Soon enough my father lead me somewhere discreetly. I assume it wasn't common for Moroi to sneak their children into the wards. "Lord Han, who is this ? Why have you come at this hour ?" I didn't know the voice, but it isn't like they were going to introduce themselves to me. The person looked not much older than me, but also not much younger than I was. Age was undistinguishable. Was this a Moroi as well ?

My father offered a small smile, "Questa è mia figlia. La invito a metterla a posto mentre io mi occupo di alcune cose?" (This is my daughter. Will you get her settled in while I deal with some things ?) The person barely glanced at me, but I could tell they were disappointed. Had my father come to this person for shady favors before ? "I can do that for you, my lord. You need not worry." My father left abruptly before I finally could speak. I assume the compulsion wore off.

I walked with this mysterious person. I looked around, but I wasn't too keen on this place. "Who are you ?" The person scoffed before suddenly harshly pinning me to a stone wall. We were hidden from sight. "Marilyn, but call me Mari." I kicked Mari' shin so she'd release me. "That's it ? Why are you doing favors for my father ?"

Mari quickly punched me a couple of time in the stomach before kneeing me in the same place. I slide down the stone wall to the floor in pain. "Cierra la bocca, dhampir falso. Non rispondo a persone come voi." (Shut up, little fake dhampir. I don't answer to the likes of you.) Mari said yet again in the language I wasn't too familiar with. Before long she was dragging me along. Pretty soon we were in a underground room.

"What is this place ?", I asked as Mari began doing whatever she was doing. "The underground to the Dhampir Dorm. Given as you came from out of the wards I need to brief you on the most popular students here at St. Vladimir' before you inevitably end up doing something stupid."

I was never a very submissive type. Didn't like taking unnecessary orders. So I questioned her once more. "You never answered my question before. Why are you doing my father favors ? Why bring me here ?" Mari swiftly slapped me before answering me. "It is a dhampir' job to guard & listen to the moroi. They come first."

Not much else was discussed before Mari sat me down as she pointed at seven boys on a screen. The most popular attendees of the academy. The first one she spoke of was Sunghoon. "Prince Sunghoon is a royal moroi. A wild card. His parents turned strigoi, a high treason against all that we stand for..." The next descriptions went by as a blur for me...

"Jake. Simple. A moroi with a powerful element specialization. Very friendly."

"Jungwon. Very similar to Jake. A moroi nonetheless."

"Prince Heeseung. A royal moroi..."

"Jay, Sunoo, & Ni-Ki very formidable dhampirs. You'd benefit from their guidance."

A few hours had gone by at this point. I thought back to my life before everything changed with one conversation with my mother. Why did this have to happen now ?

So this was St. Vladimir' Academy...