The Half-Blood Princess by Mihaela Bogdan (best books to read for self improvement TXT) 📖

(This chapter represents Dragomir Ivanov’s life story, including the reason why he turned against his best friend, Vladimir Dracula. This male vampire isn’t as friendly and sociable as he posted in front of Valentina before her party.)
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  As a child, me and Vladimir Dracula were close friends. We both shared the same dream: to become the most powerful vampires the world has ever known. I had doubts in my case because I was a half-blood, but Vladimir always supported me.
  When I grew up, I fall in love with a female vampire, Mirabella. Although her twin sister Miranda tried to change her mind about being my woman, she accepted to be my wife because she loved me sincerely. Of course I made Vladimir my man of honor at our wedding. Soon after that, Mirabela gave birth to our first child, a boy that she named Cornelius, like her father.
  My life was complete and I was happy with my beautiful wife and son. I thanked Heaven when I found out Cornelius was a pure vampire like his mother because the life of a half-blood is miserable in both human and vampire communities. It is cruel for me to reminiscence all the sufferings endured until my friendship with Dracula. But he, Mirabela and Cornelius changed my life into a good one.
  I was so busy with my family life that I completely forgot about my childhood dream in becoming the strongest among vampires. It was remembered when Vladimir became the king of vampires. Then my hopes have vanished. What chances does a half-blood like myself have to defeat a pure vampire in battle, nor become the king?
  The worse was just around the corner, but I was too upset that I wasn’t the king of vampires and my attention got distracted. That was a big mistake and it’s consequence was even worse: my beloved Mirabela was killed by a vampire hunter. Or at least, this I was told that happen by a secret witness, too scared to show his/her face.
  Being a pure vampire, I thought it was impossible for an ordinary hunter to kill Mirabela. Who was it then?! At the time of murder, Cornelius was playing with his cousins, Scarlet and Rose at my sister-in-law’s house, Miranda.
  Full of anger mixed with pain and a wishful revenge, I kissed my dead wife’s lips and accidentally swallow few drops of her still warm blood. The taste of it wasn’t bad, but soon I felt sleepy and fainted. After I opened my eyes, I saw everything around me in a pale red light. Then I touched my teeth and feel fangs inside my mouth. When I returned to Miranda’s house, she asked who I was and I told her everything that happened.
  My poor Cornelius was only ten when his mother was buried. All her vampire friends and relatives encouraged me to share my discovery with the other half-bloods. Cornelius’s grandfather, Mirabela and Miranda’s father, my father-in-law said looking me in the eyes for the first time since I married his daughter:
  -I hope you are not mad at me, Dragomir. When you married my daughter, my reputation was getting bad. Since you purified yourself, you can purify others too and our family will most likely get in the history books.
  -It doesn’t bother you the fact that your daughter’s death made it possible for me to become one of you?
  -My boy, to win something you must first lose something. And yes, I feel sad for my daughter and grandson ... and for you of course, but life must go on.
  After my wife’s funeral ended, I let Miranda and her husband Boris to take care of my son; while I began my mission in purifying the half-bloods. Luckily for me, most of them accepted my help and were happy of the results. It wasn’t that hard: all they had to do was to kill a human being (my wife was a vampire, but the half-bloods aren’t strong enough to defeat the pure vampires, so the mortals blood was a replacement) and drink as much of their blood as they could.
  Of course there were moments when my experience wasn’t believed that easily. Those half-bloods were convinced that I was just another pure vampire that enjoys making fun of them, so I had to write two books with the former half-bloods. The first one was called ”The first half vampire” (at the ending I added my transformation into a pure vampire) and the second one was called ”Vampires and half vampires: enemies or allies?”.
  When Vladimir saw that I was a real vampire now, he could not believe it either. During our meeting I found out that he also got married, but to a mortal woman named Maria. Before their small wedding, she made him promise to stop drinking human blood. And after a year she ran away with their half-blood baby because Vladimir broke the promise.
  In my opinion it was better this way, if the vampire community found out that the king married a human being, who knows what could have happened. My jealousy towards my childhood friend grew when he told me that after Maria’s departure he will continue to be king. Now my dear friend will be a weak king and soon he will be weak enough for me to easily take his title.
  This thought gave me hope once again. When I returned to my son, Cornelius, he was twenty four years old and turned out to be a strong and handsome young man like his father. Unfortunately, all those years of my absence made him cold and untouchable for me. I had to work hard in gaining his trust and respect once again. I was about to share him my plans in taking Vladimir Dracula’s title as the king of vampires, when a letter came from Vladimir.
  Speaking of the devil!
  From the letter, I found out that Dracula’s long lost daughter had returned home. Her name was Valentina and she was four years younger than my son. This gave me an idea: in order to receive the title as vampire king, I must pretend that I intend to marry Cornelius with Valentina, of course after I will make her a pure vampire as well. After that I will kill Dracula and his daughter and the throne will be mine!
  My plan was brilliant, but I didn’t share it with Cornelius because he was the bait. Before arriving at the castle, I hunt down a deer, bottled its blood and give it to Vladimir as a gift. So far no one noticed my real intentions.
  Things went without problems for me until Valentina’s initiation party, when a bunch of foolish mortals interrupt her from killing the butler. I had to obey Dracula’s orders to avoid any suspicions, especially that Miranda and her all grown up daughters were there.
  After I helped killing all the mortals, I kidnapped that butler and killed him in front of his master. Dracula was angry, but his diet on animal blood made him so weak that I manage to kill him too without even trying so hard. I wanted to do the same with Valentina, but Cornelius, Miranda, Scarlet and Rose were on her side, although they were my family.
  In the end, I challenged the little princess to a duel to the death and see who will be the one that takes Count Vladimir Dracula’s place!
  The answer is simple: ME! What?! As if a new pure vampire has enough skills and strength to defeat me.

After challenging me to a life and death duel, Dragomir Ivanov left into The Black Forest followed by almost a quarter of the vampires invited to my party. The rest of the vampires remain loyal towards me and father.
  When the sun rose, we were all inside the castle, covering the windows with the dark velvet curtains. Now that I was a pure vampire, the castle didn’t seem so dark and scary like it used to be when I first saw it.
  Our guests put father and grandpa Daniel’s lifeless bodies in two coffins. Cornelius found them in father’s bedroom. The coffins were then settled in the living room on the long table. Some male vampires cleaned the dead ones bleeding wounds, washed them, covered their skin with special oils and changed their clothes with clean ones. The females put red roses around their coffins, praying for father’s soul. They prayed for grandpa Daniel’s soul too only because Cornelius said that maybe he will serve father in the afterlife as he did in this one.
  Miranda, Scarlet and Rose borrowed some of my dresses and picked the blackest one for me. They said I should wear the black clothing since it’s my father’s funeral. They and Cornelius supported me all the time while a vampire was lecturing the event, a respectable looking male named Antoine who was 166 years old, as Miranda whispered to me when he began to talk about father’s reign.
  All the time, Antoine had the most touching way of speaking about the king of vampires, I kept my eyes on my little family. Father and grandpa looked so peacefully, you were thinking that they’re just sleeping. Endless tears were streaming from my eyes while I remembered all the time spent with them. It was short, but lovely.
  How long has it been since father brought me home? Two or three months maybe? The time spent with them was indeed short comparing to the years growing with mother and searching for my unknown father through Transylvania. It was not fair! Just when I found hope of a normal life, that I will live with father for ever after I’ll be a pure vampire, his so called ‘best friend’ betrayed him and with father’s life my hopes and dreams vanished as well.
  When Antoine finished, the nearest vampires covered the coffins perfectly. Unfortunately, outside was daytime, so we had to wait until dark falls to bury the dead ones.
  -What shall we do now, princess? We can’t go out into the sun! Antoine asked me with a strong vocal resonance.
  I wiped my tears fast and climb on the table between the two coffins. Father’s coffin was on my right and grandpa’s coffin on my left.
  -Now we can’t do anything. We must wait until night comes.
  All the guests approved, but Antoine asked again:
  -And what shall we do ‘till then?
  The crowd began questioning my idea. Miranda approached and