bookbashuk Page 146
Page 146
When the next morning dawned, the commoner girl was found unconscious by the roadside, but when she woke up, she could not remember what had happened the night before.
The two small, bloody holes on her neck became yet another strange tale circulating in the small town.
...
...
...
"Woo——"
"Hiss—hmm—"
The girl lazily sat up in bed, her silver hair cascading down the bed, the headband that used to hold it in place long gone.
The straps of the nightgown slipped off her smooth shoulders, and the hem of the skirt was pressed under her buttocks, making her fair feet and collarbone under her neck completely visible.
Clearly, she sleeps in terrible posture.
Fortunately, no one will see it.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes and looked at the dim sunset outside the window; clearly, she had had a good sleep.
"How annoying... I dreamt about the time when I was 'resurrected' again."
She put her finger to her lips, tilted her head, and thought for a moment.
"How much time has passed? Eight months? A year?"
"Forget it. They don't care anyway."
She jumped out of bed, took a shower and changed her clothes, putting on a floral maxi dress with an English flair. The fresh yet glamorous look had the sweet style of a girl next door from England.
After all, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. Wearing that vampire dress in a flamboyant way would be very detrimental to her life.
Suddenly, the door clicked open.
The silver-haired girl, who was fixing her clothes in front of the living room mirror, ran over with a big smile.
"Grandpa, Grandma, you're back!"
Two elderly people with gray hair and beards smiled and patted her obedient head:
"My dear child, I've brought you some food."
The old man handed her a sealed water bottle. She wiped her drool, took it, and eagerly unscrewed it to drink.
"Gurgle...gurgle..."
In no time, the liquid in the kettle was finished, and she looked at the two elderly people with a longing expression, still wanting more.
"Alright, it's wartime now, and hospitals are short of blood too. We can only afford to have that today."
Wow, I bought so much!
She sat obediently to the side, her pointed ears drooping.
"Ok."
...
Ludwig was lucky; a few months ago, a kind elderly couple found her wandering in an alley and took her in without hesitation.
"She doesn't look human at all, and she speaks fluent German. If the police find her, she'll be in big trouble."
The couple took her home and raised her for this simple reason. From an outsider's perspective, the couple was more than just "careless".
But in reality, the couple cared more about the identity of "poor homeless girl" than the identity of "German-speaking monster".
"She just looks like a pitiful little girl. We're both this age, what's there to be afraid of? How can we live with ourselves if we leave a homeless girl alone!"
As it turns out, those who live long enough develop a keen eye for people. The adopted vampire girl, Ludwig, was indeed not a bad child.
She was just a newly "born" vampire girl, no different from a blank sheet of paper. What evil intentions could she possibly have?
...
...
"Old Jonathan never misjudges people."
The old man smiled smugly at his wife and sat down on the sofa next to her to read the newspaper.
The old woman sat down beside him with a pout, picked up the photograph on the table, and gently wiped away the dust.
The couple's son had already died in the war, so Ludwig's arrival was like "having a daughter late in life" for them.
Under the elderly couple's tutelage, Ludwig quickly learned the local language—English—within a few months, and her intelligence and learning ability amazed the couple.
Having been adopted for less than a year, she already behaves and acts like a native English girl. Her lovely British accent is mixed with a hint of German, making her accent, like her non-human physical features, sound quite exotic.
Aside from being a non-human monster who only drinks human blood and cannot be exposed to sunlight, she is no different from an ordinary girl.
But what does it matter? She may be a monster, but she is also a good child who would never harm anyone.
"Ludwig, my lovely granddaughter..."
Old Jonathan patted her head affectionately.
"With such a good child like you by my side, Grandpa and Grandma can say that we have no regrets in our old age."
...
The time Ludwig spent in England was an unforgettable period in her life.
Under the tutelage of a kind elderly couple, this newborn vampire girl acquired a kind heart.
From then on, no matter what situation she was in, she would never fall into the dark abyss of depravity.
Chapter 161 Born in Darkness
Ludwig lived a fulfilling and happy life in the small English town, and even during the war, the various misfortunes brought about by the war did not affect her in the slightest.
This was largely due to the Jonathans' renowned good reputation, so no one questioned their adoption of their unusual granddaughter who had albinism.
She stayed at home quietly and obediently, and browsing through the books in her study was her usual hobby.
Thanks to the vampires' exceptional mental and physical strength, she could stay in her study and read for days on end.
Her knowledge base grew rapidly as a result, and she gained a basic understanding of everything in this world.
But the suggestion in her mind kept reminding her:
You must not form bonds with humans.
Although the suggestion was firmly etched in her mind, she completely disregarded it during her time with the Jonathans.
After all, if she didn't stay here to be raised by the Jonathans, where else could she go all alone?
She felt that living with the Jonathans was quite nice. Here, she had no worries about food or clothing, and no shortage of books to read; every day she spent was carefree.
She perused books, absorbing knowledge and gradually making her personality more complete.
She began to realize that she was a completely different being from humans.
But what am I? What exactly is a "vampire"?
She knew nothing about it, and there was no reliable information in any books.
But she gradually began to realize that one day, human society would no longer be a place for her to live.
...
Such a comfortable life will eventually undergo irreversible changes under certain circumstances.
In 1945, news of victory arrived from across the sea—
The world war ended with the victory of the Central Powers. People took to the streets to celebrate the end of the war and were filled with hope for tomorrow once again.
Radio stations vied to report on the victory in the war and the arrival of peace, and newspapers published victory announcements from various countries.
Ludwig was reading the newspaper as usual, but the picture of the original announcement caught her attention at that moment.
"what?"
She looked at it for a moment, then took out the pendant she always wore from her pocket.
She compared them for a moment, and finally confirmed that the complex text on the pendant was the same text as the original announcement in a newspaper.
"grandparents!"
Ludwig ran up to the Jonathans, who were listening to the radio, and showed them her little discovery.
"What language is this? It looks...it looks just like the script on my pendant!"
Old Jonathan frowned and looked at it for a moment:
"Ah, this is...this is Chinese characters! It's the Chinese language, from a distant Eastern country."
Ludwig tilted her head, looking puzzled.
"Chinese character?"
She looked at the words, and although some seemed vaguely familiar, she didn't recognize these strange symbols at all.
Since she woke up in this world, she has only spoken German; her mastery of the language seems to be innate.
Later, she learned English under the tutelage of the Jonathans, so it's perfectly normal that she didn't recognize the words or the language at all as a newborn—at least she thought it was reasonable.
However, the pendant she carried was engraved with Chinese characters, and this pendant was potentially the key to unlocking the secrets of her past...
Could it be that I come from that faraway country?
"How could this happen? It's impossible."
"But... my name is 'Ludwig Yang'... this 'Yang' is the Chinese character engraved on the pendant, right?"
"Maybe there really is some connection?"
Finding her origins wasn't a priority for Ludwig at the moment, so she only occasionally glanced at books about that Eastern country when the thought of it came to mind. Gradually, the mysterious Eastern country finally piqued her interest.
However, it only remains at the level of "being interested." For now, she is still just a vampire girl who hopes to live a peaceful life here.
It was during this period that "staying at home and living a mundane life day after day" became her interest and habit, laying a solid foundation for her terrible future as a modern-day couch potato decades later.
...
...
Time has sped up for more than a decade in these peaceful days.
Ludwig remained unchanged throughout this time; she was still that obedient literary girl, as young, beautiful, gentle, and charming as when she first joined the family.
But the elderly Jonathans became bedridden and nearing their end as the years passed.
Ludwig's personality has begun to take shape. She has lived here for sixteen years since she awoke in this world, and she is now indeed a "sixteen-year-old girl".
And yet, "once again," she faced the pain of separation and death at the tender age of youth.
"My dear granddaughter..."
Old Jonathan wearily touched her head.
My wife passed away a while ago, and this old man will soon be joining her...
"Thank you, child, for not leaving us to grow old alone..."
Ludwig shook her head frantically:
"No, I... I should be thanking you, Grandpa... I'm clearly not human, yet you adopted me and taught me to read and write..."
...
Old Jonathan propped himself up, his expression suddenly turning serious.
"My child, you must remember one thing."
"Although you have lived with us and with humans for over a decade... you are ultimately not human..."
"After we leave, let's try to stay as far away from human society as possible... the farther the better..."
"Even if you are to continue living in the human world, never expose yourself..."
"A vampire like you would surely perish if exposed to humans..."
Ludwig nodded solemnly: "Yes, I'm listening, Grandpa."
Old Jonathan smiled and said, "Good boy, that's good."