Chapter 185: Vampire Luna
During all those miserable years living under my aunt’s heavy roof, I always carried the firm belief that my terrible problems were caused by outside forces. I convinced myself that some mysterious, unseen power was actively working against me, holding me back, and fighting against my every move.
I was dead certain that my aunt and her family were the entire root of my suffering. My young mind held onto the comforting thought that the second I escaped their house, I would leave every single problem behind in the dust. I pictured them trapped in the past, living out sad, bitter lives, while I marched forward into a bright, perfect future where I would live happily ever after like a princess in a storybook.
Yet here I was, curled on the cold floor of a iron cage, stripped of my dignity and fighting a war against my own body. The dark irony hit me with full force, making my chest ache with a hollow, bitter feeling. I finally possessed every single thing I had spent my childhood praying for under my breath. I had racks of expensive clothes hanging in vast closets, endless stacks of money, and tables overflowing with rich, delicious meals. But none of it mattered anymore. I had all the food in the world sitting right in front of me, but my cursed vampiric throat couldn't even swallow a single bite.
A wave of frustration boiled in my chest as I stared blankly at the iron bars. I had done everything the right way. I treated people with warmth, showed kindness to everyone around me, and fought through the worst hardships while desperately trying to keep my soul clean. I truly believed that if I sowed good seeds into the world, the universe would return that goodness back to me. Yet, no matter how hard I tried to walk the right path, life still found a way to drag me down to the dirt by my hair and force me back onto my knees.
That was the harsh, painful truth I was finally learning: in this life, you can put in all the hard work, but you can never truly control the final outcome.
I thought about how so many parents lived their lives strictly by the book. They went to school, studied until their eyes bled, scored top grades, landed decent jobs, got married, and raised children with love and dedication. They followed the exact recipe for a good, respectable life that society promised would guarantee happiness. But despite doing everything perfectly, life still found a way to crush them without mercy. So many of them ended up broken, living in poverty, or consumed by severe sicknesses caused by endless stress, sleepless nights, and overthinking about how to keep their families fed.
Doing good things did not guarantee that good things would happen to you in return. Showing kindness to the world didn't mean the world would be kind back to you tomorrow.
A sharp pang of betrayal pierced my heart as my thoughts drifted back to Ava. If the roles were reversed, I would never have locked her inside a cold, dark cage like an animal—no matter how dangerous or wild her condition became. I knew deep down that she was doing this out of love, desperately trying to save my life and protect my sanity, but it still broke my heart into a thousand pieces. It hurt beyond words to realize that she didn't trust me enough to talk to me first. Instead, she handed my entire fate over to a strange old hunter she barely even knew.
But what else did I expect? I thought bitterly, letting out a soft, raspy sigh as a tear slipped down my cheek. This is exactly how a dangerous monster is supposed to be treated.
The faint sound of heavy, deliberate footsteps echoed down the dim hallway, breaking through the heavy silence of the room. I slowly lifted my chin off the dusty floorboards, my tired, blurry eyes tracking the shadows along the wall.
The Butcher was approaching the cell once again, his expression unreadable as he carried a small, sealed food flask in his l
arge hand.