The First Vampire

Marquis Vincent’s heartbeat suddenly quickened.

For a moment, he couldn’t even explain his own feelings when he heard that his aunt planned to murder Colin Angler.

Unaware of his unusual behavior, Beatrice continued to explain:

“Colin Angler is too dangerous and horrifying. As long as he exists, even if we successfully free the Eastern Territory from the control of the Church, we can only cower in his shadow.

This man must die!

And once he dies, the Blood Knight Army will be finished.

If you could become the Duke of the Eastern Territory, persuading Count Howell to change his mind shouldn’t be difficult. As long as the North Territory can’t cross the Angry River, there’s nothing to worry about.

Moreover, with the death of Colin Angler, the North Territory will certainly plunge into turmoil; even if it doesn’t, it will lack the power to meddle with the Eastern Territory.

Marquis Garcia is already old, and the battle in Shadow Gorge destroyed his morale. He no longer has the ability to rebuild the Dark Cavalry.

Thus, you can calmly reorganize the Eastern Territory and thoroughly remove the remnants of the Church’s power.

You don’t have to worry about interference from the Church, the Royal Family won’t stand idly by.

The submission of the Archbishop of the Eastern Territory alone is enough to convince the Royal Family of the St. Prowse family’s determination to ally with them.”

Seeing Marquis Vincent struggle, Beatrice misinterpreted his worry to be the Church’s retaliation and joked,

“Even if the Church wants to retaliate, they will target me first. I’m not afraid, why should you be?”

Marquis Vincent didn’t dare to confess his internal struggle to Beatrice. Instead, he pretended to be worried, saying, “Aunt, are you really not worried about the Church’s retaliation?”

Beatrice laughed off the concern, saying, “What am I afraid of? At worst, I’ll change my name and wander the world. Anyway, I’ve wanted to do this for a long time. Your father used to prevent me. Now that he’s dead, I’m free.

I don’t believe the Church would really chase me to the ends of the earth.”

Marquis Vincent went silent.

Mistaking his silence as him worrying for her, Beatrice smiled and patted Marquis Vincent’s hand, saying,

“Come on, don’t be so weak. I don’t want the future Duke of the Eastern Territory to look like this.

Besides, as a knight of the St. Prowse family, why would I be afraid of sacrifice?

I just hope my sacrifice is meaningful. So what you should do is to properly rule the Eastern Territory, let it shine brightly again.

Also, out of selfishness, I hope you take good care of the Fein family. Don’t take your anger out on them because of Evan.

And about Evan… I sincerely hope you can show enough mercy.

You can strip him of his title, seize his lands, eliminate his supporting forces, but at least spare his life.

Because you’ll discover one day, those who can step up in a critical moment to guard the Eastern Territory, sacrificing everything they have, will only ever be the members of the St. Prowse family.

Just like your father – he favored Kate so much, but when things were crucial, it was still me, his sister, who had to step up and sort things out, right?

No matter how good other people may be, they may not necessarily be reliable. As bad as Evan may be, at least his last name is still St. Prowse…”

Listening to his aunt chit-chat about “what to do afterwards”, Marquis Vincent felt an indescribable emotion welling up in his heart.

For a moment, it felt like he was back twenty years ago, when he was officially bestowed the title of Marquis of the Eastern Territory by his father. That was the first time he felt the heavy responsibility and the exceptional sense of holy mission.

“…Vincent St. Prowse, today, in the name of the lord of the Eastern Territory, I bestow upon you the title of Marquis of the Eastern Territory. From now on, you will bear the responsibility of guarding the citizens and vassals of the Eastern Territory, and take it as your glory until the day you die!”

His father’s words that day were forever etched in Marquis Vincent’s heart. However, as time passed, these words seemed to inevitably erode and wear away…

Especially after the disastrous defeat in Silver Moon City, Marquis Vincent felt his standing drop dramatically, while his younger brother Evan gradually received more attention from their father.

And when he was defeated once again in Silver Moon City and taken captive, the actions of his father and brother felt nothing less than a blatant betrayal!

It was precisely because of this betrayal that Marquis Vincent had no psychological barriers to plunging the dagger into his father’s chest!

But now, looking at his steadfast and composed aunt Beatrice beside him, Marquis Vincent suddenly felt a strong sense of guilt.

The pride of St. Prowse, the glory of St. Prowse, the perseverance of St. Prowse…

Marquis Vincent felt that his actions were an utter blasphemy to the name St. Prowse.

“…I, Vincent St. Prowse, swear on this holy land, under the watchful eye of the Almighty, that from this day forth, no matter what hardships I face, I will carry the responsibility of protecting the Eastern Territory, and the glory of the St. Prowse family, until the end of my life!”

As the promise echoed in his ears, Marquis Vincent’s gaze gradually became firm.

“Aunt, how do you plan to kill Colin Angler?”

Of course, Beatrice knew nothing about the change in Marquis Vincent’s mindset. Upon hearing his question, she said,

“Once I kill Kate, I’ll naturally gain Colin Angler’s trust. Then, when he’s unprepared, I can assassinate him. I’m very confident I’ll succeed.”

Seeing Marquis Vincent frown, Beatrice thought that he was worried about the consequences of assassinating a Count and started speaking again:

“You don’t need to worry about the consequences of doing that. I’m already infamous for killing an Archbishop of the Eastern Territory, so I’m not afraid to take on the bad name of assassinating an Imperial Count.

When the time comes, you can just publicly denounce me from the St. Prowse family. Better yet, expel me from the Eastern Territory, and I can start my life on the run.”

Looking at his aunt pretending to be relaxed, Marquis Vincent felt his throat tighten. He took in a deep breath to dismiss these useless self-pitying thoughts, then said in a deep voice,

“Aunt, when you assassinate Colin Angler, be sure to cut off his head!”

Beatrice smiled slightly, saying, “No problem. I actually really enjoy beheading my enemies too. It’s like earning a commemorative medal…”

“Aunt!” Marquis Vincent gripped Beatrice’s hand tightly, his face serious as he repeated, “Remember, you must cut off Colin Angler’s head!”

Only then did Beatrice sense something was off and frowned, asking, “Why are you so concerned with Colin Angler’s head?”

Marquis Vincent’s face went through a series of changes, but ultimately he didn’t reveal the deepest secret in his heart. He merely emphasized,

“Aunt, if you trust me, do as I say.”

Beatrice stared into Marquis Vincent’s eyes for a long while before nodding,

“Alright.”