Vampire and Witch (GL) - Chapter 1

“You shameless woman, get out of here with your bastard child!”

“Why did you have to be born into this world? If it weren’t for you… he… he wouldn’t have left me…”

“Go die! Die! Die! Die!”

“I don’t have any food here… What? You don’t want food, so what do you want?”

“I don’t know the taste of death. I only know what it feels like to wish you were dead.”

“So you should come and experience it too, right?”

“Grey, let’s be together… forever…”

“Grey…”

“Grey…”

“Grey!”

A voice called out beside her, and the woman froze for a moment. She slowly lifted her eyelids and snapped back to reality.

The young girl raised a hand and waved it in front of her. “Grey, what are you thinking about? Are you still half-asleep?”

Grey blinked and smiled slightly, her eyes curving up. The natural expression conveyed a beautiful and charming allure.

“I did get up a bit early today,” she said, casually changing 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! They’re those immortal monsters who love to drink the blood of virgins!”

Immortal…

Monster…

…

Winter 1890, a small town in northwest Glasgow.

In the dead of night, a girl ran frantically along the riverbank. The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the sound of her rapid heartbeat and heavy breathing.

The cold moonlight spilled onto the ground, and a shadow behind her seemed to mirror her steps, following her closely.

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

The girl silently chanted in her heart, desperate to escape the relentless shadow.

The town’s security hadn’t been great lately. A few days ago, several desiccated corpses were found by the river. They looked like they had been mauled to death by a wild beast, a gruesome sight.

Even more horrifying was that their bodies looked shriveled and withered, as if their blood had been drained.

At first, people suspected a pack of wolves outside the town, but then the rumor spread that it was the work of a “vampire.”

The girl regretted taking the shortcut home. Now, even if she screamed her lungs out, no one would hear her.

“Ah—”

Suddenly, another shadow flashed past her. A brute force pushed the girl to the ground, pinning her hands and feet so she couldn’t move.

The moonlight faded, obscured by clouds, and the surroundings seemed to be shrouded in a thin mist. Sharp fangs glinted in the darkness. The girl’s legs went weak with fear, and her whole body trembled. Tears and snot covered her face. Unable to struggle, she could only close her eyes and accept her fate.

In an instant, a cold, silver light flashed through the air, and a thick, rust-smelling liquid splattered everywhere.

The weight on her body vanished instantly. The expected pain never came. The girl slowly opened her eyes. The shadow that had been pressing down on her was now decapitated on the ground.

Through the faint moonlight and blurry vision, a slender figure stood in the darkness. Her long, silvery-white hair floated in the cold wind. A pair of crimson pupils looked directly at her, their suddenly constricted irises seeming to sense the heartbeat of the prey before them.

Thump, thump, thump…

Following the rhythm of her heartbeat, the crimson-eyed figure in the darkness approached step by step.

The girl’s consciousness began to fade. The immense panic stretched her nerves to their limit, and her body temperature was rapidly dropping. A ringing in her ears stole her last senses.

Just before she lost consciousness, she finally saw clearly that it was a woman.

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

“Calm down,” Grey said, gently patting Sophia’s shoulder and telling her to sit down. She continued to bandage the wound on Sophia’s leg from her fall last night.

Sophia let out a small “hiss” and frowned. “This morning, when I went back to the river with a police officer, there was nothing there. The ground was so clean, there wasn’t a single trace.”

If it weren’t for the bruises on her thigh and butt from the fall, everything that happened last night would have felt like a dream.

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

She also had to endure a verbal warning, which left Sophia feeling awful. So she came to Grey to seek some comfort.

Grey was beautiful. Her face was fair, her features were deep-set, and her clear, bright green eyes were like morning dew. Sophia’s gaze followed her elegant nose down to her red, moist lips, which looked plump and delicious.

She always had a faint, fresh scent, sometimes floral, sometimes milky, and sometimes the sweet smell of herbs. It intertwined with her hair, quietly captivating Sophia’s senses.

And she was a beauty with a youthful face. When Sophia first met her three years ago, she looked to be the same age as her 18-year-old sister. Now, aside from having slightly fuller cheeks, her face was still flawless, without a single wrinkle.

Then she thought of her own sister. After having a child, the crow’s feet at the corners of her eyes increased, her skin turned sallow, and there were annoying black spots…

Sophia touched the corner of her own eye, starting to worry if her youthful, beautiful face was also developing wrinkles.

Grey chuckled at her small action. She casually pulled her wavy, loose hair into a low ponytail and lit the incense on the table. A fresh and elegant floral scent filled the air.

Sophia closed her eyes, savoring the fragrance. Her voice unconsciously softened. “It smells so good… Did you make it?”

Grey nodded. “This is chamomile. It calms the mind and soothes nerves, so people don’t get so irritable. It’s perfect for you.”

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

Grey gently ruffled her hair. “Alright, it’s getting late. You should go to school. I have to go see Mrs. Dorothy’s leg later.”

“Mrs. Dorothy’s house is so far away! They’re making you see a patient again? You’re not a doctor, why are you working so hard…”

Sophia remembered that the last time Grey went to see the Mori family on the mountain, she came back drenched in the rain and caught a cold, which took her several days to recover from.

Now she had to go to Mrs. Dorothy’s house in the south. Wouldn’t it be dark by the time she got back?

Grey didn’t think much of it and said nonchalantly, “The hospital is short-staffed. My little bit of knowledge about herbs can still contribute. Why not?”

“Grey, you’re too kind. A personality like that will get you in trouble.”

“Kind”? She’s just good at pretending to be.

Grey lowered her eyes, hiding her thoughtful expression. She waved at Sophia, urging her to leave.

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

Sophia reluctantly said, “Oh,” and grabbed her bag. As she pushed the door open, she bumped into a customer coming in.

“Ah!”

“I’m sorry, are you okay?” A gentle, magnetic voice sounded, deeper than a typical woman’s and with a unique sexiness.

Sophia looked up. Before her stood a woman with silvery-white hair. Her skin was so pale and smooth, with a fine downy fuzz that seemed to shimmer. A pair of deep, amber eyes watched her gently, the long eyelashes trembling slightly.

When the woman smiled, the corners of her eyes curved up, a blend of handsomeness and charm that made it impossible to look away.

Grey looked towards the door and saw Sophia staring motionless at the blonde woman in front of her, with a somewhat infatuated expression.

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

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

After stepping out, Sophia couldn’t help but look back at the beautiful blonde. Their eyes met again, and the blonde woman smiled and waved at her.

Sophia blushed, waved back, and reluctantly walked away.

Grey watched the girl leave with a helpless expression, then put on a polite smile and nodded to the blonde woman. “Hello, what kind of perfume would you like?”

Her shop sold fragrances like perfumes, scented oils, and balms. She also offered custom services and, in her spare time, would accept requests from the hospital to help patients with minor ailments.

Strictly speaking, her profession was a perfumer, not a doctor.

The blonde woman thought for a moment. “I want a strong scent.”

Grey subtly sized up the golden-haired beauty in front of her. No wonder Sophia was so captivated. The woman was not only beautiful and handsome, she was also tall with luminous, pale skin. She seemed to have no flaws at all, and every part of her was so perfect it inspired envy.

However, her cool and elegant appearance didn’t seem to suit a strong perfume.

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

The blonde woman bent her head to smell it, then immediately shook her head. “Not strong enough.”

“How about this one?” Grey picked up another perfume, this one with iris and ylang-ylang.

“Too sweet.”

“Then… this one?”

“Not enough. I want something even stronger.”

Grey pursed her lips and pondered for a moment. She didn’t expect this customer to be so persistent about a strong scent.

She hesitated for a moment, then picked up a newly blended woody perfume.

“This is a cologne with a strong fragrance. The top notes are spicy, the middle notes are a woody vetiver, and the base notes are a bitter cedar incense. The scent will last all day without a problem.”

This perfume was actually specially created for customers with strong body odors. Of course, Grey didn’t intend to mention that, for fear of offending her.

The blonde woman smelled it and immediately frowned, seemingly not a fan. She raised her hand and gently pinched her nose.

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

Grey’s eyes widened, her expression full of disbelief. She had a bold guess: did this person actually have a body odor?

She unconsciously leaned closer and sniffed a few times. There was no foul smell that would make her dizzy. Instead, there was a faint metallic, rusty smell.

It was the scent of blood.

The blonde woman noticed a strange sniff and looked over in confusion.

Grey awkwardly cleared her throat and immediately put on a polite smile. “Perhaps you have a specific scent in mind? I also offer custom services. You can describe your ideal scent, and I’ll try to create it based on your request.”

In addition to the pre-made perfumes, Grey could also create a specific scent for a customer upon request. Aristocrats and countesses in high society preferred custom-made products.

Grey once again sized up the blonde woman in front of her. The woman’s appearance did look very elegant, but her all-black outfit didn’t seem to fit the status of an aristocrat.

However, she could also be an aristocrat’s daughter. Sometimes they would deliberately dress to be very low-key.

The blonde woman nodded slightly. “Yes, please help me create a perfume. Besides the strong scent, I want a special one.”

Grey looked up, her gaze meeting the woman’s deep eyes. An invisible sense of pressure suddenly came over her, making her instinctively take a step back and bump into the corner of the table.

“Hiss…”

Grey cried out in pain. A pair of strong hands were placed on her waist, holding her steadily away from the sharp corner of the table.

Before she could react, a cool, soft touch ran up her neck, resting tightly against her ear. A low, magnetic voice slowly spoke, intimate like a lover’s, stirring her heart. Her heartbeat raced uncontrollably.

“I want your scent.”