Sounds of laughter and chattering can be heard in every part of the Palace of Ambrogio. Guests filled the venue as carriage after carriage entered the palace, not forgetting to show off their wealth and prestige through the designs of their carriage. Guests mingled with one another as they waited for the celebrant to show himself. 

Most of the guests were vampires and there were also from other races, though their numbers were small. Even so, their small number did not in any way overshadow the sophisticated elegance, the regal aura that they were naturally born with. As they waited outside, basking in the moonlight admiring the structure and enjoying the appetizers, the head butler announced the Cassius family's entrance. 

The orchestra played their instruments as the Duke and Duchess walked down the stairs with the Duchess hand laced around the Duke's arm. Rei and Fumiko appeared next in the same way with gentle smiles on their faces. When they saw Fumiko, some of the guests murmured amongst themselves about the controversy concerning the beautiful young girl. There are also a few guests who looked at her with disdain and hostility in their eyes because of her Holy magic. 

It was a widely known fact that vampires don't get along well with other races that have holy magic. Their presence alone causes slight discomfort to them. Although it depends on how powerful a vampire is. 

Finally, the long awaited celebrant revealed himself. The guests couldn't help but sigh in appreciation when they saw just how gorgeous Ryo is. The moonlight illuminated his figure, highlighting his impeccable features. He was fit and tall, coupled with the curly black hair that crowned his head, although his appearance was still in the growth phase, the guests can already see just how gorgeous Ryo would be when he fully developed. 

His ruby red eyes glinted under the moonlight while his eyelashes fluttered like butterfly's wings whenever he blinked. His high bridged nose and pinkish plump lips amplified his great features. There was still baby fat apparent on his face, softening his features. He walked alone slowly down the stairs as he basked under the moonlight with everyone's attention locked on him alone. 

Like the moon outshining the stars. 

Although he looked calm and refined, he was actually so nervous deep inside and the attention he was receiving only made him feel more uncomfortable. He has this strong urge to just run away to be done with it but he had to endure since this was an important celebration. 

When he was finally down the stairs, his father, Damien held his hand and led him to the small platform at the very center. There stood a very old looking vampire waiting for him. His hair was white that reached down to his bottom. His back was slightly hunched. Although his face was adorned with countless wrinkles, anyone could still see just how handsome this old man in his youth, paired with that byzantine eyes, he was still able to preserve most of his handsome appearance. 

Although he looked old and weak, everyone was well aware that he was actually not in the slightest bit weak. He was the oldest member of the Cassius family and he only aged because he felt tired living for a very long time. Thus his aging was a process to liberate him from the vampire's eternal life. Some of his power continually and gradually decreased as time passed by but he could still fight against the emperor with a possibility of winning. So no one dared to offend him, not even his great great grandson, Damien. 

Damien handed Ryo to his elder and bowed with utmost respect to the old man. Damien then walked back to his wife. Everyone ceased from making noises once Ryo stood on the platform before the old man. The old man gazed straight into Roy's eyes making him all the more nervous. Upon noticing Roy's unease, the old man who looked really strict showed a gentle smile on Ryo startling him but the old man didn't say anything. 

The silence was broken when the old man started chanting. Ryo couldn't understand the chant since the old man was using an ancient language that was no longer used. Ryo heard that in the coming of age ceremony of a noble vampire, they will undergo a branding ceremony, where the family's insignia is engraved or branded on their body. 

This will represent the family they belong to. The brand is also a promise of their undying loyalty to the family and a representation of the family's duty towards the royal family. Once they betray their duty and promise, the brand will be automatically activated to burn their soul. A process that was much more agonizing than having your limbs cut off, skinned alive, getting eaten by the ferals. There is no cure and one could only suffer getting their soul burned until there's nothing left. 

The old man brandished his claws and without hesitation, he slashed it deeply against his wrist, spurting blood out onto the goblet between him and Ryo. The smell of his blood permeated in the air and those who smelled it could feel the oppressive dominance of the Cassius blood. It made them feel uncomfortable, as if a boulder was pressing down against them. 

The wound immediately healed when the amount of blood on the goblet was enough. The old man looked at Ryo with his hand outstretched. 

"Hand please." The old man said, waiting patiently. 

Ryo handed his wrist towards the old man and without even waiting for him to be mentally prepared, the elder immediately slashed his wrist. Ryo almost cursed out loud due to the immense pain of his flesh getting torn. His blood splattered in the goblet, mixing with the blood of the elder. Ryo retrieved his hand when they were done. 

A servant then handed a palm sized branding iron to the elder. It was made of gold and it glinted as it was exposed to the moonlight. The elder dipped the branding iron in the goblet and it was soon coated with their blood. Once it touched the blood, it let out a hissing sound and emitted smoke in the process. Ryo then realized that the branding iron was made of silver. 

'Oh shit. That's gonna hurt like motherfucker.'

Ryo watched as the elder lifted the branding iron and saw the family's insignia as the branding head. The insignia contained a chiroptera with its wings folded around it. A bluebell flower was wrapped around the chiroptera and its eyes looked intimidating, as if it could see through one's soul. 

"Take off your shirt."

Ryo obediently followed the command and removed his outer clothing then proceeded to unbutton his dress shirt enough to show his chest. Ryo closed his eyes as the elder resumed his chanting. He wasn't brave enough to look at how his skin would be burned so he chose to close his eyes. 

The branding head was mercilessly pressed against his breastbone. He gritted his teeth to prevent himself from screaming beforehand but once it touched his skin, he realized that he underestimated the pain it would cause. The smell of burning flesh permeated in the air as Ryo groaned from the searing pain. Tears streamed down his face as veins bulged from his hands and temples from repressing his urge to scream. 

It felt like the brand penetrated not just his skin but his soul as well. He felt that his soul was getting branded as well. It took all his willpower to not scream and embarrass himself in front of their guests. The branding head was finally off him but the pain still lingered, making Ryo sweat profusely. His whole body was trembling from pain. 

The elder started chanting loudly as the moon's essence mixed and transformed the blood in the goblet into a blood red stone. This stone represents the life force of the Ryo. It was shining brightly, marking the success of his branding. If Ryo dies, the stone's light would diminish, making the stone look like dried blood. It would let the elder know of his death and they can use it to track his corpse or where he perished. It would also let them know who killed him as it would replay the scene before and at the moment of his death. 

There was a loud applause and cheering once the branding was done. The servants tended to Ryo and escorted him into the palace to change his attire. Ryo let his brother and father take care of the guests since he has yet to recover from the pain. He sat down on the couch upon entering his dressing room and after a few breaths, the pain was gone. It was as if it never happened at all. 

He touched his branding and was momentarily surprised when he felt the smooth skin instead of a burned one. He looked at the mirror and saw that the brand was indeed there. It just looked more like a tattoo than a brand. He was bust admiring it when the servants changed his clothes. 

Ryo entered the palace hall with Zilthai as his escort. The guests greeted him as he walked towards his father who was busy talking with a tall and muscular man. The man was even taller than his father and had a large build, making him look really intimidating and someone one wouldn't want to mess with. As Ryo approached them, his father looked at him and rested a hand on his shoulder. 

"Ah, the birthday boy is finally here. Your father has been bragging about you nonstop ever since we started talking. With how your father looks, no one would expect for him to be such a chatterbox." The big man said with a smile. 

"Don't listen to his nonsense. Anyway, this is my son, Ryo, and this man is my, unfortunately, best friend, Adolphus Beowulf."

"Hello, Mr. Beowulf. Thank you for attending my birthday. It's nice meeting you." Ryo said as he bowed to show his respect. 

"No need to be so formal. I'm more than glad to attend this party. Anyhow, let me introduce you to my children. Oh and they're all alphas so please don't take it personally if they intimidate you. I'll teach them a lesson once they do." Adolphus said as he grabbed his kids and introduced them one by one to him. 

They were intimidating, probably due to them being an alpha but it didn't bother Ryo. They were also taller than him and had a larger build than him. It was also a feast to the eyes as they were all good looking. Ryo barely paid attention to them as his attention was drawn to the youngest son. 

The youngest son looked timid with his head always lowered, as if ashamed to look at anyone. It was strange since he had a tail and wolf ears that had been dropping this whole time. If Adolphus didn't mention that his children were all alphas, Ryo would've mistaken the youngest son as an omega. He had a smaller build than his brother and he was even shorter and smaller than Ryo. 

His head was lowered so he couldn't see his appearance. All he could see was his butterscotch hair tied in a ponytail. Ryo eventually lost interest when the boy kept his head lowered. He wasn't really fond of the timid type of people. He was more drawn to confident people since being positively confident was contagious. And it's more fun to hang out with them. When they were done with the pleasantries, his father introduced him to another family. 

This time he was accompanied by his mother. They headed towards the table with only females among them. When the other party saw them approaching, they stood up and bowed as a greeting. 

"Duchess, it's been so long since we last met! You looked more gorgeous since the last time I saw you." Said by the tall woman.

Her skin color was on the darker side, similar to his mother's. She was taller than his mother and her build looked toned. She had curly brown hair tied up in a bun. Just one look and one could already perceive that they could be knocked out with just a palm strike from her. 

"You're too formal, just call me by my name. Anyway, this is Ryo, my son, and she is my best friend, Melanie Oleander."

"It's nice to finally meet you, Ryo. Oh and let me introduce my daughter as well."

Melanie then pulled a little girl that was glaring at her cousin. She had a fairly light skin tone with rose pink hair crowning her head. Upon closer inspection, freckles adorned the bridge of her nose to her cheeks. She had golden yellow eyes that looked pretty intimidating. 

"This is my daughter, Minerva Oleander."

Upon hearing that name, Ryo felt that it was awfully familiar. He racked his brain for information as he felt that she was someone important. His eyes widened when he finally recalled who she was. 

'Minerva Oleander, the villainess in the otome game!'

Then fragments of the old Ryo's memories invaded his mind. 

A/N: sneak peek of the ml and the villainess! Lol anyhoo, thanks for reading! I do appreciate the votes and comments! ✧(｡•̀ᴗ-)✧