

"..."

"..."

Silence fell upon the cabin.

Neither one of my parents could breathe a word, and just from that, I could tell the amount of shock they were in. My mother's jaw dropped so wide that an apple could fit through. Even my usually stoic father couldn't help but gape.

"Everwinter… To think that you're part of THAT house." Breaking out from his stupor, my father brought his fingers up to his head and rubbed his eyebrows.

Meanwhile, my mother was nowhere close to waking up from her trance. Taking this opportunity, I asked my father:

"Dad, please explain."

"... Vampires may seem independent and elusive to the average human, but that was far from the truth. In fact, hidden from our prying eyes, they had built an entire society based on the sole purpose of unifying against the other races."

This was news to me… I'd always thought that Vampires were creatures that lived on their own terms and never liked to intermingle with other Vampires.

"In the beginning, there were just Noble Houses that independently manoeuvred based on their own interests. However, as their population grew, so did their need for strong leadership. And so, after a thousand years of strife, the Master Council was born."

My father stopped to look at Irina, who was only watching on with a smile. Seeing that she wasn't going to interrupt, he continued:

"Ten Houses, each one more prestigious than the other. Many of them had thousands of years of history behind them, and each one had the power to defeat an entire army. They have powerhouses strong enough to destroy countries on a whim and magical capabilities beyond human comprehension. The Holy Church labels them as monsters, but to the Vampires, they are known as the Ten Guardian Houses."

Ten Guardian Houses… For my father to bring that up, it could only mean…

"And even among the Ten Guardian Houses that make up the Vampiric Master Council, the Everwinter House stands out."

For a brief moment, my indomitable father showed a trace of reverence. Not because he liked the Vampire House, but due to the immense respect he held from one Hunter to another.

"The Everwinter House are the only Vampire Noble Clan to guard a major gate that the Outer Demons use to invade our world, the Northern Pole Gate. And due to their unique abilities and adaptation to the cold, no entity would dare to contest their claim to that gate. No country, no military, heck even the other races wouldn't dare attempt to take the Northern Pole Gate from the Everwinter House."

So that's how it is…

From what I understand, there are about twenty-seven major gates that the Outer Demons use to invade our planet. Most of them fall under the control of the humans and the Hunters that we could train from scratch. However, a handful was well guarded by the other races.

The Merfolk took care of those beneath the ocean; the Elves were responsible for the forests. In contrast, Werewolves and Vampires took those that were located in harsh conditions that no regular human could survive in.

But from what I remember, each one of those races would solicit the help of humans as guarding one major gate on their own would sometimes prove too difficult for them to handle.

So for the Everwinter House to be solely responsible for a gate…

"That's why the Everwinter House has always been considered as one of the top clans, even among the Master Council. In fact, Matriarch Innocence is well-regarded as one of the strongest beings that our planet could offer. No, if she's in her home territory, there's no question that she's the most powerful Vampire alive."

What? So one of the most powerful Vampires alive was Irina's grandmother? No wonder my parents reacted in that manner…

"It's not just Matriarch Innocence. The whole existence of the Everwinter House is just absurd. They have over two dozen Vampires that can equal humanity's top Hunters, and their army of Blood Servants is unparalleled among the other Vampiric Houses. It's not an exaggeration to say that the Everwinter House alone could match the military of a medium-sized country."

"I'm surprised… To think that you know this much about our House."

Irina replied with a genuine shock in her voice. It was pretty apparent that she didn't expect my parents to react this much when they heard the Everwinter name.

"When you've been a Hunter for over twenty years, you hear things here and there." My father relaxed a little before continuing:

"The Everwinter House is an ancient existence that has never fallen out of the Master Council. And to uphold that standard, I've heard that all of the Everwinter heir candidates must be the aces of their generation. For you to become an heir-in-training that young…"

Hearing my father's sceptical words, Irina's brightened expression gradually dimmed down as her ears dropped downwards.

"Yes, most of the other heirs-in-training are selected after they reach a hundred years old and have made significant contributions to the clan. The only reason I could get this position this young was my grandmother's influence."

Irina tried to speak in the calmest possible manner, but I could tell that something was off even without looking at her.

Why was that?

Every time this girl does something, I feel my entire being gravitate towards her. I barely knew this girl, and yet… I felt like I'd known her all my life.

Even just looking at her sombre expression was tugging on my heartstrings.

It's odd…

Before I could get my emotions in order, the plane shook a little and drew our attention away from the conversation. Even my mother, who had been shocked to silence, was distracted by the sudden turbulence.

As we peered out into the darkness of the night, the first thing that came to our sight was the heavy winds dragging by pieces of snow and hail. Needless to say, since we were this far north, a blizzard or two was to be expected. However, numerous lights beckoned to us from the ground in the far distance.

It was faint, but with my newly acquired vision, I was able to make out the image blocked by the heavy snow.

An ostentatious palace compound, one that was possibly bigger than any royal castle I'd ever seen in my life. High walls with white-golden pillars. Towers upon towers surrounded the main palace, which seemed to be the size of a dozen football stadiums. And oddly enough, even though it was in the middle of a blizzard, none of the snow managed to penetrate the beautiful walls of the humongous palace.

"We're here…"

Irina smiled as all the tension in her body seemed to be released. She turned towards me and ignored the gazes that my parents were throwing at her. And with the most dazzling face I'd ever seen from her yet, she said:

"Welcome to the Everwinter Estate!"