Chapter 203: Exploring the City!

The crimson banners rustled in the faint, ever-present wind, filling the plaza with the soft whisper of ancient fabric.

The moment Ysvara finished her brief orientation, outlining safety rules, areas they could visit freely, areas they should not approach under any circumstance, and the curfews enforced within the Moors, the Demon Queen folded her wings neatly and smiled at the gathered students.

“You are all free to explore,” she announced, her voice carrying effortlessly across the vast plaza. “Stay in groups of three or more. Do not provoke the Clans, do not enter sealed sectors, and should any Bloodborn Sentinel warn you away from an area… do not test them. Enjoy the hospitality of Sanguis Primora.”

A few students tried to pretend they weren’t extremely excited, while others looked like they could barely contain their excitement. The atmosphere crackled with a variety of emotions, from fear to awe blending together under the crimson glow.

The moment Ysvara dismissed them, small clusters peeled off: Fade took several elves to see the arboretum district; Dorian immediately joined Veronica, muttering something about wanting to inspect the city’s Red Light District, to which Veronica knocked him on the head.

Zeus barked excitedly about sparring arenas. Morgana drifted away silently like a shadow alongside Persephone, and others filtered between streets dripping with red lantern light.

Lilian took a breath, straightened her posture, then turned toward Albedo and Elara with a small, composed smile. “Come on,” she said softly. “I’ll take you two around. There’s too much to see in one day, but I can show you the meaningful places.”

Elara brightened instantly. “Really? You’re going to give us a private tour? Including the Restricted Areas?”

Lilian nodded, “Of course. You’re both my,” she paused, blush threatening to creep up her cheeks, before she masked it with a noble calm, “friends.”

Albedo hid his amusement, barely.

“Don’t tell anyone where exactly I bring you by the way. Just say I gave you a standard tour,” Lilian said as they began walking, passing beneath a pair of towering obsidian arches etched with swirling runes that pulsed softly like veins filled with liquid ruby.

Every time a vampire walked by and saw Lilian, the effect was instantaneous. Their heads would immediately turn, and even Nobles would pause mid-conversation. Warriors would straightened their backs and civilians dipped their heads in respect.

Even children stopped running to stare admiringly at her crest ring, giving bows and curtsey out of respect, while whispers continuously followed like a tidal wave.

“Oh Maximus look, it’s the Heiress,.”

“Lady Lilian has returned.”

“Is that her chosen entourage? I thought she went to the Demon Academy, why are there Humans?”

A few more arrogant nobles narrowed their eyes at Elara and Albedo, but most remained polite. Vampires, even the less disciplined ones, knew the difference between curiosity and disrespect when it concerned the BloodHaven Heir.

Lilian took it all with grace, though her fingers occasionally twitched with nerves.

Their first stop was the Bloodweave Market, a breathtaking open-air district where dozens of stalls floated instead of resting on the ground. Thin strands of glowing red mana held platforms aloft, creating multiple layers of shops drifting through the air like lantern boats on water.

Elara gasped, “Everything’s floating!”

“It’s called blood-thread,” Lilian explained. “A natural mana fiber. Good for enchantments. Terrible for casual shopping, don’t step on the glowing parts unless you want to hover for an hour.”

Albedo chuckled, “Sounds like something Dorian would do by accident.”

“Dorian would absolutely get stuck on the top layer,” Elara added.

They passed a jeweler whose entire display was suspended in midair, the gemstone necklaces rotating slowly like stars in orbit. When the jeweler noticed Lilian, he placed his hand over his heart and bowed deeply.

“Lady Lilian, It is an honor to see you again.”

Her voice softened, “Your craft still looks beautiful, Master Rhen.”

“You remember my name.” The old vampire’s eyes glimmered. “Please, accept a gift, ”

“No,” she said immediately, though politely. “I’m here with friends. Not for business.”

The jeweler nodded but insistently plucked a single glimmering gemstone, a tiny teardrop ruby infused with mana, and placed it into her palm.

“Then as a keepsake, My Lady. No obligation,” Lilian sighed but accepted it with gratitude before the group moved on.

Their next stop was the Crimson Bloom Park, a vast garden carved into terraces that circled one of the minor spires. Moonlit flowers with petals made of translucent blood crystal glowed faintly, refracting crimson light into shimmering patterns.

Butterflies with stained-glass wings drank mana from the petals. Trees with white-silver bark curled upward like spirals of bone and quartz.

Elara’s eyes glowed with wonder, “Is this a naturally made Garden? Or Artificial?” She asked.

Lilian smiled softly, “A little bit of both.” Lilian said before continuing, “My mother used to bring me here after long council meetings. I would hide behind that tree, ” she pointed toward a massive, elegant white-bark tree, “and pretend I could outrun my tutors.”

“So you were a troublemaker?” Albedo teased.

They wandered deeper into the garden, the sound of flowing mana streams filling the air. Lilian walked a few steps ahead, letting her fingers brush the petals of a flower that curled toward her touch as if recognizing her bloodline.

Elara leaned toward Albedo and whispered, “You know… she looks really happy here.”

“I know.”

“She feels like she belongs.”

“I know that too.”

Elara nudged him, “You should tell her.”

“Later,” Albedo murmured, gaze fixed on Lilian’s profile framed by floating mana lights.

They exited the gardens and made their way to the Nightglass Bridge, a long, arched pathway above the city that glowed with every step. Beneath the transparent dark-crystal floor, rivers of mana flowed like molten ruby.

The view was breathtaking, thousands of gothic spires, lantern-lit walkways, floating familiars, red haze drifting like breath over the skyline, and the ever-pulsing Crimson Spire dominating the horizon.

Albedo felt the weight of history in the air, thick and ancient on the Bridge as he looked around, “What about the Spire?” he asked quietly.

Lilian’s gaze flicked toward it, expression softening, “The Spire… feels like family. It’s hard to explain. Vampires aren’t just raised in the Moors, we’re shaped by them. The blood mana here whispers to you.”

“And what does it whisper?” Albedo asked.

Lilian glanced at him, her blush returning, “You ask too many questions.”

She opened her mouth to retort, but was interrupted as several passing vampires paused their conversation, turning to stare at the three of them.

The Vampires weren’t openly hostile, at least until they laid their eyes on Elara and Albedo who were standing near Lilian. The Heiress noticed their gazes turning slightly hostile but didn’t shrink. Instead, she stepped closer to Albedo on purpose.

The whispering increased behind them.

Eventually, after nearly an hour of touring, Lilian brought them to her favorite quiet place: a narrow promenade lined with white mana-lanterns carved into the shape of roses.

“The Whitevane Walk,” she introduced it. “Place for nobles to talk privately.”

“So I guess we aren’t exactly allowed here?” Albedo said, and Lilian looked at him, “Don’t say I brought you here,” she said with a chuckle.

While they were talking Elara was walking around, “It’s peaceful,” She said, spinning slowly to take it all in.

“It’s where I would run to hide from pointless suitors who followed me all over,” Lilian added.

Albedo smirked, “That bad?”

“Worse,” she deadpanned. “You have no idea.”

They strolled leisurely until they reached a raised overlook that offered a full view of Sanguis Primora. Lilian leaned on the railing, letting the crimson breeze play with her obsidian hair.

Elara wandered ahead, content to admire scenery.

Albedo moved beside Lilian, “Thank you,” he said quietly, “For showing us this.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied. “I… wanted you to see the parts of me that aren’t the Academy or the battlefield.”

“I like all the parts,” he said before he could stop himself.

Lilian froze as she heard that, her eyes widening slightly as her cheeks flushed the faintest pink.

Then, before she could respond in any way, the duo heard several sets of footsteps approaching them quickly.

Lilian’s warmth and excitement to respond immediately drained and her expression hardened in an instant as five tall vampire nobles strode into the promenade.

All wore richly embroidered robes, crimson sigils marking them as high-ranking families. Their eyes, various shades of red and violet, locked onto Lilian with familiar recognition…

…and then flicked to Albedo with thinly veiled disdain.

The leading one, a crimson-haired noble whose aura carried the weight of a high-rank bloodline, stepped forward with a courteous yet icy smile.

“Lady Lilian BloodHaven,” he said smoothly. “It brings us great relief to see you return to the Moors.”

Then his gaze sharpened as he looked between her, Albedo, and Elara.

“Though we must admit,” he continued, voice dipping with polite venom, “we are… surprised to see our Heiress accompanied so closely by humans. Especially,” his eyes narrowed at Albedo, “a human male.”

The others murmured agreement, their expressions darkening.

Lilian’s smile dropped entirely as she heard that, stepping forward, placing herself slightly in front of Albedo, voice cool and authoritative.

“Is there a problem?”

The crimson-haired noble smirked faintly.

“That,” he said, “depends entirely on your explanation, My Lady.”

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