"For someone as discerning as you, I'm very fond of you. I hereby give you permission, young lady, to speak out your name."

"I'm called Wang Yafu, and in a few months I'll be eleven years old, studying at..."

"Enough! The introduction doesn't need to be that long. I only need to know your name."

The puppeteer, holding an exquisitely crafted fan that seemed overly elegant for a hand-puppet accessory, swayed her wrist with full confidence, while the other hand rested on her waist as she spoke pensively, "Your surname is nostalgic. Are you from the Eastern Continent?"

"No, no, even though I was indeed born in the East..."

"That's close enough. Anyway, you're not a local from this side of the Western Continent."

Wang Yafu had been interrupted twice while speaking, and even with her good temper, by this point she should have puffed up her cheeks in a huff. But for some reason, Wang Yafu couldn't truly bring herself to dislike the hand-puppet girl before her.

It was as if Wang Yafu and she were not meeting for the first time, but had established a deep bond long ago.

"I say, Miss Yafu, I think it's time for me to bid farewell to my current life; and conveniently, you've appeared before me today. I'm already tired of the slave next to me, so I might as well follow you from now on."

Between a disliked opposite sex and a somewhat interesting same-sex companion, the puppeteer eventually chose the latter.

Although the decision seemed abrupt, she was the type of "absolutely capricious girl" who did whatever she wanted, whenever she pleased.

"Darling, you don't want me anymore?"

Old Seven's face turned deathly pale as he reached out to try and hold onto her, only to find his hand avoided before it could even make contact.

"I don't want the things you gave me anymore. From now on, there are no more ties between us."

With these words, the puppeteer shattered Old Seven's last vestige of hope and openly displayed a look of disgust; her eyes no longer willing to linger on him.

The day had finally arrived. Forbidden even to touch, ordered to remain ten meters away from the puppeteer at all times, Old Seven had never once spoken to her, except when asked for valuable items. And today—finally, he was heartbroken!

Even though he knew all along that his feelings were one-sided, he had never expected the day of parting to come before his life ended.

At that moment, Old Seven felt as if his soul had been sucked out of him. Like a deflated doll, he wavered unsteadily, as if on the verge of collapse.

His brothers were kind enough to comfort him at that moment, clapping him on the shoulder and saying, "Be strong!"

"Where there's a will, there's a hand-puppet."

"To make a living, you've got to at least wear a..."

Such words of comfort didn't need to be said, Old Seven understood them himself. But losing to another man was one thing; losing the love of his life—a girl—to him, was a whole different kind of pain.

From that moment on, Old Seven no longer believed in love, and his role in the play was over.

The meeting hall now felt like it had been split into two different spaces—on one side, gloomy clouds loomed, as if thunder could strike at any moment; on the other side, where Wang Yafu and others stood, it was like a grassy field on a spring day, filled with cheerful bird songs and abundant sunlight.

"Miss Yafu, I'm Alice. You can just call me by my real name."

Why are there so many people related to the bloodline named 'Alice'? Is this just like the novels I've read?

Though still young, Wang Yafu was able to multitask—she repeated the name in her mind while moving her tiny lips, "Miss Alice..."

"'Miss Alice' doesn't sound right at all. If you must call me something, then 'Lady Alice' would do better!"

Faced with the choice, Wang Yafu preferred to stick with the original, and thus, the title for the puppeteer was decided.

"Little sister, do we really have to take care of her?"

Dracula hesitated at the thought of Alice's high-maintenance lifestyle, tightly clutching his wallet and feeling a twinge in his stomach.

"Sister, since she's willing to follow us, we can't just abandon her. Friendship is important. Didn't sister's teacher teach us that?"

Wang Yafu had unknowingly become friends with Alice, firmly speaking up for her position.

Since Wang Yafu was insistent, Dracula couldn't bring herself to be the bad guy and cruelly send Alice away.

"Fine, the three of us will live together from now on. But first, I want to ask: what is Alice's daily life like?"

"It's nothing out of the ordinary."

As if feeling a bit shy, Alice covered her lips with the fan, her eyes looking upwards, smiling coyly, "In the morning, two-digit numbers of maids come to greet me by the bed. Then, I have breakfast worth at least five silver coins total. Before noon, I go shopping at the busiest market nearby, until the two assistants who carry my packages can't carry anything else. After meals, afternoon tea is a must. The best tea leaves from the East, and the clearest water from the West, make the best tea when paired. Then I start my daily work, write my memoir titled 'The Glorious and Grand First Half of Lady Alice's Life.' During this time, the acrobatics troupe must be on standby so I can enjoy entertainment when resting. The caliber of the acrobatics troupe must be first-rate..."

"Stop, don't go on!"

Dracula felt a long-term ache spreading from head to toe, as if her body was no longer her own. The imminent draining of wealth and the agony of a vanishing soul haunted her, threatening to escape her body and wander between worlds.

"Are you okay, sister? You look so sad. Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing, Miss Yafu. This middle-aged woman here is excited about being qualified to take care of me, so she doesn't know what expression to wear."

Alice, completely unaware of her own burdensome presence, twisted Dracula's will, and without understanding the minds of others, Wang Yafu chose to accept and cheerfully told Dracula, "Sister, you're not allowed to be happy just yet. Wait until the three of us have spent some time together, then you can't help but be delighted!"

'Spending some time together officially' = having kept Alice for a long time = dreadful expenditure that accumulated over time. "I'd rather you kill me!"

Dracula's exclamation sent shivers through the hearts of those present, and she grasped her head in agony, succumbing to utter despair in spirit.

"Truly unforeseen, my charm has become so overwhelming that you can barely bear it, to the point of wanting to die! Sigh, what a sin."

Alice had no inkling that she was the root of all evil, presently just enjoying herself as she fanned herself leisurely, creating a gentle breeze in front of her.

On that day, a mix of joy and sorrow finally passed into the past.

After that, Wang Yafu did not formally ascend to the throne.

However, Dracula, in the name of the "Bloodline's New Queen," consolidated the power of multiple families.

The seven families, stripped of their "spiritual symbol,” now had little resistance left.

While these family heads might still have some power, the intimidation from Wang Yafu's "soul-snatching" prevented them from summoning up the courage they needed.

In this state of passivity, Dracula's family progressively absorbed the territories of other clans.

Before Dracula's power truly expanded, the head of the Fifth Family, as a resistor, took action.

Is living not good?

Living is indeed good, but in this world, the value of certain things can outweigh even life itself.

Such as love, such as freedom; but don't misunderstand—the Head of the Fifth Family, known as "Old Five," lacked neither freedom nor love.

The reason Old Five saw no way out was due to a new rule enacted in the name of the "Bloodline's New Queen":

Starting from the second half of this year, each family must hand over a portion of their quarterly income, following a 'thirty-seventy' split.

In other words, since the introduction of this new rule, each family's total income had to be reduced by 30%.

Dracula hurriedly issued this requirement to prevent Alice from squandering all her wealth.

For some families, money was just a transient commodity and losing it wasn't a big deal. But for the likes of Old Five—a penny-pincher renowned for his iconic catchphrase:

"They can take my money only if they step over my dead body!"

Old Five was widely recognized throughout the Bloodline for his miserly ways, a match for Dracula in terms of saving every penny.

When a miser meets a miser, the contest is not for territory or life—it's simply about stripping the other of their fortune while putting everything on the line.