Chapter 224-A child of new blood

Chapter 224: 224-A child of new blood

Upon reaching the Night Castle, Varitreya was surprised to discover that the enemy they hadn’t even known they had been harbouring was residing within the vampire kingdom itself, in the fifth palace that had never, under any circumstances, been opened to outsiders.

The castle had always been surrounded by rumours. Some claimed it was cursed, others believed it was nothing more than an abandoned royal residence, while a few insisted that something ancient and dangerous had been sealed within its walls.

As it turned out, the rumours were true. The Night Castle was the original settlement of the first vampires, the place where their kind had first established a home after being brought into existence.

It was more than an ancient palace. It was a piece of their history, preserved behind walls that had remained closed for centuries.

Varitreya had read about the place in the royal archives, but seeing it with her own eyes was an entirely different experience.

As they stepped inside, it felt as though they had crossed into another world. From the outside, the castle looked dark and abandoned, its towering walls isolated from the rest of the palace grounds. Nothing about its exterior suggested that anyone could possibly be living there. Yet the moment they crossed the entrance, the darkness gave way to a breathtaking interior.

The halls were brightly lit, with elegant chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and warm lights illuminating every corner. The floors were polished, the walls decorated with intricate carvings, and the furniture looked as though it had been taken straight from the palaces of ancient kings and queens.

Everything carried the grandeur of a forgotten era, from the elaborate wooden furnishings to the magnificent tapestries and carefully preserved ornaments.

It was lavish but not in the modern royal style Varitreya had grown accustomed to. There was an old-world elegance to everything, a sense of history that made the place feel untouched by the passage of time.

Under different circumstances, she might have stopped to admire it but she was too emotional to appreciate the surroundings.

Her thoughts were still consumed by the memories Vonvaki had returned to her, the revelation about Maisa’s identity, and the daughter she had never known she had.

She had spent the past few days believing she had lost something precious without ever knowing what it was. Now she was finally being led to the people who had taken her child, and she didn’t know whether to be relieved or furious.

"Vonvi, you’re back."

A white-haired girl stepped forward to welcome them. Varitreya stopped in her tracks when she saw her.

The vampire was young, beautiful, and almost ethereal. Her appearance was so strikingly familiar that Varitreya immediately recognized her from the paintings and statues scattered throughout the vampire nation.

She looked exactly like the depictions of the first vampire, Zissa. The girl approached them in a soft white dress decorated with peach-coloured flowers. Similar flowers adorned her hair that were so lifelike that Varitreya almost expected them to sway with her movements.

She carried a child in her arms, holding the little one with such effortless familiarity that it was clear she had grown accustomed to doing so.

Varitreya’s gaze immediately settled on the child. ’Is that...’

Her body tensed. Is that THE child? My child?

Her heart began to pound. The little one was nestled comfortably against Zissa, seemingly unconcerned by the unfamiliar surroundings.

Varitreya couldn’t make out every detail of the child’s face from where she stood, but that hardly mattered. The sight of a baby in another woman’s arms was enough to stir something fierce inside her.

"Vassa was throwing a tantrum again," Zissa complained, adjusting the child in her arms. "Now it refuses every blood. It wouldn’t even have all the bloods mixed."

She glanced affectionately at the little one. "It will only drink my blood. How greedy!"

Her words carried feigned displeasure but the sweet expression on her face betrayed her. She looked anything but annoyed as she gently stroked the child’s head.

Varitreya could barely hear anything beyond the sound of her own heartbeat. Vassa? That was the child’s name?

She stared at the little one, unable to look away. A thousand questions rushed through her mind, but the most urgent one remained unanswered. ’Was this really her daughter?’

"Take Kayden to the room," Vaki instructed, handing the unconscious vampire to Freya.

Freya inhaled sharply before releasing the breath heavily. "Alright."

She accepted the whiteblood vampire reluctantly, adjusting her hold to support his weight before turning toward the corridor. She clearly wasn’t pleased about being given another task, but she didn’t dare argue with Vaki.

Varitreya wanted to follow her. Kayden was still unconscious, and she had no idea what Vaki intended to do with him. Every instinct urged her to make sure her friend was safe, especially after everything he had gone through but she couldn’t move.

Her attention remained fixed on the child in Zissa’s arms. She had finally found her or at least, she hoped she had.

The moment Varitreya looked at the child in Zissa’s arms, she found herself unable to look away. Vassa was impossibly beautiful, with a delicate little face, soft cheeks, and a tiny mouth from which two barely visible fangs peeked whenever her lips parted.

Her thick, purplish-brown hair framed her face in soft, unruly wisps, with a matching dark burgundy bow resting above one temple.

The unusual shade was unlike any vampire blood color Varitreya had ever encountered. It was the first visible sign of something entirely new: a bloodline born from the union of all five vampire bloods: white, black, blue, crimson, and dark red.

Her eyes were a striking, deep purplish-brown, bright and alert as they followed the movements around her.

She was wrapped in a delicate burgundy outfit with lace frills, she looked more like a precious little doll than a child whose very existence could change the fate of their world. A seed of the flower of fate.

A daughter Maisa had possibly carried, given birth to, and somehow forgotten. A daughter who had been taken from her before she had even been given the chance to hold her.

Varitreya felt a trange connection to the child and a need to take her and never let anyone else touch her.

Zissa eventually lifted her gaze from the baby and looked directly at Varitreya. Their eyes met and the pressure that followed was immediate.

It was as though an invisible force had descended upon Varitreya, pressing against her chest and weighing down her entire body. Her instincts reacted before her thoughts could catch up, compelling her to lower her gaze.

She had never experienced anything quite like it. Even among the most powerful whiteblood vampires, she had never encountered a presence that could make her feel so insignificant with nothing more than a look.

"Hello, Varitreya," Zissa greeted pleasantly. "The former new mother in our Vancrest family tree. How are you feeling?"

Varitreya’s anger nearly burst through her restraint. The new mother?

Zissa spoke as though motherhood had been a gift Varitreya had willingly accepted, as though she had been given the freedom to choose and had happily embraced the decision. It was ridiculous, to say the least.

She hadn’t even known she and her mates were pregnant, let alone that she had given birth. Her memories had been taken, her child had been removed from her, and she had been left to wake up with an emptiness she couldn’t explain.

Now the woman responsible was standing before her, holding her daughter and speaking as though they were old acquaintances.

Varitreya’s fingers curled into fists. "Don’t call me that."

Zissa tilted her head slightly, her expression remaining pleasant. "Oh?"

"Don’t pretend this was my choice." Varitreya forced herself to raise her eyes again. "You took my child... you took my memories and now you stand here holding her as though nothing happened."

Her voice trembled with anger. "Give her back."