The Vanished Bloodline and a Bar Girl’s Plight

“Have we received any intel on the vanished royal bloodline?”

“Indeed… though it’s not yet entirely certain, it appears to be a definite lead.”

“…”

A brief silence settled between them before the voice, tinged with an undercurrent of concern, offered a cautionary reminder.

“Then prepare yourselves thoroughly. Don’t alert them prematurely; the Sword-Wielding Organization has been exceptionally vigilant lately.”

“Rest assured.”

In a secluded corner of the city, deep within the subterranean confines of an abandoned factory, several indistinct figures conversed in hushed tones beneath the murky glow of a single bulb. A metal table before them was strewn with test tubes containing crimson liquid and a scattering of blurred photographs. Intriguingly, each photo bore faint smudges of blood, yet uniformly captured the slender, graceful form of a white-haired girl.

A closer look, however, would reveal that these figures were not entirely human—

The leader’s words unveiled sharp, predatory fangs. In the deep shadows, the faint, membranous outline of bat-like wings could be discerned. And in a far corner, the man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his pupils, catching the light, were unnervingly reduced to vertical slits.

“Hire someone to retrieve her; let’s not take unnecessary risks. And ensure she’s alive. The royal bloodline is paramount to our plans.”

“Understood.”

Imperial Capital, night.

Inside a bar ablaze with neon and revelry, a girl in a pristine white dress, standing just over 1.6 meters tall, hovered timidly before the counter. Her voice, a soft, sweet sort, was barely audible as she pleaded for her overdue wages.

“Um… Boss, my wages… could I possibly receive them today?”

Her slender fingers nervously twisted the hem of her skirt, her blood-red eyes betraying a flicker of fear mingled with desperate hope. Yet, her soft voice was all but swallowed by the bar’s thunderous music.

With the night crowd steadily swelling, the bartender was a whirlwind of activity—mixing drinks, polishing an array of glasses, and fending off boisterous, inebriated patrons. He had no time to spare for the timid girl before him.

“What’s the hurry? Look at the time!”

Without even glancing up, the bartender snapped a reply, his voice dripping with impatience, his hands never faltering in their practiced motions. It was clear that dealing with such trivialities was merely a routine annoyance.

He roughly shoved a stack of soiled glasses into the sanitization sink, sending a spray of water flying, some of which splattered onto the girl’s pristine white skirt, causing her to instinctively recoil a half-step.

Despite this, the girl remained stubbornly rooted to her spot, refusing to leave. Her heart seemed to be wrestling with an internal conflict, but eventually, she bit her lower lip and, gathering her courage, spoke once more.

“But… wasn’t it agreed that I’d be paid daily? And I’ve worked overtime for several days now.”

Her pale cheeks, stark against the shifting neon, flickered between light and shadow. Her eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly, a testament to her fear, yet beneath it lay a fragile, defiant stubbornness.

‘If I don’t get my wages tonight, I’ll truly go hungry. Without an energy source, I can’t even imagine how terrible it would be if I lost my disguise. I don’t want to be caught and used as research material, nor do I want to be captured by the Sword-Wielding Organization as one of those monsters. If it were just hunger, that would be manageable; I could endure it. But if I don’t have money to buy blood for energy replenishment tomorrow, I truly won’t be able to go to school on Monday. Who would believe that a dignified boy suddenly turned into a girl? And if it weren’t for the good wages and high tips here, I wouldn’t have impulsively come to work at this bar… Now that I think about it, such promises were just a gimmick to trick people into working here… And I was stupid enough to actually believe it, but what could I do when I was truly desperate for money? Ugh, this place is so shady… truly shady.’ The girl cursed silently in her heart, but as things stood, she could only grit her teeth and persist… ‘If I don’t get my wages, won’t all my efforts these past few days have been for naught, pure unpaid labor?’

As if stung by the girl’s audacity to retort, the bartender’s face instantly darkened. Yet, upon recognizing the girl as Bai Xia, his expression subtly shifted, and a sly, malevolent grin slowly spread across his lips.

A prominent figure had, just this evening, offered a considerable sum, specifically requesting this particular girl for a wine delivery. He had no intention of letting such a lucrative opportunity slip through his fingers.

“Wages, you say… Tell you what, deliver this wine to Manager Wang in the VIP room. If he’s in good spirits, he’ll surely give you a generous tip. Once you’ve got that, come back to me for your pay.”

His words were perfectly crafted, leaving no room for argument…

Delivering wine was, of course, a trivial task. He was certain the girl wouldn’t dare refuse and forfeit her hard-earned wages; anyone with a shred of sense would discern the more advantageous path.

The bartender prepared the drinks ordered for the VIP room, then arranged them on a tray, gesturing for the girl to make her choice. It was a simple proposition: either walk away empty-handed or dutifully deliver the wine and receive her money.

Bai Xia’s fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly, a flicker of profound struggle reflected in her blood-red eyes.

“I… but I’m…”

She yearned to tell the bartender that her shift had ended, but the thought of her withheld wages silenced her. Instead, she bit her lower lip, her hands trembling slightly as she took the tray. Upon it rested several bottles of what appeared to be costly, renowned wines, alongside a single red syringe whose purpose remained disturbingly unknown.

Gazing at the slender needle, Bai Xia was inexplicably seized by a sudden apprehension. It certainly didn’t appear to be anything innocuous.

‘But this was a bar, after all, and to some extent, a place for shady dealings. Its presence didn’t seem so strange then. Surely, just delivering the drinks would be enough, right…? Besides, it was a time of law and order; such things shouldn’t really be possible, should they…? Bai Xia briefly tried to reassure herself. Although a sense of unease lingered as she looked at the red syringe on the tray, after a moment of internal struggle, she picked up the tray and, steeling herself, headed towards the VIP room.

“Tsk… I must admit, that girl is quite the looker. What a pity.”

Once the girl had departed, the bartender and a well-dressed man beside him, clearly the bar’s manager, exchanged a knowing glance, a shared, predatory smirk curling on their lips.

“So, the task is complete. How much commission will I receive?” the bartender inquired, rubbing his hands together. “This is illicit business, after all. I’ll need at least fifty percent of the take.”

“It’s not a success until the boss has transferred the funds,” the manager replied, retrieving a golden lighter from his inner suit pocket, its flame momentarily illuminating the calculating glint in his eyes behind his lenses. “It’s a rare occurrence, but what if she decides to call the police?”

“Call the police?”

The bartender tossed a stack of glasses into the sanitization sink with a clatter, a smirk of amusement playing on his lips. “She couldn’t even produce proper identification when she started and demanded daily wages. Just look at her; it’s clear she’s truly desperate for money. Does she strike you as someone who’d stir up trouble? Besides—”

The bartender suddenly lowered his voice, his gaze turning chillingly cold.

“She can barely protect herself. What would she even report to the police?”

“Hahaha, you certainly live up to your reputation,” the manager chuckled, exhaling a plume of smoke, the golden lighter twirling expertly between his fingers. “But you’re not wrong, the little one is indeed quite attractive.”

At this pronouncement, the bartender standing nearby nodded in eager agreement.

This girl, Bai Xia, was arguably the most stunning young woman he had encountered in all his years in the industry. Her seemingly natural white hair was one thing, but her ruby-like eyes and utterly charming demeanor made her appear as if she had stepped straight out of an anime.

What truly stood out, however, were these distinctive features, which they had only ever witnessed in transcendent beings. Could an ordinary human truly be born with such an appearance?

Though a flicker of suspicion regarding Bai Xia’s true identity crossed their minds, both men swiftly dismissed their doubts. After all, the girl had consistently presented herself as an ordinary individual in their presence. Beyond her striking beauty, nothing extraordinary had ever been observed, and typically, transcendent beings weren’t known to be in dire need of money.

Moreover… the employer’s offer had been simply too generous to resist.

“To be singled out at such a tender age… it’s truly a shame, isn’t it?”

The manager snuffed out his cigarette, his eyes narrowing to mere slits behind his lenses, as if he wished to banish the thought entirely. Even if they felt a pang of pity for the girl, what good would it do?

There were countless pitiable souls in the world, and they were hardly philanthropists. If they were to sympathize with everyone, earning money would become an impossible feat.