The First Vampire

The guards around the side hall were tight, both to prevent outsiders from coming in and to prevent insiders from escaping.

He was well-fed and well-provided for, even served by young and beautiful Half-Elf maids. If he deliberately forgot his prisoner status, Marquis Vincent even felt as if he was on vacation.

Perhaps it was because he has been captured before, Marquis Vincent’s psychological adjustment ability has greatly improved. He was neither pained nor resentful like before, and was planning his own ransom plan with a calm mind.

He first wrote a letter to his father, Duke St. Prowse, blaming his failure this time all on Priestess Trissley’s betrayal, saying that if it was not for the unimaginable betrayal of this mad woman, he would have successfully let Queen Isa die in childbirth, plunging Silver Moon City into ceaseless chaos, and even forcing Colin Angler to withdraw from the Half-Elf Kingdom.

Of course, he also included the ransom price proposed by Colin, but he realized that Duke St. Prowse would never actually trade a fleet to get him back. Therefore, he also suggested that his father send an articulate envoy to Silver Moon City to negotiate new ransom terms that both sides could agree on.

After finishing the letter, Marquis Vincent thought and wrote another one to Count Howell.

Count Howell was a seasoned count in the East, with a quite powerful family, and his daughter was married to Marquis Vincent, so Marquis Vincent wanted to ask for his help.

After all, there was no Marquis Garcia as a bargaining chip in the hands of the easterners this time.

To redeem Marquis Vincent required a great deal of expense.

Just as Colin had warned before, Marquis Vincent was a bit worried that his father wouldn’t be willing to pay a high price for his ransom, or that his good brother might sabotage it.

But Marquis Vincent was not too worried, after all, he was still nominally the Marquis of the East and the first in line for the succession of the lord of the east. Even for the sake of saving face for the St. Prowse family, his father couldn’t possibly allow Marquis Vincent to be imprisoned in Silver Moon City indefinitely.

Marquis Vincent also knew that his father already had the idea of replacing the heir, and the engagement of his brother Earl Evan to Duke St. Lorenzo’s Holy Knight Lexie’s daughter was a testament to this idea.

Pity the will of heaven doesn’t always align with man’s, oh, no, perhaps it coincided with Marquis Vincent’s will, Prince Lexie surprisingly killed his own uncle- Governor Lattom, which made Prince Lexie become a hated evil traitor overnight from an Empire Holy Knight everyone admired.

This also greatly weakened Earl Evan’s threat to Marquis Vincent.

However, Marquis Vincent wouldn’t let his guard down against his good brother, especially under the current circumstances.

His failure in Silver Moon City had given Earl Evan an excellent opportunity to turn the tables. If Earl Evan took advantage of this opportunity to stop him from returning to the East, or if he persuaded Duke St. Prowse to abandon Marquis Vincent’s position as an heir to lower his ransom price, it would be an apocalypse for Marquis Vincent.

After completing the letter to Count Howell, Marquis Vincent carefully considered it again before sealing it in the envelope with wax.

Afterward, he got up and went out of the study, preparing to give the two letters to his attendant to be sent to the east, when Marquis Vincent noticed an old familiar figure being escorted by the guards into the courtyard.

“Duke Modewen?” Marquis Vincent greeted the other party with a smile, guessing that he must have been captured and brought here as well, and he felt a certain sense of empathy.

“My Lord Marquis!” Duke Modewen bowed respectfully to Marquis Vincent, lowered his head, seeming reluctant to see Marquis Vincent.

Marquis Vincent understood the reasons for Duke Modewen’s coldness all too well. Duke Modewen hadn’t planned to join the rebellion this time, only forced into it because his son Charlie was tricked and manipulated.

Now that things have come to this point, it was natural that Duke Modewen would not show a good face when seeing the ringleader of this rebellion.

After giving the two letters to the guards, Marquis Vincent patted Duke Modewen’s shoulder in a show of familiarity and laughed, “I didn’t expect that we would be neighbors at this moment.”

Duke Modewen managed to force a smile, nodding his head but saying nothing.

“What? Blaming me for dragging you into this?”

“I dare not…”

Marquis Vincent noted the insincerity in Duke Modewen’s words, but he wasn’t offended and invited with a laugh, “Come on, come to my room and have a sit. The situation is not as bad as you think.”

This time Duke Modewen did not resist, and followed Marquis Vincent into the room.

Marquis Vincent personally poured a cup of coffee for Duke Modewen, and this act of deference seemed to have finally persuaded the duke, who earnestly asked:

“Marquis, you just said the situation isn’t as dire as it seems, do you have any way to help the Modewen family escape this misfortune?”

Marquis Vincent smiled softly and said with utmost confidence, “William, rest assured. Queen Isa dares not kill you. After all, you were the one who abdicated the throne. If she killed you, wouldn’t she establish her disloyalty and ingratitude.

This punishment for you, probably will just amount to dismissal and demotion.”

Dismissal and demotion?

Just?

Upon hearing these words, Duke Modewen thought of his son and uncle whom he had personally killed. He was bleeding inside, but no trace of it showed on the surface. He just took the coffee and took a small sip before asking:

“Do we still have a chance for revenge?”

“Of course!” Marquis Vincent laughed heartily, seeming quite pleased with Duke Modewen’s “zeal”, “This time, Isa and Colin forcefully suppressed the domestic rebellion, but failed to resolve the root conflict —

Isa can’t represent the interests of half-elfs, she is nothing but a puppet supported by the North Territory!

As long as this does not change, Silver Moon City will be a breeding ground for rebellion, and with a little guidance, we can stir up another uprising!”

Seeing Duke Modewen’s eyes gleam, Marquis Vincent thought he understood the other party’s thoughts. He walked to the duke’s side, placed his hand on his shoulder, and sincerely said:

“William, from our perspective in the Eastern Territory, only the Modewen Family is the true lineage of the Half-Elf Royal Family. That Isa Miller is just a puppet forced upon by the North Territory!

Believe me, when we make a comeback, we will surely help you reclaim the Half-Elf throne!”

“Thank you for your trust!” Duke Modewen, flushed with excitement, quickly rose in respect to Marquis Vincent.

With a triumphant smile, Marquis Vincent watched Duke Modewen bowing to him. He was about to say a few more encouraging words when he suddenly felt a pain in his waist!

“You…!”

Duke Modewen lifted his head, his face now wore a ferocious smile.

“Do you Easterners think you are the saviors of the Half-Elves? Unfortunately, in my eyes, you are just a demon, destroying our peaceful lives for your own benefit!”

“Bastard!” Marquis Vincent kicked Duke Modewen away, then clutching his wounded waist, ran out of the room yelling, “Help! William Modewen’s gone mad!”

However, before the guards outside the hall could rush in, Marquis Vincent felt a strong aura locking onto him, seemingly ready to strike the moment he moved.

“He…”

Before Marquis Vincent could call for help, Duke Modewen rushed in from behind, plunging his dagger once again into his chest.

Watching Marquis Vincent slowly collapse to the ground, Duke Modewen laughed heartily, clutching his bloody dagger. His joy of having exacted revenge was clear and unmistakable.

“This is your retribution!”

The guards outside the hall rushed in, but before they could reach him, Duke Modewen slit his own throat without hesitation.

The guards stared at the gruesome scene in front of them, completely dumbfounded.

It wasn’t until then that someone finally snapped out of the shock, yelling:

“Quick! Go inform the Earl!”