‘It’s okay. Stay calm. Nothing will happen.’

All evidence was perfectly concealed.

Even if some minor evidence was discovered later on, it would be hard to topple the Lipel family.

Now that the Queen’s position remained permanently vacant, Charlotte, who gave birth to Prince Wilhelm, was the highestranking woman.

‘Even Vlady would find it difficult to ignore political matters. Or maybe, using the money and taxes donated to the royal family as an excuse….’

Such calculations were all that came to mind as the relationship between the two was not close.

Although they had a son, and she had been given a title and territory as proof of being the Lord’s wife, their relationship went no further.

Vlady was a man who could hold only one woman in his heart, and Charlotte loved nothing but her family and son.

Their wedding, held simply at her request, was nothing more than a political alliance, neither more nor less.

“Apparently, the royal family is hosting a banquet soon. I left the invitation on the desk, have you seen it?”

“Yes. Three days from now.”

“I’ll call the designer to get new clothes for His Highness the Prince. He must have grown a lot in half a year.”

She thought of her son for a moment, but her thoughts were quickly cut off.

Someone else had brought urgent work to her office.

“Tell Wilhelm to come to me when he returns. Take care of the minor things yourself.”

“Understood, Charlotte.”

Having given her instructions, she turned her attention back to the pile of documents in her hand and immersed herself in her work.

Unaware that the precocious little princess of Rose Palace had been invited to this banquet.

(This is a time separator.)

At the same time, near the city gates.

Among the array of soldiers entering the castle, there was one particularly shabby carriage.

The goldeneyed boy looking out of the small carriage window, where only a handful of light entered, could not hide his astonishment.

‘Where on earth is this……?’

Houses made of stone instead of wood, straight roads, and stylishly dressed people passing by.

Born in a small village on the imperial frontier, Raven had never seen such a large city.

“Wow, look at those amazing spoils. Were there a lot of monsters this time?”

“That’s why there were many sacrifices too. I heard the girl next door, Cali’s daughter, was killed.”

Raven then realized that he was one of those spoils they were talking about.

Long before he entered, there were more strange objects beside him that he had never seen before than people.

‘The Empire? Or one of the nearby small countries?’

In the vicinity of the Integra Empire, which occupies the largest part of the continent, were big and small kingdoms and republics.

But the boy never anticipated that this place would be the Tzepes Kingdom.
The kingdom of vampires, Tzepes, had been isolated from the outside world for a long time due to a border region teeming with demons.

In the country village where the boy lived, there were rumors that vampires were all but extinct long ago.

‘I wish I could at least read the words on the sign.’

Though Raven was clever by nature, he had never learned to read or write.

It was because he became an orphan at such a young age.

‘I should have studied harder when my mother was alive.’

Though he was born a Venian, he had not roamed the world from the beginning.

Venians, who are born with the same lifespan and appearance as humans, live a normal life until they are eight years old, when the characteristics of their race awaken.

However, when their eyes turn golden and their pupils elongate vertically, they can no longer mix with the human world.

Raven, who awakened a little earlier than others, fled the village in his mother’s arms on his sixth birthday.

The villagers who witnessed Raven’s eyes changing pursued the two, and they were eventually caught; the boy lost his mother that night and survived alone.

“The mother’s dead, now it’s time to catch that demon brat.”

“Be careful. Venians are known for their incredible strength. You might get seriously hurt.”

“Ha, afraid of that little thing? Watch, I’ll catch it first.”

The boy could not forget the sight of the adults approaching with greedy, glittering eyes.

Men holding rusty farming tools like shovels and hoes, and women picking up stones from the ground to throw.

Raven desperately resisted to save his dying mother.

After coming to his senses, only the boy survived, and his small hands were soaked in thick blood.

‘Enough of these thoughts. There’s no use regretting it now.’

Raven calmly rechecked his surroundings.

A man who knew his identity, and lightweight shackles binding his hands and feet.

Since the first day, he hadn’t been able to see the face of the man called ‘Lord’ by those around him.

Instead, a knight named Walter came to treat his wounds and provided some convenience, but there was no intention to set him free.

Looking at how they only slightly tended to his broken leg, their intentions were not hard to guess.

“Pull yourself together, Raven.”

Having survived the brink of death dozens of times, he had made it this far.

Considering all he had gone through, it was nothing short of miraculous, something that could be considered divine will.

‘I won’t ever go against my mother’s dying wish again.’

As if promising himself, the resolute boy clenched his fists.

And three days later.

The day of the royal banquet finally dawned.