Gospel of Blood

Starfall Kingdom, Red Palace.

The grand court banquet was brilliantly lit, with well-dressed guests chatting and laughing.

Starfall nobles gathered in small groups, raising their glasses and drinking together, painting a picture of a prosperous era.

However, upon closer inspection, it was evident that the royal court banquet was not as harmonious as it appeared.

The Starfall nobles seemed to be chatting with each other, but their gazes never strayed far from the two “black-clad nobles” in the corner of the banquet hall, who were sipping wine.

The two “nobles” consisted of a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

However, the gazes directed at them by the Starfall nobles were not of admiration.

Instead, they were scrutinizing and wary.

“Are those the representatives of the Nez Clan?”

“Yes, after all, they are bloodbornes, the ones who once wreaked havoc in the kingdom. Even if Her Majesty is the Saintess of the Holy Court, this approach is too radical.”

“Her Majesty is still too young. Look at their arrogant demeanor, they probably don’t regard us at all.”

“In the end, the bloodbornes’ power in Starfall is too strong. Even the Holy Court has to compromise.”

“The bloodbornes are so arrogant that they probably don’t even regard Her Majesty.”

“Shh… change the topic, they’re looking over!”

As if she heard the conversations of the Starfall nobles, the female “black-clad noble” suddenly raised her head and looked over with a faint smile.

Her light blue eyes abruptly turned red, exuding an eerie charm and a hint of danger.

The expressions of the Starfall nobles changed slightly, and they quickly looked away.

Those who didn’t manage to look away in time soon had their gazes turned vacant and dazed.

“Enough! Malda! Put away your Enchanting Eyes. This is the Red Palace of Starfall, not Nez Castle. If you don’t want to die, you’d better restrain yourself!”

A low voice came from beside her, as the other “black-clad noble” frowned and admonished in a low voice.

A subtle wave of magical power spread from him, and those who were enchanted quickly snapped back to their senses, showing frightened expressions as they hurriedly backed away from the two, increasing the distance between them.

“Tch, boring.”

The female “black-clad noble”, or rather, the bloodborne named Malda, clicked her tongue and slowly withdrew her provocative gaze from the Starfall nobles.

She glanced at her companion, who seemed elegant but was actually tense and somewhat trembling, and chuckled.

“Sir Yurst, when did the renowned Fourth-Generation Count become so cautious in the face of humans? Have you really come to see yourself as a human noble after spending hundreds of years in their courts?”

Yurst’s expression darkened as he replied.

“Malda, I’ll remind you once more, the true ruler behind the Starfall Kingdom is Her Majesty the True Ancestor. If you maintain this attitude when you meet the Queen, I cannot guarantee your safety!”

“I got it, I got it. It’s just a puppet queen pushed out by Her Majesty the True Ancestor. Look at how scared you are. Don’t worry, my Enchantment Magic is very advanced. That little queen who likes to peek at maids bathing won’t notice a thing.”

Malda said indifferently.

“Peeking at maids bathing?”

Yurst was taken aback, then his expression changed.

“Wait! You… you actually, really spied on… Her Majesty the Queen?!”

But after speaking, he realized something seemed off.

Wait…

Peeking at maids bathing?

Her Majesty the True Ancestor, a being of such status, would she actually peek at maids bathing?

No, no…

This sounds more like something that a mischievous cat he knew would do.

Wait…

Could it be Nicholas disguising himself again?!

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t discovered. I was just curious about the Divine Queen, so I quietly probed a bit last night. The defenses of the Starfall Palace were even more lax than I imagined. Everything I did was… undetected.”

Malda said with a smile.

Yurst’s expression changed.

“Wait… you… you didn’t do anything unnecessary, did you?!”

Malda’s expression was somewhat elusive, but she eventually grinned and played dumb.

“Of course not, I was very restrained.”

Yurst: …

His expression darkened.

“Malda, I’ll warn you again, this is the Red Palace of Starfall, not Nez Castle! If you want to die, don’t drag me along!”

“Got it, got it. I’m just curious about Her Majesty the True Ancestor’s human vassals. It’s truly enviable to become a vassal of Her Majesty as a human…”

Malda said longingly.

After speaking, she curiously asked.

“But… from what you said, is this our final destination? Could it be… that Her Majesty the True Ancestor resides in Starfall City?”

Yurst glanced at her but did not directly answer.

“Malda, do not attempt to probe Her Majesty’s secrets. The fact that the Elders allowed you to accompany me means you will definitely meet Her Majesty the True Ancestor eventually. Until then… behave yourself and don’t bring back those sloppy habits from Luna Island.”

“Instead of causing trouble, think carefully about how to report your observations from Luna Island to Her Majesty. After all… you are the Nez Clan’s only spy on Luna Island. No one knows the situation there better than you.”

“Don’t worry, I will naturally be respectful and obedient in front of Her Majesty the True Ancestor. I just can’t stand these overconfident short-lived beings and wanted to test their mettle.”

Malda replied.

Yurst scoffed.

“Overconfident short-lived beings? Hah, don’t underestimate humans.”

Seeing the other’s clearly unlistening expression, he sighed softly and shook his head.

To be honest, if the Elder Council hadn’t insisted, he wouldn’t have brought this person to meet the True Ancestor.

But there was no choice. The True Ancestor had commanded the Nez Clan to investigate the secrets of the bloodbornes on Luna Island, and among all the Nez Clan members, this person was the most knowledgeable about Luna Island.

‘If only reporting the findings to the True Ancestor would suffice. Why does the Elder Council insist she accompanies me…?’

‘Could it be… the Elder Council still doubts her identity and wants the True Ancestor to verify it personally?’

‘That’s possible, considering even Duke Alec and Duke Campel’s identities were questionable.’

‘And her attitude towards humans…’

‘Besides the core members of the Elder Council, few know the secret of the True Ancestor being the Divine Queen. Opinions on cooperating with humans vary within the clan. Only the True Ancestor can properly educate these radicals who barely heed the Elders’ words.’

‘Malda represents the radical faction. Perhaps that’s another reason the Elders sent her along.’

‘Forget it, these matters are beyond a mere Blood Count’s control. My task is to officially secure the bloodbornes’ status in the Starfall Kingdom during this banquet and discreetly bring her to the True Ancestor.’

‘Everything will be decided by the True Ancestor.’

Yurst thought.

Malda noticed his shifting expression and smiled as she continued to sip her wine.

As she had said, she had indeed sneaked into the palace last night and used magic to spy on the Divine Queen.

However, she had not disclosed everything to Yurst.

In fact… she not only spied on the Queen but also conjured an illusion to tease her.

The result revealed that the Divine Queen was just a human with some magical abilities.

Her true strength wasn’t as formidable as rumored. She was nearly scared to death by Malda’s illusion of Aphros, the Goddess of Beauty.

It was amusing.

Seeing how “lustful” the Queen was, she decided to create an illusion of Aphros’ saintess to tease her, but the little queen reacted like a cat with its tail stepped on, almost kneeling on the spot.

‘She’s just a weak puppet supported by the True Ancestor. There’s no need to be so cautious. If she were truly favored by the True Ancestor, that’d be different. But a mere human aspiring to be equal to bloodbornes? Ridiculous!’

Malda concealed her disdain, thinking to herself.

…

“Your Majesty, the guests are all seated. The emissaries from the Nez Clan have arrived.”

In the luxurious palace, a royal maid respectfully bowed to the young, elegantly dressed queen.

“I… I know. You may leave now. I’ll join shortly.”

At the dressing table, the Divine Queen, Charlotte de Castell, spoke calmly.

Upon receiving the order, the maids bowed slightly and respectfully retreated.

When the palace was empty, Charlotte could no longer maintain her composure, and her delicate face fell.

“There’s no mistake. That unique magical fluctuation last night was definitely from the Nez Clan!”

“Damn it, of all disguises, they chose Aphros… scared me to death!”

“What to do? My true nature must have been discovered. Will this affect Lady Charlotte’s plans?”

“Yurst knows me well and won’t be fooled. Though he’s also Lady Charlotte’s servant, she explicitly instructed me not to be exposed before she left!”

“And last night… that person must have seen what I was doing, right? They must have seen me using Lady Charlotte’s face!”

“Oh, Lady Charlotte! Please don’t let it be seen! Please don’t!”

“Damn it! I should have repaired the legendary wards of the Red Palace earlier instead of being lazy!”

Charlotte paced anxiously, conflicted about whether to head to the banquet immediately.

“Nice, judging by your look, what trouble have you caused this time?”

A familiar light laugh came from behind, lazy and pleasant as always.

Hearing this voice, “Charlotte” stiffened.

“She” froze for a moment, her expression turning from tense to joyous, and then, with a poof, “she” transformed into a black cat and leaped towards the girl who had appeared behind her, meowing tearfully.

“Meow! Lady Charlotte! You’re finally back!”

But the girl easily dodged, and with a thud, the cat hit the door frame and slid down slowly.

“Stay away from me and don’t wipe your snot on my clothes.”

Nice: …

…

“Her Majesty the Queen has arrived!”

In the Red Palace banquet hall.

As the royal knight announced, music and trumpets sounded, and the banquet hall instantly quieted down.

The nobles stepped aside, creating a central path. They bowed their heads respectfully.

Under the spotlight, the young queen, dressed in splendid attire and wearing a crown, walked down the plush silk carpet towards her throne.

“Rise.”

She sat on the throne and addressed everyone.

It’s the True Ancestor!

Feeling the tremor of the blood contract deep in his soul, Yurst felt reassured.

He glanced at Malda and whispered.

“Come, let’s greet Her Majesty. Remember, if you don’t want to die, don’t do anything unnecessary.”

Malda’s eyes flickered.

Looking at the young queen, adored by all, she chuckled and nodded.

Under the curious, wary, and fearful gazes of the Starfall nobles, Yurst led Malda to the throne.

“Yurst Nez, Malda Nez, from the Nez Clan… pay respects to Her Majesty the Queen!”

Yurst bowed respectfully.

Malda, however, remained motionless.

She smiled, her eyes flashing with mischief, as her pale blue pupils quickly turned red.

A subtle wave of magical power swept over, and she provocatively locked eyes with the young queen on the throne.