NOVEL WEB vol. 1 chapter 21 - Did I Really Escape?
Degrienne lifted her skirt and stepped across the damp grass.
Every crunch of dead leaves beneath her feet made her heart leap to her throat, as if a bloodkin might leap from the shadows at any moment.
Five hundred meters… three hundred meters…
It was such a short distance, yet it felt endless, as though she would never reach the end.
Only once she had fully disappeared into the forest’s depths did she dare to turn around—
The vampire castle behind her had become a hazy silhouette in the moonlight. No pursuit. No alarms.
“…I made it?”
She leaned against a tree trunk, gasping for breath, her heart pounding so hard it threatened to burst.
Back in the laundry yard, Isabella silently picked up the fallen maid uniform.
Her fingers brushed over the still-damp fabric. She turned to glance toward the edge of the forest—
There, just past the tree line, a flash of silver hair disappeared into the shadows.
Calmly, Isabella shook out the wet garments, smoothing every crease, and hung them one by one on the line.
She even adjusted the clothespins with care, making sure the fabric wouldn’t stretch out of shape.
When she was finished, she clapped the dust from her hands and began to stroll toward the forest.
The soft rustle of her Gothic heels on the grass sounded like a quiet midnight walk.
“You shouldn’t have run…” she murmured.
Elsewhere, deeper in the forest—
Degrienne kept running, her silver hair flying behind her in the night wind.
Her heart pounded like a drum, her nerves stretched taut. She couldn’t believe she had actually gotten out.
“Was it… really just carelessness?” she muttered. Still, she didn’t stop.
Trap or luck, it didn’t matter now. It was too late to turn back.
Then she noticed something strange—
With every breath she took, the forest air seemed to carry some kind of mysterious energy. It flowed into her meridians, nourishing her inner strength.
She activated the Lightning Induction Body Tempering Technique—and was stunned to find her cultivation speed was more than double what it had been on Blue Star!
“This is… magic?” Her eyes widened slightly.
She had heard about it before—from captured invaders back on Blue Star.
In this world, extraordinary power didn’t come from internal force, but from something even more advanced—magic.
Which was why the powerhouses here were so terrifying.
On Blue Star, the Martial Emperor was the pinnacle.
But here, someone like her—once the "strongest Martial Emperor"—couldn’t even match a bloodkin prince.
And beyond the princes… there were the so-called Emperors, and even the mythical True Ancestors.
“How ironic…”
She let out a bitter chuckle. “These monsters… really are favored by heaven.”
As she pondered this, a sudden rustle came from the underbrush ahead.
Degrienne froze, eyes locked on the darkness.
“Awoo—!”
Two werewolves emerged from the shadows, their bestial red eyes gleaming as they locked onto her. Foul drool dripped from between their fangs.
They were huge, their muscles bulging. Their auras clearly revealed they were Body Tempering Tier Nine!
“Well, well. What luck.”
One of the werewolves grinned wickedly. “A lone bloodkin right at the edge of Twilight Forest… and such a tiny one at that!”
The other licked his claws hungrily. “Soft and tender… must be delicious…”
Degrienne stared them down coldly. Then a mocking smile curved her lips.
“Body Tempering Tier Nine?” she murmured. “Perfect. Let’s see how strong I’ve really become.”
Before either of them could react, she exploded into motion.
BOOM—!
Lightning tore through the air as Degrienne’s fist, crackling with violent current, punched straight through the chest of the first werewolf!
The stench of scorched flesh spread. The werewolf’s eyes bulged.
It looked down in disbelief at the gaping hole in its chest—then collapsed with a heavy thud.
“Wh-what—?!” The second werewolf’s expression twisted in panic. It turned and tried to flee.
“Running?”
Degrienne shot forward like lightning. Her small hand clamped down on the back of the werewolf’s skull—and squeezed.
CRACK!
The sound of shattering bone rang out crisp and sharp. The creature convulsed twice and dropped limply to the ground.
Degrienne flicked the blood from her fingers and sneered. “I can’t beat Veronica yet… but you two? Trash.”
She crouched down to examine the corpses—and found something interesting.
One of the werewolves had a rough leather map tucked at its waist.
Unfolding it, she saw a small path marked at the forest’s edge, leading to a human settlement called Milu Town.
“A human town?” Her eyes lit up.
She had no idea what human settlements looked like in this world.
Degrienne tucked the map into her clothes and pressed on.
Moonlight filtered through shifting branches. Shadows danced ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) like whispers around her.
Her own footsteps were the only sound.
“Edge of Twilight Forest… Looks like I really might be close.”
She remembered the werewolves’ words and quickened her pace.
After about fifteen minutes, the trees thinned—and the landscape opened before her.
A glowing lake stretched out under the moonlight.
Degrienne crouched by the water, dipping her bloodstained hands in.
The icy touch made her shiver. Blood bloomed and then vanished in the ripples.
Gazing at her reflection in the water’s surface, she sighed, reaching up to poke her conspicuous fangs and glowing red eyes.
“How the hell am I supposed to blend into human society…”
She could hide her silver hair under a cloak, but her bloodkin features were far too obvious.
“If only I had colored contacts…” she muttered, shaking the water from her hands with a bitter smile.
The droplets struck the lake—and in that instant, a shadow flickered in the reflection.
Degrienne’s entire body tensed. Footsteps behind her made her skin crawl.
She didn’t even turn around—she just bolted.
SHUNK!
Her collar suddenly tightened. She was yanked clean off the ground, legs kicking uselessly in midair.
“Miss Degrienne.” Isabella’s voice was calm, almost cold. “Please return with me.”
“No!”
Degrienne thrashed wildly. “I was so close—why do you have to stop me?!”
Her voice cracked with frustration and grief.
But Isabella’s grip didn’t waver. She let her flail like an angry kitten.
“You are Lady Catherine’s treasured pet.”
Her voice was low, her dark red eyes deep and unreadable in the moonlight. “She… cares for you.”
“Cares?” Degrienne let out a cold laugh—then suddenly bit hard into Isabella’s arm.
Her fangs pierced flesh. The taste of blood filled her mouth—but Isabella didn’t even flinch.
And then the world spun.
By the time her vision cleared, they were back—standing in the castle’s rear courtyard.
The night wind brushed against her skin. On a nearby bench sat Catherine, lazily toying with a thorned rose.
“Done playing, my little pet?”
The soft voice made Degrienne’s knees buckle.
Isabella let go at the perfect moment, and she collapsed onto the cobblestones.
Catherine rose from the bench and strolled forward. Her heels clicked rhythmically—like a death march.
With every step, Degrienne felt it more clearly—
This woman, though calm in appearance, was seething with fury.
“Why did you run?”
Catherine reached out. Degrienne reflexively flinched and shut her eyes.
But the blow never came.
Fingers gently pinched her cheek. The touch was soft—almost eerily tender.
“Was I not good to you?”
Catherine’s red eyes gleamed with cold light. “Or… did I give you too much freedom, and you forgot your place?”
Her fingers slid down from Degrienne’s cheek to her throat—then tightened suddenly.
“I taught you just yesterday, didn’t I? Why haven’t you learned your lesson?”
Pain shot through her neck. Degrienne gasped, trying to protest. “I—”
“Shh.”
Catherine’s fingertip pressed against her lips, smile sweet as sugar.
“If you insist on running away… let me help you forget that idea completely.”
Before the words had finished—
CRACK!
The sound of breaking bones rang out. Degrienne didn’t even register it before agony shot from her legs to her skull.
She screamed and dropped to her knees. Her legs bent at grotesque angles. Cold sweat drenched her back.
“Does it hurt?” Catherine knelt and gently stroked her trembling legs. “This is only the beginning.”
Two more sharp cracks echoed.
Degrienne collapsed completely. Tears blurred her vision.
She had never felt pain like this. It was as if every nerve in her body had been set on fire.
“P-please…”
She finally broke, sobbing uncontrollably, clutching Catherine’s skirt like a drowning child.
“I won’t run… I’ll never run again…”
At last, Catherine looked satisfied. She scooped Degrienne into her arms.
The shattered bones shifted with every movement. Degrienne’s vision darkened from the pain.
They returned to the castle.
Catherine laid Degrienne in the center of the main hall. The silver-haired girl’s legs were still twisted unnaturally.
With a wave, Catherine drew a blood-red barrier around her.
“Veronica.”
She didn’t even look back. “No food. No movement. Not even water.”
“Yes, Mistress,” Veronica replied.
The sound of heels faded into the distance, leaving only Degrienne’s ragged, broken breathing echoing through the grand hall.