The Warden of The Witches-Chapter 216:

In the afternoon, after wrapping up the day’s paperwork, Aiden leaned back in his chair. He reached for the stack of letters piled in the corner of his desk, all recently retrieved from the warden’s mailbox, and began to read through them one by one.

As usual, most of the letters came from the families of inmates, filled with pleas, praises, and requests for various favors. Aiden read them all with little interest—until one particularly thick envelope caught his attention.

It was almost bulging, as if someone had stuffed it with a wad of cash.

No, that was probably exactly what it was: a wad of cash.

Aiden sighed. The autonomous state prison granted him significant self-governing authority, and as the warden, he wielded substantial power within the prison walls. It would be unusual if no one ever attempted to bribe him in his position.

From time to time, he would find cash, checks, gold leaf, or even gemstones tucked into letters in the warden’s mailbox, all sent by people hoping to buy special treatment or even a reduced sentence for some inmate.

Honestly, he found these attempts more bothersome than tempting. It wasn't that Aiden had no interest in money, but he knew how to weigh risks. His prison already had its fair share of inmates who were locked up for bribery or corruption, serving as living examples of what could go wrong.

Besides, his prison housed a certain wealthy succubus— who had amassed her fortune through pimping. And was constantly trying to corrupt him with both money and her charms. If he could ignore the honey trap she set, why would he risk everything for such a meager bribe?

Handling these types of letters typically required time for reporting and gathering evidence, ensuring the sender couldn’t later pester him endlessly.

But first, he needed to confirm what was inside the envelope.

With that in mind, Aiden tore open the envelope, and its contents slid out unexpectedly.

Aiden froze. The contents were... photos.

Portrait photos, to be precise. They depicted a curvaceous woman dressed in revealing clothing, posing seductively. Although she wasn’t entirely unclothed, her specific attire and alluring poses exuded a sensual appeal. The effect was every bit as provocative as the "Bleep Girls" magazine—a popular publication known across the state and even in neighboring regions.

It's Not money—someone had actually sent him lewd photos!

Aiden stared blankly for a moment before retrieving the remaining photos and a letter from the envelope. He examined each photo, then turned his attention to the letter.

It read:

"Enclosed are a few items from my personal collection, which I humbly offer for your enjoyment, Warden.

I am the elder brother of Ophelia Kaodo, one of the inmates in your care.

My sister and I have been separated for over twenty years, and I miss her dearly."

"Recently, upon hearing she had been detained in the autonomous state, I rushed over immediately, only to find that she had caused trouble in prison, making it difficult for us to meet.

I have important matters on the horizon that may keep me occupied for several years, making it unlikely for me to see her again anytime soon. I humbly request the Warden’s assistance in facilitating a reunion.

P.S. I am a legal citizen, holding a 'Special Species Management Certificate.'

Additionally, if needed, I can provide more collectibles, each as stimulating as this one.

Yours sincerely,

Kyle Kaodo.”

Aiden stared at the letter, momentarily dumbfounded.

If he were a character in a comic, this would be the point where black lines of exasperation would start to appear over his head.

Bribing with risqué photos... Was this guy for real!?

Yet as Aiden quickly ran through the autonomous state's legal regulations in his mind, he realized this approach wasn’t entirely irrational.

The state's anti-bribery laws have strict criteria regarding bribes, specifying that they must involve money, valuable items, or exchangeable goods, and their value must reach a certain threshold.

This stack of risqué photos neither qualified as valuable items nor as exchangeable goods, and it certainly didn’t meet the value threshold. To anyone besides a collector, they were practically worthless.

Even if Aiden were to report this to the authorities, they’d probably question his sanity more than anything else, and the case would go nowhere.

On the other hand... if Aiden simply kept the photos, there would be no issue. So long as he took the “gift” without taking any action in return, it wouldn’t constitute a transaction. After all, the letter had explicitly referred to the photos as a gift.

With this in mind, Aiden casually tossed the photos into his drawer.

As long as he didn’t act on it, it wasn’t a transaction. The photos were just... “a little bonus.”

Then, Aiden picked up the letter again.

In truth, the photos weren’t the real point of interest; it was the signature at the bottom that caught his attention.

This Kyle Kaodo claimed to be the elder brother of the vampire princess, Ophelia Kaodo.

Vampires, as undead, actually lack the natural reproductive abilities of ordinary beings. In this world, nearly all vampires were once humans who had been transformed.

The "procreation" of vampires is achieved through a ritual known as the Embrace, in which a vampire transforms a mortal into their thrall. Vampires often use noble titles to indicate their closeness to the Progenitor in terms of "blood lineage." The closer a vampire is to the Progenitor, the stronger their innate abilities as a vampire.

A mortal transformed directly by the Progenitor becomes a vampire prince. Below the prince are ranks such as duke, marquis, and so forth. These titles aren’t fixed; if a vampire kills another vampire of a higher rank and absorbs their blood completely, they can advance in status.

Of course, some vampires who were aristocrats in their human lives disregard this hierarchy and insist on using their former noble titles. However, most vampires prefer to establish identity based on bloodline.

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There are two types of familial relationships among vampires.

One is the bond between master and thrall. Occasionally, a vampire and all the thralls they've turned will establish a parent-child relationship; for instance, most prince-level vampires will refer to the Progenitor respectfully as "Father."

The second is a familial bond that existed before their transformation.

As for a sibling relationship, it would only be possible in the latter case. It’s rare for vampires turned by the same master vampire to refer to each other as brother and sister.

A brother and sister who were transformed together—and both at the prince level, no less—must have led quite eventful lives before.

But still…

"Doesn't seem like they’re the sharpest tools in the shed," Aiden muttered, shaking his head at the letter.

Somewhat intrigued, Aiden decided to save the letter for further consideration later.

He picked up the next letter in the stack, noticing it had neither stamp nor postmark, suggesting that the sender had personally dropped it into the mailbox.

He unfolded the letter and glanced over its contents. It contained only a single sentence:

"Tonight at seven, I invite you to join me at the long table within the mists."

No signature, but Aiden could guess the sender.

If Abigail could send invitations to witches across the continent, dispatching a crow, owl, or bat to slip a letter into his mailbox would be child’s play for her.

It hadn’t even been a few days since her last visit, and yet Aiden suddenly felt as if he were being drawn into some sort of witches’ gathering.