The Phantom of Vendée(1)

the castle and looked towards the candlelight that had given her courage, she was surprised to see a beautiful, pale and thin boy standing by the window. He extended his head and arms outside the window, tears streaming down his face, his hands reaching out as if seeking help from the outside world. There was a captivating enchantment in both his appearance and demeanor, leaving the girl momentarily spellbound, feeling that he would at any time fall from the upper floors or even... fly out of the window.

"At that moment, the girl''s mother, who had come out searching for her, finally spotted her daughter. Anxiously and reproachfully, she rushed over and embraced her tightly. Seeing the girl staring blankly in the direction of the castle, her mother also followed the girl''s gaze: When she saw the scene at the window, her eyes suddenly widened in terror. She abruptly pushed her daughter forward, crying out in a desperate voice, ''Heavens! It''s that ghost child! Run, run, Jenne! Run!''

"When the mother and daughter finally returned to the safety of their home, the peasant woman locked all the doors and windows tightly, trembling with fear. Only then did she recount to her daughter the nearly forgotten story of the ghost boy. ''His appearance hasn''t changed at all,'' her mother shivered all over, "I saw it very clearly. He looked exactly the same as twenty years ago!''"

Daisy intentionally paused her storytelling at this point, smirking as she looked at her young audience''s eyes shining in the darkness.

"Nice story, but what does it have to do with vampires?" Charlotte curiously asked.

"Be patient, Charlotte, we''re about to get to that part," Daisy waved her hand and continued:

"The peasant woman told her husband about this, and naturally, Jenne couldn''t resist telling the other children she played with. The story spread like wildfire, and soon several villages nearby knew about the little ghost being kept at Comte