Chapter 1
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I had to play the role of a student at St. Jude's Academy—nothing more than a gilded cage.
There was a man at the academy who moved like a prince of darkness. His name was Damian, and he was the one I was bound to serve.
He possessed the most ancient vampire bloodline, with looks and intellect that made everyone else pale in comparison.
In a twisted way, we shared an intimacy that no one else could understand.
For three long years, I nursed a secret obsession with him.
But Damian's heart belonged to another—a moon I could never reach.
The noble Lady Genevieve suffered from a rare "blood withering disease." To keep her alive, Damian regularly harvested what the elders called "moonlight blood" from my veins.
The night Genevieve returned to the academy, he cradled her through an attack in the moonlit rose garden.
That night, under frost-like moonlight, I abandoned my silver trinket box on the stone path to the garden and slipped away into the darkness.
I fled. Simple as that.
Years later, fate threw us together at a Venetian masquerade ball.
The air hung heavy with moisture, clinging to my skin.
I weaved through the raucous crowd, searching for my drunk human friend.
Suddenly, a man in a silver demon mask materialized before me, blocking my escape.
He towered over me, his midnight suit perfectly tailored, radiating that suffocating power that only pure-blooded nobles possess.
I backed away instinctively, but he stalked forward. The whirling dancers became a living maze between us.
"Long time no see, Ophelia." His voice cut through the music like a blade, sending chills down my spine.
Every muscle in my body locked up. Only one person in this world could say my name with that perfect blend of ice and mockery.
He pulled something from his pocket and held it out. My breath caught—a small silver box with faded iris patterns on the lid, my mother's last gift to me.
"Your silver box," his voice rumbled like distant thunder, "has kept me company for quite some time."
In a heartbeat, I was dragged back to my prison—that gilded cage called St. Jude's Academy.
