Back in the Vampire Kingdom, the atmosphere inside the palace was suffocating.
Brighton was pacing restlessly while staring at the silent phone in his hand.
No signal.
No reply.
Nothing.
"Do you think she's alive?" Brighton asked quietly, breaking the silence.
Kenneth's jaw tightened. "She is not dead."
"But it's been two days."
"She has survived worse."
Brighton hesitated. "What if something went wrong?"
Kenneth stopped walking.
For a moment, the room felt colder.
"She is stronger than you think," he said firmly — but his eyes betrayed a flicker of uncertainty.
Before they could continue, the door exploded open.
A guard rushed in without knocking.
Kenneth reacted instantly.
In a blur of movement, he grabbed the guard by the throat and slammed him against the wall.
The stone cracked.
The guard gasped for air, feet lifting off the ground.
"Have you forgotten how to enter a room?" Kenneth's voice was low, deadly calm.
"I— it's urgent— Your Highness—" the guard choked.
Kenneth tightened his grip. "Speak."
"The Princess… she is alive."
Silence.
The words hung in the air like poison.
Kenneth's fingers froze slightly — just for a second.
"What did you say?"
"She woke up. She said the mission failed. She claims she returned."
Brighton's face went pale.
"Where is she?"
"In the underground burial chamber."
The word "burial" triggered something in Kenneth.
His eyes darkened.
Without another word, he released the guard and vanished from the room.
The wind exploded through the corridor as he moved at inhuman speed.
Within moments, he reached the underground royal burial site.
The air there was heavy with death energy.
Candles flickered against stone walls.
And near the coffin—
She was sitting.
Alive.
Smiling.
Jane.
Kenneth stopped walking.
His heartbeat — something vampires rarely felt — thudded once.
"Jane…?" he said slowly.
She turned her head.
Her smile widened.
"Hello, brother."
Her voice.
Her posture.
Her energy.
It was her.
But something was wrong.
"You shouldn't be here," Kenneth said carefully.
"Oh, but I am," she replied, standing up gracefully. "I'm back."
Brighton arrived behind him, breathing heavily.
"But how?" he whispered.
Jane's smile sharpened.
"I don't know how. But the body rejected her."
Kenneth's eyes narrowed. "Explain."
"You were supposed to kill her completely," Jane said coldly. "So my soul would remain in that body permanently."
Brighton swallowed. "We did everything correctly."
Jane's expression changed.
For the first time, irritation flashed across her face.
"Then why did the ritual fail?"
Silence.
Kenneth's fists clenched.
"The ritual wasn't the problem," he said slowly.
"The book burned itself."
Jane's head snapped toward him.
"What?"
"It turned to ashes the moment the ritual ended."
For a second, no one spoke.
The underground chamber felt heavier.
Jane's voice lowered.
"That book was ancient. It wasn't supposed to self-destruct."
Brighton's voice trembled. "What if… it activated something instead?"
Jane's eyes darkened.
"Impossible."
But even she didn't sound certain anymore.
"Tell Father," she muttered suddenly.
"What?" Kenneth asked.
"The book. He asked me to protect it."
"Then lie," Brighton suggested nervously.
Jane laughed softly — but it wasn't a happy sound.
"I can't afford mistakes. Not now."
Kenneth studied her carefully.
"Do you think she remembers everything?"
Jane paused.
Her confident expression cracked for the first time.
"She was mentally unstable before."
Brighton frowned. "And now?"
"She is in a new body," Jane said slowly. "If she regains her full memories…"
Her voice trailed off.
For the first time since returning, fear flickered in her eyes.
Kenneth noticed.
"She won't have proof," he said calmly.
"Who would believe a mentally unstable girl claiming to be the Vampire Princess?"
Jane's expression slowly returned to confidence.
"Yes," she agreed. "No one will believe her."
Brighton exhaled in relief.
"So what's Plan B?" he asked.
Jane's smile returned — but this time, it was colder.
"We wait."
Both brothers looked at her.
"For months," she continued. "We observe. We stay silent. We let her believe she is safe."
Her eyes glowed faintly in the dim candlelight.
"And when she finally relaxes…"
A slow smile spread across her lips.
"We strike again."
The underground chamber fell into silence.
This time, none of them smiled fully.
Because somewhere deep inside—
They all felt it.
Something had changed.
And it wasn't just the body.