Shroud Arcanum - Chapter 3 - - The Trial

Three years into Qin Yu's marriage, his wife and in-laws all hated him.

“You are my salvation and an answer to my cursed eyes.”------In a world of vampires, werewolves, and witches, a girl is born to be the bride of the vicious and bloodthirsty 300-year-old immortal Vampire Prince. The man who could never be enticed by any ethereal beauty till now suddenly has shown interest in a woman with a curse whom everyone abandoned.Alora Wilson, the eldest daughter of a high-noble human family, is born with the curse of an old powerful witch.It is the curse that burns the person into ashes if the person looks directly into her eyes. A curse that forces her to wear the blindfold since the moment she was born in this world.When the kids of her age enjoyed every small moment of their lives, she couldn't. No one loves to befriend her. Even her own father and siblings despise her.One day Magnus Lukeson, the Vampire Prince, enters her life– The man whom the entire kingdom is scared of. A man with only foes and no friends. A man who ventures his territory at night to take the fresh blood out of humans irrespective of the age or gender to quench his thirst.~~~~~The blindfold cascaded off Alora's eyes and her enchanted blue eyes met with Magnus' blood-red eyes.“You have enchanting eyes, Alora,” Magnus pronounced.No one ever said that to her. But no one could look into her eyes either. Only Magnus was the exception. The reason was still unknown to her.“Shall we begin the night?” Magnus asked for her permission.“Will His Highness give me love?” Alora asked. She was desperate to be loved. The feeling she could never get from her family and only heard in the words.“And how am I supposed to provide love to you?” Magnus queried since he was curious to know her thoughts.“Holding hands, hugging each other, sleeping together, and sharing thoughts. Isn't that how you shower love?” Alora innocently asked.Magnus ended up smiling to hear her explanation of love. He leaned down and kissed her lips, causing her to shiver from that sudden feeling. “This is the way I shower love,” Magnus pronounced, gazing into Alora's charming blue eyes.

Word went around that no one that had ever knocked on the esteemed Eleazar family’s doors seeking shelter were turned away.Fleeing the prince of Lustris no less, Arabella Sterling held out hope that those weren’t mere rumors as she crossed the border over to Umbraria, home to all creatures of the night. A land where noble blood like hers was a highly coveted delicacy.As such, she wasn’t turned away, but since the Eleazars ran no charity, Arabella was compelled to become the sole blood provider to the heir of the family in exchange for safety.Though never, in a million years, did she imagine that what had started as a simple trade off, could morph into a swirl of tangled passion when the cold and stoic vampire she served showed interest in the young woman beyond the crimson nectar coursing her veins.

“Sect Master! Marry me!”If only things were that simple.Fang Yuan lets out a long sigh, eyes fixed on the mountain of paperwork threatening to swallow his desk and his soul.As the youngest family head in history, you’d think he’d be enjoying fame, fortune, and fawning admirers.Instead, he’s buried in bureaucracy, stuck mediating elder disputes, and wondering if the sect treasury mysteriously eats spirit stones.Sure, the old geezers have their experience, their beards, and their lofty reputations.But Fang Yuan? He has one thing they don’t: raw, unshakable power.Born into a world where innate talent reigns supreme, Fang Yuan—a transmigrator armed with modern grit—actually managed the impossible: he clawed his way to the top with nothing but relentless hard work.While everyone else coasted on heavenly bloodlines and golden physiques, he trained, he studied, and he schemed.Now, he’s strong enough to bend heaven’s will.But cultivation isn’t all sword beams and glory.Life as a family head comes with its own set of woes—namely, watching his annoyingly handsome junior brother collect all the female attention like some kind of walking romance novel.“This isn’t fair,” Fang Yuan mutters under his breath, stamping another scroll. “I’m the protagonist here... right?”