The Rules of Blood-Volume Two ; Chapter 77 (293) - Terms
“You sound like a Maroux, Lord Blanc,” Fimma scoffed, “Seems your marriage is going well.”
“At least one of them does,” Blanc replied, pointing downward towards her son, “Surely better than his, as I did not get the urge to cut my wife’s head off.”
“He is young and foolish,” Fiamma shrugged, “All men have their weaknesses.”
“That’s a sickness, Lady Seraph, not a weakness,” Blanc countered, pointing at his head, “But I am not here to educate a grown woman in how to parent, but to take my sister back.”
“So I’ve heard,” Fiamma clenched her jaw, “And as you requested, a Daughter is present to our discussion. A pity, since otherwise you would’ve been ash by now.”
“I will not be threatened by traitors.” Blanc lowered his sword, the tip pressing against Aidan’s clothes.
“And I will not be threatened by a kid,” Fiamma growled, a deep rumble leaving her throat as smoke escaped from her lips the instant she spoke.
"Enough." A wave of crimson power burst from the Daughter’s mouth, forcing silence and stillness upon both Blanc and Fiamma. "I was requested to witness these discussions and all further negotiations until a decision is reached, not to watch two supposed adults threaten each other."
The Daughter, a woman who appeared to be in her forties, watched them in silence as their rage slowly subsided, her face as emotionless and disinterested as ever.
Then she turned to look at the soldiers of Blood Seraph in the distance, then at Blanc’s group.
The tensions were high, but the discussion could continue.
“Now,” the Daughter said, turning her face back to the two, “Blanc of Noble Blood Denegis, speak your terms.”
Blanc nodded, grateful he had requested the Daughter’s presence before anything could happen.
With that ease in mind, he took a deep breath before beginning.
“I, Blanc of Noble Blood Denegis, son of Elion and Mera, in the name of my Blood and the Vita above, request that the engagement between my sister, Sera of Noble Blood Denegis, and Aidan of Noble Blood Seraph be annulled. Noble Blood Seraph has failed to fulfill its promise of aiding our Blood in our time of need, thus violating both the vows and sanctity of the engagement ceremony, and betraying the Empire itself, as declared by High Bezel Domini of the Archivum Civitas.”
“You have no authority to request such a thing,” Fiamma hissed, taking a step forward.
“Not another step, Matriarch,” the Daughter replied, before turning towards Blanc, “But the Matriarch is right, such a request with no authority cannot be taken into consideration.”
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“The heir of Blood Denegis is in captivity. The Patriarch of Blood Denegis is in captivity. All because our allies failed to come when needed.” Blanc muttered, “Thus, as per the Empire’s law, with no confirmation of the heir’s whereabouts, the heir position falls to the next in line for the time being, which would be me.”
“Twisting laws to fit a narrative surely isn’t accepted by the Sanguinarch Order, correct?” Fiamma giggled, turning to face the Daughter.
“Indeed,” the Daughter nodded, “It has been confirmed that Valar and Elion of Blood Denegis are still alive. Despite being captives, they do hold all the authority, regardless of the failed promise of Blood Seraph.”
“It is unfair, Daughter, to expect prisoners of war to negotiate with their supposed allies,” Blanc muttered, “Authority has been given to me by law in their absence, and even so, both Matriarchs of Blood Denegis, as well as the Patriarch of Blood Maroux, have given me their blessings.”
Sera got to her feet, opening her mouth to speak, but was silenced by the Daughter’s own words.
“Blessings and such hold no power,” the Daughter shook her head, “Your authority is null.”
“How about this?” Blanc reached into his bag, pulling the box Lucien gave him.
Fiamma’s eyes widened. “Where did you get that from?”
“It is yours if you accept the undoing of the engagement,” Blanc replied.
“Fucking bastard,” Fiamma hissed, anger and smoke surging from her mouth, “That’s not yours to hold.”
“And neither is my sister yours, Lady Seraph,” Blanc matched her anger, “Release her from her vows, and it will be yours again.”
Fiamma inhaled deeply.
Once. Twice.
She was calm now.
Calm enough to think clearly, “No.”
Blanc clicked his tongue, placing the locked box back inside his backpack.
“Very well,” he said.
Seeing the stalemate, Velakia approached Blanc, whispering something in his ear, which made Blanc’s eyes widen in surprise.
“Are you certain?” he asked in a whisper, turning towards her, “It would create issues for you, you know?”
“We’ve been through enough,” Velakia smiled, placing a hand on his cheek, “Do it, we’ll figure it out afterwards.”
Blanc turned to face Tahreni and Lendros, who looked intently at the two.
Then he turned to face Sera, who had a conflicted look on her face, looking at the situation they were in.
It was inconvenient, but it seemed that if Fiamma did not give any leeway, they were stuck.
Still, he held onto it for a little longer.
“What would it take for the Matriarch to accept releasing my sister?” Blanc asked, “Tell me your terms if you have any.”
“You, Lord Blanc, are to become my prisoner in her stead,” Fiamma replied, “Agree to that, and to give me what is rightfully mine, and we have a deal.”
“Never!” Sera yelled, her gray eyes filled with hatred, “I would rather die.”
“Neither of you has any authority,” Fiamma muttered, “So either accept the deal, or we fight and solve it the old way.”
“No,” Blanc shook his head, sad that he had to use it, “You want authority, here you have it.”
As he said that, he moved his free hand to welcome Velakia next to him.
Velakia moved her hair out of the way, revealing a pair of silver earrings.
She tapped lightly behind her ears, and with a quiet tch, they turned white.
A deep pressure grabbed at the chests of everyone present, as Velakia’s pink-colored eye somehow got even more intense in color.
“I am Velakia Iskahul, First Princess of the Kingdom Isles of Iskahul, and with the authority given to me as emissary, as well as royalty, I announce that Blanc of Noble Blood Denegis is backed by our Kingdom.”
Nobody could deny her lineage now.
“On what grounds?” the Daughter asked without being affected by the pressure Velakia was letting out, taking a step forward towards her before Fiamma could speak, “Words are a dangerous thing without the proper backing, princess.”
“Blanc and I are to be wed in the future,” Velakia shrugged, pressing the earrings again, reactivating the artifact, and turning towards Blanc, “And if more words are not enough, here you have it.”
With that, she pulled him towards her, locking lips with Blanc in front of everyone present.
Volume Two ; Chapter 77 (293) - Terms
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