My Blood Legacy: Bloodlines

Tomas Valentine had been sitting in his office for almost two hours, reading through an uninteresting sequence of administrative petitions. Most dealt with minor territorial disputes, funding requests, training authorizations, and complaints between secondary branches of the family. He was nearly finished with a particularly long petition concerning the renovation of an estate when the door opened and Emily entered carrying a sealed envelope bearing the main crest of the Valentine Family.

"Lord Tomas, a message arrived from headquarters."

Tomas set the petition aside, extended his hand, and accepted the envelope. Emily remained beside the desk while he broke the seal and pulled out several sheets. His eyes moved calmly across the document, but as he continued reading, his expression gradually took on the particular exhaustion of someone who had just discovered more work in an already packed schedule.

He sighed.

Emily immediately recognized the type of document.

"Is it about this year’s Valentine Gala?"

Tomas nodded and turned to the second page.

"Yes. The family finally decided on the format. It seems they chose to take advantage of the results from this year’s Ascension Ritual." He placed the document on the desk and leaned back in his chair. "The main focus will be the young people who dominated the highest positions in the ranking. Formal introductions, recognition of the new generation, and, naturally, an unnecessary dose of politics disguised as celebration."

Emily smiled faintly.

"So it isn’t very different from other years."

"Only the faces change."

Tomas picked up the notice again and checked the list of priority guests. Some names were already expected, especially those of the prodigies who had occupied the highest positions during much of the Ritual. However, one name had been highlighted in a category of its own.

"It also includes Serafall’s monstrous boy."

Emily tilted her head.

"Victor?"

"Who else?"

"Is he really that monstrous?" she asked, sounding genuinely curious. "Or are the rumors exaggerated because he’s the General’s son?"

Tomas slowly raised his eyes from the report.

"He possesses three unique abilities."

Emily’s smile vanished.

Her face lost color almost immediately.

"Three?"

"Three."

She remained standing there for several seconds, processing the information.

Tomas narrowed his eyes.

"You didn’t read the Ritual report?"

Emily looked away.

"I-I didn’t have time."

"That was eight months ago."

"I’m busy."

Tomas stared at her.

Emily maintained the most serious expression she could manage.

"Extremely busy."

"You spent three entire afternoons reorganizing my shelves because you didn’t like the old alphabetical order."

"Organization is important."

"You also spent two days choosing new curtains."

"The lighting in this office was terrible."

Tomas sighed again and pushed the notice toward her.

"At least read this. Victor Valentine is not someone you should understand based only on rumors."

Emily took the papers.

"Having three unique abilities really does sound absurd."

"Because it is." Tomas returned to the petition he had interrupted. "Having one unique ability is already enough for any great family to pay attention to someone. Two would be an anomaly. Three practically forces everyone to keep track of what he is doing."

"And he’s going to attend the gala?"

"It’s confirmed."

Emily examined the list again.

"Then it’s going to be packed."

"It’s going to be unbearable."

She laughed.

Tomas did not look like he was joking.

---

A few estates away, Grace Valentine sat in the center of her training room in a lotus position. A thin layer of ice completely covered the floor, climbed the walls, and reached part of the ceiling. The temperature had dropped far below zero hours ago, but Grace remained motionless, breathing slowly as she controlled small currents of energy around her body.

Ice crystals appeared near her shoulders, remained suspended for several seconds, and then dissolved. New formations appeared in different places immediately afterward. There was no wasted movement. Grace was primarily working on precision and formation speed, trying to reduce the interval between intent and manifestation.

She sensed a familiar presence approaching before the person reached the door.

"Come in."

The door opened shortly afterward.

Chysis entered without showing any discomfort from the temperature. Her steps cracked a thin layer of ice near the entrance, but she did not comment on it and simply closed the door behind her. Grace remained seated, keeping her eyes closed while the crystals around her completed another cycle.

"I have an invitation for you," Chysis said.

"I’m not going."

Chysis had not even taken the envelope out of her clothes yet.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Grace opened her eyes and made the crystals disappear. The room remained frozen, but the pressure of energy lessened slightly.

"I need to get stronger. I still haven’t completely mastered simultaneous condensation, and my speed keeps dropping when I need to control more than four different points. Wasting an entire night at a gala won’t help."

Chysis listened calmly.

"Victor is going."

Grace fell silent.

Even the ice around the room seemed to become a little quieter.

Chysis waited.

Grace maintained the same posture for several seconds before finally opening her eyes completely.

"What time?"

A smile appeared on Chysis’s face.

"Interesting."

"I only asked for the time."

"Naturally."

Grace slowly stood and began brushing the accumulated frost from her clothes.

"I still think it’s a waste of time."

"Of course."

"And I’m not going because of him."

"I didn’t say you were."

Grace gave Chysis a look.

The woman maintained the same calm expression.

"The gala will be held at the main headquarters four days from now. The family decided to highlight the top participants from the last Ascension Ritual, so your name is among the priority guests."

Grace walked to a side table and picked up a towel to dry her hands.

"Who else is going?"

"A good portion of the highest-ranked participants. Some heirs from the main branches, representatives from associated families, and political guests." Chysis paused briefly. "Victor will probably be the center of attention."

Grace did not seem surprised.

"He likes that."

"Actually, I think he’s going to hate it."

Grace thought for a moment and agreed.

Victor liked provoking people and had no problem being at the center of a battle, but spending hours being introduced to nobles, answering questions, and listening to formal praise would probably be a particular kind of torture for him.

"Did he really confirm his attendance?"

"Serafall confirmed it for him."

Grace let out a short laugh.

"So he didn’t have a choice."

"He probably doesn’t even know yet."

That managed to draw a larger smile from her.

Grace walked to the door and placed a hand on the handle, but stopped before opening it.

"I need a dress."

"I already had a few prepared."

She slowly turned her head.

"You knew I would accept."

"I knew Victor would be there."

Grace narrowed her eyes.

Chysis shrugged.

"It was a simple conclusion."

Grace opened the door.

"Don’t say a word to him."

"About what?"

"This conversation."

"I promise nothing."

Grace sighed and left the room.

Behind her, Chysis watched the ice slowly begin to melt from the walls.

Four days before the gala, Grace Valentine had finally found a reason to interrupt her training.

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