I woke up to the sound of rough, careless voices echoing around me.
My head felt heavy, each throb matching the beat of my heart. Blinking a few times, fragments of my memory rushed back.
I had been walking back to the palace when a shadow loomed over me. Someone grabbed me, pressed something to my nose, and now… I was here.
Three men stood in front of me, their eyes glinting like I was some kind of prize.
"Are you sure this is the right girl? We can't afford to screw this up,"
One of them muttered, his voice sharp with doubt.
"She's the one. Look at her—raven hair. That's the Monarch's adopted daughter, no doubt about it."
My breath caught. Monarch? They mean Lucifer. They had captured me because of him.
I looked down at the ropes digging into my skin, binding me tightly to a chair.
Thick chains locked my wrists, and the cold metal bit into my flesh with every tiny movement.
The air was thick and musty, smelling of damp earth and rot. It was suffocating.
The man, the biggest of the three, noticed I was awake. He had broad shoulders and greasy, thinning hair. His lips curled into a twisted smile.
"Well, well. The little princess is finally awake."
At his words, the other two turned to face me. Their stares made my skin crawl, their gazes filled with cruel curiosity.
"Wow. She really is a vampire,"
"Isn't it obvious, you idiot? Look at those blood-red eyes!"
I could feel my heart hammering in my chest, my pulse quickening as fear clawed at me. What did they want from me?
I had to get out of here. I had to survive. If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to start my plan to stop Lucifer from becoming corrupted. My future depended on it.
I swallowed hard, trying to steady my voice, even as my body trembled with fear.
"Who… who are you?"
The man with thinning hair sneered wider, his gaze cold and amused.
"You don't need to know who we are. You're going to be sacrificed soon. What's the point of telling you?"
Sacrificed? My heart skipped a beat, icy dread settling in the pit of my stomach.
He continued, gesturing to his companions, "Our client wants you dead and suggested you be a sacrifice to an evil entity. A fitting end for a princess, don't you think?"
"Yeah, nothing personal,"
Added another man, laughing wickedly as they moved to different corners of the room, positioning themselves in a triangle.
My chest tightened as panic set in. Who was their client? Why did they want me dead?
My mind raced, searching for any way out, but before I could come up with a plan, I saw something that made my blood run cold.
A glowing circle appeared on the ground beneath me, symbols I couldn't understand etched into the floor. I was in the middle of a magic circle.
They're really going to sacrifice me! I struggled against the ropes, but they held me tight.
My wrists burned against the chains as I tried to free myself, but it was no use.
The men began chanting, their voices low and rhythmic as they poured mana into the circle.
The air in the room grew thick with a strange energy, crackling around me like static.
My heart pounded in my chest as I felt the pull of the circle beneath me tugging at my very soul.
Cassia's warm, kind hands flashed in my mind. Her sweet voice and the way she always looked at me with such care and worry.
Lucifer, who I needed to stop from being corrupted. Even crazy Faust, who had shown me some kindness, in his own weird way.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I clenched my fists in frustration.
Was this really how I was going to die? Just when I thought I could finally live a long, peaceful life, it was going to end like this?
I don't want to die! Not again! Why does life keep screwing me over? Is it too much to ask for a happy life?
My tears flowed freely now, my chest aching as the reality of the situation crashed over me.
I didn't even know why someone had reincarnated me in the first place, and yet here I was, about to die for a reason I didn't understand.
The magic circle glowed brighter, the air around me growing heavy, making it hard to breathe.
I gasped for air, my chest tightening as the chanting grew louder, echoing in my head.
The circle spun faster, and the ground beneath me gave way.
A powerful force pulled me down into a void, my scream swallowed by the darkness. I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing for the impact that never came.
Instead of hitting cold, hard stone, I landed on something soft. Slowly, I opened my eyes, my head spinning as I tried to make sense of where I was.
I was lying on a bed of silk, its softness strange and out of place compared to where I had just been.
My heart raced as I tried to push myself up, my limbs feeling shaky.
Before I could fully collect myself, a voice cut through the silence, sending a shiver down my spine.
"Who dares wake me from my slumber?"
The voice was icy, filled with authority and annoyance. I turned toward the sound, my heart skipping a beat.
A boy, not much older than me, sat on the edge of the silk bed.
His hair was a dull gray, matching the color of his eyes, which were locked on me with a sharp, unyielding gaze.
Chains hung from his wrists, the soft clinking of metal making the air feel even colder.
Our eyes met, and I froze. His gaze was like that of a predator, and I was his prey.
A slow smile curled at the corner of his lips as he continued to stare at me, amusement dancing in his cold eyes.
"Well, well. An uninvited guest. Or should I say… a sacrifice?"
His words sent a chill down my spine, my heart pounding so hard it hurt. I couldn't look away from him, couldn't move.
My mind raced, trying to process what was happening.
What... what do I do now? Can I... really get out of here alive?
In my eighth life, I reincarnated into a book I once read to pass the time—as Thana, an unfortunate vampire child adopted by Lucifer, the tyrannical ruler of Hell and the symbol of ultimate evil.
In the book’s ending, Lucifer becomes corrupt, leaving chaos, destruction, and blood in his wake.
To avoid that disastrous fate, I decided to tame him by softening his heart, hoping to reach whatever remains of compassion buried within his demonic soul.
But can I truly tame the embodiment of darkness, or will I be swept away by his descent into madness?
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Note: If you're looking for a father-daughter relationship with a blend of dark fantasy, intrigue, and heartwarming moments, this one is perfect for you!
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