Codename Vestia

Chapter 27

Nikola abruptly pushed Doyeong away.

“Captured by terrorists, then dropped in the middle of the Pacific and went missing? You think you’re Luas or something…?”

Suddenly, Nikola stopped talking as he looked past Doyeong. Doyeong turned around as well.

“Gamal.”

When called, Gamal slowly stepped out into the sunlight. The surroundings were eerily silent, like a grave. Doyeong understood why.

Though he was used to it and knew Gamal could be a bit eccentric, he sometimes forgot just how stunningly beautiful she was, to the point it left people speechless.

With everyone staring at her, Gamal hid behind Tora like a frightened child.

“And… who might this be?”

A sergeant was the first to regain his senses and cautiously asked.

“Isn’t this Luas…?”

The sergeant then glanced to his side.

“And this one…?”

Tora, who had quickly borrowed some clothes, was dressed in something more appropriate, so he wasn’t quite in his usual, eye-catching native attire. However, he still didn’t look anything like an ordinary person.

In addition, he was staring at the female soldier beside him with childlike curiosity, as if seeing a jellyfish for the first time.

The female soldier, slightly intimidated, hesitated, but Tora paid no mind.

“We need to see the Major. Is he on his way?”

Doyeong said as he started walking. However, noticing Gamal wasn’t following as she was still looking around, he turned back and said,

“Gamal, come along.”

Gamal snapped out of it and quickly chased after Doyeong. Watching her, the others couldn’t help but share the same thought: ‘They look somewhat alike.’

Doyeong called to Tora, who hadn’t moved.

“Tora, you too.”

Only then did Tora amble over, and Nikola muttered in bewilderment,

“What in the world did that guy bring back?”

***

“It’s been a while since I’ve worn clothes from outside.”

Tora stepped out, wearing jeans and a black t-shirt.

His braided hair was tied back, making him look like someone with a hint of native heritage who had a bit of a bohemian fashion sense.

Moreover, dressed in local clothes, his mixed-race lineage seemed to show more distinctly, giving him a subtly more Western look than when he was on the island.

“Here.”

Doyeong, sipping coffee, held out a cup to Tora.

“The taste of civilization.”

Doyeong had also showered and finally changed out of his worn-down combat uniform into a new military uniform.

Taking the offered cup, Tora lifted it slightly as if to toast.

“Tawa certainly suits the military uniform.”

It was strange, but while Doyeong’s time on the island had tanned his skin, making him appear more rugged, Tora looked oddly refined in the mainland clothes.

“Don’t call me Tawa here.”

“What else should I call Tawa, if not Tawa? Are you perhaps embarrassed about your relationship with our Marti?”

Doyeong sipped his coffee with a casual expression.

“I just don’t want things getting more complicated.”

Tora shrugged.

“A wasted effort.”

Doyeong looked puzzled.

“What do you mean…?”

His curiosity was piqued, but at that moment, the other door opened, and Gamal stepped out.

In a navy tennis dress borrowed from a female soldier, with a white stripe on the collar and matching white sneakers, she looked unbelievably cute and charming.

“It’s strange,” Gamal murmured, brushing her palm over her dress.

“What is?”

“It doesn’t feel like I’m wearing anything. It’s so light.”

Tora and Rato had brought back some clothes from the outside world on their recent visit, saying that these styles were popular nowadays, but none had been as pretty as this.

“I almost forgot that our Marti was a woman. If I’d known she’d enjoy it this much, I would have brought a few more for her.”

Suddenly, Doyeong realized who must have been behind the “I Love New York” T-shirt Gamal had been wearing when they first met.

Anyway, as Tora sat down, he asked,

“Who are we waiting for?”

“A high-ranking officer.”

Just as Doyeong answered—

Bzzzzt.

The automatic door opened, and a soldier entered with a precise military posture. Doyeong stood up. Gamal watched him with a curious expression. Then, beyond the soldier who stepped aside, another person entered.

Short, sleek golden hair. Red eyes.

A vampire.

“Vam…”

Startled, Gamal jumped up from her seat. Doyeong subtly extended his hand, calming her.

“It’s alright.”

Then he raised his hand in salute to the blonde vampire.

“Greetings, Major General.”

The red eyes of Major General Alex Yachthund, the commander of the MCTC Central Guard Division, focused on Gamal. Gamal was tense; it had been a long time since she’d encountered a vampire other than Tora and Rato.

Especially one who looked as ancient as this.

Though he appeared to be in his mid-to-late twenties, which made his rank as a major general feel oddly mismatched, the red eyes that quietly observed Gamal held an air of ancient, subdued wisdom, heavy as lead.

He was strikingly handsome, the kind of beauty that seemed almost like it had been cut from a storybook prince. In fact, he looked so extraordinary that even a princess might seem less royal by comparison, to the point where one might doubt if he could actually fulfill a prince’s role.

Finally, Alex spoke, in a language Doyeong had never heard before.

“……?”

Doyeong was perplexed, and Gamal’s eyes widened in surprise.

“That’s…”

Tora, too, looked shocked.

Gamal quickly responded in the same language Alex had used. Alex nodded and replied. The more Alex spoke, the more astonished Gamal seemed.

Doyeong looked at Tora, demanding an explanation. Tora tilted his head and replied in a low voice,

“It’s ancient Satadi language. Not fluent, but he speaks it better than I do.”

Doyeong looked back at the two. In the middle of Alex’s speech, he caught the name “Alec,” as if referring to himself.

Then, suddenly, Gamal ran to Alex and embraced him. Doyeong flinched but stayed put as Alex wrapped his arms around Gamal’s shoulders. A wedding ring gleamed on Alex’s hand resting on her shoulder.

“Let’s sit down, shall we?”

Alex released her and finally spoke in a language Doyeong could understand. Gamal, looking more composed, returned to her seat, and Alex also took a seat, saying,

“You’ve done well, Major. I’m truly relieved you returned safely. Lieutenant Kang is also on his way here after hearing the news.”

Doyeong nodded, then changed the subject with a question.

“Are you acquainted with Gamal?”

At first, it hadn’t seemed likely, given Gamal’s surprise at discovering Alex was a vampire. Still, it appeared there was some connection between them.

Alex clasped his hands lightly and rested them on the table.

“From this point on, everything discussed here stays in this room. The woman here, Gamal, has the codename ‘Grand Duke.’ According to our research, she is the sibling of Kunis, a member of the Satadi tribe, who ruled the Awarna region in western Anatolia around the 14th century BC as part of the Lukka Federation.”

Doyeong knew this fact personally, though he hadn’t heard a word of it through military channels. It appeared that the higher-ups had a clearer grasp of the Grand Duke’s identity than he’d realized.

This wasn’t necessarily surprising, but now everything was unmistakably clear.

That Gamal was the Grand Duke’s sibling, born in the 14th century BC, and had lived in hiding for ages to avoid him.

Doyeong looked at Gamal’s round face across from him.

He hadn’t doubted her story, but he had hoped some of it might have been exaggerated. Yet now, knowing every word was true, a dark, seething emotion rose in his chest.

It was a fierce hatred toward the Grand Duke—a man who not only strangled his own blood to the point of death but continued to keep her trapped in the darkness he’d created, someone who deserved nothing short of brutal retribution.

Meanwhile, Alex continued,

“The Satadi were a fairly influential tribe within the Lukka Federation. According to certain testimonies, records repeatedly mention the name ‘Satadi.’”

“Testimonies?”

Doyeong had attended his history classes diligently, but he had never encountered the name “Satadi.”

“I mean people who had seen the records back in their day. The records concerning the Satadi were all lost, but there were several people who testified to having read about the Satadi long ago.”
Gamal felt a pang of sadness. The reason no records of the Satadi remained was painfully clear—her tribe had been wiped out in inter-tribal warfare.

At that moment, Alex looked at Gamal, his gaze still detached yet tinged with a hint of warmth.

“And Gamal was the first to bring us the flos flower.”

The unexpected comment made Doyeong furrow his brow.

“‘To us’ as in…?”

Alex nodded.

“Yes, to our Ivanov Clan.”

Just then, the door opened, and a voice called out.

“I’ll take it from here.”

A man stood at the entrance. Dressed simply in a knit sweater and light coat, he had blonde hair a shade duller than Alex’s. But most striking of all were his eyes—a pure, intense shade of red that seemed the essence of “red” itself.

Even standing still, he exuded an overwhelming presence.

This was Ivan Ivanov, the head of the Ivanov Clan, to which Alex belonged.

Gamal reacted first, springing to her feet.

“Alec!”

Doyeong was puzzled.

“Alec?”

It seemed she was using the name for Ivan, not Alex. The fact that Gamal knew her former boss from his time as the director of the Seoul branch was surprising enough, but beyond that…

‘Are they on nickname terms?’

Doyeong was dumbfounded.

“You’re alive…”

Gamal murmured in disbelief as she looked Ivan up and down. Ivan nodded.

“And you. You were so out of touch, I thought you’d died.”

They looked like two old friends reuniting after years apart.

Gamal clutched the hem of her dress tightly.

“I survived, on an island.”

“I heard as much on my way here. No wonder the Grand Duke couldn’t track you down.”

At that moment, Gamal noticed an East Asian woman standing behind Ivan.

She had long black hair that would reach her chest if untied, tied back in a single braid, and her dark eyes gleamed with clarity. She looked like a teenager, yet the military uniform adorned with a lieutenant’s insignia suited her as if she’d worn it forever.

Most notably, she was a female vampire.

“A woman…”

Gamal mumbled unconsciously. In all her years, this was the first time she’d encountered another female vampire.

It wasn’t just because Gamal had evaded both humans and vampires alike; female vampires themselves were exceedingly rare.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Lieutenant Yeonha Kang.”

Yeonha extended her hand with a polite smile, and Ivan added,

“She’s my wife. She was on a team with Major Deper here when he was stationed at the Seoul branch.”

When Gamal looked over at Doyeong, he simply acknowledged Yeonha with a nod. Yeonha, equally accustomed to the gesture, nodded back. It was as if no words were needed between them.

Suddenly, Gamal whirled around and grasped Yeonha’s hand, surprising her with the unexpected firmness.

Gamal asked,

“Are you Alec’s wife?”

“Yes.”

“Which one?”

Yeonha hesitated, and a sudden silence fell over the room.