Chapter 175: 175-Feeder pass
"This is the best we can do for you," the voice drifted from the darkness of the narrow tunnels leading to Veris Academy’s secret entrance.
The hidden vampire remained swallowed by the shadows, his features impossible to make out. Evelyn could see only the faint suggestion of movement and feel the weight of his unseen attention.
"I’m not picky. I’m glad I can get even this much, and I appreciate the effort you’ve made to bring me this far." Evelyn accepted the offered help with a grateful smile, though unease cinched tight beneath her ribs. "Thank you so much. I won’t forget this favor."
"Don’t mention it." The vampire handed her a pass. "You’ve already saved countless vampires from hunters. This much is nothing compared to what you’ve done. You don’t owe me a favor for it."
Evelyn lowered her gaze to examine the pass. It was about the size of a passport, with her photograph printed neatly above her name, Evelyn Loven.
Beneath it was a white marking. Her expression remained calm but a bitter taste spread across her tongue.
It was a white feeder pass. It identified her as a royal walking blood bag, a human brought into the academy to provide blood for the princess.
The white marking made her status unmistakable to any vampire who saw it. It was both her permission to enter and a warning to anyone who might otherwise attack her.
For the duration of her stay, she was protected by the authority of the royal bloodline and not because she was a person deserving of respect, but because her blood had been designated for someone important.
Evelyn curled her fingers around the pass, resisting the urge to crush it. The thin card bent against her palm.
She had no intention of complaining. Not now. Not when this humiliating piece of paper was the only thing standing between her and the academy.
As long as she could reach her niece and deliver the urgent message she had brought, she was willing to endure a little discomfort. If that meant allowing a vampire to feed on her for a while, so be it.
Her niece’s safety mattered more than her pride. Even if entering vampire territory meant placing herself at the mercy of creatures she had spent years fearing, she could not turn back. The thought made her stomach twist, and the darkness behind her seemed to press closer, but the image of Maisa’s face was stronger than her fear.
"I’ll wait here and escort you back to the border," the hidden vampire instructed.
Evelyn nodded. "Alright. I’ll make sure to return as soon as I’m done," her voice sounded steadier than she felt. Her knees felt less certain.
With the pass secured in her hand, she turned toward the academy.
A month ago, she had sent Maisa into Veris Academy to hide. After her niece had been turned into a vampire, Evelyn had even helped her assume a new identity, hoping the academy’s walls would offer her the protection she desperately needed.
Now, a month later, Evelyn was the one sneaking into vampire territory to see her. The irony wasn’t lost on her.
She had sent Maisa here believing that, behind these walls, her niece might finally have a chance to live without constantly looking over her shoulder. She had hoped the academy would become a refuge, somewhere Maisa could settle down and learn to survive in a world that had suddenly become hostile to her but the tides had turned.
And now Evelyn had to cross those same walls to warn her niece before it was too late.
Had the message not been so important, she would never have risked entering vampire territory herself. She had no desire to disrupt the life Maisa was building, especially after everything the girl had already endured. The possibility that her arrival might expose Maisa’s identity or draw unwanted attention made every step toward the entrance feel like a betrayal.
Unfortunately, some messages were too urgent to entrust to anyone else. Evelyn approached the station beside the academy gates and presented her pass.
The guard inspected it, then raised his head and beckoned to a passing student.
"Take this human to the whiteblood tower. She’s a feeder for the princess."
The student stopped. Her gaze flickered toward Evelyn, lingering on her human features before dropping to the pass in the guard’s hand.
A human feeder for the princess?
The order was unusual enough to invite curiosity but neither the guard nor the student voiced their questions.
After Evelyn underwent a thorough search, she was finally permitted to enter.
She kept her hands still while they searched her, though every instinct urged her to pull away. Cold fingers passed over her clothes, checking for anything hidden. She held her breath until they finished.
The moment they stepped back, she felt more exposed than before. She had entered under royal protection, yet she had never felt less safe.
The student assigned to escort her was a Blueblood. As they walked through the academy grounds, the girl occasionally glanced at Evelyn from the corner of her eye, her curiosity growing with every step.
’Since when does the princess drink human blood?’
The question lingered in her mind. As far as she knew, the princess had never needed a human feeder. Yet the blood archive had issued the pass, and the royal authority behind it was not something an ordinary student could challenge.
Feeders were assigned through official records. Whatever the reason for this particular arrangement, questioning it was neither her responsibility nor her place.
So she kept her thoughts to herself and continued leading Evelyn through the academy.
Evelyn, meanwhile, took the opportunity to observe her surroundings, forcing herself to memorize every turn in case she needed to find her way out alone. Every corridor became a possible escape route. Every unfamiliar face became a potential threat.
Veris Academy was far more impressive than she had imagined. The grounds were orderly, the buildings well maintained, and the students moved about with a sense of familiarity that suggested the academy was a world of its own.
There was an unsettling strangeness to seeing so many vampires gathered in one place, living their lives as though humans were nothing more than a distant concern. Yet beneath that discomfort, Evelyn felt a small measure of relief.
At least the place didn’t look like a prison. Perhaps Maisa really could find a little peace here.
The thought eased some of the tension in Evelyn’s chest, but it did not erase it. Peace could be an illusion, especially in a place where Evelyn had to wear a pass declaring her blood belonged to someone else.
She had spent the journey worrying about her niece, wondering whether Maisa had managed to settle in and whether the new identity had been enough to keep her safe. Seeing the academy with her own eyes helped quiet some of those fears.
It also gave her new ones. Soon, they arrived at the whiteblood tower.
The student stopped at the entrance. "This is as far as I can take you."
Evelyn nodded politely. "Thank you for guiding me."