Chapter 1
The Prince Without a Heart
The throne room was silent.
Not the peaceful kind of silence, but the kind that made even the slightest movement feel dangerous.
At the far end of the enormous hall sat the Vampire King and Queen upon their towering black thrones. Their presence alone was enough to make the atmosphere feel suffocating.
The king sat upright, his expression completely blank. His crimson eyes, dark and intense like freshly spilled blood, stared coldly at the man kneeling before him. Beside him sat the queen, equally expressionless. Her long, jet-black hair cascaded down her back, framing a face that held no trace of pity.
Neither of them spoke.
A man knelt in the center of the throne room, trembling as several guards surrounded him.
He had betrayed the royal family.
And in the vampire kingdom, betrayal was not something that could be forgiven.
One of the guards stepped forward.
Without hesitation, he raised his sword and drove it straight through the man's heart.
The man's body went still.
The sword was pulled free, and his lifeless body collapsed heavily onto the cold stone floor.
The five-year-old prince stood beside his mother, watching everything without flinching.
He had inherited his father's crimson eyes and his mother's dark hair. His small face remained strangely stern for a child so young.
The king slowly turned his attention toward his son.
"Vincent."
The little boy looked up at him.
The king motioned toward the dead man lying on the floor.
"You see this, my son?"
Vincent nodded silently.
"Remember this lesson."
The king's voice was cold and firm.
"You must never show weakness."
His crimson eyes narrowed.
"Especially not to humans."
Vincent stared at the body for another moment before looking back at his father.
He said nothing.
But the lesson remained buried deep within his young mind.
Never show weakness.
Never show mercy.
And above all...
Never trust a human.
*******
**[Years Later]**
Bella sighed deeply as she hurriedly scrubbed the kitchen floor.
Her hands were sore, her back ached, and the cold water had left her fingers numb, but she couldn't stop.
She had to finish all her chores before noon.
Otherwise, she wouldn't be allowed to eat.
Bella glanced toward the large clock hanging on the wall.
Time was running out.
She sighed again as thoughts of her miserable life filled her mind.
She was the Duke's illegitimate daughter—a mistake born from one night between the Duke and a maid.
One would think being the daughter of a Duke would mean living a life of luxury.
For Bella, it was the complete opposite.
She hated almost every part of her life.
Her stepmother never allowed her to forget that she was unwanted. She constantly reminded Bella that she was nothing more than a mistake.
Her stepsister, Claire, had taken it upon herself to make Bella's life even more miserable. Bullying her had practically become Claire's favorite pastime.
And her father?
He had made Bella's position in the household even lower than that of the servants.
Ironically, the maids had a better life than she did.
They were given three meals a day.
They were paid for their work.
And most importantly, they were treated like human beings.
Bella received none of those things.
The only member of the family who didn't seem to care about her existence was Claire's twin brother, Charles.
He was indifferent toward Bella.
He never bullied her.
He never defended her either.
He simply treated her like a stranger.
Strangely enough, Bella was grateful for that.
At least he treated her like a human being.
She wiped the sweat from her forehead before carrying the dirty dishes toward the sink.
As she began washing them, her mind drifted back to her mother.
Her mother had died years ago from an unknown illness.
She hadn't been a perfect mother, but Bella knew one thing for certain.
Her mother had loved her.
That was enough for Bella.
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her.
Bella blinked rapidly.
The room seemed to spin around her.
She grabbed the edge of the sink, trying to steady herself.
She hadn't eaten since yesterday.
Her vision blurred for a moment before slowly returning to normal.
Bella exhaled shakily.
"I'm fine..." she whispered to herself.
But the moment she reached for another plate, her weakened fingers failed her.
CRASH!
The glass plate slipped from her hand and shattered against the floor.
Bella froze.
Her face immediately went pale.
She stared at the broken pieces scattered across the floor.
She knew exactly what this meant.
She was in trouble.
