Chaeyoung followed Kevin in silence as he led her through the Palace, their shoes clicking against the marble floors as they walked. She hadn't said a word since they'd entered the vampire nation, wanting to absorb every moment in silence but also simply being too nervous to say anything. It was the first time she'd been around so many vampires. She was used to being around humans, aside from her mother.  

Humans tended to look at her and her mother strangely. Her mother hardly went out in the daytime because of the stares, but Chaeyoung had never been able to avoid it. She'd gone to school like any other normal kid, except she found out soon enough that no one else thought she was normal. 

She wasn't the only one in her schools who had pale skin, but hers was different. As the daytime progressed, she started looking sickly pale, though she never felt ill. Her lips were a permanent coral pink color, and when she was younger she'd always get in trouble and falsely accused of wearing lipstick to school. Her eyes flashed red when she was angry, though only for a moment. All these things were pointed out by the kids at school, and it either gave kids an excuse to bully her or to stay far away. 

She never had friends. She was never looked at kindly in the human world. It was worse when she went out with her mother, who was a full vampire, and her traits were more prominent. She even had small fangs, though she was able to hide them as long as she didn't smile too widely. 

Chaeyoung fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how one looked at it, did not have fangs. 

She was surprised that in the vampire nation, so far no one had looked at her strangely. In fact, so far no one had even so much as glanced in her direction. As she'd made her way with Kevin towards the Palace, no one looked up from what they were doing. It was a relief. 

It was night, but the moon was full and bright in the sky. It looked different from when she was in the human world. This moon looked larger and brighter and shone on everything. Her eyesight wasn't as good as a full vampire's, not at night at least, but she had no trouble seeing everything that was going on in the nation. 

It was night, but that's when vampires were the most active. She'd have to get used to the time change, she supposed. Everything would be switched here. The town was bustling with activity, merchants on the streets in booths selling food and jewelry and many other things, and customers trying to argue down the prices. While she knew that humans envisioned vampires as scary creatures and would probably imagine a dark and scary place, the town was quaint and cute. 

"Younghoon can seem arrogant and conceited and rude, but he's a softie once you get to know him," Kevin spoke, breaking the silence as they slowed down to approach two giant, ornately decorated doors. "Ready?" 

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said softly, taking a deep breath as he opened the doors, leading her into the room. 

At the center of the room were eleven giant, throne-like chairs. The three in the middle were currently occupied, one boy right in the center, looking through a book. The boy to his right was aimlessly scrolling through his phone, but he looked up as Chaeyoung and Kevin approached. The third boy was sprawled out on the entire chair, his legs thrown over the side, and he lazily turned his head in their direction. 

All three of them were the most beautiful men she'd ever seen. She glanced at Kevin, and then the three new men. They were all gorgeous. 

"Wow," she said quietly. "Vampire guys are way more attractive than any of the human guys I ever met."

The boy who had been on his phone laughed, running a hand through his blue hair. He tilted his head at her, studying her curiously. "Of course we are," he said, winking. "Vampires are kind of hot, aren't we?" It seemed like he was going for a sexy vibe, but the boy was half-laughing while he said all of that, so it only made him seem cute. 

Chaeyoung couldn't help laughing as well, some of her nerves evaporating. "Yes, definitely," she agreed. 

The boy in the center chair was studying her as well, his eyes thoughtful. "So you're the half-blood?" he asked after a moment, making her flinch. She hadn't wanted that to be common knowledge. She was worried that if it was, it would make her an outcast. Again. 

"Half what?" the third boy asked, sitting up straight and looking at the boy in the center. 

"You're my cousin?" the center boy continued, looking her up and down and nodding as if she passed the inspection. "I guess I can see how we're related," he said, meeting her gaze. "You're nowhere near as attractive as me, but you're not ugly. Yeah, I guess I can accept you as my cousin, even if you are a half-blood." 

He got up, walking towards her and holding out his hand for her to shake. 

"I'm Prince Younghoon, and it's nice to meet you."

***

A/N 

Did you guys see the MV for "Drink It"? Omg I love the MV and the song so much it's amazing. It makes me want to write another vampire book, this time based on the MV storyline... but that will have to wait😂