Ella's POV:
'What is so special about him?'
She asked herself as she looked at her liege and friend Carmel leave the room after getting her advice, her mind still reeling at the fact that the future Empress, a powerhouse that would gain respect and command supreme power within both the realms, would come asking her on how to make up with a boy, and not just any boy, the boy that has now taken the whole world by storm.
Ella could still remember the first time she met Austin, his purple eyes gleaming as he played the match against her. That single match was the first and last time she ever lost at chess. She had to admit that left a small mark in her heart, a disgrace on her mind, one that she carries in her heart.
Ever since that day, she had kept a discreet eye on Austin, hoping to renew herself. She admits that she is quite a nosy person, with a black heart, and she wanted revenge. But to her dismay, she never got the chance. The following year, it was as if Austin was erased from the map of the world. He even went missing from his own Dukedom.
Plus, there also started several unsavory rumors about Austin, making it hard for Ella to grasp any concrete knowledge. Plus, she lived and thrived outside the Ezraeil Empire, making it much harder for Ella to gain any more information. Hence, time went by as the grudge in her heart became a scar, one left unattended to, one she thought would never rise again.
To her mind then, Austin was in her past. He might have beaten her once, but that was all. While he disappeared under the world, she grew. She grew to be stronger, more beautiful, and much smarter than who she was in the past. She would say with each passing day, she was getting better and better. Her past was in the past, and the man, Austin, had just forgotten.
Oh... how naive her thoughts were...
Austin did disappear from the world, but he did come back, rocking the realms to their entire core.
She would still remember the scene where she saw the boy who defeated her, again. This time he had become a man, a man who for a moment made her heart beat faster than she will ever admit. His looks and heroism shook her heart for a moment, but she shook that off, her scar that didn't heal throbbed, and the ugliness she tried to hide in her heart burst forth.
She confronted him in front of all and got the harshest slaps ever. At that moment, she was as foolish as she was all those years ago. The ugly scar that never healed got to her, and she finally saw how low she stood compared to him.
Within days after entering the academy, he rose to prominence like never before. Months of work that took to form powerful factions started to happen to him within days. A sort of charm unlike any other surrounded him, and the world even seemed to make way for him. And Ella stood at the side watching it all happen.
The very past she tried to bury burning deep with emotions she wouldn't put words to. Ella knew from the past itself that she was different from the other kids her age. While other kids let go of their stubbornness, she always clung to it. To her, she wanted to be the best at everything, and she prided herself on her intelligence. This pride only increased more after she became the right-hand woman of Carmel.
She wanted to be the best and the first. It was engraved in her, and somehow in front of Austin, she seems to be dropping the ball. She lost against him once, and when he returned, she lost against him again. The prideful self that looked down on Austin in the past painted a dirty picture of her, and from then on, she wanted to prove herself to him, to win at least once over him.
But she never got the opportunity. As much as competitive Ella wanted to be, she knew that she couldn't just barge into Austin and ask him for a rematch. He is a busy man with his own things to do, taking care of both his faction and reigning in the Archery association. From every logical point of view, Ella should be making a close connection with Austin.
He has the background and the connection to make it to the top of the world, not to mention he has a close connection with Carmel, making it so that they would definitely be interacting a lot in the future. For now, she had avoided meeting him, but that won't go on for long.
'Does he even remember me?'
Ella thought with a self-deprecating smile as she stood up from her seat, looking at the door. She moved towards her table, pressing a certain sequence as the table spun. Soon another table appeared, and seeing it, she moved her hand, opening the first drawer which was filled with files. The table had a total of three drawers, and each one of them is filled with information on Austin.
Taking a file, Ella started to read through it. You see, Ella wasn't wasting her time till now avoiding Austin. She was making a plan. If she wanted to gain her pride, she needs to win one over Austin, to make their score even. And for that, she needs information. Unlike the last times, she refuses to barge in without a plan.
'Um... this would work...'
Ella thought. By now, she was inching closer to her perfect plan, one that would get her even so that she can finally get a peace of mind and at the same time restart the relationship with Austin on a good note. As before, she didn't want him on her wrong side. Making a good impression on him and forming a connection with him would only do good things for her.
Soon after finishing reading the file, Ella closed it, her eyes running around with numbers as a sly smile soon came to her face.
"Guess it's time to take action..."
...
Sonia's POV:
'I miss him....'
Sonia thought as she lay on her bed, completely naked, her dark blond hair spread out, while her now sparkling red ruby eyes looked at the ceiling. Her naked body was a sight to behold, looking pale and beautiful, her pink nipples looking delicious compared to her white pale skin. She lay there, tossing in her bed as memories of Austin kept filling her mind, causing her red bloody eyes to sparkle.
Her hand moved towards the drawer on her side, taking up the blood sac in it. She looked at it with an indulging smile as she slowly started to slip it into her mouth, the heavenly taste filling her tongue as she wriggled a bit in bed.
'Ah~ it's still not as good as drinking from him~'
She remarked. The blood pack in her is one among the many that Austin had given her, in case she couldn't reach him, and she cherished each of them. There's something completely different about Austin's blood, and the more she drinks it, the more she is pulled into Austin, and the more he invades her mind till there is not even a second that she can't think of him.
'To think I would end up like this.....'
Sonia thought with a complex smile as she licked the last of the blood, the pure strength filling her, scaring even her a bit. She could still remember the time she struggled to fight, to even live another day in the Academy, all so that she could get his recognition.
Thinking of such, Leonardo's face flashed in her mind, not even inducing any sort of feeling within her. In the past, it gave her a sense of peace and made her heartbeat, but now she felt nothing, nothing at all.
Her heart actually died that day. The day Leonardo showed her his true colors, and it was Austin who truly brought her heart back. He was there for her like a silent guardian, taking care of her. In a funny way, Austin was similar to her; he held feelings for her while she, back then, held feelings for Leonardo.
And if Sonia was being truthful, she is more than delighted that things ended up like this. It all taught her a lesson and brought her toward the real love she deserves. A chuckle left Sonia's mouth as she remembered her father's reaction when he saw her. He was both thrilled and fearful.
"I am where I am because of him."
She couldn't even begin to imagine how things would have gone without Austin. Perhaps she would have awakened her half-side, but would she have all the support she has now?
Just thinking of Austin made her body feel different. Her hormones running amok as her red eyes started to get darker, her mind filled with several fantasies, in all of which Austin was treating her the way she wants to. Sonia might not notice it, but with each drip of Austin's blood, she gets more and more submissive to Austin.
Then there is also the change in her physique. Each species had its own mind built, its own unique psyche to deal with its species' quirks, and Sonia gained it all when she became a half-vampire. How else could she drink blood like it's normal?
It also changed to affect the way Sonia perceives life too. Sonia was, by heart, a very kind-hearted and innocent girl, and a part of her still is, but a certain part of her is now filled with indifference. The two sides clashed within her till it created a new psyche for her, the simple one being that her kindness now only exists for people she considers her family.
"Um~"
Sonia moaned out as her hands found themselves between her legs, her desires overflowing as her mind kept only being filled with Austin.
"Ha... ha... master... please come back soon~..."
She moaned her mind once again being completely dominated by Austin's blood, slowly changing her. Such an effect comes into play when she is half a vampire. What would happen if a complete one consumes Austin's blood?
Only time can tell.