The Rules of Blood-Volume Two ; Chapter 84 (300) - Second Round of Negotiations
As the sun rose and sank beyond the horizon, night came and passed, and with dawn, a new day began.
Just as they had gathered around the marble table in the Great Hall of Blood Seraph the day before, so too did they take their seats again for the next round of talks.
The only notable changes were the absence of Aidan and, in his place, the presence of Fiamma’s first husband, Henfan of Blood Seraph, his chest and left hand wrapped in fresh bandages from a recent battle.
“We are gathered once more for the second day of negotiations regarding the annulment of the engagement between Sera of Noble Blood Denegis and Aidan of Blood Seraph,” the Daughter began. “Yesterday, both sides presented their terms. Are there any new additions or changes both sides wish to mention?”
“Our side has not made any changes, Daughter,” Blanc got on his feet, “The locked box and no retaliation for the betrayal Blood Seraph committed in exchange for my sister’s engagement to be nullified.”
“Do you even know what’s in that box? Do you even know what you are holding?” Henfan asked, groaning through the pain.
“Do I need to know? Or should we open it together?” Blanc smiled.
“You…” Henfan grinned, gritting his teeth, “You are good, I will give you that. But do not mistake our inaction for a lack of strength. We received you in our camp when you asked for us. We’ve sent messages to the estate, letting Lady Seraph know of your arrival, and offered you free passage inside the Domain when we could’ve cut you down right there.”
“What generosity, My Lord,” Blanc chuckled, “Almost as if being half decent for once constitutes praise on my part, when your Blood was what created, or helped many of the issues I find myself in, so take your thanks and… you know what, never mind.”
“Are there any additions on Blood Seraph’s side?” the Daughter asked, turning her head.
“We do have an addition,” Fiamma nodded, getting on her feet, “The grand total Blood Denegis is owing us is two thousand eight hundred gold. But in hopes of sincerity to both Blood Denegis and the Order, we are willing to lower that amount to two thousand five hundred gold, and biting down on the loss.”
Blanc smirked, shaking his head as he lowered his eyes to the ground, not believing his ears.
“What sincerity, indeed,” Blanc sighed.
But Fiamma ignored him as she continued, “Besides clarifying the sum, no further changes were made on our side, nor are we willing to compromise, as we’ve compromised enough.”
Although curses never heard before stood on Blanc’s tongue at the ready, he looked at the Daughter, knowing what she requested of him.
So he sat down back on his chair, and as told, remained silent.
“Should I take your silence as acceptance to pay?” Fiamma asked, turning towards Blanc, “We are accepting jewelry such as the ring on your finger, imperial coinage, and, as yet another sign of sincerity, we are willing to accept even Iskahul coinage, since the princess is so willing to provide you with anything you need.”
He only smiled at her, not uttering a single word.
“It seems our guests are fine with the terms of our choosing,” Fiamma smiled, satisfied with the result. “Once the entire sum is provided, the Order is free to break the engage-”
“The Order does not agree with Blood Seraph’s terms,” the Daughter interrupted flatly.
“What do you mean?” Fiamma frowned, “If both parties agree to it, why does the Order intervene?”
“Do both parties agree with the terms?” the Daughter asked, turning to look at Blanc.
“Nope,” Blanc replied, before turning back to silence, without providing explanations.
“What do you mean by ‘Nope’?” Fiamma muttered, “Earlier-”
“Earlier, Lord Blanc had remained silent, nothing else,” the Daughter began explaining, “And after yesterday’s negotiation, the points that were brought forward, as well as Lord Aidan’s actions two days ago, have painted the Order in a bad light. The Sanguinarch Order does not concern itself with wars or politics; we are peacekeepers, healers, advisors, and witnesses, yet now Blood Seraph’s actions have placed us in a bad spot.”
“My son’s actions do not represent the choices of Blood Seraph,” Henfan argued, “The Order is being quite unfair.”
“An understatement,” Fiamma added, her eyes filled with rage as she looked at the emotionless woman.
But the Daughter remained unfazed as she continued her explanation, “When residing as witnesses, all sides try to convince us on who to side with if nothing is agreed upon in a certain period. And in this instance, the Order, changing the roles from witnesses to advisors, is advising Blood Seraph to accept Lord Blanc’s terms; otherwise, we would be forced to side with Blood Denegis on this matter.”
Stolen from NovelFire, this story should be ed if encountered on Amazon.
Blanc lowered his head as thanks towards the Daughter, “We are grateful that the Order sees reason, wherever it is due.”
“Is that advice set in stone?” Fiamma asked, looking towards the woman.
“It is,” the Daughter nodded, “The Order overlooked the betrayal as yet another political move. However, how Lady Sera was treated by your Blood was noticed months ago, with Lord Aidan’s actions two days ago being the final straw that made the Order come to this decision.”
“Are you certain?” Fiamma asked again, just to be sure.
“Yes,” the Daughter replied, before sipping from her cup of tea.
“Very well,” Fiamma sighed, “Then none of you leave here today. Guards!”
At that, two doors behind Fiamma opened, and soldier after soldier poured in, with Aidan leading them.
There were at least eighty of them.
As guards approached, Tahreni and Lendros rushed towards Velakia, but stopped, confused when seeing Blanc, Sera, and Velakia just continue to sip tea, as if unaware of what was happening.
Only Blanc turned to look at them, all the while grinning.
“You think I did not know something was happening?” Fiamma hissed, smoke coming out with every word of hers, before turning to face Blanc, “Now, let me be the one to send you off.”
“Now it’s my turn to ask you, Lady Seraph, are you certain?” the Daughter asked, placing the cup of tea back on the marble table.
“What choice do I have?” Fiamma asked, “We all bow our heads to someone.”
“Very well,” said the Daughter, before her lips started moving silently.
By the next moment, a large crimson circle formed around Blanc, Velakia, Sera, Tahreni, and Lendros.
Then a small one around the Daughter.
Just in time for the woman in front of them to take a deep breath in and start spewing fire across the crimson circles.
But none of the fire reached them inside. Not even the heat.
During this, the soldiers, now including Henfan as well, started surrounding the barriers of crimson.
“Pointless endeavors,” the Daughter muttered, as the soldiers in the back nocked arrows on their bows, “Even if they attack all at once with triple the number, they won’t even tire me.”
“A fascinating sight,” Blanc replied while the arrows released bounced off the crimson wall, “Although I cannot help but wonder what the plan is to stop this.”
“That’s easy, Lord Blanc,” the Daughter said as she got to her feet, “Now I convince them.”
As the Daughter stepped toward the far edge of one crimson wall, Fiamma drew in another deep breath.
With every step the Daughter took, the scarlet barrier stretched and shifted with her, as though it were alive and following her command.
A single foot of space stood between them now. That and the barrier.
A barrier Fiamma was certain she could shatter now.
Fiamma exhaled a torrent of fire, but the flames were absorbed by the crimson circle, redistributing it all across its surface.
“Enough,” the Daughter said lightly, snapping her fingers. The snap itself seemed to shimmer in the air, and in an instant, Fiamma’s flames vanished.
Confusion flickered in Fiamma’s eyes as she kept exhaling, yet no flame came forth.
Her first husband lunged at the Daughter, spear gripped in his one good hand, but the thrust met only her second barrier.
Aidan followed with a sharp slash of his sword.
Unsuccessful.
When that failed, he lowered his head, horns leveled, and charged like a bull, only to be repelled effortlessly by the crimson wall.
“Lord Blanc,” said the Daughter, turning to the side to look at him, “I will return shortly.”
“We’ll be here,” Blanc nodded.
“I know.”
And with that, the Daughter, as if with an invisible hand, pulled Fiamma and her husband inside her own partially transparent crimson circle.
“Forgot to mention, Lady Seraph. We… are also the judges,” the Daughter said casually before clapping twice.
The moment she did that, the part of the wall that connected with Blanc’s barrier ruptured, making the crimson circle the Daughter and Blood Seraph were in into its own singular barrier.
With nothing to enter or leave it.
No person. No sound. Only she dictated what was happening inside.
And as the barrier the Daughter was in darkened, making it harder and harder to see what was happening, for a moment, Blanc could swear the Daughter began levitating higher into the air, her red hair turning a darker shade, before the barrier turned darker than the night, making it impossible to see inside.
“It’s getting annoying now,” Blanc muttered, looking at Aidan, who kept rushing into the barrier the Daughter dragged his parents in five minutes ago.
Even the soldiers kept slashing, thrusting, or releasing arrows into the barriers, hoping to break them, but to no avail.
“Do you know what is going on insi-”
“Ah, the barrier is getting visible now,” Blanc said out loud, interrupting Sera’s question.
Slowly, the insides of the barrier were becoming more and more visible.
Inside, the Daughter stood straight, her emotionless face the same as always.
Fiamma was on her knees, grabbing at a lump of meat, her eyes filled with tears, rage, and grief.
Three people were inside the barrier as it darkened, but now only two stood inside a pool of flesh, blood, and remains of what was minutes ago, her first husband, Henfan of Blood Seraph.
Aidan froze as he too realized what had happened, his face caught between too many emotions.
And neither did any soldier move anymore as both barriers vanished.
“Now, Lady Seraph, do you accept the terms placed by Lord Blanc?” the Daughter asked, wiping some human remains off her cheek.
“I… I accept,” Fiamma muttered through gritted teeth.
“Wonderful,” the Daughter nodded, “Let us begin the annulment ceremony, then.”
.
!
Volume Two ; Chapter 84 (300) - Second Round of Negotiations
Comments