It had been four months since Eve Stock last left Randall Gorge, but it still felt as if it had all happened just yesterday.
The sheer impact of the Eternal Night Gorge had been too overwhelming, enough to shatter the worldview and values she had held for her fourteen years of life. In this valley, darkness and wickedness were as natural as the air, and bloodshed and death were as common as morning dew.
Not even her first year at Hogwarts had shaken her this much.
But Eve did not reject the world of vampires. Rather… she embraced it. She admired it, as if she had been born for this—to accept vampires, to accept the dark.
Perhaps it was because of her intimate relationship with Nolan, but deep down, Eve suspected that it was simply because a part of her, the part that was a witch, had never been truly good in the first place.
"Welco back to Sistine Manor, little Eve!"
Before Eve could even step out of the carriage, Felicia ca bounding down the steps like an overexcited golden retriever. The next mont, the vampire duchess lunged at her, wrapping her in a tight embrace and rolling with her across the frosty ground.
"Hahaha! Stop, Felicia! That tickles!"
Eve giggled uncontrollably as she wrestled playfully with Felicia, the most powerful vampire duchess in all of England.
anwhile, Nolan had stepped out of the driver's seat and was helping Angela disembark. Casually, he asked, "I'm surprised you managed to find Randall Gorge so quickly. I thought you'd be late. If you had taken another half-hour, I would have sent Miss Theresa to fetch you."
"The Gorge wasn't that hard to locate, darling," Angela replied, brushing a kiss against his cheek. The mont her lips t his icy skin, she shivered involuntarily. "How has your term been? Eve says you've done exceptionally well—though, of course, I always knew Nolan would be the best."
"Nolan is always the best!" Eve, finally free from Felicia's grasp, ca skipping over to help carry their luggage. She was chattering away excitedly, a stark contrast to the icy, untouchable beauty she was known as at Hogwarts.
"You won't believe it! The racing broom Nolan made for has been officially recognized as the fastest broomstick in the world—without exception! I read in The Daily Prophet that nearly every professional Quidditch team in Britain has placed an order for the Firebolt. In two years, it's expected to beco the official broomstick for the next Quidditch World Cup! Nolan is already the best broomstick maker in history!"
"That's absolutely marvelous!"
The vampire nobles erupted into cheers.
Truthfully, most of them had no idea why this was so exciting. After all, as vampires, they could transform into bats or ravens and fly on their own wings. But that did not stop them from seizing this opportunity to flatter Nolan. Moreover, the silver-haired little witch before them was clearly the future mistress of the Von Draugr family. Even if she claid that she had received praise from a professor in a Muggle school, these vampires would still have enthusiastically shouted, "How wonderful!"
After the initial greetings, Nolan led Eve and Angela around the manor to introduce them to the rest of the vampires.
Eve was polite to every single one of them, much to the surprise of the younger vampires, who were not accustod to being treated with such respect.
Of course, Nolan doubted she actually rembered any of their nas. There were nearly seventy or eighty vampires present, all wearing similar dieval noble attire—the sa old-fashioned style.
Angela, on the other hand, remained visibly nervous. The timid woman tiptoed through the introductions, clutching at her own sleeves as though afraid that any of the vampires might suddenly bare their fangs and sink them into her delicate throat.
"Nolan, there are so many of your kind!"
Once they had settled into their rooms, Angela collapsed onto a chair, still overwheld by the sheer number of vampires she had encountered.
"There are between five hundred and six hundred registered vampires across the British Isles," Nolan explained as he leaned back in his chair, watching Eve unpack her luggage. "Today, you t about one-fifth of them. But most of them are rely turned vampires, or childer. The number of true pureblood vampires is around a hundred. Generally, you only need to rember the pureblood families."
"So, I only need to rember… the important ones?"
"Exactly. Among those you t today, the only ones worth rembering are the mbers of the Borgnat family. They are of the sa status as the Von Draugr clan, but they reside in the city, whereas we are the 'country' vampires."
"Oh, darling, if anything, I think the Von Draugr family is far more elegant and charming," Eve said with a playful smile.
Then, from the depths of her suitcase, she pulled out a neatly wrapped package and handed it to Nolan. "rry Christmas, Nolan. This is our third Christmas together since we t—but our first as lovers. I wanted to give you sothing aningful."
Nolan raised an eyebrow as he accepted the gift. "You've already given sothing aningful, Eve."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver pocket watch.
It was the one Eve had gifted him two years ago. Ever since then, he had worn it every day. Eventually, he had even enchanted it to manipulate ti, turning it into a priceless magical artifact among wizards.
"Should I wait until tomorrow to open it?"
Eve chuckled softly. "You can open it now."
Nolan unwrapped the package to reveal a silver and green scarf—just like the one she had given him last year. But inside the scarf, there was a smaller box.
When he opened it, he found the true gift inside.
It was a silver ring.
The tal glead under the candlelight, pure and flawless. Engraved on its surface were the letters "N.V." and "E.S."—their initials intertwined.
The aning was clear.
Nolan stared at the ring for a long mont before murmuring, "Thank you, Eve. This ans a lot to ."
"…Which finger will you wear it on?" Eve asked softly, a hint of nervousness in her voice.
"Hmm… where would you like to wear it?"
"…Your middle finger," she whispered, her face turning pink. "Or if you'd prefer, you could wear it on a silver chain as a necklace. There's a chain inside the package too. Try it on and see if it fits."
It fit perfectly.
When he slipped the ring onto the chain and fastened it around his neck, the ring disappeared neatly beneath the collar of his shirt.
"I have a gift for you too, Eve," Nolan said.
"You've already given the best gifts, my love."
Eve cradled Nolan's Christmas gift to her chest and leaned in, pressing a soft kiss against his lips. She breathed in his scent, murmuring between kisses, "I think… I might be the happiest witch in the world. That Firebolt alone proves that our love is one of a kind. Becoming a witch… there were so bad things that ca with it. But eting you at Hogwarts was the best thing that ever happened to . Thank you for being in my life, Nolan."
Outside the window, Randall Gorge—where snow was a rarity—was now blanketed in white.
Snowflakes danced in the wind, coating the valley in shimring frost.
A white Christmas.
Both the young vampire and the little witch thought the sa thing as they held each other close.
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