Bloodline

"One hundred thousand gold coins."

The moment Niya called out the bid, all eyes from below instantly focused on her.

Such an outrageous bidding style was quite rare even in an auction house; after all, no one's money grew on trees.

"Who is that girl?"

"To think... she's a half-blood with such a thin vampire bloodline?"

"What right does she have to stand on the second floor?"

"Those seats are reserved exclusively for grand nobles of the rank of Earl and above!"

The unfiltered remarks from below reached Niya's ears, making her small face turn somewhat pale.

"Niya! You bastard, what are you doing up there? Are you trying to get me killed?!"

An angry shout came from a corner below.

Niya looked in that direction, her expression changing instantly.

It was her father.

To think her father had also come to attend this auction.

"Sneaking off to a place like that... get the hell down here right now!" Niya's father's voice was twisted with rage.

From Niya's vantage point, the scene below was completely unobstructed.

Niya's father was a tall, thin middle-aged man with prominent cheekbones, deep-set eyes, and a very pointed chin. His appearance was far from outstanding; in fact, he looked rather shifty.

At this moment, he was sitting in a corner at the edge of the auction hall, with a heavily made-up woman reclining in his arms, who was also casting a venomous glare. That was Niya's stepmother, though Niya hadn't even bothered to remember her name.

"Who is that guy?"

"Oh, a baron from some minor family, I think his name is Re... Re something?"

"His name is Retty. His father, the previous head of the family, was gored to death by a demonic boar while hunting."

"Haha, now I remember."

"So, the girl up there is his daughter?"

"Give me a break, what kind of money could a mere baron have?" ...

Retty was so angry his lips turned purple, and his whole body trembled. Ever since he kicked this eyesore of a half-breed out of the house, he had finally enjoyed a few days of peace... But this vile spawn was actually dragging him into the abyss in such a public manner!

"Going once, going twice, going three times... No further bids. Very well, congratulations to the young lady on the second floor for successfully winning this item."

The auctioneer on stage paid no mind to the commotion below, striking his wooden gavel with a smile.

"Thud!"

That strike of the gavel rang like a death knell in Retty's heart. His vision went dark, and he nearly collapsed.

Even though he had driven that wretched girl out of the house... she was still nominally his daughter. If Niya couldn't produce the money, the debt would undoubtedly fall on his head.

But, one hundred thousand gold coins... where would he get that kind of money?

Retty knew that the power behind the auction was the Kislilian family... What kind of consequences would he face now that Niya's reckless behavior would cause the item to go unpaid?

Retty slumped in his cold seat, his lips trembling violently, his eyes dull and lifeless as if his soul had been drained. After the icy chill of despair came a fury that burned away all reason.

"You... you little beast who belongs in hell!!"

Terry immediately sprang up from his seat, his eyes bloodshot as he charged toward the stairs leading to the second floor.

"Watch me beat you filthy little mongrel to death right here in public!"

But the guards stopped him.

"You are not qualified to go upstairs, sir."

"What? That little bitch can go up, but I can't?" Retty glared at the guards by the stairs in disbelief, roaring hysterically.

The guards, clad in exquisite full-body armor, suddenly seemed to receive some sort of order and voluntarily stepped aside.

"Hmph, that's more like it." Retty stomped heavily up the stairs.

Soon, Retty caught sight of his daughter, Niya, and anger and murderous intent instantly surged in his eyes.

Seeing her father charging at her like a life-claiming demon, a trace of fear instinctively flashed in Niya's eyes. Her body tensed slightly, but she forced herself to stand her ground without retreating.

"You little bitch! Look at what you've done!"

Retty strode forward quickly, raising his hand to slap Niya.

Niya subconsciously closed her eyes.

"Smack—"

Retty flew backwards, his body crashing into a row of seats.

"Ignorant scum. Who are you to dare strike a subordinate of Lady Aina?" Feina pulled out a handkerchief with a look of disgust and wiped her palm.

"Stinking whore... and who are you?" Retty noticed Feina's maid outfit. "A mere lowly maid actually dares to lay a hand on me? I am a noble!"

Feina's gaze turned cold, but she didn't strike again; instead, she respectfully stepped aside.

Aina's figure slowly materialized in the air.

Suddenly, Retty's heart palpitated. He instantly lowered his head, groveling on the ground in sheer terror, not daring to look up again.

What terrifying bloodline pressure... Just what kind of existence was she? Could she be a Vampire Archduke?

What was going on? How did that little mongrel get involved with an existence like this?

Aina walked over to Niya without saying a word.

"M-My Lady, Niya is my daughter, I should discipline her properly..."

Retty's pupils shrank, and then he tightly clutched his mouth, letting out painful grunts as blood mixed with chunks of his tongue flowed from his lips.

"Lady Aina..."

Niya looked at Aina in front of her somewhat blankly; she didn't know why things had developed this way either.

"How long have you been here?"

"Almost two months," Niya replied softly.

Aina asked, "Have you learned the Blood Refining Secret Art?"

"I've pretty much mastered it... Lady Aina."

Aina nodded slightly and said no more.

Niya stood there blankly until Feina gave her a meaningful glance, her eyes darting toward Retty, who was writhing in pain on the ground in front of them.

Niya seemed to understand what Feina meant.

A blood-red light glowed in Niya's hand. Scarlet blood slowly seeped from between her fingers, converging into spiderweb-like thin threads that glinted with a chilling light.

And her biological father was still lying on the ground, squirming like a maggot.

The dense network of thin threads surrounded Terry and tightened.

"Mmph—" Terry looked at Niya in front of him in disbelief.

"Goodbye, Father."

Niya violently yanked the threads in her hand. A scalp-numbing tearing sound echoed, and Terry was instantly reduced to a pile of foul-smelling chunks of meat, scattering all over the floor.

"Going that far?" Feina covered her mouth in surprise. "I thought you were just going to beat him to a pulp..."

Niya opened her mouth, but couldn't say a word.

Did I go too far?

But Lady Aina seemed quite satisfied.

"Let's go back," Aina said indifferently, not sparing a second glance at the minced meat on the ground. Instead, she reached out and ruffled Niya's grayish-brown hair.

Niya stood frozen in place, blushing slightly.

Aina frowned slightly. "As expected, white looks better."