The Rules of Blood-Volume Two ; Chapter 64 (280) - Celine, Velakia's Letter
It was the fifty-fifth day since Blanc left the comfort of their arms to bring his sister back.
And after the alliance with the Rotunda Merchant Company, word of Blanc in the Domain of Blood Maiores reached everyone’s ears.
The Sanguinarch Order seemed to have spotted him and kept it a secret.
The Daughter, being given all the details from the Order, explained in minute detail everything that happened, from how they got caught in having to run from challengers to Blanc’s plan and the fallout that followed.
His plan was amazing but poorly constructed with gaps that Celine worried would lead him into trouble. But still, a good plan nonetheless.
The problem was Blood Maiores’s newfound obsession with the ‘Gray Man’ and all his exploits, especially after he challenged everyone for the hand of one of the Daughters of Blood Maiores… And won it, without even being there.
Now, they wanted their son-in-law to be found and join the Blood. The issue that kept everyone busy back at the mansion of Blood Maroux, even now, weeks later, was the silence.
No new information, no new stories, no new letters. Nothing from Blanc or from others. Normally, he should be out of the Domain of Blood Maiores by now.
But an answer confirming that has not come yet.
To the point that Lucien requested the Archivum Civitas’s intel circles to start looking for any new leads on his whereabouts.
Behind the mansion of Blood Maroux, at a wooden table set upon the freshly cut grass, sat two women sipping tea, their pregnancies growing more visible with each passing day.
“Some sugar with the tea, sister?” Celine asked, grinning, “Or did you stop liking sugar entirely?”
“Too much is bad for the baby,” Miyanna countered, “But a spoonful sounds good.”
Celine giggled as she added the sugar to Miyanna’s cup, “Denying yourself the small cravings would do both of you no good.”
“So I keep hearing,” Miyanna sighed.
“Here,” Celine pushed the teacup towards her.
“Thanks,” Miyanna smiled weakly, dragging the cup towards her.
Celine, nearing her sixteenth week, was adjusting well to the small changes and slight inconveniences, still able to manage most of her usual activities, though her training had been halted by her Mothers and Mothers-in-Law, despite her complaints.
Miyanna, at almost fourteen weeks, was not as fortunate.
After her pregnancy began to show, celebrations were thrown in her honor for two days straight. But after those celebrations ended, her morning sickness worsened, and her body weakened.
Even so, the Raw Vita within her kept her from getting worse.
Her physical strength might have weakened, but her mental resolve was unshakable, even to Celine’s astonishment. Not an hour seemed to pass without Miyanna smiling or laughing softly to herself, her hand gently caressing the small swell of her belly.
Overall, their health was stable, and the pregnancies were going well.
But each day without news of Blanc’s condition weighed heavier on the two women, a growing stress that would, sooner or later, take its toll, either on their pregnancies or on their health.
“My Lady,” one of the maids of Blood Maroux rushed to the table, slightly out of breath, “Someone is looking for you at the entrance.”
“Who is it?” Celine asked, curious but still relaxed in her seat.
“They only said they have something for you, and that they were forbidden from giving it to anyone else, no matter who it is,” the maid explained.
“Is it Olivia sending gifts again?” Celine sighed as she rose to her feet. “Are you joining me, Miyanna?”
“Sorry, Celine,” Miyanna shook her head lightly. “I’ll wait here.”
Celine only smiled kindly at her before striding toward the entrance, her steps strong and steady as the maid guided her toward the entrance.
As they approached, Celine could see Sophie arguing with the man behind the iron gates.
“Give me the letter, I am her sister,” Sophie ordered, her voice authoritarian.
“I am sorry, My Lady, I have been ordered to-”
“Do I look like I care?” Sophie interrupted the man, her golden yellow eyes digging into the man’s skin.
Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; any sightings.
The man looked uncomfortable and in pain, yet still stood straight, “I’m sorry, My Lady.”
Sophie opened her mouth to speak, but Celine was close enough for both of them to hear.
“Leave the poor man alone, Sophie,” she said, approaching the gates.
“Sister,” Sophie muttered, turning to look at Celine as she approached, “I just wanted to bring it to you myself.”
“I’m certain you did,” Celine replied, before turning to face the man.
The man straightened his back even more, slightly embarrassed to look at Celine and her beauty, “My Lady, something for you has been sent with the utmost urgency.”
“Is that so?” Celine asked, “What is it?”
The man looked at Sophie and the maid who stood there, unsure if he could speak or not, “I, uh…”
Celine sighed, turning towards the two, “You are both dismissed.”
The maid bowed before taking her leave, but Sophie stayed, not moving a single muscle in her body.
“What? Can’t I stay?” Sophie asked.
“You can not,” Celine shook her head, “If it’s important, you will find out either way.”
Sophie stared at her sister, her face emotionless, her eyes harsh. But she took her leave all the same.
“Well then,” Celine turned back to face the man, “You can tell me what is going on.”
The man nodded, “A letter sent by a bird carrier from the city of Prida arrived last night in secrecy; the sender requested that your eyes alone see its contents.”
As he spoke, the man took the letter from his bag and, through the iron bars, gave it to Celine.
“I see,” Celine muttered, her eyes on the sealed letter.
A slight panic overtook her, as the place the letter was sent from could only mean it was about Blanc.
Did something happen?
she asked herself as she tried to maintain her composure.
“Thank you,” she said to the man, “You are dismissed, as well.”
“My Lady,” the man bowed lightly and ran off, wanting to put as much distance between himself and any Noble Blood.
Once the man was gone, Celine turned around and went towards the side of the mansion.
There, under the shadow of a tree, she slowly sat on the grass before staring at the letter, afraid to open it.
“Do not dare die, my love,” she whispered before, with a sharp inhale, broke the wax seal, revealing the letter inside.
[To the wives of Blanc of Noble Blood Denegis,
Before I begin, let me reintroduce myself.
I am the First Princess of the Kingdom Isles of Iskahul, Velakia Iskahul.
Hired by Lord Maroux to protect and escort Blanc all the way towards the Domain of Blood Seraph, in exchange for a ship back towards my Kingdom for my protectors and me.
With that out of the way, I must apologize to the two of you.
For it seems I have failed to protect Blanc properly, as one hired for such a role should.
Do not fret, for he is safe. What I failed to protect him from was myself.
Let me explain.
In the Domain of Blood Maiores, we were followed constantly by people wanting to challenge us.
There, Blanc came up with a plan to rid us of the challengers, as we were losing a lot of time because of them.
Once we succeeded, however, we realized an issue.
We were unable to enter any city, town, or village until we were to leave the Domain.
This created two problems.
A lack of supplies, which we ran out off completely in days, having to eat at Blanc’s until nothing was left.
Which meant that we were starving for more than a week as the Noble Bloods began looking after us. And because of that, we rushed, trying to cover as much land in as short a time as possible, hoping to get to the next Domain and get supplies there, which meant that we slept poorly or not at all.
And as I’m sure you are aware, the Raw Vita inside us all began slowly taking over.
And a few days ago, I was the first to be taken over.
In those moments, due to a lack of judgment, I climbed on top of Blanc and, because of me, with him being at his wits' end, failed to control the Raw Vita and was taken over as well.
Now, with the explanation out of the way, I wish to explain how I feel.
From a woman to a woman.
Truthfully, Blanc has made me question many things. He is handsome, kind, caring to us, even when we did not deserve it, and most of all, he did not blame or hurt me for that night’s events.
And, because of a dark past of mine, or how different he is from some of the men I’ve met in the past, I fear I might have become attached. Whether it is love or not, I am not yet sure.
But I fear that I do not want to find out.
Yet, that night’s events remained in my head, and, in an act that I cannot excuse, we’ve done it again.
Blanc is soon to write a letter to the two of you explaining and apologizing to you, so I will not go into further detail.
You might wonder now why I am writing all of this if he is to tell you everything.
And the answer would be guilt, fear, and a sense of pride.
A thing he made clear over the entirety of the journey was how much he loved the two of you, with a smile so bright it shone even in the darkest night.
And I do not want to ruin the man and his relationship he has with the two of you.
He deserves the happiness you two bring him, regardless of the mistakes I’ve made.
Which, in truth, would have been nonexistent if Blanc had listened to me and not told you anything.
But he did not listen.
And so, in secret from Blanc’s eyes, I am writing this letter to you directly so that you know what really happened and who is to blame for it all. I am not sure how you will receive this or what your reaction would be.
But I beg of you to pour your rage on me, and not on Blanc.
All I can promise you is that I will do the best in my power not to repeat the mistakes I’ve made, and to take Blanc all the way to Blood Seraph safely.
After that, I will leave for my land.
For there is nothing for me here, and even if I had Blanc in my heart, the best thing I could do is leave and forget about it all. So, that’s what I intend to do.
No matter what it takes.
P.S. If it ever came to find out I am pregnant, it will remain a secret from Blanc.
With honesty,
Velakia Iskahul.]
“Oh…” was the only thing Celine could mutter after finishing reading the letter.
Volume Two ; Chapter 64 (280) - Celine, Velakia's Letter
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