The First Vampire

As Charles entered the banquet hall, he did so with great excitement.

As people cast surprised glances at him, he was filled with confidence.

But when the banquet hall fell into prolonged silence, he found it odd.

He had spent a lot of time preparing his attire for tonight.

He had even prepared a passionate speech, waiting for someone to ask him: “Honourable Marquis, why are you wearing armor to a banquet?”

But!

Why is no one asking?

Marquis Charles felt deep disappointment.

These people were too stupid; they couldn’t even give him a prompt.

So, he coughed lightly, preparing to answer his own question:

“You must be curious why I didn’t dress formally?

Because I am too ashamed to do so!”

Marquis Charles took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

When he opened them again, they were filled with hot tears!

“The Troll Army has retreated, but have we truly won?

You must all ask yourselves…”

At this point in his speech, Marquis Charles scanned the room with a plaintive look.

But he suddenly froze when his gaze landed on a certain spot.

Because he saw among the crowd a distinctive figure—Colin.

Subsequently, he was taken aback…

At that moment, Colin also caught sight of Marquis Charles.

And he, too, was taken aback…

I wore the armor to the banquet because I was left with no choice by that crazy lady. What the hell are you trying to do?

The banquet hall fell silent.

Ten seconds passed.

Twenty seconds passed. Thirty seconds passed…

“Knight Colin! ”

Finally, Marquis Charles broke the unnerving, awkward silence with an emotional outburst.

He quickly strode over to Colin.

Colin was instinctively uneasy facing Marquis Charles, who, like him, was similarly dressed in armor.

Instinctively, he tried to pull his hands back.

But unfortunately, Marquis Charles caught his hands deftly.

“Knight Colin!” Marquis Charles clasped Colin’s hands tightly. “I knew it! I knew the North Territory would also have brave warriors like me, who would refuse to bask in fake victories, don armor, take up arms, and fight to the death with the trolls!”

Colin, suppressing his urge to pull his hands away, quickly adjusted his face to a passionate countenance as well.

I have to play along with your show, no matter what.

But compared to Marquis Charles’s Oscar-worthy performance, Colin felt rather inferior.

For instance, despite his teary eyes, Charles managed to control himself so the tears didn’t spill over. Colin admitted he couldn’t do that.

“Lord Marquis!” Colin choked up. “Not a day will I disarm until I have avenged my father! Please regroup the troops, Lord Marquis, lead us back to the Sky Ice Plain!”

“Rest assured, I won’t let you down!”

The two actors looked at each other earnestly, sparks of camaraderie flying around.

“But you have already disappointed us.”

An indifferent voice came from the entrance of the hall.

The voice wasn’t loud, but it silenced the entire hall.

Moreover, the speaker’s words conveyed a blatant scorn for Marquis Charles. Still, no one dared to rebuke him.

Even Marquis Charles himself, though his carefully prepared performance was rudely interrupted, looked embarrassed and apologetic upon hearing this.

Meanwhile, the crowd instantly parted on both sides, giving way to the man at the entrance.

Marquis Garcia appeared at the doorway.

Behind him, Vera followed, dressed to the nines.

The two “Armored Men” finally ended their sentimental staring contest, and turned, bowing to the two figures who had just entered the hall.

Today, Marquis Garcia was dressed in a deep blue ceremonial dress. His expression was cold as he briskly walked through the crowd, not pausing as he passed by Colin and Marquis Charles.

He didn’t even spare them a glance.

It was as if he had little interest in the spectacle they kickstarted. As the person of the highest status at today’s banquet, Marquis Garcia’s attitude was very important.

Seeing that he had ignored the two “Armored Men,” the numerous nobles attending heaved a sigh of relief, as if a weight had been lifted from their shoulders.

However, even though Marquis Garcia was undoubtedly the focus today, the real highlight of the venue was someone else at the moment.

At least, all the men at the venue were focused on the slender and graceful figure behind Marquis Garcia.

Colin, of course, was no exception.

Vera was breathtakingly beautiful tonight.

She was wearing a pure white long dress with a slit in the side, her dazzling golden hair draped over her smooth shoulders, her ocean-blue eyes as clear as the sea itself. Her proportions were perfect at 1.7 meters tall, and the dress hugged her figure, accentuating every curve, weaving an intoxicating silhouette.

What made the men at the banquet even more restless was Vera’s nearly perfect, delicate face.

Furthermore, the mysterious aura of a mage, the dignified elegance of a high noble, and the gentle grace of a young girl perfectly melded within her, radiating a fatal attraction.

“Who is she?”

Quite a few male nobles had already begun quietly inquiring about Vera’s identity.

This adopted daughter of the duke was quite a mystery. Colin had not found any information about her from his previous life’s memories, as if Duke St. Hilde had intentionally hidden her existence.

However, it seemed that Marquis Garcia intended to formally introduce this beauty to the North Territory today.

“Before the banquet begins, please allow me to introduce the lovely lady by my side.”

Marquis Garcia brought Vera onto the front stage of the banquet hall and introduced her.

“Vera St. Hilde, the adopted daughter of Duke St. Hilde!”

“Gasp…”

Hearing the truth of Vera’s identity, the gazes of the male nobles below the stage only intensified.

There was only one thought left in their minds: claim her as mine!

It’s always important to have dreams, otherwise what difference is there between them and salted fish?

Marquis Garcia seemed to have seen through their thoughts. He didn’t waste any more time, instead picking up a tall wine cup, loudly announcing: “The banquet begins tonight! Gentlemen, enjoy yourselves!”

“Praise to Marquis!”

As Marquis Garcia’s words fell, beautiful music began to play.

The banquet officially began.

As expected, Miss Vera was immediately surrounded by numerous eligible male nobles.

Regardless of their status, almost all unmarried men present tried their luck to see if they had a chance at winning her over.

After all, a woman like Vera with both beauty and status was an optimal marriage candidate.

As for whether it was stepping out of one’s league, that was a matter to be discussed after trying.

Vera handled the approaching nobles adeptly, as if such a situation was nothing to her.

Her every move exuded the demeanor of a duke’s daughter, politely yet firmly rejecting wave after wave of men.

“Aren’t you going to try?” Marquis Charles nudged Colin beside him with his elbow.

“Sure,” Colin looked extremely calm, “But you have to give the others a chance to try first.”

Marquis Charles heard the strong confidence in Colin’s words and couldn’t help looking at him sideways,

“Heh! Don’t say I didn’t warn you. There are quite a few young men at the banquet today who are superior to you in both status and appearance!”

Colin merely shrugged, ignoring Charles’s warning, and took a glass of champagne from the tray of a passing attendant, savoring it meticulously.

Seeing this, Marquis Charles immediately rolled his eyes, thinking that his worry was unwarranted.

At this moment, in the center of the banquet hall, quite a few men and women had started dancing in pairs.

But Vera had not yet accepted any gentleman’s invitation.

Finally, as all the butterflies circling around her departed one by one, disappointed, Colin put down his wine glass and walked towards Vera.

“The beautiful and distinguished lady, may I have the honor of asking you for a dance?” Colin slightly bowed, extending his right hand to Vera.

A faint blush appeared on Vera’s face as she obediently placed her right hand in

Colin’s,

“Sure..”