Noble of the Night: Blood Oath

Chapter 3

Though summer nights were beautiful, they couldn’t escape the lingering heat of the day. Every household had their air conditioning on full blast to combat the scorching summer drought.

It’s so hot! Why does the air conditioner have to break down right at this moment?

Taking several large gulps of ice water, Isabella collapsed onto the bamboo mat, too tired to even sit upright.

So hot…

It was unbearable! How could London’s summer be this scorching?

She stretched out her foot and hit the button on the fan, cranking it up to full power.

Finally, some relief.

Isabella lazily grabbed a magazine and started flipping through the pages. Suddenly, a photo caught her eye, and her hand froze mid-turn.

The picture showed a girl around sixteen or seventeen, with a cute face and a radiant smile that exuded a fresh, natural charm. However, despite the smile, the girl’s face was pale, revealing that she had been plagued by illness.

Below the photo, in black text, it read:

*Isabella, the famous American prodigy, passed away in 1987 at the age of seventeen.*

Isabella’s expression turned complicated as she glanced at the mirror on her dresser. The reflection staring back at her was identical to the girl in the magazine.

A prodigy? What good was being a prodigy? She had become a doctor at fifteen and saved countless patients, yet she could never save herself—because she couldn’t operate on her own body.

Isabella blinked, then looked back at the magazine. Her lips curled into a sarcastic smile as her eyes fell on the photo again.

Seriously! Who was the i***t reporter that chose this picture? She had so many photos, yet they picked the ugliest one. This picture didn’t capture any of her charm, and the smile looked completely fake—it wasn’t flattering at all.

“Ring, ring, ring!” The phone’s shrill ringing interrupted Isabella’s thoughts. She tossed the magazine aside and rushed to answer it.

“Hello?” she said into the receiver.

“Hello? Is this Isabella? It’s Ophelia!” An excited voice greeted her from the other end.

Oh great, it’s that gossip queen. Isabella rolled her eyes, resigning herself to the inevitable conversation. “Ophelia, what do you need?”

“Yes, yes! I definitely need to talk to you. Isabella, have you seen this month’s *Explorer* magazine? There’s a girl in there who looks just like you!” Ophelia’s exaggerated tone filled the line.

Isabella glanced over at the magazine on her bed. The cover bore the title “Explorer” in sweeping cursive. Ugh… Even the queen of gossip has seen that photo.

She sighed in defeat. “Yes, I saw it. It’s from the article ‘Top Ten Geniuses of the World,’ right?”

“Yes, that’s the one! Isabella, you look exactly like her. She could be your twin sister! And she had heart disease too... Oh, and you even share the same name!”

“That’s enough, Ophelia! Stop talking nonsense. That woman died over ten years ago, and she was seventeen when she passed. I just turned seventeen this year. How could we possibly be twins?”

“Isabella, are you upset because I said you look like her?” A hurt voice came through the phone.

“No kidding! Who’d be happy to look like someone who died over a decade ago? Plus, she was a genius with an IQ of over 180. How could I ever compare to that?”

“But… but you’re one of the top students at school.”

“Yeah, but I’m still nowhere near her level! She became a licensed doctor at fifteen. I’m not nearly that impressive.”

“Isabella, you’re sounding pretty agitated.”

“Oh…” Crap! Getting too worked up could raise suspicion. “It’s nothing, really. I’m just stressed because the college entrance exams are coming up. I’m already in a bad mood, and then you go and compare me to some genius. Who cares if I look like her? It’s what’s inside that counts. I’m terrified I’ll mess up and not get into university. If only I were a genius too, then everything would be fine...”

“Oh… I’m sorry,” Ophelia murmured apologetically.

Perfect! Time to change the subject before the gossip queen goes on forever.

“Don’t worry about it. Just drop it, okay?” Isabella said in a sorrowful tone, her face devoid of any humor. “By the way, have you finished studying for the mock exams? The teacher gave us a final warning—anyone who scores below 350 points is doomed!”

“What? That old woman really said that? I’m screwed! I haven’t even made it halfway through the textbooks…”

“I guess you’ll just have to hope for the best. I can’t save you, so good luck with that! Let’s talk about it at school tomorrow. I’m going to hit the books now.”

“Bye…” came Ophelia’s weak reply from the other end.

“Bye!” Yes! Finally, the call ended.

Isabella happily set down the phone, feeling a wave of relief wash over her. She had successfully gotten rid of that troublemaker. She knew that talking about schoolwork was the quickest way to cut short any conversation with those girls. They never studied and were terrified of anything related to exams.

She walked back to her bed and lay down, her eyes landing on the magazine next to her.

Thanks to that nosy magazine publisher, she was going to be dealing with this mess for a while. Why did they have to publish that photo? Didn’t they realize they were making her life difficult? Whatever… She’d just have to be more careful from now on. Hopefully, everything would go smoothly, and she’d avoid any serious trouble.

*Sigh.* This is so annoying.

*Sigh.* She really was frustrated—so frustrated that she felt like stabbing something to relieve her anger. The sun was still hanging low in the sky, casting a soft glow across the ground, while a long shadow trailed behind Isabella.

So many people have been talking about that photo today…

Gazing at the brilliant sunset, Isabella let out a soft sigh. Many of her classmates were shocked when they saw the picture in the magazine—it looked just like her. She had tried so hard to blend in, to keep a low profile, but now all her efforts had gone to waste.

As a vampire, a being that never ages or dies, she had to change locations periodically to avoid suspicion. If someone she knew realized that she never aged, it would be over. Drawing too much attention made it harder to stay unnoticed, so she always strove to be as unremarkable as possible.

*Sigh…* All that hard work, wasted.

Isabella hung her head, her mood sinking lower by the minute. She bit her lip in frustration, her small white teeth pressing against her red lips.

Enough. Stop thinking about it! The more she dwelled on it, the worse she felt.

She shook her head vigorously, forcing herself to stop. Worrying about it would only kill her brain cells, and a genius like her couldn’t afford to lose any over something so trivial.

Forget it! She’d figure out a solution later. For now, stressing wouldn’t solve anything.

A soft orange glow caught her attention. She lifted her head, and the sunset—bathed in hues of red and orange—hung low on the horizon.

Wow… It’s beautiful.

For a moment, all her worries faded as she gazed at the sky. She lived in the countryside, and even St. Deline’s was situated on a hill, making the natural beauty of the sunset even more striking.

Isabella exhaled slowly, completely captivated by the beauty of nature.

Suddenly, a flock of wild geese flew across the sky, adding a final touch to the stunning scene.

I wish… I wish I could be like them, flying with the sunset and the clouds as my companions.

A dreamy look appeared in her eyes, and for a moment, she lost herself in the beauty of the moment. A light breeze swept past her, and suddenly, a mischievous smile curled on her lips as her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Hehe! She had figured it out. She didn’t need to envy the geese—she could fly just like them, because she was, after all, a vampire.

Looking around, Isabella noticed a few passersby nearby. *Sigh.* There were still too many people around here.

She let out a long sigh and scanned the area again, hoping to find a more secluded spot.

Suddenly, her eyes landed on a small grove of trees not too far away. A sweet smile spread across her lips.

She knew there had to be some advantage to living in the countryside. Look! There was a perfect spot where she could transform in peace.