The surroundings had calmed down after a sudden, torrential downpour. However, the melancholy in the sky had not faded. Near the horizon, the sun was slowly setting, painting an unknown canvas with a blend of crimson glow and grayish darkness. The jungle air carried a strange, heavy, and damp smell. The chirping of crickets and the rustling of wild leaves made the atmosphere even more silent and eerie.
A short distance from this deep, lonely jungle stood an old, black, palace-like mansion. Under a moss-covered stone pillar of the mansion, a bat was tied to the iron stairs with a thick chain. A little girl in a red dress silently walked toward it. With her nimble little hands, she cleverly broke the lock on the chain, and the bat flapped its wings, vanishing into the dim afternoon darkness.
Suddenly, a spine-chilling howl of wolves echoed from the depths of the jungle, accompanied by the blood-curdling scream of a woman!
A woman was running for her life, clutching an innocent baby to her chest. Her scarf was caught and torn in the thorn bushes, and sharp thorns pierced the soles of her feet. But she didn't care. The aggressive growls of the wolves behind her and the smell of moss and blood wafting through the air kept chasing her.
Suddenly, the woman collided forcefully with something solid and hard, coming to a dead halt. Her heart pounded in terror. Trembling with fear, she looked up. Standing in front of her was a tall, well-built man. The icy wind around them seemed to freeze into ice at the man's very touch! His eyes held the glare of a ferocious predator, and his irises were as bright red as blood!
The growls of the wolves behind her were no longer audible. In trying to escape the tiger, the woman had fallen into the lion's cage! The man slowly stepped toward her, a mysterious, crooked smile at the corner of his lips. From his jawline, two sharp, bloodsucking vampire-like fangs became clearly visible!
Terrified, the woman took two steps back. As she backed away, her back eventually pressed against an old, cold stone wall. She held the baby in her lap even tighter against her chest—as if trying to shield the child from all the dangers of the world with the warmth of her own body.
The man stepped right up to the woman. He leaned close to her neck and took a deep breath. The familiar scent of wild night and blood spread through the air. Trembling in fear, the woman squeezed her eyes shut tightly. She knew that in this dark night, this might be the last moment of her life.
One minute... two minutes... five minutes passed like this. No blow descended.
Slowly, Farha opened her eyelids. The well-built man standing before her was gazing at her with a strange, faint smile. He had a bright olive skin tone, shoulder-length wavy hair, and his front hair was neatly combed back on both sides. He was dressed in a flawless, royal formal suit.
On the other hand, the pale yellow-complexioned girl's pink lips were trembling violently in panic, making the tiny black mole near the corner of her lip stand out clearly against her pale face. Her brown eyes held nothing but infinite terror.
The man brought his face right up to Farha's ear and whispered softly,
— "Do you know me? I am Vampire King Aarish Erhan."
Farha's brown eyes instantly froze, her breath catching in panic—
— "V...Vampire King?"
— "Yes, Madam Oritrika Tarafder Farha."
It felt as though a thunderbolt had struck Farha's mind! She screamed inside herself,
'No, no, this can't be happening! Aarish? The one I ignored and belittled back in Class 10, thinking he was just a junior, a tiny kid... he is a vampire? How is that possible?'
Aarish sensed the turmoil inside Farha and smirked,
— "Wondering how it's possible? Just the same way it was possible back then, Little Red."
In a trembling voice, Farha pleaded,
— "Aarish, please! Don't kill me! Look, I have a tiny baby in my arms... if I die, there will be no one left to look after it!"
Aarish licked his two sharp fangs with his tongue. Along with ferocity, a deep resentment flared in his red eyes,
— "Along with the baby, you will die too."
Before Farha could understand anything, Aarish gripped her arm tightly in a single swift motion. In a split second... the surrounding jungle, the cold wind, and the growls of the wolves vanished into thin air!
Within a moment, Farha found herself standing inside a vast, luxurious, and royal chamber.
The room's atmosphere was filled with the intoxicating scent of expensive sandalwood and lavender. The centerpiece of the room was a huge velvet bed surrounded by an intricately carved wooden frame. The heavy velvet curtains of the massive window swayed in the light breeze, revealing the enchanting moonlight outside. The room was decorated with several ancient artworks and elegant furniture. A soft, thick carpet was spread across the floor. Could the room of a terrifying vampire be so neat, calm, and elegant? Just thinking about it made the hairs on Farha's skin stand up!
Aarish shoved his hands into his pockets and slowly walked toward Farha. Every step he took radiated blind pride and royalty. He leaned right up to Farha's face and said in a low, deep voice,
— "What? Are you very surprised? If you hadn't ignored that young Aarish back then, treating him like a kid, or insulted him like that in front of everyone... perhaps you wouldn't have to see this difficult day today. You even married someone else, didn't you?"
Aarish's tone gradually shifted, and a terrifying, blind madness descended into his eyes. His next words sounded like a low, rumbling roar,
— "Let me remind you again... you belong to this Aarish! Only to this Aarish!"
