Chapter 1

### Chapter 1: Breakfast

On the last Friday of May, the weather was pleasant, neither too cold nor too hot. The sun was just beginning to shine, and a cool breeze blew through the air. The entire city of Arkon was at ease, with early risers already hurrying along the streets, the streetlights all extinguished, and the occasional car passing by the central road. It was an ordinary morning.

Number 17 on Black Rose Avenue was the residence of Mr. Marcus, the Deputy Mayor of Arkon and an Imperial Earl. From a distance, it looked like a grand and luxurious villa, with its traditional design of deep red bricks that exuded a sense of grandeur and authority without being ostentatious.

Inside the villa's dining room, a long table was set, with a chandelier hanging overhead. Apart from a few decorations, there was nothing else in the room.

At that moment, a family of four was having breakfast around the long table. Sitting at the head of the table on the left was the master of the house, Earl Marcus.

As rumored, the Earl was young, handsome, elegant, and charming. Dressed in a white suit, he appeared exceptionally approachable, making people feel an urge to get closer to him. Combined with his high position and several valuable mechanical factories under his control, he truly lived up to the title of "the dream of countless noble ladies"! Especially with his golden short hair, perfectly trimmed beard, and those silver eyes that one could never forget after a single glance!

These were definitely not the eyes of a pure-blooded human. Considering his clean background and the title of Earl, anyone with common sense could deduce that this "slender" Earl was a being with extraordinary powers.

At that moment, the Earl was demonstrating his uniqueness. In his left hand, he held a stack of bread slices as tall as an adult's arm; in his right hand, a bottle of orange jam that had just been opened but was already half empty, and in front of him was a large glass of milk.

In no time, the Earl elegantly finished the thick stack of bread. He then picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth, looking as if he still hadn't had enough...

Sitting next to the Earl was a woman of extraordinary beauty, combining the charm of a young girl and the allure of a mature woman. She had long, blood-red hair, blood-red eyes and lips, and sharp, small white teeth. This enchanting woman was not a normal human.

Nicole Vandergeld, the mysterious presence who had kept the once "handsome" Earl faithful for years, never staying out overnight and always returning home on time. She was the daughter of the Imperial Duke, holding the title of Lady, and according to rumors, she had long dominated the "Top Ten Beauty List" of the Empire, never falling out of the top thirty. She was the most beautiful goddess in Arkon, a sight that could make one's breath catch, and the largest shareholder of the "Red Sheep Soft Candy Company"! Well, the last part could be ignored...

Unlike the domineering Earl, Nicole had only two items beside her: two bright red apples and a drink as red as blood. A sweet, slightly血腥的香气从杯中传来，果香中混杂着血液的香味，很可能是著名的“血腥玛丽”饮料吧？

此刻，妮可正细嚼慢咽地咬着苹果，并带着微笑看着对面的两个孩子。一个大一些，一个是伯爵家的长子；一个小一些，是她亲生的女儿。

与妮可正对的，正是小一些的女儿。桃乐丝·梵卓·B，一个七岁大的萝莉。用字母代替姓氏是伯爵家的传统，至于B代表什么含义？等你十三岁再告诉你。

与生母相同，桃乐丝有着甜美可爱的外貌，一双水汪汪的大眼睛，一头猩红的秀发，鲜红的嘴唇与瞳孔，尖锐的小虎牙，白皙健康的皮肤，和一对暴露在空气中，不断晃悠的黑色蝠翼。

此刻，正向伯爵致敬的小萝莉，一边抖动着背后的蝠翼，一边愉悦地啃着桌面上整整一大盆棉花糖！没错，虽然用盆来形容小萝莉的食量有点失礼，但桃乐丝面前的“盆”确实可以用来养鱼，甚至供小朋友们洗脸了。

在她左手边，还有一杯与妮可相同的饮料。再看看小萝莉背后不断晃动的蝠翼，这饮料十有八九就是勾兑了果汁的鲜血，“血腥玛丽”可是去死了。

在这只血族萝莉的身边，伯爵的正对面，则是全家最特殊的存在。伯爵的长子，十三岁的西撒·奥古斯丁·B。此刻他如同父亲一般，抱着厚厚一摞面包与果酱，毫不注意形象地吞咽着，在他右手边，还有一杯金色浓稠，散发着奶香的饮料。

之所以说西撒特殊，原因有很多。

首先，与伯爵相同的金色长发下，却是一对异常漆黑的眸子。从头发可以判断，西撒确实是伯爵的亲生子，但异色的瞳孔证明他没有继承伯爵那强大的血统。西撒一直替自己老爹着想：“一个无法展现出自己血统风采的儿子，嗯……，只能说他老妈的血统更胜一筹。”但这也够让伯爵尴尬的了，可伯爵却从未表露出来。嗯，父亲果然是个好父亲啊！

其次，西撒没有老妈。或者说，他的母亲已经过世了。从有记忆起，他对自己的母亲没有半点印象，听老仆人说，自己出生当天母亲便难产而去了。四岁的时候，妮可毫不嫌弃地嫁入伯爵家中，并像亲生母亲一样爱护着小正太。

这并不是做样子，八年来，从桃乐丝出生直到现在，妮可丝毫没有显露出半点残暴继母的征兆。算算时间，还有四年，如果迟钝的妮可不抓紧，那她再没机会体验“邪恶继母”是什么样的感觉了？不过西撒估计，就是再过十年，她还是现在这幅样子。虽然是血族，但她却是一个非常善良的人！每日定时饮用人血这事不算在内……

总之，和伯爵一家三口比较起来，他怎么看都觉得自己是多余的。唯一让西撒舒心的，就是另外三位并不这么看。

最后，西撒脑袋上有一对锥形小犄角，漆黑色，不长，只有一寸左右。这东西是他过七岁生日时，晚上睡觉自动长出来的。并不影响正常生活，但配上他苍白的皮肤，让桃乐丝有了“你比我还像个鬼”的说法。

自己老爹头上没角，那这玩意一定是母亲留下的礼物喽。对照这些年阅读的书籍，年幼的西撒总是在幻想，自己是不是有一位比妮可还要美丽的魅族母亲。自己的翅膀和尾巴哪儿去了？老爹的血统也不弱嘛，居然将老妈的血统削弱了这么多！

西撒曾多次追问父亲有关这对犄角的问题，但伯爵总是各种顾左右而言他，最终将问题推开。但从两位长辈以及阿姨的神态来看，这犄角并不是什么大事，若是让外人发现，也不会被当成“魔物”送去天谴神教净化，或者送入市动物园供人参观。

但从他们讳莫如深的态度来看，这对犄角还是牵连了不少东西。莫非，因为我年纪小，所以不愿多说？这就和那种“青春期少年之隐秘”一般？西撒如此揣测着……

以上三点，是外人眼中西撒最为特殊的地方。还有一点，是西撒自己觉得，他与常人不同的地方。

如果这个宇宙真有“穿越者”这一说的话，那他算半个，或者连半个都不到。

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