My Stepmom Is A Vampire & Her Entire Bloodline Wants To Breed Me

Chapter 148: A Town Buried In Snow

The woman stood tall at around one eighty centimeters, her brown hair tied in a neat bun and her golden eyes gleaming with mischief.

The fur jacket framed her perfectly, even when it hid most of her curves, while the red dress and heels drew the eye without a single attempt at modesty.

”Ah, Bianca. I never thought you’d end up as a nanny for a bunch of children in the middle of nowhere,” Andrew said, his sarcasm sharp enough to cut bark off the pine trees outside.

Bianca had always been the middle link between him and Isolde. They rarely met face to face, so Isolde sent Bianca as her messenger.

That arrangement did nothing to improve their relationship. They still hated each other with impressive consistency.

Bianca laughed lightly. ”Better than being a deadbeat, a drunk, and dying on top of it.”

She tilted her head with false sweetness. ”Anyway, let’s forget the past for a moment. We should talk about that Crest.”

She turned and led them toward one of the drawing rooms. The fireplace was already lit, spreading warm, steady heat.

Plush couches filled the space, and the whole room felt far too luxurious for a building that called itself an orphanage.

”As expected from a vampire. All of you are rich as hell,” Dylan muttered, circling the couch until he found the softest spot to collapse into.

Bianca poured herself a glass of thick red liquid and smiled. ”If you live for thousands of years and still end up poor, you might as well walk into the sun and stab yourself with silver on the way.”

Her golden eyes drifted toward Maria. ”I didn’t know Velstrath gained a new vampire. Lady Isolde mentioned her, but seeing her in person is different.”

Maria stiffened and lowered her head, trying to shrink into herself. She barely looked alive.

Andrew stepped in before Bianca pushed further. ”Let her rest. We’re here for the Crest. Does Isolde know where it is or how to find it?”

Bianca took a slow sip of blood, placed the glass down, and nodded slightly. ”She knows how to use it. Finding it is the real problem.”

Her smile faded as she spoke again. ”The Emblem of Enigma was never well documented.”

”Their origin, their connection to the False God, their purpose... everything about them is fragmented. The only thing we know is that they were created to punish us.”

Andrew sank into the couch, rubbing his face. Searching for the Crest felt worse than finding a needle in a haystack. It felt like finding ten needles someone threw into ten different haystacks.

Bianca continued. ”The Crest is a device. Without it, the Emblem cannot act. Lady Isolde confirmed this. And despite being buried deep underground, the Crest leaves traces. Energy scars. Something distinct enough to identify.”

”So we can recognize it the moment we find it?” Andrew asked, trying to picture what that might even look like.

”Oh, so that’s how it is!” Dylan said suddenly, leaning forward. ”Why don’t we search for strange phenomena across the North? Maybe one of them leads to the Crest.”

Matthew stared at him in disbelief. ”The North is a whole continent. Do you have any idea how many ’strange’ things happen here?”

He looked exhausted, but considering none of this was in his job description, his irritation felt reasonable.

”It’s difficult,” Bianca admitted, ”but not impossible.” She crossed her arms and stood up. ”I’ll contact Lady Isolde. She can arrange something.”

With that, she signaled one of the orphanage staff to approach.

”You should all rest. The North is a cold and cruel place, and humans crumble too easily. I don’t want to be responsible for your deaths,” she said as the staff began guiding them toward their rooms.

Her voice faded down the hall, leaving the group with the faint warmth of the fireplace and the lingering tension of everything they still needed to do.

***

Andrew lay on his bed and felt relieved that his room was separated from Dylan’s. He needed space to rest without the teenager nagging him every five minutes.

The room was simple but comfortable. The fireplace warmed the air, and although there was only a single bed, a wardrobe, a small table with two chairs, and a bedside cabinet, everything was arranged neatly.

He sat up with a quiet sigh. ”Right. I need to meet the doctor.”

He got to his feet and opened the door, only to find Dylan already standing there with his hand raised as if he had been about to knock.

”What do you want?” Andrew asked lazily.

”So, when can we start our training?” Dylan grinned, clearly excited.

”Ask Matthew for now. He is good. Or maybe Bianca. She is one of the vampires Isolde trusts.”

Andrew brushed past him without waiting for a reaction and started toward the stairs.

Dylan followed closely. ”Where are you going?”

Andrew ignored him for a few steps, walking with long, impatient strides down the stairs and across the foyer.

When he finally spoke, he muttered, ”Checking up with the doctor. Do not follow me.”

He stepped outside and shut the door right in front of Dylan.

”What a bummer,” Dylan whispered to himself, but he eventually gave up.

Andrew headed toward the peaceful outskirts of town, driving until the paved road thinned and the scent of pine filled the air.

The forest closed in as he climbed the hill, and soon a modest two-story house came into view. An old man was standing outside, speaking to a young couple who left smiling brightly.

As Andrew got out of the car, the old man waved enthusiastically. ”Andrew! Long time no see, man! Why do you look so old?”

Andrew sighed as he approached him. ”I want to get a checkup.”

”Having trouble with your Vitalis cores?” the old man asked. His name tag read Daniel.

”Yes, Daniel. I have cancer.”

”Oh well, I already told you before you signed the document,” Daniel said with a shrug. ”Come inside.”

They ended up sharing warm tea mixed with vodka, prepared by Daniel’s assistant. The assistant was his student, the one expected to continue the clinic since Daniel himself was human.

”Let me see the core,” Daniel said.

Andrew unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a circular metal structure embedded in his chest. The Velstrath emblem rested on top.

Daniel pressed his fingers along the device and gently shifted it until it opened, revealing four crystals connected by thin threads of blood and muscle, all glowing faintly.

”If you came here hoping I could remove the cores, you are too late,” Daniel said.

”No. I want to replace them with an S-rank crystal.”

”There is already one S-rank in there, Andrew. You know you should have died by now, right? Stop taking suicidal risks and enjoy your life like me. Unless you want to become a vampire.”

”I would rather die, doctor.” Andrew began buttoning his shirt again.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, inhaled deeply, and exhaled with tired frustration.

”So are you going to help me or not?”

”I do have a good core,” Daniel said as he set his cup down, ”but it will cost a lot of money, and your life might be on the line.”

”Put the bill under Velstrath. They will pay it.”

Daniel laughed while shaking his head, but he agreed anyway. Money was still money.

And he was one of the top members of Caduceus and doctor that was loyal to Velstarth.

Caduceus is an organization of doctors who studied vampires and occasionally assisted the Vampire Hunter Association or even vampire covenants.

Their existence was mostly secret, known only to a few. Vampires either treated them carefully or worked with them, depending on their needs.

After all, Caduceus could extract Vitalis cores without destroying them and possessed knowledge far beyond ordinary human physicians.

”By the way, did Isolde already send her request?”

Daniel nodded. ”About the doctor who can transform vampires into animals and create a domain for them?”

”It is absurd, but possible. Some of us formed a small circle for secret research and I got info about suspicious circles that learn forbidden techniques.”

Daniel rubbed his chin. ”Anyway, I will schedule your procedure later. I still have patients today.”

”Alright. I will go.” Andrew stood up to leave. He still had to deal with Maria.

”God, that girl,” he muttered as he walked back to his car.

He frowned. ”What was that boy thinking, making her so miserable?”

***

Fleur stood in front of Ulrich while he worked through the latest report on their business. The only sounds in the room were the steady ticking of the clock and the quiet scratch of his pen across paper.

After a moment, Ulrich set the pen down and looked directly at her, waiting for her update.

”My Liege, about Lucien. We have taken care of him after you put him back together,” she said. ”I got rid of him when he tried to leave Bork.”

”Good. As expected of your work.”

Ulrich gave her a gentle smile, though the expression faded quickly as his face settled back into seriousness.

”But I hope you can do the same with that boy.”

He leaned back slightly, his eyes narrowing with thought. ”Is it really that hard to take his heart? Flirt with him and sleep with him?”

He shook his head. ”Should I ask your sister instead?”

Fleur froze. The question hit harder than she expected, and she quickly shook her head. ”I can handle it fine. You do not have to ask her.”

Ulrich let out a tired sigh. ”Where is she now, I wonder? I feel like I am losing control of everything here.”

”I saw her last at August University,” Fleur replied.

She clenched her teeth for a moment before bowing her head. ”I promise I will do my best, My Liege. You do not have to worry.”

”I hope I do not,” Ulrich said, returning to his work.

Fleur left the room with a heavy heart, her steps slow and tense. Once she reached the hallway, she bit her lip until it hurt.

”Damn it. I hate this.”