Chapter 5: The Hunt Begins

The moment the royal decree left Blackthorn Castle, every vampire territory entered a state of emergency.

No one understood why the usually composed Vampire Prince had lost his calm.

Only one order echoed across the kingdom.

"Find my wife."

Within hours, scouts spread across forests, villages, mountains, and neighboring kingdoms.

Every checkpoint received Selena's portrait.

Every innkeeper was questioned.

Every merchant was offered a fortune for information.

But no one had seen her.

Back inside the castle, Alistair stood in Selena's empty studio.

The silence felt unnatural.

Normally she would hum softly while painting.

The scent of fresh oil colors would fill the room.

Now everything was frozen in time.

Her easel still held an unfinished landscape.

A cup of brushes rested beside the canvas.

One charcoal pencil lay on the floor as if she had dropped it moments before.

He bent down and picked it up.

His fingers tightened around the small piece of charcoal.

"Where are you?" he whispered.

He searched every corner of the room personally.

Perhaps she had left a letter.

A clue.

Anything.

Instead, he found only emptiness.

Edwin quietly entered the studio.

"Your Highness."

"Have they found her?"

"No."

Alistair's jaw tightened.

"Double the reward."

"Search the human kingdom as well."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Edwin hesitated before speaking again.

"May I ask something?"

"Speak."

"Did something happen between you and Lady Selena?"

Alistair frowned.

"Of course not."

"Then why would she leave everything behind?"

The question lingered in the air.

Alistair had no answer.

The previous evening had seemed completely normal.

She smiled.

She thanked him for the birthday celebration.

They had spoken as they always did.

Nothing had seemed unusual.

Then why?

Across the border, I continued traveling deeper into the human kingdom.

The further the carriage moved, the lighter my chest became.

For years, every journey I took had been accompanied by royal guards and endless ceremony.

Now I could simply watch ordinary life pass by.

Children chased each other through fields.

Farmers harvested wheat beneath the afternoon sun.

Street musicians played cheerful melodies in small villages.

No one recognized me.

No one bowed.

No one called me 'Your Highness.'

It felt... peaceful.

By sunset, the carriage reached the town of Ashbourne.

The driver smiled.

"We'll stop here for the night."

"There's a small inn with clean rooms."

"Thank you," I replied.

The Silver Oak Inn was modest compared to Blackthorn Castle, but it possessed something the castle had long lost.

Warmth.

The elderly innkeeper welcomed me with genuine kindness.

"Traveling alone, dear?"

"Yes."

"Then you've come to the right place."

"Our town is quiet."

"No nobles. No politics."

"Just ordinary people."

Ordinary.

I had forgotten how beautiful that word sounded.

After settling into my room, I walked downstairs for dinner.

The dining hall buzzed with conversation.

Merchants discussed business.

Families laughed together.

Travelers exchanged stories from distant lands.

For the first time in years, I ate without dozens of servants watching every bite.

Halfway through the meal, two merchants entered carrying rolled newspapers.

"Have you heard?" one asked loudly.

"The Vampire Prince is searching for someone."

My hands froze around my spoon.

"Someone important?" another guest asked.

"His wife disappeared."

"They say he's offering one hundred thousand gold coins for information."

The room erupted into astonished whispers.

"That's enough money to buy an entire estate!"

"Who would abandon the Vampire Prince?"

"She must be crazy."

I quietly lowered my head.

The innkeeper noticed my expression.

"Are you alright, dear?"

"Just tired."

I finished dinner quickly and returned upstairs.

Closing the bedroom door behind me, I leaned against it and closed my eyes.

He had already begun searching.

Faster than I expected.

I opened my satchel and removed the old map Edwin had given me.

Several routes led farther south.

One destination caught my attention.

The city of Elaris.

It was famous throughout the continent as a haven for artists.

Painters, sculptors, musicians, and writers from every kingdom gathered there.

No one cared about titles.

Only talent.

"That's where I'll go," I whispered.

If I wanted to build a new life, I would do it with my own hands.

Not as a prince's wife.

Simply as Selena.

Back in Blackthorn Castle, night had fallen.

Alistair remained awake inside his study.

Maps covered the enormous desk.

Pins marked every village already searched.

"Nothing," one commander reported.

"No witnesses."

"No magical traces."

"No carriage records."

"It's as if Lady Selena vanished into thin air."

Alistair stared silently at the map.

That was impossible.

Humans couldn't simply disappear.

Unless...

His eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Edwin."

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Who knew about the eastern servants' passage?"

The elderly librarian paused.

"Very few."

"Your parents."

"Yourself."

"Lady Selena."

"And... me."

Alistair looked directly into Edwin's eyes.

"Did you help her leave?"

The room became painfully quiet.

Edwin answered honestly.

"Yes."

Several guards immediately reached for their weapons.

Alistair raised one hand, stopping them.

"Why?"

Edwin's ancient gaze remained calm.

"Because she wasn't running away from you."

"She was running away from pain."

"What pain?"

"That, Your Highness..."

"...is something only you can answer."

For the first time since Selena disappeared, doubt entered Alistair's mind.

Had he missed something?

Had he unknowingly hurt her?

He replayed every conversation from the past few weeks.

Her exhibition.

The birthday celebration.

The Silvermoon flowers.

Nothing seemed unusual.

Then suddenly...

The blood-written scroll flashed through his memory.

His expression changed.

"Impossible..."

Without another word, he disappeared from the study in a blur of supernatural speed.

Seconds later, he stood inside the hidden chamber beneath the castle.

The secret room remained untouched.

Except...

The ancient scroll wasn't exactly where he had left it.

Someone had moved it.

Only slightly.

Barely enough for anyone else to notice.

But Alistair noticed.

His heartbeat—something vampires rarely felt—seemed to stop.

"Selena..."

He slowly closed his eyes.

At last, he understood why she had left.

But by then...

She was already far beyond his reach.