Chapter 127: The Rupture with the Vampire Council

"What is this? Do you intend to raise your hands against me?" I asked with disdain, facing the heads of the thirteen clans blocking my path.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Seeing the standoff between me and the clan heads, Liliel stepped in front of me, glaring at them with fury.

"Liliel!" the head of the Brujah clan barked sharply. "Step aside! Do not be willful!"

"What kind of joke is this? Sister Lilith is a princess of the vampire race! How dare you attempt to lay a hand on her? You have quite the audacity!" Facing the Brujah head’s roar, Liliel remained unfazed, questioning them defiantly.

"Liliel, listen to your grandfather. This is not a matter for you to interfere in. Stand aside, like a good girl." Seeing Liliel’s fierce reaction, the Brujah head could only offer a patient plea. Indeed, Liliel was his granddaughter; her mother had been the result of a political marriage between the vampire council and my father.

"Not a chance! I will never let you hurt Sister Lilith!" Liliel declared, refusing to yield an inch.

"Your Highness Liliel, please rest assured. We only intend to escort Her Highness Liliana back to the ancient vampire castle. We would never harm her. After all, she is still a candidate for the next Vampire Prince," a clan head who supported me stepped forward to say.

"What a joke!" Upon hearing this, someone immediately retorted, "On what grounds does this lowly half-breed have the right to succeed the title of Vampire Prince? Furthermore, she is currently a wanted criminal by our council. I will never acknowledge her as a candidate!"

The words of the two clan heads acted like a fuse, and the argument erupted once more among the thirteen leaders.

"Enough!" The Brujah head’s shout cut through the brief quarrel. "What are you doing? Can you still call yourselves noble and elegant vampires with behavior like this? It is unsightly!"

Faced with his roar, the thirteen clan heads were left speechless, and the bickering instantly subsided.

"As expected of the Brujah clan head; you certainly possess great dignity," I applauded.

"Your Highness Liliana, please return with us," the Brujah head turned back to me, his expression stern. "I pledge on the honor of the Brujah clan that we will not harm you; I only ask that you return with us. With the Prince’s whereabouts currently unknown, we must elect a regent to maintain stability while he is away. Both you and Liliel are eligible successors, so please, come with us," he said respectfully.

"The Prince, you say?" I replied coldly. "I have no interest in that position. The only thing I want to do now is find White Night and kill him. The sins he carries are too heavy; it is time for them to be cleansed."

"That lowly, fallen wretch can be dealt with by the council. I will dispatch the remaining inquisitors to track him down; he will not escape. So, please, Your Highness, return with us now. I do not wish to come into conflict with you, so please do not make things difficult for us," the Brujah head insisted, refusing to give up.

"I said he is my prey, and I will kill him with my own hands. I will not allow anyone to interfere," I stated coldly. "Once White Night is dead, I will return on my own. For now, it is not your place to command me."

"Your Highness Liliana, please stop being so willful!" Finally, the Brujah head could no longer contain his rage and roared at me.

"I support Sister Lilith!" Faced with the Brujah head's anger, Liliel stood by my side without hesitation.

Just as tensions reached a breaking point, the appearance of several figures shattered the stalemate.

"The vampire council certainly wields great power these days. I don’t recall the council ever having the authority to interfere in the decisions of the Dracula family." A sturdy, imposing figure appeared before me. "My lady, I apologize for disobeying your orders."

"Your Highness Liliana." "Lilith." Xuelan and Xingyu followed close behind Ang, appearing before me as well.

"You..." Seeing them here, I was at a loss for words. They knew full well they were no match for these people; coming here brought me no advantage and only invited danger. Yet, they came, simply because they couldn't rest easy regarding my safety.

"Lord Ang. It has been a long time." The Brujah head greeted him respectfully. As my father’s personal attendant, Ang represented the authority of the Vampire Prince to a certain extent.

"The council’s hands have stretched too far, haven't they, Lord Brujah?" Ang stared directly into the Brujah head’s eyes, speaking calmly.

"I have been presumptuous." Faced with Ang’s pressure, the Brujah head finally compromised. "I apologize for my offense, Your Highness Liliana. The council will no longer interfere in your actions, and the warrant for your arrest will be canceled. However, I still hope you will return to the ancient castle as soon as possible. The vampire race needs your presence."

"I understand. Once I have settled matters in the human world, I will return. Ang, let’s go." I spoke to them and turned to leave.

"Sister Lilith, wait for me! I’m coming with you!" Liliel glanced at the Brujah head’s sullen face, then happily called out and chased after us.

"Your Highness Liliana, please wait!" Just as we were about to leave, the Brujah head suddenly blocked our path.

"What is it? Lord Brujah, do you have something else to say? Have you changed your mind and intend to detain me by force?" I demanded angrily.

"I would not dare," the Brujah head said respectfully. "However, I sense the aura of the Dracula bloodline within this vampire, and I would ask for an explanation, Your Highness." He stared fixedly at Xingyu, as if he intended to devour him. "He must be the human named Xingyu, though I wonder, why has he become a vampire?"

*Damn it, was he discovered?* I complained to myself. "He is my descendant; I sired him. Is there a problem?" I replied calmly.

"And yet, I sense the aura of a fallen one upon him," the Brujah head said coldly. "He has degenerated into a blood-sucker, has he not?"

"So what if he has?" I retorted frostily. "He is my subordinate. It is not for the council to interfere."

"Hmph! The glory of the Dracula family shall not be tainted!" The Brujah head said angrily. "Your Highness, we must impose sanctions on such a fallen wretch who has stained the family's honor. This concerns the dignity of our race; please do not stand in our way."

"Do not use the 'glory of the vampires' to pressure me. I have never held that glory in any regard." I stood firm against his coercion. "I have said it before: he is my kin. Whoever dares to harm him becomes my enemy, and I will see them to the bitter end!"

"Your Highness Liliana!" Upon hearing my response, even the four clan heads who supported me spoke with grave expressions: "This concerns the honor of our race. Please be careful; the Dracula bloodline must never produce a fallen one!"

"Lilith." Just as I was about to continue my defiance, Xingyu stepped in front of me, cutting off my words.

"Xingyu?" I asked, confused.

Xingyu shook his head gently at me and turned to the thirteen clan heads. "I am willing to accept punishment."

"Xingyu!" Hearing his words, I said anxiously, "Do you know what you are saying? You will die!"

"Lilith, I know," Xingyu replied calmly. "I am already satisfied to have seen you again. You know that I already carry too many sins—even compared to White Night, I am not much better. I have been using the excuse of avenging you to numb myself, but I am truly exhausted; I can no longer carry these sins. Now, I have no reason to escape my fate. Some debts are meant to be paid."

"Xingyu!" Hearing his final words, my heart ached. He was such a gentle and kind person, yet he was now burdened with such heavy sin. "That is not your fault, Xingyu. You do not need to blame yourself."

"Do not try to persuade me, Lilith," Xingyu said firmly. "This is the retribution I deserve. I do not want to hurt you anymore. Every time I am with you, I only bring you harm. I am truly sorry."

*Slap!* No sooner had he finished speaking than a loud slap landed on his face. Xingyu stood there, stunned.

"Coward!" Liliel’s palm had struck him hard. "You lowly wretch, remember this: your pathetic life was granted by Sister Lilith! You have no right to decide your own death!" Liliel said coldly to him. She then turned to the thirteen clan heads with fury. "Who gave you permission to be so insolent before Sister Lilith? Do not forget your status! Do you intend to rebel against the Dracula family?"

"We would not dare," the thirteen clan heads said respectfully. "But precisely for that reason, we cannot tolerate the tainting of the Dracula bloodline. It is our purest bloodline; such a fallen one cannot be permitted to exist. You know this well, Liliel. Those who stain the blood of Dracula must be executed. We will not back down on this." Faced with Liliel’s unprecedented strength, the Brujah head remained unyielding, and the eyes of the other clan heads revealed an unshakeable resolve.