Evelynn felt her body sway as the carriage continued moving along over the uneven terrain, its rhythmic sensation was enough to remind her that the sorcery that she did before she died… did not go as intended.
The spell did not transport her into the past. Instead, it moved her soul inside the body of another woman. Eve Lucrecia.
"Raise your chin," the woman in front of her spoke, her voice holding the authority that Evelynn once had. She gritted her teeth but complied nonetheless.
She was not about to take some careless actions just because of magic gone awry.
If anything, she had to be very careful of her actions. She could not risk being recognized by anyone around her.
"Good. Keep in mind, do not meet their eyes, do not stare at them for too long, and do not speak when you are not asked any questions. They could kill you anytime they want to."
The woman nodded and smiled in satisfaction. Until now, Evelynn could not remember the woman's name. She hoped she would be able to remember a piece of this body's memory, yet she could not.
"I heard you had an injury when you fell?" the woman asked. She nodded in response.
"It was in your head?"
Again, Evelynn nodded. At least, she could remember the incident and some bits or pieces of information about herself. The fact that she was a daughter of a fallen count was one of the things that she could remember.
"We are approaching the borders. Once we cross that forest, the vampires will welcome us and will formally add you as a candidate for the Night's Courtship. Your life and future will be in your own hands. Once you win, you will become the Duke's bride. Losing means death."
Evelynn nodded without saying another word.
Night's Courtship was something that she was very familiar with and it was all for the wrong reasons.
It is a deadly game between women who were vying for the affection and the attention of a powerful vampire. This involved a combination of physical prowess, mental acuity, and some other abilities.
Vampires had always been one of the darkest creatures that occupied the continent of Aranthia. Their relationship with the humans was quite complicated as well. Vampires were sly creatures. They do not exactly ally themselves with the humans, but they could not be called an enemy either.
While Evelynn was still not sure how this body became a part of the game, she was certain of one thing. If she wanted to survive, she needed to get her sorcery back. She needed magic.
She narrowed her as the thought of her death crossed her mind.
Eight people.
Eight allies.
All of them betrayed her, all of them smirked as she lay there dying. Did they really think she would let them get away with it?
"Do not smile like that," the woman scolded.
"P— Pardon?" Evelynn spoke. This was the first time that she heard her very own voice— a stranger's voice. Now that she thought of it, hearing this body's voice seemed too strange.
"They would think you are not the innocent woman that your family wants them to think. Not many women have lived to tell the tale of that place." The woman's expression turned strange. "They told me you are ignorant and that you knew nothing about vampires. Is that true?"
"I— I have read books."
"The books that the humans wrote are not accurate, you see?" the woman smiled. "The Evil Mistress and the Emperor hated the vampires so they created those books to fool everyone else. This created the hate between humans and vampires."
"The— The Evil Mistress?" Evelynn could not help but frown. Those people called her the Evil Mistress too.
"If you read a lot then you should have heard about the Evil Mistress, Evelynn Rosetta. Her death prompted a lot of changes in the human empire. This — sending women from the Noble families to join the Night Courtship is just one of them."
"The Evil Mistress died?" Evelynn's brow furrowed even more. She ignored the fact that this body was from a noble family and that she is now going to join the Night's Courtship. All she could think of was the Evil Mistress's death. She balled her hands into tight fists as she thought of her very own death.
"She was burned a few days ago. They said they fed the rest of her body to the dogs, but even the dogs would not eat her flesh. It was cruel," the woman shivered, her wide eyes full of disgust and fear.
"But she is the Evil Mistress. Her evil deeds know no bounds. The Empire has been celebrating since…" the woman added. "Since the Evil Mistress died, other races had been visiting the empire for some negotiations. Or at least that is what the rumors said."
Negotiations? Eve wanted to ask more questions but she heard the sound of horses outside.
Almost immediately, the woman started fixing her brown hair which had been arranged elegantly into an updo.
She beamed at Evelynn. "Ah! It seems that we are finally here! Do not forget, call me Madam. Do you understand?"
"Yes, Madam." Evelynn nodded cordially just as the carriage stopped moving. The woman's words left her reeling and disoriented. Her thoughts were in disarray.
Evelynn Rosetta was the one who united the human race.
She had created a reputation for humans, freeing them from becoming slaves of other races, making the other race respect them, and fear them.
Why does it seem like people rejoice in her death? To actually burn her physical body and feed her to the dogs?
The thought itself made her want to puke. Slowly, the disorientation was replaced with anger then pure rage.
"Stay here, I will call you once the ambassador is ready." The woman left her in the carriage alone. Almost immediately, the innocent facade that she had plastered on her face vanished. Her gaze turned cold.
She looked at her appearance that was reflected in the window of the carriage. An unfamiliar face stared back at her. The woman in the reflection looked beautiful with her lustrous blond hair and undeniably innocent face. Yet deep within that innocent appearance lurks someone ruthless, someone who was once the most powerful sorcerer that the humans had.
Evelynn Rosetta, the Evil Mistress.
She now owns this body.
"Eve Lucrecia was it?" Evelynn touched her face and smiled. "Very well… " She shall take a gamble and stay inside this body.
The cruelty that she experienced when she was still Evelynn Rosetta shall be given back to those who had betrayed her, to those who turned their back on her.
Her journey would start in the Vampire's lair.
"Let her out," a voice sounded from the outside. Eve's face immediately transformed into a picture of innocence. Slowly, she walked down the carriage. Her gaze landed on the darkness that enveloped the land like a thick blanket.
This place was nestled deep within the heart of the forest, surrounded by a towering canopy of ancient-looking trees that covered the large moon that hung above them. Evelynn did not need to ask. She knew that this was the forest that bordered the Human Empire and the Vampire Kingdom.
The Forest of the Undead.
She spotted another carriage aside from their own. There was a coachman that looked human and two other soldiers, both were obviously humans.
The only one who looked like a vampire was the man that the woman was talking to.
Lean, yet muscular, the man towered over everyone else with his abnormally long legs. He was pale— too pale, his skin almost looked like the moon and his eyes were red, hungry.
The lazy smile on his face was irritating, yet something about it seemed magnetic.
The vampire was trying to ensnare her!
Eve immediately lowered her gaze.
"What a brave one," the man muttered.
There was a heavy silence as she lifted her gaze and looked at the woman.
"She is Eve Lucrecia, the eldest daughter of Count Lucrecia." The woman introduced herself.
"A beauty indeed," a man responded. "Lift your gaze and look at me."
Eve complied. She blinked and stared at the man whose commanding feature was enough to attract everyone's attention.
A vampire.
"Angelic countenance with a mesmerizing shade of amber eyes. I like her." A sardonic smile appeared on the man's face. His gaze then moved towards her chest which was revealed by her tight corset and into the curve in her waist. "Take her to my carriage. She will be joining the Night's Courtship tomorrow!" the man announced.
"But my lord, the courtship will start tonight."
Hearing the woman's voice, the man gave her a mocking smile. "For your own sake, do not make me repeat my words, my Lady. Do as I say and you shall be rewarded."
Almost immediately, the woman paled. Then she started nodding as if her life depended on it.