The First Vampire

The marriage envoy was welcomed by the half-elf populace and arrived at the Half-Elf Palace in the center of Silver Moon City.

Despite the sparkling Half-Elf Palace, and the Half-Elf King standing at the front gate, Colin’s gaze instantly fixed on a lady The Half-Elf Queen!

An elegant and tall half-elf woman, with a dreamy beauty and a dignified and elegant demeanor. She was supporting the elderly Half-Elf King, making people sigh at the sight –

What a flower stuck in cow dung!

Colin quickly withdrew his slightly rude gaze and bowed to the king and queen.

At the same time, he commented inwardly:

No wonder the queen needs to adopt a son, the Half-Elf King, who can barely stand, probably lacks the ability to impregnate the young and beautiful queen.

At that moment, Vera descended from her carriage and bowed to the king.

Today, Vera was not all dressed up, and only wore a simple white dress. There were no accessories on her except for a small badge of the St. Hilde family pinned to her left chest.

In such a grand occasion, Vera’s dress was considered disrespectful.

But no one dared to point it out.

Like a cool snow lotus, the young lady stood in front of the Half-Elf Palace with an expressionless face, as if silently protesting against fate.

“Miss…Vera, Viscount…Angler, no… no need for formalities…”

The tone of the Half-Elf king was airy, as if it could be blown away by wind.

“Honored guests, please come in. We have prepared a feast and fine wine to welcome you.”

A middle-aged half-elf man walked out from behind the king and bowed to Colin and his party.

“Prince William is right, please come in!” Duke Miller also strongly urged.

He also revealed the identity of the middle-aged man.

It was the firstborn son of the Half-Elf King and his late Queen – Prince William Modewen.

Colin thought that the reason Duke Miller and Prince William were so eager to invite everyone in was probably because they were afraid that the old king would suddenly keel over from standing too long outside.

So, he chose wisely to lead Vera into the Half-Elf Palace.

The beauty-loving Half-Elf clan would naturally not skimp on their palace. Colin saw every part of the palace adorned in opulence and extravagance, which even outshone the Lion Roar Castle of the St. Hilde family.

They traversed a long corridor and arrived at the Banquet Hall.

Long tables were arranged on a maroon carpet, covered in dark navy velvet.

The tables were decorated with the Half-Elf Kingdom’s specialty, blood roses.

The faint fragrance of flowers in the air was refreshing.

The tall, half-elf maids elegantly guided everyone to their seats, their movements as delicate as butterflies.

Colin stepped on the thick carpet, and its soft, comfortable touch gave him the illusion of walking on clouds. Once seated, he squinted and examined the crystal chandeliers above.

There were eight crystal magic lamps, three meters wide, spreading magical radiance that illuminated every corner of the banquet hall like it was daylight. Lowering his gaze, he saw a variety of exquisite dishes and expensive wine.

Even the utensils were made of pure gold, carved with the badge of the Modewen family.

They’re bloody rich!

Colin was reminded of the information about the Half-Elf race in the memories of his predecessor.

They were known as the two most business-savvy races in the world, along with the goblins. If goblin merchants made a name for themselves through careful calculation and business talent, the half-elf merchants did so through women’s politics.

That’s right, half-elf beauties were famous all over the world, and by sending women to various factions, half-elf merchants quickly expanded their network of contacts across the continent, bringing a wealth of treasures back to Silver Moon City.

But of course, such wealth attracted greedy eyes.

Therefore, the half-elves decisively sought protection from the Glory Empire, offering large amounts of tribute each year just for the empire’s protection.

With the Empire as their godfather, the Half-Elf Kingdom laid back and relaxed. The nation’s military preparedness was slack, and the total number of regular troops in the country was just 50,000, with their combat effectiveness rumored to be rather poor.

Well, everyone was so rich, who would want to risk their lives on the battlefield?

As Colin mused, the banquet began.

The old king was still delivering his vague toasts in a threadbare tone, making Colin feel groggy.

The entire meal was extremely dull.

Vera adhered to the principle of silence being golden, only occasionally answering with a “Yes”, “Right”, “okay”… etc. when absolutely cornered with questions. She didn’t behave like a woman about to marry into the half-elf royal family at all.

However, not only did the members of the Modewen royal family not dare to complain, they also had to take good care of her, striving to find topics to prevent the atmosphere from becoming too awkward.

Colin found it tiring just watching them.

If the atmosphere at the main table was like this, the half-elf nobles at the other tables certainly dared not speak loudly. The entire banquet hall was almost filled with the clinking sounds of cutlery hitting the plates. Finally, when the meal was over, the maids cleared the long table.

When the soft music began, the dance ball started.

However, the atmosphere remained extremely awkward.

Vera stood there like a wooden figure, ignored by everyone.

Prince Topaz, standing next to her, had a green face from irritation, but still had to maintain a smile.

At this point, Colin didn’t dare to ask Vera to dance, otherwise, the exasperated Prince Topaz would probably throw his glove at him again.

However, there were quite a few half-elf noble girls gathered around Colin. Obviously, they had heard that this Viscount Angler from the North Territory was not yet married, and they came to try their luck.

Seeing one beautiful face after another swirling around him, Colin could only shake his head and refuse with a bitter smile.

He always felt Vera’s gaze deliberately or unintentionally sweeping over, it made his spine feel cold.

Moreover, frankly speaking, he was truly not interested in these half-elf noble girls.

Although they looked quite good, they were not necessarily as beautiful as

Vera.

As for their status, it was naturally even worse.

Half-elf beauties are always known as the “best lovers”.

But note, they only have the title of “lovers”, not “wives”.

Any clear-headed human noble knew that a half-elf beauty could only be a lover, not a real wife.

The reason was simple – the nobility of the Glorious Empire could only be inherited by pure-blooded humans.

Therefore, facing the enthusiastic half-elf girls, Colin could only decline politely.

With both honored guests giving them such a cold reception, it was naturally impossible for the banquet to heat up.

And the old half-elf king even went to sleep directly in his chair.

So just after eight o’clock, the queen announced the end of the banquet earlier than usual.

“I’m really sorry; our banquet was not to your liking!”

Looking at the queen who personally came to apologize softly, Colin also waved his hand and laughed: “Your Majesty is too kind, in fact, we are also tired from a long journey and were thinking of having an early rest.”

“Okay, Topaz, please send our distinguished guests to rest.”

“Yes.”

After sending Vera and Colin away, the queen tried to help the sleeping king.

“Mother, let me do it,” Prince William said, taking the initiative. “Okay, you help His Majesty to rest. I’ll go and see off the guests.”

“Alright.”

Supporting the sleeping king, Prince William headed towards the bedchamber. “You may all leave now.” After laying the king on the bed in the bedchamber, Prince William waved at the attendants behind him.

“Yes.”

As the door of the bedchamber was closed again, the seemingly sleeping king suddenly opened his eyes.

He got up swiftly, looking completely different from his frail earlier appearance..