The First Vampire

Leaving the garden, Colin was still bothered, trying to work out the real intent behind Queen Isa’s words.

He didn’t notice the half-elf maid walking towards him.

The maid was holding a large pot that blocked her view, she didn’t see Colin either.

It wasn’t until they almost collided that Colin realized there was someone in front of him. He quickly dodged, startling the maid into a scream.

“Sorry.”

“No, no, no, my lord. It’s my fault!” Recognizing Colin, the maid quickly set down the pot plant and kept apologizing.

“It’s fine.” Colin waved his hand, preparing to leave.

But after a few steps, he seemed to remember something and turned back to the maid: “Are you the one in charge of that garden?”

“Yes, my lord.”

“Are those Blood Roses all cultivated by you?”

“No, I don’t have such skills.” The maid shook her head, “Those Blood Roses were all bought from outside.”

“Do you know where those Blood Roses in the garden were bought from? I quite like those flowers. I’d like to buy some myself.”

“Windbell Commerce Association.” The maid mentioned a name familiar to Colin. “They are located on the western side of the Slave Market. This business can cultivate the best Blood Roses in Silver Moon City.”

“Ok, thank you.”

“You’re so kind.” The maid gave a curtsey. Seeing that Colin had no further instructions, she took her leave.

Colin watched the maid’s retreating figure and fell into deep thought.

There was indeed some connection between Queen Isa and the Windbell Commerce Association.

But was their relation merely about Blood Roses?

Did Queen Isa know Cis? Even Prince Okamoto?

Could it be that Prince Okamoto was actually a supporter of the second prince’s faction?

But what would the Troll Empire have to gain by meddling in the affairs of the Half-Elf Kingdom?

What could they possibly gain here?

Also, why would Cis, a half-elf, align with the trolls?

A plethora of questions were spinning in Colin’s head.

He suddenly found the current situation in Silver Moon City to be rather interesting.

With an excited smile, Colin turned around and headed towards his residence. Although there were still many questions unanswered, he had sorted one thing out.

That’s why he ran into Prince William at the doorstep of the Windbell Commerce Association.

It’s likely that the Miller family had already detected the secret connection between Queen Isa and the Windbell Commerce Association.

So, they conducted a tax investigation as a pretext.

Colin had already revealed the secret connection between the Windbell Commerce Association and the trolls to Prince William, who could now pry some useful information out of Cis’ mouth.

Lost in these thoughts while walking, Colin quickly returned to his residence. Then he noticed an attractive and petite half-elf girl standing at his door.

“Knight Teriden, who is this lady?” Colin asked, puzzled.

“My Lord, this is Kathy. She is the female slave personally sent by Prince William as a gift to you.”

Only then did Colin remember it. He had initially thought Prince William was simply being courteous, but he indeed sent over a half-elf female slave.

This half-elf female slave stood about one meter sixty tall. She was thin and petite, appearing as if a gust of wind could blow her away.

However, she had a delicate and beautiful face. Especially her big, amber eyes and pointed ears were incredibly adorable.

She wore a simple green dress with an iron ring —a symbol of slavery— around her left ankle. She had a mysterious and weak aura about her, which inspired a sense of compassion.

Seeing Colin looking at her, Kathy blushed, stepped forward and curtsied: “My lord, Prince William sent me to serve you.”

Knight Teriden timely handed over a document: “Lord, this is her slave contract. The prince has already signed it. You just have to sign your name, and the female slave will be yours.”

With a bit of helplessness, Colin took the contract and said to Kathy: “Come in with me.”

Once inside, as soon as Colin sat down on a chair, Kathy quickly poured a glass of water and offered it to Colin: “My lord, please have some water.”

Colin, looking at the overly eager Kathy, laughed and waved his hand: “You don’t have to be so nervous.”

He then pointed to the seat opposite him and instructed: “Sit.”

Kathy obediently sat down, still sitting up straight as if she were a bit tense.

“How did you become a slave?” Colin knew by looking at Kathy’s demeanor and appearance that this girl’s family must have been fairly well-off before – she did not seem like the child of a slave.

“My father used to be a merchant, but after he went bankrupt, he sold me to pay off his debts.” Kathy couldn’t help but tear up as she recounted her painful past.

A clichéd tale.

How much of it was true was anyone’s guess.

Colin looked at the pitiful Kathy and asked again: “How long have you been with Prince William?”

“I was just sold to Prince William today.” “Hmm?” Colin raised an eyebrow, “Who was your previous owner?”

“The Windbell Commerce Association.”

As suspected!

Colin immediately guessed that the naive Prince William probably hadn’t figured out the true nature of the Windbell Commerce Association.

And this half-elf maid, perhaps, was a gift from Cis to curry favor with Prince William.

It was unexpected that she was directly passed on to Colin by Prince William.

Hmm? Wait a moment!

A half-elf maid given to Prince William by Cis? Colin stroked his chin and suddenly began to smile.

“Come here.”

Upon hearing Colin’s command, Kathy immediately stood up and walked over to Colin.

“A little closer.”

Kathy took another step forward.

Colin suddenly stood up as well, giving Kathy a fright.

They were standing very close, and Colin deliberately leaned in further, his face almost touching Kathy’s.

Kathy seemed to realize something, and her face turned crimson.

The masculine aroma from Colin put her in a whirl, her mind went blank. Just then, Colin suddenly asked: “What’s your last name?”

“My last name is…” Kathy suddenly snapped to attention, her eyes widened, and quickly corrected herself, “Sir, I am just a slave, I don’t have a last name!”

“Even before you were made a slave?”

Kathy shook her head: “Sir, I was just a commoner before.” Colin gave a cold smile, obviously not believing her story.

Kathy’s subconscious reaction just now had already given her away.

In this world, only nobles are allowed to have a last name. If Kathy was really just a commoner, she would not have subconsciously started her sentence with

“My last name is…”

Considering the collusion between Cis and Queen Isa, Colin suddenly realized, could Kathy be from the Miller family?

If that’s the case, then Duke Miller is quite ruthless.

To plant a mole beside his enemy, he even sold his own family member into slavery.

Of course, Colin also guessed another possibility—

Kathy might not have anything to do with the Miller family, but instead, she may be a spy for Cis, or for the family behind Cis.

In fact, that was the initial reason why Colin decided to probe Kathy.

He feels that Cis, does not seem like a commoner.

A commoner half-elf, even one with the backing of a troll, probably wouldn’t dare to interfere in the power struggle of Silver Moon City.

Unfortunately, this maid is obviously not a knight, and Colin could not transform her into a bloodline, which would force her to tell the truth.

As for blood slaves, they could be transformed, but those thoughtless walking corpses obviously couldn’t tell Colin anything about her background.

“You may leave.”

“Yes.”

Kathy gave Colin a pathetic look then scurried out like a scared deer.

Watching her retreating figure, Colin suddenly felt that his plan could use some fine-tuning.

Cis, Kathy, Queen Isa…

This is indeed an interesting lead..