The Rules of Blood-Volume Two ; Chapter 87 (303) - The Sanguinarch Order's Bargain
Blanc took the teacup from the table, slowly bringing it to his lips.
A beautiful floral taste, sweet even without sugar. The best part of this whole discussion.
“No, Daughter,” he shook his head as he placed the cup back on the table, “I cannot believe such simple words for such a complex issue.”
“You are the only one who makes it a complex issue, Lord Blanc,” the Daughter replied, “The Order aided the kingdoms and empires of this continent for a very long time. We were there when the old ones fell. And we were there when new ones were born. We’ve never stopped things from happening, only steered some in the right directions.”
“Just like today?” Blanc asked.
The Daughter nodded once, “Just like today.”
“But steering what? What is the right direction? Who decides it? And how does reducing that man into pieces help steer anything?” Blanc sighed, turning towards the Daughter.
He figured it was probably wiser to shut the fuck up. But he needed reassurance, if he ever were to be a friend, as the Order called him.
“That I’m not able to answer you, for only the Vita knows,” the Daughter replied casually, “But Lord Henfan’s death was necessary in the long run, and just as necessary was that Lady Seraph witnessed it.”
“And is it safe to assume that the Order decided that?” Blanc muttered, letting his back sink deeper into the couch.
“It is,” the Daughter replied, “But I have not been given the reason why.”
“Here’s the thing,” Blanc began, scratching at his forehead, “I am still clueless as to what the Order wants from me, but if the Order wants a friend, I will be that friend, regardless of our friendship and what it's based on. But after today, I want certain promises to be made from both sides. I will also offer explanations if needed.”
“Speak your mind, Lord Blanc,” the Daughter replied with a quick nod. “And I will see what I can do.”
Blanc sighed as he began to speak, “First would be that this friendship of ours only extends to me and the Order alone. Not my Blood. My parents, siblings, wives, and kids are off-limits. The Order will be friends with me, and me alone.”
“Are you the jealous kind of friend, My Lord? I never knew…” the Daughter muttered, blinking rapidly.
That was the closest thing to an emotion Blanc saw from a Daughter in his life.
“Not jealousy,” Blanc shook his head, “I do not want the rest of those I care for to be dragged into whatever we undergo together.”
“That would be impossible, Lord Blanc,” the Daughter muttered, “If we take you away on a small walk, we would be taking you away from your Blood.”
“You know what I mean…” Blanc sighed.
“Unfortunately, you are not able to speak for the future actions for those close to you, just as I cannot tell you next year’s weather at this time,” the Daughter explained, “But I can assure you we, as friends, have your best interests in mind, and by extension, of all those you may care about, including the princess, since I assume that might be your next point you wanted to bring.”
“How did… never mind,” Blanc shook his head, “But you are right. Velakia must, by now, start to regret many of the promises she made, and frankly, I couldn’t blame her.”
“You are speaking about the land she promised?” the Daughter wondered.
“The land, the engagement, our relationship, her visit to the Empire, everything maybe,” Blanc shrugged, “And all because she invited the Order to her Kingdom, without understanding what the Order was capable of doing when provoked, if she did not do it by now, she might soon start wondering in what ifs. What if her family is next? What if her friends are next? What if her Island is next? What if her Kingdom next?”
“All valid worries,” the Daughter nodded, “You must hold the princess deep in your heart.”
“Of course I do,” Blanc replied, “And because I feel such a way about her, I want the Order to make sure, once they get to Iskahul, to act in the best interests of the Kingdom, not only theirs.”
“That’s what we’ve always done,” the Daughter began explaining, “The Order wouldn’t be where it is if the people hated us. Many know the powers we hold, even more than you saw today, and they all understand why we exist, the reason they must work with us, as well as the reason they allow us to work with them. The High Monarch, Vita rest his soul, was one such man. He had a deep relationship with the Order, and the Order with him. The Empire flourished due to that. Because, in all his wisdom, he understood what we are good, and aren’t good at. If Iskahul places its trust in us, the Order is ready to swear to the Vita Herself that we will act as we’ve always done.”
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“And how is that?” Velakia asked, appearing from outside the hallway with Lendros and Tahreni at her side.
“Velakia…” Blanc muttered, embarrassed at his earlier words.
Velakia smiled warmly at him before turning to the Daughter as she began giving her reply.
“We will act fairly,” the Daughter nodded, “And the Kingdom will be allowed to judge us just as fairly.”
“What do you mean?” Velakia requested an explanation.
And the Daughter was ready to give it, “As it is procedure, once the Order is received in a new place, we send a single envoy to work for the royal or imperial family and allow the rulers of the Kingdom to decide if they are to be trusted. The land you have offered us would allow us to settle freely, but still be judged.”
“And what if the King and Queen decide they do not need the Order?” Velakia questioned.
“We return the Land you offered us for a small price, a boat back to the mainland of the Continent, and be on our way where we truly are needed,” the Daughter explained, “So you see, the Order is not violent, Princess. We strive to be the virtue when virtue is not convenient.”
“And turn people into mush when it is more convenient,” Velakia muttered.
“For our friendship with Lord Blanc, as well as the trust of Your Highness, I have been allowed to let you know two things,” the Daughter explained, “Whether you believe them or not is your choice.”
“Say what you have to say,” Blanc nodded.
“Do you remember my ‘precaution’ from yesterday?” the Daughter asked.
“When you said that nothing happened, correct?” Blanc replied curiously.
“Correct,” the Daughter continued, “It was a lie. At this moment, two groups of people are very interested in the results of this negotiation. One more happy that the other to see them fail, or… take too long. If negotiations were prolonged for a day or two, things might have changed for the worse.”
“What do you mean?” Velakia frowned.
“I cannot say more,” the Daughter shook her head lightly, “What happened today had to happen today.”
Blanc clenched his jaw, trying to guess who the two groups of people were, or if he was to believe the Daughter’s words.
Still, there was a second thing left to say.
“What was the second thing you wanted to speak of?” Blanc asked, hoping it would answer his question.
“That is for the ears of the Princess only,” the Daughter replied, “Unless she would want me to speak of it out in the open.”
“Say it here,” Velakia nodded, curious.
“Are you certain?” the Daughter asked, her eyes turning for a moment towards Blanc.
Velakia frowned, not so sure anymore. However, the curiosity of that last eye movement got the best of her.
“Fine,” Velakia sighed, “Come with me, but only if Tahreni joins us.”
“Very well,” the Daughter got to her feet and joined the two women as they left the common room, leaving only Blanc and Lendros to stare at each other.
Well… the two of them and Sera, who was eavesdropping on the entire conversation from the very beginning.
“So, what is this about?” Velakia asked as they entered her room.
“Your future fiancé is caring deeply about you,” the Daughter pointed out.
But for Velakia, this was obvious, which annoyed her, “That’s it? That’s the secret you wanted to tell me and me alone?”
“No,” the Daughter shook her head, “We also have a gift.”
At that, the emotionless woman pulled, hidden below her dress, a small bottle.
Tahreni grabbed the Daughter, immobilizing her hand. Or at least… she allowed her to.
Still, the Daughter remained peaceful, eyes locked onto Velakia’s. “For you, Your Highness. The liquid inside this bottle will alleviate some of the symptoms of the condition you have.”
“Condition?” Velakia frowned, signaling to Tahreni to release the Daughter.
Tahreni begrudgingly did as she was ordered to, letting the woman go.
“I assume you think you have puked today due to the sight alone, don’t you?” the Daughter began, “And from the lack of panic in either Your Highness’s or Lord Blanc’s, I assume neither of you knows.”
“What do you mean?” Velakia muttered, her eyes slowly growing wider at the hints the Daughter gave her.
“Can I show you?” the Daughter asked, raising the palm of her left hand.
This prompted a reaction from Tahreni, but was soon stopped by Velakia.
“Show me,” Velakia nodded.
The Daughter took a step forward, placing a hand gently on Velakia’s abdomen.
“This might… hurt a little,” the Daughter warned.
“Just show me,” Velakia muttered, her voice shaky.
The Daughter’s lips began moving quickly, but no words reached Velakia’s ears.
Instead, as the woman’s palm completely made contact with her dress, a sharp pain traveled from her abdomen all the way to her brain in less than a second, bringing Velakia to her knees.
But the pain wasn’t for naught.
The pain showed her something.
Something that brought instant tears to her eyes.
“Congratulations on your pregnancy, Your Highness,” the Daughter said as she crouched in front of her.
Volume Two ; Chapter 87 (303) - The Sanguinarch Order's Bargain
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