Chapter 120-Felor

Chapter 120: 120-Felor

Maisa stared at Taratoya for several seconds after the water vampire disappeared beneath the surface of the lake. The adrenaline that had kept her body tense was finally beginning to fade, leaving behind the uncomfortable realization that she had absolutely no idea what she was going to do next.

She glanced toward the distant horizon. The human world was behind her while the vampire nation was ahead of her and for some reason, neither felt like home anymore.

"I don’t have anywhere to go," Maisa admitted quietly.

Taratoya, who had been checking herself for injuries, looked up. "What do you mean?"

"I mean exactly that." Maisa let out a tired breath. "School is on break. I can’t go home. I don’t even have a proper place to stay until classes resume. I can only go back to the academy."

Taratoya stared at her for a moment before a slow smile appeared on her face. "Well, that’s convenient for us, no?"

Maisa narrowed her eyes. She didn’t see how not having a place to go was convenient for them. "Convenient?"

"You can stay with me."

"Where?" she asked, being cautious. Following a strange home wouldn’t be advisable.

"My vacation home."

Maisa blinked. That sounded like something a rich person would say because only the rich had homes where they vocation at.

"You have a vacation home?"

"Of course. Don’t you?" Taratoya said it as though Maisa had asked whether she owned clothes.

"Where is this vacation home?" Maisa asked. She ignored the spoilt girl energy that Taratoya was giving out.

"In Felor."

Maisa didn’t recognize that name even though she had studied several maps of the vampire nation. "Felor?"

"It’s in a village, far from here and not on any map you have access to."

"Where exactly is this village that isn’t on the map?"

"Far enough away from the capital that nobody bothers us," she said. There was something suspiciously cheerful about the way Taratoya said it. "We’ll be free to do whatever we want there. No one will bother you or me."

Maisa studied her. She had a bad feeling there was more to Taratoya than simple being a vampire in distress.

"You’re not planning something, are you?"

"Me?" Taratoya placed a hand against her chest, feigning offense. "Would I ever?"

"Yes. You sound like you would," she answered so quickly that Taratoya laughed.

"Fair," she let out. "You have ever right to doubt me and I won’t it against you since we just met and we don’t know each other."

Maisa looked back toward the lake. She had no better option anyway. Whatever complicated games Taratoya was playing, at least the woman had offered her somewhere safe to stay. Besides, after everything that had happened during the two weeks at school, the thought of spending the next few weeks wandering aimlessly between worlds was hardly appealing.

"Fine," Maisa said. "I’ll come with you."

Taratoya’s smile widened. "Excellent decision. I give you my word, you won’t regret it."

"I’m already regretting it."

"You’ve already proven that you can handle yourself quite well. You have nothing to fear from me," she said, flashing an innocent smile. ’The rest is upto fate,’ she added inwardly.

"I have a feeling that your word isn’t as reliable as you’d like people to believe it is," she spoke her mind. "And my gut tells me that I shouldn’t trust you at all."

"Whatever floats your boat, do that."

Maisa rolled her eyes but despite herself, the corner of her mouth lifted.

---

The journey back into the vampire nation took them through roads that grew quieter with every mile.

They left the capital far behind, along with its enormous towers, crowded streets and endless movement.

The farther they traveled, the more the landscape changed. Tall buildings gave way to forests, forests gave way to rolling hills, and eventually the paved roads became narrow paths winding between enormous stretches of farmland.

Felor was nothing like the capital. It was peaceful, almost unnaturally so. The village sat between green hills and ancient forests, with stone cottages scattered across the valley and enormous estates occupying the surrounding countryside.

Blood orchards stretched across the hillsides, their dark fruits glowing faintly beneath the evening sky and narrow rivers wound through the fields, catching the last traces of sunlight.

Maisa watched the scenery through the carriage window. "This is where your vacation home is?"

Taratoya nodded. "Technically, it’s a family hacienda."

Maisa turned. "A hacienda?"

She was panicked because that might mean having to spend the break with Taratoya’s family who could be redbloodphobic. She couldn’t stomach her break being surrounded by vampires who looked down on her and thought less of her existence.

That would be no different than being in school with all the other bloods hating down on her.

"You’ll see. Relax, my family is unique... you’ll fit right in."

They continued for another twenty minutes before enormous iron gates appeared ahead of them.

The Vancrest crest was carved into the center and it made Maisa’s eyes widened. She recognized it as she had seen it on flags and Varitreya’s uniform.

Beyond the gates stretched an estate so large that it seemed more like a small kingdom than a vacation home. Stone walls surrounded acres upon acres of farmland. A massive mansion stood at the heart of it, its pale walls illuminated by rows of warm lanterns.

And beyond the mansion, three blood horses were tearing across the fields at impossible speed.

Maisa sat upright. She glanced ahead with sheer interest. Her eyes had never seen horses move at that speed before. It was out of this world.

"What the...?"

Suddenly, she saw who was riding them and her breath caught.

One rider had white hair streaming behind her as she leaned forward, effortlessly controlling the powerful creature beneath her.

Another had silver-white hair and was riding almost neck and neck with her. The third rider had blue hair whipping wildly around her face as she laughed, pushing her horse harder.

Maisa recognized all three instantly; Varitreya, Kayden and Lumi. For several seconds, she simply stared at them, lacking the words to express the feeling of watching them racing at such high speed on horses that were anything but normal.

By her side, Taratoya glanced at her and grinned. "I hope you don’t mind my cousin being here..." she paused. "Oh, and her friends are here too," her smile became wicked. "If you could call them that."

Maisa barely heard her. Her mind was still trying to process what she was seeing. She had originally given Taratoya about a thirty percent chance of actually being related to Varitreya. Thirty percent had been generous because they had just met and no way a blackblood who controls fire element was related to Varitreya.

Now she felt ridiculous for ever doubting her because that wasn’t some distant vacation home thar Taratoya mentioned, it was the Vancrest estate. No wonder it wasn’t on the maps, the palace must not want unwanted vampires, noble or otherwise to cause trouble for them.

Varitreya, the blood heir, Kayden, the young blood lord and the blueblood prodigy were spending their break there. And judging from the enormous mansion behind them, Taratoya hadn’t exaggerated her status even slightly.

"You really are related to the Vancrest royal family, huh?"

"I told you, I’m her cousin."