Falling down like a comet, the Jung clan was shaken by the news Yonghyun brought to them after his journey. When he came back to their clan mansion, he called for everyone in the Jung clan for an urgent meeting. Standing next to him in a baby blue simple dress, Yonghyun confidently introduced the little brunette as his adopted daughter. And of course, the announcement felt like a lightning bolt that struck every single neuron inside the other adults’ brains to shake out any common sense or a reasonable idea to explain for this.

The Jung clan was well-known in the vampire world for their pure and unstained bloodline, giving them the honor to be one of the most powerful families in the history. Their voice in the Vampire Council was ponderable, even Yonghyun was one of the top council members. Their grudge and hatred toward humans were not subtle. Most of the members of the Jung family defied the existence of the other race, always seeing them as their food or entertainment. Yet Yonghyun was an exception. He displayed his different vision on humans. He obeyed the rules of the Vampire Council not to get involved in the human’s matters. However, he never harmed a single life of a human, even during his past rescue missions.

He was a respectful, experienced, and might vampire with a kind and warm heart toward everyone. Being acknowledged by his strength and wisdom, he was voted and agreed upon by the members of the clan to become the head of the house. Yonghyun never failed anyone’s expectation, until now. The rage and jealousy for all these years just burst out. The other adults shouted, shrieked, yelled, hurting all of their vocal cords and using all of the words they had in their dictionaries to make a sense out of Yonghyun’s decision. Associating with a human was already a great stain on the family name. And yet like it was not enough, their head of the house brought back a hybrid child, claiming that she would be his daughter from now on. They had their right to pour out their frustration since it was their own reputation Yonghyun was destroying here.

Expecting the rage from the others, Yonghyun gently gestured Eunbi to stay back, while he remained composed and listened to all of the bad words throwing at his face. Attending as the next heir of the house, Yerin was given permission to observe the meeting among the adults in the corner of the grand dining hall. The blonde child grabbed the tiny trembling hand into hers, pulling the brunette behind her. The aggressive and unwelcoming gazes on the small brunette only boiled Yerin’s blood even more. She never rejected her father’s adoption in the beginning, then why wouldn’t they? Even though they were her relatives, Yerin was never fond of any of them. She shared the same ideology with her father, considering he was always her role model and her teacher. She did care about their family’s name and pride. But even for a child like her, there was no such rule in the Vampire Council that prevent them from adopting a hybrid child. Although Eunbi was a hybrid, half of her blood was still a vampire. Yerin knew they all could smell the vampire blood from Eunbi. And yet they still whined, refusing to accept the decision. Either way, Yerin was grateful to be able to witness this moment, as her biggest question about Eunbi’s identity was solved.

Minutes felt like hours, torturing the only two children in the room that were still too naive to face the real world. The meeting only stopped when Yonghyun made the final words, claiming all the responsibilities and punishment for himself when he faced with the Vampire Council later. That concluded the fact Hwang Eunbi would become a Jung from on was unchanged. However, to cease the anger of other relatives, he assured that Eunbi would stay in his private residence and never interfere with any matters in the clan, including entering their mansion. Only then, the other reluctantly accepted the agreement. Swallowing their frustration, one by one, they went back to their respective house, not forgetting to give a disgusted look at the small figure behind Yerin’s back.

Once they were out of sight, Yerin heard her father’s long sigh before she saw his gesture, calling both of them to come. Detecting the concern in his eyes, the blonde girl understood that he would like to see the scared little girl behind her more. She gave the young girl a soft push on the back, letting the brunette to come forward. Eunbi hesitated but soon was welcomed by a warm embrace from the protective arms. Taking out from his pocket, he fetched out a black eyepatch, decorated with a red cross in the middle. He slowly put in on the little girl, covering the innocent black orb, hiding the only proof for her rejected existence. Suddenly, darkness blinded half of her sight, the greatest fear that reminded her of the pain and suffers she experienced back in the dungeon. Unconsciously, her body trembled, but soon was soothed by her savior and her new father.

“No need to be scare, Eunbi-ah. This eyepatch will protect you from now on. Besides me and Yerin, you must not take this off to anyone else. From now on, your name will be Jung Eunbi and you’re my beloved daughter.”

The brunette just nodded. She was too young to understand any subtle meaning behind those words but she trusted Yonghyun no matter what. Afterall, he was the only family she had left.

“Your presence is really special. But not everyone can understand that. I do not want you to forget Hwang Eunbi. I do not wish for you to forget who you are. But for your own safety, no one outside of the Jung family will ever hear of that name, only Jung Eunbi, a promising vampire belong to the Jung clan. Will you trust me, Eunbi-ah?”

Reluctantly, she nodded again. Seeing the sincerity and seriousness inside the golden orb, Yonghyun was relieved. He pulled both of the little girls into his arms, whispering his comfortable words into the tiny ears.

“Yerin-ah, you’re my last hope and my only dear heart I have left. I wish you could help me to protect your younger sister. There are so many questions I am unable to answer you for the moment. But I promise, when you’re ready, I will not hide anything from you.”

“I never doubt you for a single second in my life. I won’t disappoint you, father.”

Without any hesitation, Yerin replied with confidence. Her hand instinctively wrapped around the small waist next to her, holding securely. Even before her father’s request, seeing how terrified the young girl was, Yerin already made a decision to herself. She would never let anyone lay a finger on these tiny shoulders. She would never let anyone hurt this vulnerable and innocent girl. Afterall, she never had the heart to see her younger sister suffer from the injustice of the world.

************************************

Being the man of his words, Eunbi remained in the private residence of Yonghyun. She was never allowed to attend any meeting within the family, not like she wanted to go anyway. Even though she was still young but she understood really well that she was never welcomed from the beginning. The only two people who gave her love and warmth, sincerely accepting her existence would be Yonghyun and Yerin. Well, there was a third one unexpectedly.

Apparently, after the urgent meeting on that day, Yonghyun went to the Vampire Council to explain the situation. No one knew what he said to them but he received a permission to adopt Eunbi. Along with an official certificate, he came back home a few days later to bring the good news to his daughters. Yerin was not surprised about the news since she always had high hope for her father Only the little brunette jumped in excitement about the news that they were now a real family. Furthermore, Eunbi was going to attend the Royal Academy, where Yerin was also studying. It was the real purpose of the petite girl to show positive expressions for the first time since they came to the Jung residence. She was an orphan. She did not go to school since she was kidnapped on the street, staying inside the dark dungeon for years until Yonghyun saved her. She was not able to talk or speak at all until Yonghyun brought her to her late grandma, who taught her well. Eunbi had been fond of reading books since it was the only thing she could do in that cottage. Going to school was her dream for who knows since when. And now she was giving the chance to make it become real.

“But father, that means it will be the first time she met other people besides us. Isn’t it a little bit... risky?”

Yerin voiced her concern. She had been spending time with the younger girl during the past days. They were getting closer like real sisters. Because of that, the blonde also learned a lot from the brunette’s past, causing her to be even more protective of the fragile girl.

Giving a chance to observing Eunbi closely, Yerin noticed that the girl’s behaviors were slightly different from a normal vampire. Besides the fact she shared the golden eyes of an immature vampire, Eunbi did not require to drink blood. Yerin was not matured yet so she did not need blood too often like the adult. Just one glass of animal blood and she could go on for the next month. In Eunbi’s case, she disgusted the feeling of having that thick crimson liquid in . She preferred to have human food for dinner. Furthermore, the brunette was able to walk under the sunlight without any pain or damage to her skin. And it seemed that she was unharmed by silver objects also after Yerin saw how the young girl casually picked up a silver blade that Yonghyun forgot to destroy in his study. Back in the cottage, she saw how the fireplace was kept for weeks before the lady’s death. The wood was chopped down from the pine trees nearby. Considering how both of them had been isolated in an unknown place, Yerin could only come up with the explanation that Eunbi was the one who did all the chores in the house. In her conclusion, Eunbi had all the behaviors of a normal human, except that she was stronger than a regular adult human.

However, compared to a vampire, Yerin had no idea whether Eunbi could be in the same level as them in term of strength or not. The blonde did not have the courage to test that out by herself. That was when her fear appeared. What if the other vampires would find out about the differences? What if they would bully Eunbi because of that? They were not going to study in the same class so Yerin could not always be with the brunette. She wanted to refuse the idea of sending Eunbi to the academy. But seeing how the golden orb sparkling at the news, Yerin’s heart melted for a moment.

“I know. That’s why she needs to be prepared. You are still on winter vacation after all. So there is still some time for Eunbi to get ready before the spring term starts.” Yonghyun smiled, reassuring his daughter. “I am afraid that I can’t be around to be present on Eunbi’s first day at school. There is some business I need to take care of so I will be away for a month. During that time, can I entrust you to be a great sister, Yerin-ah?”

The blond girl nodded with confidence. She knew that her father wanted her to help Eunbi preparing for the big day. Yonghyun gave each of his daughters a pat on the head before going back to his study for researching, leaving the girls alone in their living room. Silence once again covered the room. The brunette struggled in her stand uncomfortably since she could felt the gaze of her sister on herself. Eunbi was never a talkative person. She had grown closer to the older girl when they started living under the same roof. However, whenever they were together by themselves, the brunette felt shy suddenly. The older rarely spoke her mind so Eunbi never knew what the girl was thinking. But judging from the frown on her pale baby face, the blonde was plotting something in her head.

Suddenly, an idea popped up. Growing a grin on her lips, Yerin was confident in what she was planning. They were going to have at least two weeks more before the new school year started. It would be enough to change some of Eunbi’s human behaviors and made her more vampire-like. Right now, it was noon but the house was dark because of the permanently closed thick black curtains. Candles and torches were the only sources of light to brighten the whole house.

“You heard father. If you want to go to school, you need to be prepared. So starting today, you have to live like a vampire. No need to drink blood since you don’t need it anyway. But you need to sleep during the day and awake at night, like me and father.”

Eunbi was shocked by the idea. She had been following the daily routine since she was living with her grandma. She thought it was normal for her to do so, judging how she already missed the warmth of sunlight. And now her sister proposed her to completely stay away from the sun.

“It’s not like what you’re thinking right now. I and father tend to stay awake a bit longer during daylight sometimes so there is nothing wrong with your usual routine, Eunbi-ah. But since it is a school for vampires, you know how we vampires hate the sun. Lessons are only organized at night. Therefore you need to be able to stay awake to attend school.”

Like she was able to read her mind, Yerin’s answer really calmed the brunette down a lot. It did make sense after all. Eunbi realized how different she and Yerin were in their daily activities. She understood that they were not the same kind, except for the golden orb they shared. And she knew that her difference would give her troubles in school since no one except the people in the Jung clan was allowed to know about her true identity.

“But... unnie... I just woke up few hours ago...”

Eunbi had always been an early bird since she had to do all the chores back then, taking care of her grandma. Thus, she always went to bed when the sun set and woke up before the rooster crowed. Basically, she tried to avoid darkness as most as possible since it had been her biggest fear, reminding her of all the suffering she experienced in the dungeon.

Sensing the uneasiness of the younger girl, the blonde realized that it would be too difficult to change her routine in just one day. But the future heir was never stepped back to any challenge, especially when it came to her sister. Without hesitation, the blonde took the other girl by the wrist and pulled them both into the brunette’s bedroom.

Once they got inside, Yerin told the brunette to change into her nightgown as she also did the same thing. Eunbi obeyed without any complains. However, when the blonde settled down on the big queen-size bed, the younger girl stood still, awkwardly did not know what to do. Both of them had their own bedrooms, being the first and blood-related child, Yerin had much more bigger room. But to her surprise, the older girl was now in her room, on her bed, waiting for her to join in. Feeling shy, Eunbi froze at her position until the patience of the older girl grew thin. Grabbing the skinny wrist again, Yerin gently pulled the brunette into her opened arms, laying down on the soft and comfortable mattress. Startled by the sudden force, Eunbi struggled to break through the strong petite arms. But the room abruptly turned pitch black. It was because of Yerin, who blew off all the candles in the room with a single wave of her hand. The blond girl preferred to have her room as dark as possible for a better sleep. It had been her habit to blow off all the present candles, without realizing that this was not her room.

Unconsciously, Eunbi’s body shook tremulously. The painful whip. The coldness in the cell. The loneliness of the night. The angry and disgusting insults from the guards. All the past memories came back to her. She closed her eye. Tears rolled down her pale cheeks continuously. Her trembling lips mumbled broken words that no one could understand.

When her mind was consumed by the fear, downing her into the endless darkness, a gleam of light appeared from nowhere. Coming along with the brightness, she felt the warmth and a familiar scent of lavender. An arm gently wrapped around her vulnerable torso, pulling her closer to its owner Another hand was on her chestnut hair, caressing up and down tenderly. The skin of the other person was cold but to her surprise, it felt so warm and safe.

“Don’t be scared, Eunbi-ah. I’m here for you. You won’t be hurt anymore. I’ll protect you.”

Yerin whispered softly into Eunbi’s ear. Loving and reassuring. The blonde felt the trembles had stopped. Eunbi’s muscles were more relaxed than before. Ensuring the younger girl had stopped sobbing, Yerin lowered her head a bit, using her small thumbs to gently wipe away the remaining tears on the babyface. Feeling the warm touch, Eunbi slowly opened her eye. Golden orbs stared at each other, containing mixed feelings of the two innocent souls tied by the red string of destiny.

“My dear sister, let me reassure you. I will stay with you until you overcome your past fears. I will stay with you until darkness no longer bothers you. I will stay with you until you are able to stand on your own. I will stay with you until you do not need me anymore in your life. I, Jung Yerin, will always protect you, Jung Eunbi.”

Sincerely and tenderly, Yerin made her vow in front of the astonished girl. A foreign feeling swirled up inside Eunbi’s belly as her golden orb was getting used to the darkness. Little by little, she adjusted her vision and finally was able to see the face of her sister. A pair of crescent moons welcomed her. Out of nowhere, all of the doubt previously was gone. For an abandoned kid like her, love and care were her elusive dreams. She had never dreamed about having a full meal nor a roof above her head. But yet at this moment, she was staying in a big mansion, with three daily meals consist of the freshest meat and vegetable, a father who gave her love and need, and a dear sister who vowed to keep her safe. She thought she was an unfortunate girl but her life changed drastically after one night. She was so thankful, so blessed for this moment.

Tears fell once again. But this time, it wasn’t because of the fear or sorrow. Those were her gratitude. The brunette snuggled closer to the older girl, timidly put her arm around the thin waist. She mumbled ‘thank you’, loud enough for the other to hear. Soon later, the girls drifted off to their dream, within each other arms, safe and sound.