LOGINThat night, an unusual silence enveloped the mansion. No one could truly close their eyes. After Lilith had once again managed to control her thirst for blood, Ingrid returned to reading the ancient records stored in the secret chamber.Meanwhile, Lilith still held the journal on her lap. The golden letters inside the journal were even beginning to reappear, little by little. It was as if the journal knew that she was drawing ever closer to her complete transformation.“Lilith.”Lucas’s voice snapped her out of her reverie. Lilith looked up. Lucas was standing in the doorway of the room with a smile that always managed to make Lilith feel much calmer.“Are you ready?”Lilith nodded slowly. “I want to read the next page of the journal.”They reentered the secret room behind the library. There were only four people there that night: Lucas, Lilith, Ingrid, and Selene. Veronica had deliberately stayed outside to keep watch, while Victoria had chosen to lock herself in her room after the i
The morning at the mansion felt much quieter than usual. After reading part of the journal, no one could truly relax. The secrets they had been searching for all this time were finally beginning to be revealed, but those answers only led to new questions. In the dining room, Selene placed a cup of warm tea in front of Lilith.“Have a little to calm down, Lilith,” she said softly.Lilith gave a small smile. “Thank you.”But as Lilith lifted the cup, the tea’s usually soothing aroma now felt flat. Instead, Lilith caught another scent, a very faint scent of blood. Lilith froze instantly. Her eyes slowly turned red.“Lilith?” Lucas, who was sitting next to her, immediately noticed the change.Lilith quickly closed her eyes. “I’m fine.”But the sound of Selene’s heartbeat was now so clear in Lilith’s ears. Louder and more alluring. Without realizing it, Lilith’s small fangs began to lengthen. Lilith stood up immediately.“I… I have to get out.”“Lilith!”Lucas stood up too. But Lilith had
The secret room was so quiet that they could clearly hear their own breathing. Lilith was still holding the old journal in both hands. Meanwhile, Lucas, Ingrid, Selene, and Veronica could only wait. They couldn’t read a single letter. Only Lilith could. Only the last heir’s blood. Lucas gently held Lilith’s hand.“Take a breath. You don’t have to read it all at once,” Lucas murmured.Lilith nodded slowly. She closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm her racing heart. Then, she looked down again at the page of the journal.“Lilith, if you’re reading this page, it means your transformation has already begun. Please forgive us. We know the path you’re taking will be filled with pain.”Tears welled up in Lilith’s eyes again.“What did your mother say?” Veronica asked.Lilith swallowed hard. “Mom apologized for all the pain I’ll go through during this transformation.”Lucas gently squeezed her fingers. “I’m sure she had her reasons.”Lilith nodded and went back to reading.“We never cu
Silence enveloped the living room. No one spoke after the journal was proven to be empty. Victoria was still standing in place, frozen, her hands still clutching the black leather-bound book so tightly that it was almost bent in half.“That’s impossible. I risked everything just for this book!”Selene looked at Victoria with disappointment. “So it’s true, you were the one who snuck into the basement last night.”Victoria glanced at Selene, then let out a soft, bitter laugh.“I just wanted to know the truth. And if that journal could really save Lucas.” Her gaze shifted to Lucas. “Why can’t I know it, too?”Lucas shook his head slowly. “That’s not the issue,” Lucas interrupted. “The issue is that you chose to betray our trust.”Victoria didn’t answer; she simply bowed her head. But deep down inside, that sense of shame was slowly turning into hatred. Veronica looked at her with disappointment.“I didn’t expect you to do this,” Veronica muttered.“Maybe I didn’t expect it either,” Victo
The drive back to the mansion felt much quieter. No one said much in the car. Their minds were already filled with the same question. If the original journal was indeed at the mansion, then where exactly was it? Lilith stared out the car window. Her fingers unconsciously fiddled with the crescent-moon pendant now hanging around her neck. “If the journal has been at the mansion all this time… why did we only realize it now?” Lilith muttered. “Because we’ve always thought of the mansion as just a place of refuge, not a destination to return to, as a home.” Lucas, who was driving, replied without taking his eyes off the road. Ingrid nodded in agreement. “Your mother deliberately made all the clues point outward. Because anyone who betrays this family will keep looking in the wrong places.” Evening was turning into night when they arrived at the mansion. Veronica was already waiting in the living room. “You’re finally home. How did it go? Did you find anything?” she asked. Lil
That morning, the sky was still shrouded in gray clouds when a black car pulled away from the mansion. Inside were only Lucas, Lilith, Ingrid, and Selene. Veronica had chosen to stay at the mansion to keep watch. Meanwhile, Victoria, as usual, offered to help Veronica take care of the mansion.“Be careful,” Veronica said before they left.Lilith nodded with a smile. “We’ll be back soon.”Lucas opened the car door for Lilith first. That small gesture made Selene clear her throat softly.“You two really have no shame left, do you...”Lilith immediately blushed, while Lucas looked completely unfazed. “I’m just acting like I always do.”Selene snorted softly. “That’s exactly the problem.”Ingrid, sitting in the front seat, merely gave them a faint smile. For a moment, the atmosphere felt light. Yet they were heading to a place that might change everything.The drive took nearly two hours. The farther they left the city behind, the narrower the roads became, lined with wild trees. Lilith g
Lilith didn’t even know what to say. Her mind felt completely empty. Her palms were trembling violently, even though she was trying to hold them steady. Her mind was struggling to process something that felt too vast for her to grasp all at once. Half-human. Half-vampire. Those words still echoed i
The little house looked very quiet. But for the first time, that silence no longer felt painful. Lilith stood by the window, gazing at the sky that was beginning to clear after a long night of rain. The air around her was still very cold, but her mind was slowly beginning to feel calmer than before
Tonight felt longer than usual. The wind no longer felt refreshing. And for Lucas, tonight was a cruel night. Lucas stood in the middle of the dark forest, his breathing calm, too steady for someone who was losing the most precious thing he’d ever had.Lilith. Her name kept echoing in Lucas’s mind.
The small, simple room felt increasingly cramped with the three of them inside. It was as if the walls were slowly closing in. Getting closer, pressing down, and suffocating them. Lilith stood in the middle, breathing unevenly, her eyes darting back and forth between Lucas and Noah. Two figures who







