Vampire and Witch (GL) - Chapter 1

“You shameless woman, take your bastard child and get out!”

“Why were you even born into this world? If it weren’t for you… he… he wouldn’t have abandoned me…”

“Go die! Die! Die! Die!”

“I have no food here… What? You don’t want food? Then what do you want?”

“I don’t know the taste of death; I only know the feeling of a life worse than death.”

“So, why don’t you experience it too?”

“Grey, stay with me… forever…”

“Grey…”

“Grey…”

“Grey!”

A call rang out by her ear. The woman froze for a moment, lazily lifting her eyelids as she snapped back to reality.

A young girl waved a hand in front of her face. “Grey, what are you thinking about? Haven’t woken up yet?”

Grey blinked and offered a slight smile. Her eyes curved into the shape of peach blossoms, naturally exuding an elegant, bewitching charm.

“I did get up a bit early today.” She casually changed the subject. “But what about you, Sophia? Why are you here so early?”

Sophia’s eyes immediately lit up with uncontrollable excitement. “Grey, I met a vampire last night!”

“What? A vampire…?”

“Yes! You know, the kind of monster that never ages or dies and loves drinking the blood of virgins!”

Never ages or dies…

Monster…

Winter 1890, A Small Town Northwest of Glasgow

In the dead of night, a girl ran frantically along the riverbank. The surroundings were eerily quiet, save for her racing heartbeat and heavy, ragged breaths.

Cold moonlight spilled across the ground. A dark shadow behind her seemed to echo her footsteps, following closely.

Don’t look back, don’t stop, keep running!

The girl chanted silently in her mind, desperate to escape the shadow clinging to her heels.

Public safety in the city had been poor lately. A few days ago, several desiccated corpses were found by the river. They looked as though they had been mauled to death by wild beasts, their states gruesome beyond words. Even more terrifying was that their bodies appeared drained of blood, shriveled and gaunt.

Initially, people suspected a pack of wolves had appeared outside the city. Later, somehow, rumors began to spread that it was the work of “vampires.”

The girl regretted it now; she shouldn’t have taken the shortcut home. Now, even if she screamed at the top of her lungs, no one would hear her.

“Ah—!”

Suddenly, another shadow flashed past. The girl was pinned to the ground by brute force, her limbs tightly restrained.

The moonlight faded behind a layer of hazy clouds, and a mist seemed to settle over the area. Sharp fangs glinted with a cold light in the darkness. The girl’s legs went weak with terror; she shook violently, her face a mess of tears and snot. Unable to struggle, she could only close her eyes and accept her fate.

In an instant, a cold streak of silver light flashed through the air. A thick liquid smelling of rust sprayed everywhere.

The weight pressing down on her vanished. Without the expected pain, the girl slowly opened her eyes. The shadow that should have been pinning her down now lay on the ground, decapitated.

Through the faint moonlight and her blurred vision, she saw a slender figure standing in the dark. Long, silver-white hair fluttered in the cold wind. A pair of crimson pupils stared straight at her, the irises contracting as if sensing the heartbeat of the prey before them.

Thump, thump, thump…

Matching the rhythm of the heartbeat, the blood-eyed shadow took one step after another toward her.

The girl’s consciousness began to scatter. The immense panic stretched her nerves to the limit. Her body heat drained away, and a ringing in her ears robbed her of her last senses.

Just before losing consciousness, she finally saw clearly: it was a woman.

“I really did meet a vampire! You have to believe me!” Sophia stood up excitedly from her seat, the scarf on her lap falling to the floor.

“Calm down.”

Grey gently patted Sophia’s shoulder, commanding her to sit still while she continued bandaging the wound on the girl’s leg from her fall the night before.

Sophia hissed softly, frowning. “This morning, when I went back to the river with the constable, everything was gone. The ground was so clean there wasn’t a single trace.”

If it weren’t for the bruises on her thighs and backside, everything from last night would have felt like a dream.

“You know how many weird things have been happening in town lately. They just thought I was hallucinating because of the rumors, and the matter was dropped.”

After receiving a verbal reprimand from the authorities, Sophia felt miserable, so she came to Grey for some “spiritual cleansing.”

Grey was beautiful, with a clean face and deep features. Her emerald pupils were bright and moist, like morning dew. Sophia’s gaze followed the line of her elegant nose down to her lips—red, moist, and looking quite plump and delicious.

Grey always carried a faint, refreshing scent. Sometimes it was floral, sometimes milky, and sometimes the sweet bitterness of herbs. It tangled with her hair, quietly capturing Sophia’s breath.

Moreover, she was a “baby-faced” beauty. When they first met three years ago, she looked the same age as Sophia’s eighteen-year-old sister. Now, aside from having a bit more cheek fat, her face remained fair and entirely wrinkle-free.

Thinking of how her own sister’s crow’s feet increased daily after having a child—skin turning sallow and dark with eyesores of black spots—Sophia touched the corners of her own eyes, worrying if her youthful face was also growing wrinkles.

Grey watched her little movements with amusement. She casually gathered her loose curls into a low ponytail and lit the incense on the table. A fresh, elegant floral scent filled the air.

Sophia closed her eyes to savor the fragrance, her voice softening instinctively. “It smells so good… did you make this?”

Grey nodded. “It’s chamomile. It aids in calming and soothing the nerves so one doesn’t get agitated so easily. It suits you.”

Sophia glared at her, pouting. “Grey, you’re making fun of me!”

Grey rubbed her head tenderly. “Alright, it’s late. You should go to school. I have to go check on Mrs. Dorothy’s leg later.”

“The Dorothy house is so far from here! They’re making you see patients again? You aren’t even a doctor, why work so hard…”

Sophia remembered the last time Grey went to treat the Morris family on the mountain; she got caught in the rain on the way back and caught a cold, taking days to recover.

If she went to Dorothy’s in the south this time, wouldn’t it be dark by the time she returned?

Grey didn’t think much of it, saying nonchalantly, “The hospital is short-staffed. My little bit of herbal knowledge can contribute a meager effort, so why not?”

“Grey, you’re too nice. You’ll be taken advantage of with a personality like that.”

Too nice? …I’m just good at pretending to be nice.

Grey lowered her eyes, hiding the thoughtfulness within. She waved Sophia off, urging her to leave.

“It’s almost time. Hurry to school, or you’ll be late.”

Sophia gave a helpless “Oh,” packed her bag, and pushed the door open, only to collide head-on with an incoming guest.

“Ah!”

“Sorry, are you alright?” A smooth, magnetic voice rang out. It was deeper than most women’s voices, possessing a unique sexiness.

Sophia looked up to see a woman with platinum-blond hair. On her snowy, smooth skin, the fine peach fuzz seemed to glow. A pair of deep amber eyes gazed at her gently, long eyelashes trembling slightly.

When the woman smiled, the slight curve of her eyes was both handsome and charming, making it impossible to look away.

Grey looked toward the door at the sound. She saw Sophia staring blankly at the blonde woman, her expression practically lovestruck.

She called out curiously, “Sophia, what’s wrong?”

“Ah? N-nothing. Grey, I’m leaving! You have to believe what I just told you!”

After stepping out, Sophia couldn’t help but look back at the blonde beauty. Their eyes met again, and the blonde woman smiled and waved. Sophia blushed furiously, waved back, and left reluctantly.

Grey watched the girl’s departing figure with a helpless sigh, then put on a polite smile and nodded to the blonde woman. “Hello. What type of perfume are you looking for?”

She usually sold perfumes, incense, and balms, but she also took custom orders. In her spare time, she accepted requests from the hospital to help patients with minor pain.

Strictly speaking, she was a perfumer, not a doctor.

The blonde woman thought for a moment and said, “I want a perfume with a stronger scent.”

Grey subtly sized up the beauty. No wonder Sophia was dazed. The woman was not only beautiful and handsome but also tall with glowing skin. She seemed to have no flaws—every part of her was so perfect it sparked envy.

However, such a cold, refined appearance didn’t seem to suit a heavy, intense perfume.

“I think a fresh and elegant scent would suit you better. How about this one?” Grey picked up a perfume made with mimosa and tonka bean. The scent was rich but not overpowering, a favorite among noble ladies.

The blonde woman leaned down to smell it and immediately shook her head. “Not strong enough.”

“This one?” Grey picked up one made with iris and ylang-ylang extracts.

“Too sweet.”

“Then… this?”

“Not enough. I want it much stronger.”

Grey pressed her lips together and pondered. She hadn’t expected this customer to be so persistent about a strong scent. After a moment of hesitation, she picked up a newly formulated woody perfume.

“This is a concentrated Cologne. The top notes are spicy, the middle notes are woody vetiver, and once it diffuses, it leaves a bitter cedar incense. It will easily last all day.”

This perfume was actually designed for customers with strong body odors, though Grey had no intention of saying that, fearing she might offend her.

The blonde woman smelled it and immediately frowned, looking as if she didn’t like it. She lifted a hand to lightly rub her nose.

“Mmh, it’s quite fragrant, but I still want something stronger.”

Grey’s eyes widened in disbelief. She had a bold guess: Does this person actually have body odor?

She unconsciously leaned in and sniffed a few times. There was no dizzying stench; instead, there was a faint smell of rust.

It was the smell of blood.

The blonde woman noticed the strange breath near her. She tilted her head and looked over curiously.

Grey coughed awkwardly and immediately regained her polite smile. “Perhaps you have a specific scent in mind? I offer private customizations. You can describe your ideal scent, and I will try to create it based on your requirements.”

Aside from ready-made perfumes, Grey could blend specific scents for clients. High-society figures like aristocrats or countesses often preferred custom orders.

Grey sized up the blonde woman once more. Her appearance was indeed noble, but her all-black outfit didn’t quite look like the typical attire of the aristocracy. However, she could be the child of a noble—they sometimes dressed down on purpose.

The blonde woman nodded slightly. “Alright. Please blend a perfume for me. Besides being strong, I want a very special scent.”

Grey lifted her gaze and locked into the other woman’s deep eyes. An invisible pressure suddenly swept in from all sides, causing her to instinctively take a step back. She accidentally bumped into the corner of the table.

“Hiss…”

Grey cried out in pain, but a pair of strong palms pressed against her waist, firmly pulling her away from the sharp corner.

Before she could react, a cold, soft sensation spread along her neck, pressing tightly against her ear. A low, magnetic voice rang out slowly, like a lover’s intimate whisper, tugging at her heartstrings and making her heart race uncontrollably.

“I want the scent that is on you.”