The Rules of Blood-Volume Two ; Chapter 49 (265) - The Challenge Others Accepted
“Go, my daughter. See what this gray man is made of, and if he’s worthy, bring him to me,” her father, Dorian of Noble Blood Maiores, had said before she stepped into the carriage.
Both father and daughter shared the same features, purple hair and even purpler eyes, the signature look of their Blood.
The challenge had arrived the day prior, carried from the city of Segetuza like smoke on storm winds.
A gray man, unknown mere days ago, was now spoken of with more than curiosity. He had challenged all who dared face him, demanding but a single reward should he emerge victorious.
The hand of one of Blood Maiores’s daughters.
She was the fifth daughter. The eldest still under the same roof. The eldest still unmarried. And seeing an opportunity, her father's attention had snapped to the challenge like iron to a lodestone, immediately choosing her for the role.
She was Joan of Blood Maiores.
Taller of stature, with short hair barely below her ears, she was a beautiful woman, despite how strong her physique looked, with her muscles and shapes having a contest of what stood out most.
Yet her femininity stood clear, regardless of how much of a warrior she was.
“As you wish, Father,” she said, her voice clear, posture unwavering, palm pressed against her chest in salute.
Without another word, Joan stepped into the carriage, the door shutting behind her with the weight of expectation only a Crownbound Blood knew to bear.
The carriage, pulled by giant rams, dashed forward in no time, covering ground with a ferocious speed. She would be at Segetuza before she knew it.
But until then, she sat on the leather-padded bench, sighing, her head pounding.
Was this how my sisters felt?
she wondered to herself as she pressed her hand against her forehead, hoping that, somehow, that would take the pain away. For she was only twenty-two, barely the age of marriage… by her words at least.
By her father’s expectations, she should have had two children by now, swords in hand, nose crooked from a few punches.
But the wind does not blow in the direction they all want. Neither her father's nor hers. And once again, he seemed to be winning this game of patience, just as he always did.
For now, she was being sent to meet her so-called potential husband.
But she had no intention of surrendering. Not to her father. Not to this gray man. She would fight with everything she had, and if Vita allowed, she would win.
The real problem, however, sat right beside her.
This content has been misappropriated from NovelFire; any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
The Daughter that was assigned to their Domain. Cold, watchful, and far too silent.
But all the Daughters were like that. Pale, with red hair and red eyes so void of light, it was safer to compare them to a corpse than a living being.
But they were alive, and annoying to have nearby. For the Daughter had but one task in this short journey of theirs. To interfere with the Raw Vita inside her body.
And since this gray man was a commoner like all the rest of them, with no Raw Vita in his soul, her father had decided to send the Daughter along as well, to ensure the fight remained fair.
Her father had forests to send him to, and enough wealth to buy the gray man all the Raw Vita he could ever need after they were married. Because, of course, if he were to become kin to a Crownbound Noble Blood, he would need strength to show for it.
Even if that, too, was a sword with two edges.
He would need strength to earn more strength. Power, to be granted more power. Defeat her, in order to have her.
As the carriage rolled through the Domain’s countryside, Joan spent her time looking outside as green hills moved past.
It was such a beautiful sight, for such an ugly day, that for a moment, she even enjoyed herself. But her thoughts always returned to wondering who this gray man was.
Why were they calling him gray? Was he pale? Or was he having gray hair?
No… that couldn’t be,
she kept telling herself,
there are only a handful of people in the Empire who have that, and Blood Denegis is nowhere near this place.
So, she refocused on the surroundings, enjoying the scenery, the breeze, the smell of rain from yesterday, and the people up in the hills. It was quite pleasant, really.
Huh? People?
Four people walking in a straight line walked past in the distance, not two hundred feet away from her.
The first person reminded her of someone. He had gray hair and gray eyes.
“Wait…” she muttered, “Stop the carriage, isn’t that-”
“We will not stop the carriage,” the Daughter replied coldly, “Segetuza is not far from here, and the Patriarch gave us strict orders.”
“But look,” Joan said, pointing outside towards the group. “Isn’t that one of Blood Denegis?”
The Daughter looked out the wooden window in the direction Joan pointed at, her face expressionless.
“Lady Joan,” the Daughter muttered, her voice steady, “There is nobody there, Noble Blood or otherwise.”
Joan frowned, turning her head back outside, and just like the Daughter said, there was nothing there. No commoner. No Noble Blood. Not even a bird or beast, for that matter.
Just a green hill in the distance.
“Should I stop, My Lady?” the coachman outside asked, as they slowed down.
But the Daughter replied instead, “Move on.”
“Understood,” the coachman replied from the outside, “Hyaa!”
With a sharp sound of a whip that made the rams annoyed, they dashed forward, slowly regaining their amazing speed. But regardless of how fast they were going, Joan still looked at the hill.
Once the hill became unreachable to the eye, she placed that hill in her mind, looking at it again and again.
Was really nobody there? Was she imagining things? Was she, after all, scared of what was to come? Of the idea of losing? Of the idea of getting married? For minutes, she asked herself those very questions, hoping for an answer.
But all she received was disappointment as the Daughter spoke.
“We have arrived, Lady Joan,” the Daughter replied as the carriage began slowing down, voices filled with excitement growing in the distance.
All Joan could do was take a deep breath, pushing aside the thoughts and paintings her mind had conjured as she braced herself for what lay ahead.
.
!
Volume Two ; Chapter 49 (265) - The Challenge Others Accepted
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