The First Vampire

“You…You saw through it long ago?”

Colin gave a calm smile and said: “I had suspicions from the moment you deliberately distracted Nina.”

“So, why did you still follow me here?”

“I wanted to give you another chance, thinking you too were a victim of Mr. Ji.”

Saken opened his mouth, but for a moment, he didn’t know what to say.

Colin then wiped away his smile, saying coldly: “But if you had kept walking just now, I would have killed you with one sword and left immediately.”

After a moment of silence, Saken finally lifted his head to look directly into Colin’s eyes, sincerely responding:

“Thank you, Lord Count!”

Colin gave a light smile and said, “Alright, tell me, what kind of trap is set inside? And who instructed you to bring me inside?”

Seeming to have untied a knot in his heart, Saken promptly answered:

“My lord, in the second bookshelf of the third room, there’s a book that hides a deadly smoke bomb. As soon as you open the book, even if it won’t kill you instantly, it’ll still weaken you. The person who set this trap is my father’s maid, Lady Cadina.”

“Cadina?” Colin recalled the maid who was always quietly standing behind Franco, pushing his wheelchair.

“Yes.” Saken nodded, then added, “In fact, she is also my father’s lover. After my father committed suicide by poison, she approached me, hoping I could assist her in her revenge against you.”

“Lover?” Colin seemed thoughtful and asked, “I remember she also pledged her loyalty to me, so she’s also a knight of the Morrison family?”

“She is a loyal knight to the Morrison family, but she is not of the Morrison name.”

“So, to which family does she belong?”

“I don’t know.” Saken shook his head. “It is said that she’s a wandering knight taken in by my father, but she has never publicly revealed her last name.”

“How long has she been at Phoenix Butterfly Fort?”

“Around…” Saken thought for a moment, uncertainly answering, “Around ten years.”

Colin was lost in thought for a moment, then he suddenly asked an seemingly unrelated question: “By the way, where is your mother? I never saw her.”

Saken was stunned for a moment but replied, “My mother has been dead for many years.”

“Do you remember when she passed away?”

“It was also ten years ago…” Saken paused as he said this, as if he had realized something, “My Lord, are you suggesting that my mother’s death is related to Cadina?”

Colin shrugged, “You should know better than I would.”

Suddenly, Saken became agitated, clenching his fists as if he was explaining to Colin, yet also telling himself: “Yes, thinking about it now, Cadina is indeed suspicious! My mother was always quite healthy, but she began to worsen day by day after Cadina came to Phoenix Butterfly Fort, until her death. I’ve never linked Cadina’s arrival and my mother’s death, but now it seems these simultaneous timings are too suspicious! Cadina is indeed highly suspicious for my mother’s death!”

Colin quietly listened to Saken’s outburst, and suddenly felt a sense of deja vu—

Didn’t a similarly melodramatic plot unfold in the home of Count Uman, the lord of Fallen Eagle City?

Could this Cadina be another incarnation of Penny St. Sean?

However, there are some differences.

Penny bore a child for Count Uman, even letting this illegitimate son replace the position of the true heir, preparing to play a game of usurpation.

But Cadina didn’t bear a child for Franco; the current Saken Morrison was Franco’s only child.

Of course, this might be because Franco had lost his fertility after becoming paralyzed…

Cadina, even if she wanted to learn from the elder Penny, was helpless to do so.

Colin was looking at the rage-filled Saken, suddenly feeling fortunate for this ignorant lad, if his father could still bear children, it would probably be unlikely for the title of Count Morrison to come his way.

But one thing about the two of them should be the same—they were both chess pieces laid out by Mr. Ji!

Penny was Mr. Ji’s sister, and this Cadina likely has a deep connection with Mr. Ji too, probably being a survivor of the St. Sean family also.

In that case, even Franco’s “suicide by poisoning” has some questions—

Did he truly commit suicide? Or was he forced to commit suicide?

Upon this thought, Colin again asked, “The person who first noticed something was wrong after your father’s incident, that should be Knight Cadina too, right?”

“Yes, she was the first to discover father’s…” Saken nodded, then suddenly his face changed, as if having finally realized something, “You think father didn’t commit suicide? That he was poisoned to death by Cadina?”

Colin once again shrugged, saying, “It’s possible. I suspect she was sent by Mr. Ji to monitor the Morrison Family, so after my seizure of the Morrison Family’s nobility title, Cadina, filled with resentment, very likely made Franco ‘commit suicide by poisoning,’ in order to fully incite hatred towards me from the members of the Morrison family.”

“It’s a pity she didn’t expect Lady Grace to be so decisive, and to have such high prestige in the Morrison Family, she even managed to convince everyone to pledge their loyalty to me.”

Subsequently, Colin glanced at Saken, saying, “Of course, she didn’t walk away with nothing. At the very least, she successfully stirred up your hatred towards me.”

At this moment, Saken felt both shame and anger, his face contorted with a ferocious expression as he growled,

“Count, please apprehend her at once so that she can be severely interrogated! I want to know how father really died!”

But Colin merely shook his head slowly, saying, “Such a determined person, threats and interrogation might not work.”

“Then what should we do?” Saken was instantly a bit anxious.

Colin confidently smiled and said, “I have a better plan, I just need you to play along in a little performance.”

Saken’s eyes lit up, he immediately replied, “No problem, as long as I can know the truth about father’s death, I’m willing to do anything!”

“Good. Then you pretend I haven’t discovered this trap.”

Saken seemed to understand Colin’s meaning, but still reminded him,

“Your Lordship, you must remember, the book that hides the deadly fog is called “Origin of the Golden Tail Butterfly Badge,” it’s on the second shelf in the third room.”

“Okay, I understand.” Colin smiled faintly, and gestured for Saken to continue moving inside.

Saken stepped into the library, leading Colin to the third room, pointing towards a book on the second shelf, saying,

“Your Lordship, the secret about the Morrison Family that I want to tell you is hidden within this book.”

“Alright, let me take a look.” Colin nodded, but didn’t pick up the book that Saken deliberately pointed wrong, instead he took “Origin of the Golden Tail Butterfly Badge.”

Saken was immediately stunned, thinking that Colin did not remember his words from earlier, and started blinking as a warning.

But Colin seemed not to have noticed Saken’s warning at all, and went on to open that book.

Phew!

A wisp of deadly green fog suddenly erupted from the book, enveloping Colin’s whole head in an instant.