Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction.
𝒊: Cassandra Arlette
𝐂assandra was a psychologist who had a love-hate relationship with her job.
At twenty-eight years of age, her research had led to the groundbreaking discovery of the latent second mind, which was considered a grand debut in the world of psychology.
Following her widespread fame and success, she was fondly acclaimed as the Mind Whisperer because of her expertise in understanding broken minds.
Ironically, no one would ever suspect that beneath all that repute was a broken woman with too many holes in her heart.
Every person has a skeleton or two in their closet, but hers were way past ashen.
The years of childhood trauma she never really addressed culminated in her deep-rooted hatred for the male kind.
She was well aware that she, of all people, wasn't meant to harbor such a malicious mindset, but it couldn't be helped—not after everything she went through at the hands of men.
Even after time had done its part, making her the adept psychoanalyst the masses adored, she still had no power over the panic attacks that struck whenever certain words were uttered or certain images flashed in her mind.
She knew she was a hypocritical wreck; Cassandra Arlette, the mind whisperer who existed to fix all the other wrecks that thrived on her closeted hypocrisy.
But what else could she do except mask her pain and scars beneath the wise, sympathetic smile that washed away her patients' troubles like a calming stream?
It was her cross to bear as a mental health professional to ensure that no one ever experienced the same things she did, male or female. She believed she owed that to the world.
Thus, she worked herself to weariness every day to make this desire of hers a permanent reality, while she drowned hopelessly in the murky pits of her trauma.
The savior who never saved herself or had anyone to save her… until the end. A tale of tragedy at its finest.
Nevertheless, there was one outlet Cassie had, a harbour that kept her from completely spiraling off the rails all those years:
Reading.
She was never picky, as she saw all genres and mediums as an invitation to explore new viewpoints.
She basked in the freedom she felt every time a world so different from the one she knew unfolded in her head.
Each letter, each word, each paragraph made her want to grasp that reality, even for a fleeting second.
Whenever she imagined herself in the place of a character she had taken a liking to, she'd feel an unfamiliar grief shake her.
She knew she was being a coward by wishing to trade lives with these characters, but being emotionally avoidant was all she could do at the time.
The day she discovered the unpopular web novel: The Vampire King's Obsession Leads to Ruin, she had mixed feelings.
The novel was still being serialized and had a viewer count close to zero, which was strange considering it had over a hundred chapters released.
Now, Cassandra was a curious person by nature, which was a given considering her occupation.
She had to see for herself why a novel so consistent wasn't getting any engagement at all.
Five chapters in, and she still had her doubts. Fifty chapters in, and she was sold. It was one hell of a good novel!
The author had an uncanny way with words, almost as if they were baiting the reader to use the full strength of their wits and imagination.
They kept the reader on the edge of their seat, then sharply plunged them into a well of twists and uncertainty.
Making them sure of their theories and predictions one moment, then making utter rubbish out of them the next.
It was indeed a chaotic masterpiece of a book, one that soon became the apple of Cassandra's eye.
Contrary to what one might expect, given her great fondness for the novel, Cassandra utterly despised the male lead.
In fact, you could say she despised all the characters of the novel except the male lead's mother: Elysia de Valmont.
The human queen consort married off to the previous vampire king, and the male lead's father, as a rite for the preservation of the peace treaty that was signed between both races to bring an end to centuries of bloodshed.
She was a young princess from a humble monarchy when she was chosen by the vampire king as his grand consort.
As she wasn't in line for the throne and was exempted from typical royal duties due to her 'fragile gender,' she had planned on living the rest of her life quietly, and maybe someday leave the palace to pursue her dreams of becoming a fashion designer.
Unfortunately, her ambitions were soiled shortly after her debutante ball when she received a marriage proposal from the big shot, widely desired ruler of the vampires.
She wasn't given a choice or say in it.
She was to obediently play her role as the human bride of the vampire king for the sake of world peace.
Become a bridge for the well-being of others—a fate that deeply resonated with Cassandra; she sympathized with Elysia.
Their stories were similar, after all. Two women forced to live up to the expectations of the masses, completely forsaking their own.
Cassian de Valmont was the first son born of the vampire king's union with his human mate, and the male lead of the novel.
Cassandra loathed him not only because he grew to become a barbaric, vain tyrant who wreaked havoc on society;
Her detest for him was irredeemable after he committed treason that led to the death of his parents and his immediate ascension to the throne.
He murdered Elysia—his own mother.
Cassian was a character that further made Cassie's hostility towards the male kind justified.
She was not one to generalize but every single one she'd met so far was incapable of anything besides lying, cheating, and ruining people.
Just like they did to her.
It was no different regardless of what world or reality they were from. They were all the same: sick, haughty, and not to be trusted.
Following Elysia's death, Cassandra remained devastated. She simply wanted to know why.
Elysia was a doting mother to Cassian. She raised him with an endearment that most would have problems replicating, so why?
She refused to believe it was just Cassian's insatiable thirst for power that made him commit a crime so heinous and unforgivable.
Something must have occurred between the lines, and she was itching to know what it was.
Cassandra's frustration only mounted when the novel's author abruptly stopped uploading new chapters after chapter 150. A real cliffhanger.
How she waited. Hours became days; those days became weeks, and those weeks became months. Yet, there were no signs of an update from the author.
Not resigning, she looked into every source that could give her a lead on their whereabouts, even going as far as hiring private investigators.
She knew she was going too far for a hobby—a mere recreational activity—but she was far from reasonable at this point.
Seeing the end of that story wasn't a want, it was a need. If she could control just one thing in her life, she wanted that closure.
Alas, with each investigator she hired, all evidence that surfaced pointed to such a person never having existed to begin with.
The only thing that tied their existence to this world was the novel itself.
Cassie resigned then.
She had a trunk full of unresolved curiosity; ones she knew were never going to get answers, so in the interest of her heart, she decided to drop everything. There was no point in crying over spilled milk.
The events of her life went back to fake-normal, back to the days before she discovered the novel.
She was still Cassandra Arlette. The world needed Cassandra Arlette.
And just when she had finally mustered the spirit to confront the greying skeletons in her closet, one at a time—the most unexpected thing happened, altering the future she had predicted entirely.
It was absolutely ridiculous—no, downright absurd. How was this even possible? More importantly, what was she supposed to do now that it had happened?
Just how was she supposed to survive in this unfamiliar world as Elysia de Valmont—the unfortunate mother of the future tyrant vampire king who was damned to meet a tragic end?
More importantly, how was she supposed to 'mother' that monster?
She was going to end up losing her mind before the story reached its climax. Heavens help her as all the events she spent a good portion of her free time rereading start to unfold before her very eyes.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
The Vampire King's Obsession Leads To Ruin
— Novel's background
𝐋ong ago, in a distant eon when the earth was still young and naive, supernatural entities roamed and dominated its surface.
Their reach extended across vast lands, the endless sky, deep waters, and the mysterious realms beneath the earth.
These beings were known as the Primordials, as they existed to maintain balance in the newly formed Gaîa.
Over time, they diverged into distinct groups and lineages, each developing unique traits that set them apart.
This diversification continued for several millennia until these lineages became separate civilizations of their own:
Vampires, Werewolves, Faeries, Centaurs, Zombies, Ghouls, Dragons, Phoenixes, Goblins, Merpeople, Witches, and other species—including the ones that eventually faced extinction.
Each race claimed its own territory and coexisted in relative harmony with neighboring kingdoms.
To bolster a sense of order and sovereignty, one group was appointed as the supreme ruler of all, though each had its own monarchy.
This supreme race were the vampires, chosen for their regal nature and unparalleled unity, which none of their contemporaries could rival.
This era of tranquility persisted until the emergence of a new race that soon tipped the balance: humans.
Though physically weak and mortal, humans were distinguished by their trailblazing tendencies, scientific curiosity, and troubling inclination toward violence.
Before long, they became a thorn in the Primordials' sides.
Their willful and stubborn disposition made them incapable of pledging allegiance to any higher authority.
They refused to see their race as subordinates to the vampires or any other kind.
This defiance sparked the first global war, which lasted for several centuries and led to the extinction of many species, along with the near subjugation of mankind.
However, humanity did not remain idle in defeat. They initiated a resistance that led to the second global war, which persisted even longer than the first.
This time, they were strategic enough to ally with willing empires: the Werewolves and the Witches.
Other empires, like the sky and sea-dwelling Dragons and Merpeople, remained neutral, abstaining from the war entirely.
On the other hand, the ever-loyal Faeries, Ghouls, Zombies, Goblins, and Centaurs rallied with the supreme empire.
The war saw unprecedented levels of genocide on all sides.
The eventual aftermath of the war was a peace treaty signed by the ruling Vampire King and Human Emperor, bringing an end to the long era of war.
A key condition of the treaty required a recurring marriage rite between the two kingdoms.
Every 3,000 years, a fair virgin maiden of noble heritage was to be wed to the reigning Vampire King.
Typically, the Council of Elders selected the bride, but if the Vampire King had already chosen someone, he could claim her directly.
With the exception of the vampire overlord and his human mate, any union between a human and a vampire was strictly forbidden.
Tragically, no one would foresee that this very condition would serve as the catalyst for the third global war, ignited by Cassian de Valmont, the 97th Vampire King, many cycles after the treaty was formed.
His revolt ended with the death of his precursor and father, King Thorne de Valmont, and his queen, Elysia de Valmont.