"I came here to ask you something."

Her posture perked up instantly.

"Go on, I'll answer it as best as possible," she responded.

"You might not be as influential as the witches and vampires, but since you've lived in this city for years and you're the queen of the lamias, you must know a lot of things."

"I would consider myself knowledgeable on matters of the city, yes."

"Good. How much do you know about the Dracule clan?"

"The Dracule clan? They've been around for centuries. They existed before this city was even built. They are an odd breed that's for sure."

When she said they were an odd breed, I could sense something else behind her words. Of course, it caught my interest.

"What do you mean they are a different breed?" I asked.

An amused smile appeared on her face. A smile that told me she was going to reveal something interesting.

"Long ago, the Djinn had a mistress. A mistress with the last name Dracule."

My eyes narrowed at her.

"Do you mean…"

"The Dracule clan are blood descendants of the Djinn. Their son, Damien Dracule, is now the head of the clan. Because of the Djinn's blood, he was able to rise to the top of this city. He inherited all sorts of strange abilities. He can switch forms at will, transforming into a bat, wolf, or sometimes mist itself."

"That does sound strange," I agreed.

"But by far his strangest and by far his most powerful ability is mind control. Apart from noble vampires and the queen witches, he can mind control any being. During the great war, he subjugated half the city under his will. He even got a few members of my colony under his control. It is impossible to tell at a glance who is under his control since there are no physical signs."

That sounds like trouble. If he can mind control others, then it must mean he has eyes all over the city. Who is to say he doesn't already know where I am? There was a high possibility that he was watching me all along.

She said the only people he couldn't mind control are the noble vampires that rule the city and the 4 queen witches. I wonder if those I have turned could also be mind controlled. This is something I have to confirm for myself. But if that wasn't the case and they could be controlled, then everyone I was close to would be at risk.

"He has a network of spies under his control. It is practically impossible to keep information from him, so it's not even worth it to try," she sighed exhaustedly.

"The war between the Veylmont clan and the Dracule clan is more like a cold war. The Veylmont clan is the more active clan. They are involved in almost everything that goes on in the city. While the Dracule clan is more like an all-seeing eye that watches everything. His power comes from knowing he's there and that he can strike at any moment."

He sounded like a completely different type of enemy than the Veylmont clan. He was the opposite of what I needed. I aimed to orchestrate a conflict between the two most powerful vampire clans, but if the head of the Dracule clan is the type of enemy that only sits and observes, then this would be difficult.

"Another strange thing about him is that he has no close relatives. Not even a wife or children."

This makes things even more complicated. If there was no one he cared about, then he would be harder to manipulate.

How do you even begin to break a man with nothing to lose?

I thought about it, but I couldn't find an answer.

I continued to question the lamia queen for all she knew about the Veylmont clan. Then, when I thought I got every drop of information out of her, I began asking her about the different witches.

Afterwards, I left her quarters aiming to turn in for the day, but that's when I felt eyes on me. And not just the eyes of the ghouls and lamias under me. It was the eyes of a vampire wearing a maid outfit. Of course, it was Isabella's mother.

We locked eyes for a brief second, but she quickly averted her gaze.

"Like mother like daughter," I mumbled to myself.

I was wondering how low she could last without my blood. Things should get interesting.

I decided to ignore her for now and continued to my room.

When I got back to my room, Sylvie was already gone, and in her stead sat someone else.

"Took you long enough. Where have you been?"

Of course, the only person that would take such an attitude with me was none other than Isabella. She sat on my bed, hands folded, legs crossed as she tried her best to look angry.

"Your bottom lip isn't perched enough," I responded.

"What?!"

"When you're actually angry, your lower lip is pushed all the way out and your eyes are more scornful. It's way cuter than the face you're currently making."

Her face glowed bright red before she jumped to her feet, ready to hide her embarrassment with more fake anger. She stomped her feet and folded her fists.

"Don't talk as if you know me! You don't know any—"

I calmly rested my hand over her mouth, silencing her.

"Keep quiet for a second."

She looked confused, but she didn't utter another word. We stood together in silence for an awkward couple of seconds. The seconds turned into minutes with my hand covering her, and she not daring to move an inch. I stared into her eyes as she blushed wildly.

It was funny; after all we did, she still blushes from mere eye contact.

This continued until finally, a knock came on the door. I signaled for her to keep quiet as I went to open the door. The moment I did, I was greeted with none other than Kaguya.

She looked out of breath as if she had rushed to get here. Her eyes scanned from left to right as if to see if anyone saw us.

"Master Liam—"

The moment she began to speak, I stepped aside to reveal Isabella standing behind me, and immediately, her face paled.

"Mom?!"

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