Free Web NovelChapter 220: Chapter 220 Do What’s Best for You_1
In Aiden’s eyes, Ophelia was not exactly a particularly dangerous criminal.
This "not dangerous" did not mean she lacked strength; as a prince-level vampire, she had already been an S-class wanted criminal before she was captured.
It’s just that her mind and psychology didn’t seem very mature.
It is said that Azrael, the progenitor of the vampires, was once a duke, and the Atlantis Ruins in the southeastern part of the continent has been identified by continental scholars as the duchy ruled by him during his lifetime. The first batch of vampire princes he transformed were the collateral nobility who had followed him then.
Even after they had become an undead species that could only survive by drinking blood and their duchy was regarded as heretics and attacked and destroyed, Azrael and his kin still regarded themselves as nobility. This aristocratic restraint and pride established the tradition of nobility that would be inherited within the vampire community. freёweɓnovel.com
Therefore, vampires with close bloodlines to the progenitor, those with noble titles, insisted on various ancient noble etiquettes. They would settle in sufficiently stately mausoleums, secluded mansions, and castle ruins; capture mortals to serve as their food source and servants; collect antiques, famous paintings, and jewels; and lead a noble life that lagged behind the times in a reclusive world away from human civilization.
However, a considerable number of high-ranking vampires had come to realize that times had changed. With the development of civilization and technology, human weaponry evolved from cold weapons to firearms, and studies on various magical beasts and creatures deepened until even the dragons that once roamed the continent were almost extinct by the rise of human civilization.
As for vampires, the current heretical adjudication institutions also had extremely systematic methods for exploiting their weaknesses. It was not about exceptional individuals like the former Aiden, just a professional team led by a senior Judge posed a lethal threat to prince-level vampires. Moreover, there were rumors claiming that the progenitor of vampires had been exterminated by the Empire’s armies hundreds of years ago.
This change made the vampires collectively realize that they were not invincible beings after all; at the end of the day, so-called vampires were just a group of cursed humans.
Thus, the lower vampires began to learn to keep a low profile and adapt to The Covenant signed by various countries, giving up the consumption of human blood and becoming species under national surveillance and control.
And the high-ranking vampires who still retained a certain amount of dignity chose to live in seclusion, avoiding the heretical adjudication institutions as much as possible. freewebnøvel.com
Of course, there were some exceptions.
Some high-ranking vampires still regarded themselves as nobility of the night, adhering to the old way of life and viewing humans as an inferior race to be preyed upon.
Ophelia was one of them.
From her files, it appeared that Ophelia was a very young vampire, who had become a vampire prince and started roaming around human villages to feed only over a decade ago. Compared to those old folks who were several hundred years old, her experience could be said to be as shallow as a baby’s.
But her high degree of self-identification as a vampire prince was unmatched by others, even to a somewhat pathological degree — of course, perhaps it was precisely because of her inexperience that she didn’t have a clear understanding of her status.
In Aiden’s eyes, she was, on the spiritual level, just an out-of-touch, teenage girl lost in a noble fantasy; even while in prison, she was unwilling to face the truth that she was no longer a noble prince, but merely a prisoner.
After escaping twice, her remaining sentence had already exceeded a hundred years, and for the time being, her sentence reduction was restricted. Aiden figured that it was unlikely for her to leave the prison within his lifetime.
Although with her level of intelligence, a single person mostly couldn’t stir up too much trouble, Aiden still hoped that this long-term offender would become tamer sooner rather than later.
Having listened to Aiden’s advice, Ophelia turned her face away slightly, "What do you know, a mere mortal? This concerns the dignity of a vampire prince!"
"You see," Aiden said, "you’re now a prisoner, living in a solitary cell less than three square meters, sitting beside a toilet, smelling the shit left by the last person who was locked up here, and you talk to me about noble dignity. I really don’t understand your current mindset."
"It’s all because of you!" Ophelia glared at Aiden.
In her eyes, the person who had captured her and brought her to this prison was Aiden. And when she was transferred from the heresy court to the prison, the very man who twice stopped her attempts to escape was still this same man.
Aiden Galahad, he was the main culprit that made her so miserable.
"Don’t just shift the blame onto me, your current state is entirely your own fault." Aiden countered calmly, "You’ve been attacking human villages and abducting people to drink their blood for a decade, with victims totaling over a hundred. Had it not been for the fact that you didn’t take lives, you would have been executed long ago. Since you’ve been in prison, I’ve never seen you behave, time and again causing me trouble. Am I supposed to indulge you? Please, this is not the era where vampires are hunted down on sight from three hundred years ago, the world has already given you a chance. Is it that hard to follow some rules?"
"Who wants to live like a mere mortal," Ophelia said disdainfully.
"Ordinary mortals out there are living much better than you." Aiden spoke calmly, "I’ve heard that your brother has been living as a legitimate citizen; he has even presented us with his registration documents."
After a moment of silence, Ophelia responded, "I don’t know that loser!"
"He mentioned in the letter that he has important matters to deal with and that missing this time, he might not be able to visit you for many years. You had about a month left in your observation period, and with this commotion, it’s going to be extended for another week," Aiden said slowly, "What’s the point? Is sabotaging yourself fun?"
"..." Ophelia didn’t reply, but her expression softened slightly.
"I’m not sure how you and your sibling became vampires, but I have to tell you that vampires are not some remarkable race. In this era, a vampire prince may not even be able to defeat a squad of Judges." Aiden didn’t mince his words, "Your nobility is just self-proclaimed, hollow titles. You hold neither status nor land... Hiding in the corners far from the human world like rats in a sewer, playing at being nobility. And you actually enjoy it?"
"Enough, shut up!" Ophelia couldn’t take it anymore, Aiden’s words continually revealed the reality she didn’t want to face.
Aiden watched Ophelia for a while and then said, "The sentence for a vampire can accumulate to be quite long. But there’s a limit, and if you continue to make trouble in prison, it will eventually turn into a death sentence. I would advise you, think about your actions."
Having said that, he turned his back and left the solitary confinement area.
Ophelia sat in the now completely quiet solitary cell, hugging her knees and burying her pale face into them.
