Chapter 3
In my head, I counted down the time until my family returned.
I drew a deep breath and led Sheng Nuannuan toward a guest room.
The moment I opened the door, she gave the room one glance and kicked over the shoe cabinet in disgust.
“What kind of dump is this?”
“Baby is a princess, and princesses sleep in pink princess beds—not some ancient plank bed that will hurt Baby’s waist!”
She wheeled around and ran out.
“Baby will find it herself. This castle must have a room made especially for Baby.”
“Don’t run around!”
I reached out instinctively to stop her.
The castle stood seven stories high. Sheng Nuannuan raced everywhere in delight, as though she had discovered a new continent.
First she kicked over a suit of armor in the corridor, then tore an oil painting off the wall.
All I could do was grit my teeth, trail behind her, and clean up each fresh disaster.
Eventually, Sheng Nuannuan barged into Dad’s wine cellar. It held the fine wines he had collected from all over the world through the centuries. Every bottle was priceless.
Her eyes lit up at the sight of the racks covering the walls.
But after pouring a little into her palm and tasting it, she grimaced.
“Ptooey! What is this? It tastes awful.”
She casually flung the priceless bottle to the floor, where it shattered.
Muttering to herself, Sheng Nuannuan began sweeping bottles from the racks.
“This bottle is ugly. Throw it away.”
“This one isn’t pink. Throw it away.”
“This one is too heavy for Baby to lift. Throw it away too!”
The sound of shattering glass came again and again.
I had only just swept up the last of the debris when, the instant I turned away, I heard a bloodcurdling scream.
I rushed into the neighboring room. Sheng Nuannuan sat on the floor amid shattered test tubes and streaks of blood.
She whined tearfully,
“Baby saw something sparkly and thought it was a jewel, but it was full of blood! It scared Baby to death, and now Baby’s hand is cut.”
The moment the eldest Sheng brother saw his sister crying, his eyes reddened.
“Men! Smash everything in this room!”
I looked at the devastation and almost laughed aloud.
This was no ordinary room. It was my sister’s collection chamber.
She was a vampire with obsessive tendencies. Every time she drank from a human, she saved a vial of their blood for her collection.
Normally, she would not let anyone so much as touch it. Now it had all been destroyed.
And my sister was notoriously vindictive.
I lowered my head and cowered in a corner, pretending to be frightened while inwardly settling in for the show.
Sheng Nuannuan continued blundering about like a headless chicken until at last she pushed open the grand double doors at the end of the hall.
They led to my parents’ bedroom.
Her eyes lit up as soon as she entered. She flung herself onto the velvet four-poster bed, rolled across it, and declared in delight,
“Baby hereby announces that this is the princess bedroom!”
Then her gaze landed on the jewelry box atop the dressing table.
When she opened it, she found gemstones as large as pigeon eggs.
Sheng Nuannuan gasped and eagerly began putting them on.
“You had better leave those alone.”
I finally could not resist warning her.
“Otherwise, you won’t even know how you died.”
I was not bluffing.
Mom treasured jewels more than life itself, and these pieces had been passed down through the vampire clans for centuries.
But Sheng Nuannuan was used to ruling over everyone around her. Why would she listen to a warning?
She lifted one expensive little leather shoe and kicked me in the stomach.
“A lowly country bumpkin like you has no right to interfere in Baby’s business.”
The eldest Sheng brother shot me a warning look as well.
“Don’t be afraid, Nuannuan. With us here, if you wanted the moon, we would pluck it out of the sky for you—never mind a few worthless stones.”
“Enjoy yourself. Your brothers will take responsibility for anything that happens.”
With their support behind her, Sheng Nuannuan became so smug she all but sprouted a peacock’s tail.
Remembering my warning, she deliberately raised her voice.
“Not only will Baby touch them, Baby hates their colors. They’re much too old-fashioned.”
“Big Brother, bring Baby some paint. Baby is going to paint every one of them pink.”
She taunted me as she reached for the jewelry.
I gave her a cold look.
“An ugly duckling like you only stirs up trouble to prove that someone dotes on her.”
The words struck precisely where she was most sensitive.
Sheng Nuannuan’s expression changed at once.
She looked down at her face, which still had a sallow cast beneath three layers of foundation, then up at my almost translucent skin.
Jealousy devoured the last of her reason.
Sheng Nuannuan screamed,
“Tie that filthy hick up outside! Baby is going to give her a sunbath!”