We walked down the hallway, which opened into the large living room I had passed earlier. To the right were the towering staircase. We continued straight ahead and entered another hallway that ran parallel to the one we had just walked down. With every passing second, I could see the expectations building on Lucian's face, and I became genuinely curious. What kind of woman could cause the typically serious and stoic Lucian to display such expressions? She had to be an intriguing character.

We walked for a while before coming upon a simple white door. We stopped in front of it, and Eldon knocked. "Who is it?" a deep, alluring, and throaty voice called from inside.

"It is me, Eldon," Eldon replied. The voice responded, asking him to wait for a moment.

The door opened, and she stepped into view—the mystery girl. Her brown skin reminded me of chocolate from my previous world. Her hair was light, curly, and black. She was looking down, adjusting the crop top she was wearing, paired with denim shorts.

As she looked up, her deep black eyes first met Eldon's before shifting to mine. As her gaze moved over me, it landed on the figure beside me. I noticed her eyes widen with disbelief and surprise. The black orbs seemed to reflect the very stars themselves. Then, relief filled her face. It looked like she had been worried about someone—perhaps Lucian, maybe even herself.

Lucian stepped forward, and she rushed into his arms. I moved aside slightly.

"You really took your sweet time this time," she said, her voice accusing but still warm.

"I am sorry," Lucian said as they embraced each other tighter. They exchanged a few more words before separating.

"Oh, how negligent of me. Meet His Highness, the Prince. It is only by his grace that we are able to meet today," Lucian said, turning toward me and gesturing towards me while he introduced me .

I saw the excitement in her eyes quickly shift to respect, tinged with a touch of fear. She offered a bow, her movements accentuating her curves. "Greetings, My Prince. I am Elina Stiles," she said.

"No need for formalities. Please, rise," I said, signaling for her to stand.

"Thank you, My Prince," she responded.

"There's no need to be so formal. Lucian is not just my trainer; he's a friend, and by extension, so are you." I said, my tone calm and steady.

"Thank you for your grace," they both replied in unison.

"Well, now that I've done my part in reuniting two lovebirds," I said, straightening up, "I feel it's time to leave you two to reminisce in peace." I turned to leave, Eldon following close behind me.

"Farewell, My Prince," I heard their voices call from behind.

"Eldon, prepare a room on the second floor—one of high quality. Once it's ready, move Lucian and Elina there," I instructed as we walked back toward the open living room.

"As you say," Eldon replied.

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"His Highness wanted to meet you," Eldon informed me just as I was about to ascend the stairs.

"Where is he?" I asked.

"He's in the living room on the top floor," Eldon answered. I nodded and turned back.

"You can continue your work; I'll go there myself," I told him. As he started to follow me, I stopped him with a nod, and he bowed before returning to his duties.

I climbed the grand staircase, the urge to run to the top flashing in my mind, but the thoughts swirling in my head made me slow down and think. The image of Elina from earlier—her chocolatey skin, her presence—flashed before me.

I probably wouldn't try anything with her. She was Lucian's girlfriend, and he was someone I considered a friend. I wouldn't ruin things for a girl, and besides, she seemed relatively normal—if a bit striking in her own way. I'd seen women like her in my previous life, but there was something about the way she carried herself that made her stand out, reminding me of her origins: Elina Starwood. Starwood.

Perhaps, in my past life, I might have thought differently, even if I had been involved with my own mother—the wife of my very father in this world— the power dynamics between us were the same. In this world, Mother and I were on equal footing. No one was kept in the dark, as evidenced by my father's actions of numbing my mothers senses as a welcome gift last night. He definitely knew what was going on and had no issue with it. But with Elina, it would feel wrong—like abusing power or forcing her into something she didn't want. Normally, I wouldn't care, but in this case, I didn't want to antagonize Lucian, lose his friendship, or keep him in the dark by doing something behind his back—not now, at least. He was still a friend, and one who had his uses still.

I reached the top of the grand staircase as the glint in my silver eyes was replaced by my normal expression , I walked into the living room as I adjusted my member beneath the silver robe. the exaggerated grandness of the living room on the top floor deeply contrasted the simplicity of the first floor. I saw my father sitting on a sofa to the side and walked toward him.

"Greetings, Father," I said.

"Greetings, son. How have you been?" he asked. I didn't miss the teasing and knowing undertone in his voice.

"Very happy, I would say, especially after last night. Thanks for your arrangements," I said, sitting down.

"Nothing to thank me for. Just a father making his son happy," he replied.

"Why did you call for me, Father?" I asked, shifting the topic after we exchanged pleasantries.

"I wanted you to start becoming a part of the official business. You need to start preparing now," he said, picking up a teacup from the table.

"I like tea. One of the best human inventions," he said while taking a sip. It wasn't like Nocturnals couldn't indulge in human delicacies.

"How do you want me to start?" I asked, and he turned to me, placing his cup down.

"First and foremost, you should start joining the training sessions from today onward," he said, his eyes fixed on mine. The house had its own guards—called knights—and they were divided into three tiers.

The Knights of Bastion were responsible for the outer boundary and maintaining law and order outside the inner boundary. They were level-three knights. Then there were the Knights of Aegis, who protected the inner boundary and upheld order within it. The Knights of Aegis were further divided into two groups: the lower-level ones, known as Aegis Wardens, handled the boundary and law enforcement, while the higher-level knights, known as Aegis Guardians, were in charge of the castle grounds and its security, including the first three floors of the castle.

The highest-tier knights were the Knights of Zenith. They were the epitome of authority and prestige in terms of military power and combat strength. Their mere names would strike fear into the hearts of most vampires. They were responsible for the upper four floors of the castle.

"Where do I start, then?" I asked as he took another sip of his tea. I was beginning to crave it myself as memories of my previous life came flooding back. I had been quite obsessed with tea back then.

"You won't start with the Knights of Bastion, Aegis, or Zenith," he said, making me confused.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"You will train with level zero," he said, a gleam in his eyes. I was confused for a moment before it clicked.

image [https://i.postimg.cc/DwVK9pL0/temp-Image1n-Ybu8.avif]