The Vampire Empress: Blood Queen & Her Kings

The Blue Crystal Ball

The Star Lake Manor...
As the evening descended over the beautiful capital city of the Hyuang Empire, it brought a beautiful view of the sunset with it.
A man clad in royal blue brocade robes was standing under a pavilion which was located in the back garden of the manor.
The soft breeze that was blowing through the area, brought the sweet fragrance of the various flowers blooming in the garden with it.
His silk robes fluttered in the breeze along with his long black hair that was pulled in a high ponytail, securely tied by an elegant silver coronet.
His black eyes held a mischievous glint in them as he gazed at the horizon. His eyelashes were long and his sharp jawline accompanied by the milky skin and the redness of his lips made him appear like an ethereal character.
The blue headprint that was sitting between his brows gave his beauty another mesmerizing touch.
The aura that surrounded him was neither cold nor warm, it was just as mysterious as him and his identity.
At first glance, it appeared like he was probably a cold-hearted person with an indifferent personality but then one look at the soft smile that constantly kept playing on his lips, it looked like he carried a warm heart.
But only those who had the experience in judging body language and auras could tell the real character of this mysterious man.
"My Lord, there are some movements in the underground tunnel."
A man in dark clothes appeared out of nowhere and informed the mysterious man about his findings.
The smile that had been present on the lips of the mysterious man only increased at the information.
He finally moved his attention away from the beautiful sight of the sunset as he turned to look at the man who was kneeling on the hard floor of the pavilion.
The mysterious man brought his right palm outwards and a blue light shone on it. The next second, he was holding a blue crystal ball in his hand.
"Make sure to hand over this present to the right person." He told the man before handing the crystal to him.
The man who was kneeling, safely tucked the ball in his sleeves before he bowed to his Master and left to complete the task that he was trusted with.
The mysterious man once again turned his attention towards the horizon.
Unfortunately, the sun had already set but the sky which was covered in pinkish, orange, and purple colored clouds near the horizon, still created a mesmerizing view.
With a new gust of breeze that flowed through the garden, the silhouette of the mysterious man disappeared from the pavilion.
The Star Lake Manor which was initially filled with a sense of happiness and life suddenly turned as gloomy and sad as Ying Yue's Cold Palace.
***
"Miss, are you sure that we can open it from inside?" Li Wu could not hold herself anymore as she finally blurted out the question, immediately receiving a sharp pinch from her sister who glared at her.
Ying Yue stopped for a second to personally spare a sharp glare at the girl who had been constantly trying to question her sanity.
"Do I look like an idiot to you?" She questioned the girl while pointing a finger at herself.
Li Wu immediately looked down at her feet as she was not sure how to answer her Miss' question.
It was not like she could say yes!
"Young Lady, you sure are looking down on me. How can you be so rude towards your Master? Why don't you two do me a favor for a change and look for some sort of sharp piece of rock lying somewhere around you?"
All that Ying Yue needed at that moment was a distraction that could pull Li Wu and Li Qi's attention away from her.
Her idea worked as immediately both the girls started looking for a sharp stone.
The Li sisters almost let out panicked screams when all of a sudden, a loud sound echoed through the tunnel.
They hurriedly looked towards their Miss and found her cringing as she too turned her attention at the two of them.
"No need to search anymore. It's open. I just hope that no one from the manor heard the sound." Ying Yue murmured the last part as she started climbing out of the tunnel.
The opening of the tunnel was actually located against the foot of the age-old oak tree that was standing against the wall of the Star Lake Manor.
Coincidentally, they found no one when they crawled out of the tunnel, and once again shifted the trap door in its place.
However, unlike the one in the Cold Palace, the trap door in the Star Lake Manor was not hidden at all.
It was fully visible to the eyes of anyone who would pass through the tree.
Even though the manor appeared to be devoid of any human presence, Ying Yue noticed that it looked as new and furnished as possible.
She shook her head to get rid of her thoughts that were pulling out so many questions about the mysterious manor.
"Let's leave before someone decides to pay a visit to this part of the manor." She suggested to girls as she passed them veils before putting on one herself too.
Ying Yue walked back a few steps before she raced towards the high wall, scaring her two maids in the process.
It took her one leap and she was perched on the top of the wall.
Even though the two girls were left shocked after seeing their Miss do something so dangerous and unladylike, at the same time they were also left in awe.
Ying Yue hurriedly helped the two girls in climbing the wall before the three of them jumped down on the other side.
Since the manor was located on the outskirts of the city, they encountered no one on the other side of the wall.
As Ying Yue and her two maids set on their journey towards the market area of the Imperial City, none of them noticed the blue crystal ball that had been resting beside the oak tree, slightly hidden from the eyes.
Neither did they noticed the man in the dark clothes who was currently trying to not panic as his plan failed.
He needed to change his tactics!