我洗碗时在厨房要了我

"We want your blood," Nathan seethed.

Ophelia shakily glanced at the large vial in his hand. Nathan was Neil\'s older brother. She expected vengeance from him, but not like this. There was no escape, but were they really that stupid to capture her right in this forest? Where were the other people? She glanced up at the sky, realizing she had woken up too early. Everyone else, except servants, must\'ve been asleep.

"It\'s what we deserve for what you\'ve done," Nathan spat out.

"A-and you\'ll let me go?" Ophelia insisted, despite his red-rimmed eyes glaring at her. He had been crying. Over a pathetic excuse of a man such as Neil? She wouldn\'t shed a single tear for him.

"No." Nathan flicked his hands. "Grab her."

"M-my husband is just beyond those trees, his men are here, you won\'t—"

"As if those mutts can ever find us!" Nathan loudly laughed, but the sound bounced off the forest walls. She rushed for a clearing, but it was impossible. The vampires won the war for a reason—they were physically better than humans.

Within seconds, Ophelia was seized by both arms. She screamed and struggled, refusing to go down without a fight.

PAK!

Ophelia gasped, her face snapping to the side. With shaky eyes, she tasted blood in her mouth. Nathan had smacked her. Before she could recover, he grabbed her by the throat and yanked her closer. Suddenly, he spat on her face.

"This is for my brother, you whore."

Ophelia choked as he strangled her. She struggled, but his men tightened their grip. She could only look her murderer in the eyes as he squeezed the life out of her. Then, within seconds, black dots filled her vision. Her struggle was futile.

A minute passed and she was still fighting for her life. Eventually, her limbs felt heavy. Then, seconds went by and she was no longer conscious. Ophelia was knocked out cold.

- - - - -

"You worthless child!"

Ophelia slipped in and out of consciousness. Each time her eyes rolled back in the darkness, she heard the remarks of Matriarch Eves. Memories of the past flickered before her like a broken record that her mind couldn\'t comprehend.

"If only you hadn\'t been born! Despicable little runt, how dare you look in my direction?" Matriarch Eves raised the cane and forcibly brought it down onto little Ophelia\'s legs.

Little Ophelia sobbed, but held back her howl of pain. She knew the Matriarch would only beat her harder if she made a noise. Agony spread across her body, but she pressed her hands to her mouth.

"No, Mother!" Ophelia\'s father ran to her aid. Aaron scrambled to protect the one thing his lover begged him to cherish.

"Out of the way, Aaron!" Matriarch Eves roared, shoving her son to the side. When had he entered? She didn\'t even see him opening the door.

"Enough!" Aaron shouted, hugging the child fiercely to his chest. "She is my blood, she is my child! I will not have you do this to her, I—"

"You brought this useless thing into the world, so you\'ll take responsibility for her today then!" Matriarch Eves screamed, just as thunder cracked in the distance. Lightning flashed, revealing her black mourning clothes. Her emotions were at an all-time high, the portrait of her dead husband just on the other end of the room.

"Today is the anniversary of father\'s death, stop it, mother!" Aaron demanded whilst protecting his daughter.

"She is the cause of his death, this despicable thing!" Matriarch Eves roared with fury.

Matriarch Eves yanked up her cane in warning, daring him not to move. And he didn\'t. Hatred filled her system. How dare this boy inflict such a mistake onto the world and shelter it? How dare he stain the Eves\' family name with this disgusting creature?

So, Matriarch Eves brought the cane down and crushed her youngest son\'s legs. His scream filled the air that haunted the night, followed by a sickening CRACK!

Then, Ophelia woke up with a gasp, tears filling her eyes. The last thing she recalled from that time was her father\'s howls that echoed from the room all the way down the mansion hallways.

"She\'s awake!" A voice shouted in the distance, accompanied by the clamoring of footsteps rushing their way.

Ophelia\'s head rolled to the side. She snapped back to reality. A horrid stench filled the air. The black hood was yanked from her head. Suddenly, she was blinded by the light and the sound of sobbing women. She glanced around, her heart dropping.

Ophelia had never felt so weak in her entire life. Her eyes opened and closed. She felt parched, and her lips cracked. Glancing down, she saw bandages on her arm. Her heart dropped.

Just how many vials of blood did they take from her?

"I didn\'t mean to—" A woman screeched from down the hallways, her screams filling the air. Then, the sound of fists meeting flesh was heard. A smack one after the other shrouded the silent air.

"W-where…" Ophelia squinted in the darkness whilst touching her arms. She flinched at the pain, her breathing growing shallow from the blood loss. She was lethargic and dizzy, even in the darkness.

"There is our cash cow."

Ophelia could barely see where she was. From the stone walls and horrible smell, she assumed an underground dungeon. Her survival instincts tried to kick in, but they conflicted with all of the traditions she was beaten into learning. Ophelia couldn\'t even support her own body. She slumped to the corner, her heart rate increasing to make up for the traumatic loss.

"H-he\'ll kill you…" Ophelia heaved out, her eyelids growing heavy again.

"If he doesn\'t remarry," Nathan snickered whilst leaning his shoulders against the bars. "When I am done with you, you\'ll have nothing left to offer him."

Ophelia felt her mouth go dry. Without warning, her body slid onto the ground. Her limbs had gone cold.

"My lord, should we not feed her—"

"No, the men at the auction prefer her to be skinny."

Auction.

Ophelia\'s heart plummeted to her stomach. What was running through his mind?

This man was a horrible villain.

Ophelia was grateful for his stupidity. At the very least, someone would recognize her. But then, she stilled. No, that was his intention. To shame her to the point of no return. Everyone at the auction would be from high society.

"N-no…" Ophelia breathed out, but her voice came out like a wheeze.

"Yes," Nathan loudly laughed, sending her flinching back in fear.

Nathan Nileton intended to break Ophelia in every way possible. He didn\'t have the time to wait for her body to finish regenerating blood. He had gotten what he wanted. He had heard that just a few droplets of her blood could fix wounds, a gulpful could cure sickness, and a goblet could even heal a limb.

With this kind of power, it was a wonder why House Eves had not abused her and used her to their advantage

Nathan supposed they weren\'t aware of House Nileton\'s extensive research. Ophelia had been an expensive wife to purchase from Matriarch Eves\' hands. With her rare abilities and questionable status as a Direct Descendant of the Moon Goddess, Nathan viewed her worth the price.

"Everyone will recognize you as a slave sold at an auction…look at you, fallen from high society and now nothing more than a fucking whore.  Can you imagine it?!" Nathan excitedly told her. He pressed his face to the bars, revealing his large ruby eyes and eager smile.

"Ophelia Eves will forever be associated as a lowly commoner! Killorn Mavez can have you for all I care, there will be nothing left of your dignity, reputation, and virtue. High society will never welcome you back. No sane man will want you unless it is for your cunt."

Ophelia\'s lips trembled. She was innocent. Her only crime was trusting the wrong person. Was this what it meant to be a married woman? To pay for the sins of your husband?

"Mark my words, Ophelia. I will destroy you beyond repair, you vile whore."