Evolution of the Ruined Heir

As the hours went by, it wasn’t long before Renlo burst into the room, pressing his back against the door as he struggled to catch his breath.

Malakai had just finished fastening the last button of his attire for the date. He almost laughed when he saw Renlo’s face. His friend wore a strange mixture of horror and relief, like a man who had somehow managed to escape hell with his life.

"You look like you barely escaped with your life."

Renlo sucked in another ragged breath, staring at Malakai with pleading eyes. "P-please... please don’t leave me alone with her again. I’ll do your laundry for a month, no, a year! Just don’t make me go back!"

Octavia, of course.

Knowing the tenth vein, it wasn’t hard to imagine the kind of torture Renlo must have gone through. The evidence was practically painted across his face. Patches of powder was on his skin, along with a faint, suspicious blush smeared across one cheek.

’Did she use him as some kind of makeup dummy?’

’I’m starting to think that girl might actually be evil,’ Valentine said, sounding almost sympathetic.

Malakai chuckled, agreeing. He was about to respond when an irritated voice sounded from the other side of the door.

"Renlo! Where the hell did you run off to!?"

It was unmistakably Octavia.

Renlo’s eyes widened in horror. He immediately raised a finger to his lips, staring at Malakai with such desperate pleading that, for a moment, Malakai almost felt sorry for him. Considering he had played a part in putting Renlo in his current predicament, he decided to remain silent.

"That fucking coward. How dare he run away from me?" Octavia sounded royally pissed.

The next few seconds were tense. Renlo shut his eyes and leaned back against the door, practically praying to whatever god he believed in that she would simply walk past.

Unfortunately, his prayers seemed to go unanswered. Her footsteps grew nearer and nearer until, finally, a knock came from the door.

Renlo jolted away from it, looking even more petrified than before.

"Malakai! Have you seen that whining bastard? Is he in there?"

Renlo immediately turned towards him and shook his head furiously, silently begging him not to rat him out.

Malakai cleared his throat.

"No, I haven’t seen him. Now go away. You’re disturbing me."

There was a moment of silence.

"You’re lying." She immediately tugged at the door handle. "Open the door. I’ll check myself."

Renlo practically threw himself against the door, gripping the handle to keep it from turning. With his heavily muscular, beast-like arms, he was actually able to overpower a vein for a brief moment, though Malakai could mostly attribute that to the difference in their ages.

Renlo glanced back at him, desperately urging him to say something.

Malakai cleared his throat, quickly thinking of an excuse. "Octavia, what are you doing? I’m naked."

"So you’re alone?" Octavia immediately asked.

"...Yes."

"Then why do you sound like you’re halfway across the room? Who’s holding the door?"

Malakai almost cursed the genes of the sixth pulse. Just what had their grandmother eaten during her pregnancy to give birth to a line this cunning?

"Move away from the door. I’m breaking it down." Octavia announced.

Renlo immediately began trembling.

And while Malakai felt for his friend, a commotion of this scale was the last thing he needed, especially considering the importance of the date.

"Open the door," Malakai ordered.

Renlo vehemently shook his head.

The footsteps outside suddenly grew faint as Octavia moved away from the door, only for them to return a moment later, rapidly growing louder.

Malakai immediately understood what she was doing.

He grabbed Renlo and yanked him out of the way, pulling the door open just as Octavia came barreling through.

Malakai caught the brief shock that flashed across her face as she missed her target entirely. Her momentum carried her towards the opposite wall, but rather than crash into it, she twisted at the last moment, planted a foot against the wall and kicked off, somersaulting through the air before landing nimbly on her feet.

Slowly, the tenth vein turned to glare at them.

"Why the hell did you open the door!?"

Malakai calmly closed it, then shrugged.

"You told me to."

Octavia gritted her teeth, glaring at him as though she knew perfectly well he had done it intentionally. However, after a moment, she merely scoffed and straightened her attire before turning her attention towards Renlo, who had already retreated behind Malakai.

"Come on. We’re not done."

"N-no."

"...Excuse me?"

Even from behind Malakai, safely outside her direct line of sight, Renlo somehow still flinched at the glare she sent his way.

"...Malakai needs me. That’s why I came here. He called me."

Octavia silently turned towards Malakai.

For a moment, Malakai felt a bit betrayed at being dragged into a lie without his consent. On a normal day, he might have gone along with it.

Unfortunately, Renlo appeared to be out of luck today.

’Oh, come on! Look at him! Have some mercy. That girl is going to kill him!’

’He’ll survive.’

"Actually..." Malakai sighed a moment later. "I need both of you to do something for me."

Renlo stiffened at the mention of both, while Octavia’s brows furrowed slightly, her silence showing that she was listening.

Malakai’s arm twitched, causing vita to imperceptibly spread around them, sealing off the room and preventing any sound from escaping.

"I’m going out with Donna soon. While we’re gone, I need the two of you to keep Mamush and his wife occupied."

"Y-you..." Renlo slowly backed away, staring at Malakai like he’d just stabbed him in the back. "You traitor."

Malakai sighed at the look, but unfortunately, he needed him for this. After all, he couldn’t exactly bring Renlo along on his date, if he could even call it that.

Octavia, on the other hand, seemed bothered by something entirely different. Her frown had deepened, her eyes narrowing slightly as she stared at him.

"So, you’re going on another date with that broad? What, are you starting to like her now?"

"No. It’s part of the mission."

"Hmm..."

Octavia squinted, carefully studying his face.

"...Why are you staring at me like that?"

"I’m checking if you’re lying. My mother taught me how."

Malakai had no doubt the sixth pulse would teach something like that to her daughter. What he couldn’t understand, however, was why Octavia seemed so invested in the answer.

’Why does she even care?’

’Oh, I’m calling it. She likes you.’ Valentine said with far more enthusiasm than anyone should expect.

’She’s my cousin.’

’Please. I’ve seen cousins do far worse. Besides, you nobles have family trees that look like tangled fishing nets. How close are you two?’

’Her mother is my aunt.’

’...Oh.’ Valentine went silent for a moment. ’Damn. That’s actually close.’

Malakai could practically hear the disappointment in his voice.

’Well, look on the bright side. You’d have an extremely cunning woman by your side. Or, if that doesn’t work, you could always go for the mother.’

’Shut up.’

That was Malakai’s cue to tune the ghost out.

At the same time, Octavia seemed to finish whatever inspection she was conducting.

"Hm. You’re telling the truth... for now."

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